• Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
    • Trip Reports
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
Live and Let's Fly
  • Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
    • Trip Reports
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
Home  >  Airline Merger • Continental Airlines • shares • United Airlines  >  Armageddon for United/Continental Passengers on 03 March?
Airline MergerContinental AirlinessharesUnited Airlines

Armageddon for United/Continental Passengers on 03 March?

Matthew Klint Posted onMarch 1, 2012 Leave a Comment

At 0100 Central Time on Saturday, 03 March, United Airlines will flip the switch, transitioning from its Apollo Reservation System it has used for the last four decades to Continental’s in-house SHARES system. Will the transition be smooth? History suggests no.

To be blunt, the history of these kinds of data transitions is horrific. When US Airways and the old America West combined computers in March 2007, travelers were inconvenienced for weeks, and as many as 70 percent of the carrier’s planes ran late for days. Tiny Virgin America spent months trying to straighten out its operations after a transition to new software last fall. And despite United’s claim that it has done four full-scale dress rehearsals in anticipation of this weekend’s change, one usually compliant securities analyst used the airline’s recent earnings call to raise the specter of War Games, the 1983 Matthew Broderick movie about a new defense computer that almost starts a nuclear war.

There is really no use now in speculating how things will go, but I would urge you to take steps to prepare yourself for the worst. First, print out your mileage and upgrade balances from united.com before the transition. In case there are any hiccups in the transition of points or upgrades from one account to another, you want proof of what you had with pre-merger United (PMUA).

Second, if you are traveling, look into alternate routings on United/Continental to get you where you need to go. In case of delays, it always helps to have options ready to feed to the agent–at least on United, that can occasionally result in being booked into first class if economy class is full.

Last, avoid checking bags if you can–there are few things worse than lost or delayed luggage and the new luggage processing system may present issues for baggage handlers that at the very least delay delivery of bags.

I’ll have some thoughts on the end of United as we know it tomorrow or Friday, but look on the bright side tonight–there is no argument that at least when it comes to websites, Continental has a far better product. Particularly when it comes to booking award travel, the new system will be quite advanced and make it refreshingly easy for consumers to book flights on (and likely lead to a noticeable drop in Star Alliance award inventory).

Previous Article Kazakhstan Embassy: Take Two
Next Article United is Dead, Long Live UNITED

About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

Related Posts

  • Bread Basket Returns In United Airlines Polaris Business Class

    September 28, 2023
  • United Airlines Requests Tokyo Narita – Haneda Swap From Houston And Guam

    September 26, 2023
  • United Airlines South Africa Chicago

    United Airlines Will Not Fly From Chicago To South Africa (Yet)

    September 21, 2023

Leave a Reply

Cancel reply

Search

Hot Deals for September

Note: Please see my Advertiser Disclosure

Capital One Venture X Business Card
Earn 150,000 Miles Sign Up Bonus
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Earn 60,000 Points
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Earn 75,000 Miles!
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Earn 75,000 Miles
Chase Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
Earn $750 Cash Back
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
Earn 120,000 Membership Reward® Points

Recent Posts

  • Boxing Exit Row
    “Rocky” Practices In-Flight Boxing In Exit Row September 28, 2023
  • Bread Basket Returns In United Airlines Polaris Business Class September 28, 2023
  • SkyMiles Program Modifications
    What SkyMiles Changes Will Delta Air Lines Roll Back? September 28, 2023
  • Delta CEO SkyMiles Changes
    Delta CEO Admits Carrier Went Too Far, Too Fast With SkyMiles Changes September 28, 2023

Categories

Popular Posts

  • Lufthansa Panorma Lounge Review
    Review: Lufthansa Panorama Lounge Frankfurt (FRA) September 25, 2023
  • Hyatt Place Frankfurt Airport Review
    Review: Hyatt Place Frankfurt Airport September 25, 2023
  • Pervert American Airlines Flight Attendant
    Update: Teenage Girl Found Hidden Camera On American Airlines Aircraft Toilet (Photo) September 18, 2023
  • Dine And Dash Shame
    Genius: Florida Restaurant Owner Shames “Dine And Dash” Customers September 6, 2023

Archives

September 2023
M T W T F S S
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
252627282930  
« Aug    

As seen on:

facebook twitter instagram rss

Privacy Policy

© Live and Let's Fly All Rights Reserved.
Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Live and Let's Fly with appropriate and specific directions to the original content.