Prior to departure on a recent redeye to Washington Dulles, an LAX gate agent came onboard toward the end of boarding to check on overhead bin space. As usual, the bins were full. A late-boarding Ethiopian family of four,...
Brett Hart is United’s New Acting CEO
And just like that, another lawyer is at the helm of United Airlines. As a lawyer myself, you might expect that I would express some form of solidarity, but it just makes me suspicious from the outset after sleazy...
Update on United CEO Munoz Coming Today
United released the following, fairly cryptic statement this morning from Henry Meyer, non-executive Chairman of the Board– The Company anticipates it will today conclude the corporate governance process necessitated by the hospitalization of President and CEO, Oscar Munoz. The company...
Keep Your Boarding Pass Close!
I wrote an article this week for Inside Flyer showcasing the compromising personal information at your fingertips with nothing more than a discarded boarding pass. An equal-opportunity problem; American, Delta, and United all have a lot of work on...
Breaking: United CEO Oscar Munoz Suffers Heart Attack
Some bad news this morning from United Airlines, where apparently CEO Oscar Munoz suffered a heart attack and is in a Chicago hospital. More info here. Apparently, the United board had no succession plan in place, which speaks volumes about the...
United Airlines Announces Further Meal Service Improvements
Let’s give United Airlines a little credit — the carrier has improved the quality of meal service in domestic premium cabins over the last year and has now announced another series of improvements that represent, if nothing else, a...
Further United International Expansion to Athens, Barcelona, Lisbon
On the heels of United Airlines’ announcement last week that it would commence service from its San Francisco hub to Xi’an, Auckland, and Tel Aviv comes news that it will add three summer routes next year, including the resumption...
United Club Food Menu for Autumn 2015
Earlier this year, United Airlines announced some pretty sweet upgrades to the complimentary food menu in its airport lounges. Not that it had a choice, with Delta also enhancing its club food, but to United’s credit the new offerings...
United Announces Non-Stop Service from San Francisco to Auckland and Tel Aviv
The Boeing 787 is revolutionary in that it has made otherwise financially nonviable routes viable. United announced two new routes today, to be operated on its 787-8 and 797-9 aircraft from San Francisco — Tel Aviv and Auckland. San...
United Airlines Launches New Website to Engage Customers
United Airlines launched a new website called United Airtime today that invites both customers and employees to provide feedback and promises a level of engagement in which United will respond honestly and candidly to tough questions. Front and center on the...
New 2015 United Airlines Safety Video is Out!
United Airlines has released its new 2015 in-flight safety video after a month of teasers. Here it is– I like it — a little corny, but well done and not as cheesy as Delta’s new safety video. The runaway...
No More Gogo All-Day Passes On United And Why That May Be A Good Thing
Beginning on 01 November 2015, the use of a GoGo All-Day Pass will no longer be possible on United Airlines. Sounds horrible right? I think it might be a blessing. United Will Manage In-Flight Wi-Fi Sales Instead of Gogo...
New United CEO Shares 9/11 Thoughts
A FA friend at United sent me the following letter received by all employees today from new CEO Oscar Munoz concering the 9/11 attacks. Dear fellow employees: This day – Sept. 11 – is a significant and emotional day....
New United Airlines Domestic First Class Seats
Yesterday Travel Skills broke news of a new United Airlines domestic first class seat and today United has made it official with more details. Here’s a look at the new seat: The seat will debut on an Airbus A319...
Who is Oscar Munoz?
Oscar Munoz, 56, was named United Airlines’ new CEO yesterday. Though a Board Member of United Continental Holdings since 2010 and involved in the Continental organization since 2004, I had never heard of him prior to yesterday’s news of...
Analysis: A Letter from United’s New CEO Oscar Munoz
United named Oscar Munoz as CEO today, tapping another insider to head the company. In a letter to employees, Munoz laid out the news and his leadership vision. Here’s my analysis of it. Dear fellow employees: No more “co-workers”?...
The Real Reason United Fired Jeff Smisek
In an unexpected move, United Airlines announced today that CEO Jeff Smisek, along with two top lieutenants were “stepping down” (translation: fired). With record profit on the books and relative harmony between labor and management, what happened? Apparently, New...
Here’s How to Smartly Use Your Lufthansa Miles
So, here’s the story of how I saved my family trip and even scored a business class seat using my Lufthansa Miles & More points. If you don’t want to read the background, skip down to the Use Lufthansa...
United Airlines Closing Honolulu and Detroit Call Centers
Mention “Honolulu Call Center” to any frequent United Airlines flyer and you will see a smile and hear a story about how Team HNL has worked magic or gone the extra mile to save a trip. For United’s valuable...
Preview of New United Airlines Safety Video
We’ve seen airline safety videos evolve from tedious reminders of onboard safety to comedic works of art and full-scale productions. Perhaps it is no surprise, then, that United has released a trailer for its upcoming new safety video, entitled...
