In a sad sign of the times, United Airlines is moving crew out of downtown hotels across the United States due to fears over election-related civil unrest.
United Airlines Moves Crew Hotels Out Of City Centers Due To Election Unrest Fears
In a memo to flight attendants reviewed by Live and Let’s Fly, United noted:
“As we approach the 2020 presidential election, there is a possibility of renewed protest activity. We are taking precautionary measures to ensure your safety and suitable rest are met.”
Unions are fully onboard with the move.
Hotel changes began on Monday and will last for one week (and hopefully not longer…). Crews will remain at airport hotels. As an added benefit to United, these hotels also tend to be cheaper than downtown hotels.
Not every city is impacted. The list of impacted cities includes:
- Atlanta
- Chicago
- Denver
- Philadelphia
- Portland, Oregon
- Seattle
This is not the first time United has made such a move. Over the summer, it also adjusted some crew lodging in response the civil unrest that proceeded the murder of George Floyd.
American, Delta, and Southwest are monitoring the situation, but have not made any changes to crew hotel scheduling yet.
United also has a pair of back-up operation centers should civil unrest in Chicago block access or cripple operations at Willis Tower.
> Read More: United Airlines Evacuates Willis Tower Staff Due To Unrest In Chicago
CONCLUSION
I find a story like this so sad to write, but can hardly blame United for taking such a precautionary approach in light of the current political environment in the United States. Hopefully the move will prove wholly unnecessary.
I’ll offer my own thoughts on the election today and hopefully link it back to travel in an upcoming post.
(H/T: View from the Wing // image: diego_cue / Flickr)
We have reached a low point in our history, when election day is feared to be violent. My wife’s women’s club, which meets downtown, was advised by the police to cancel their meeting on election day due to the risk of violent protest. Today’s paper showed photos of downtown businesses boarding up their windows in anticipation of such. I fear we are leaving our children an unsustainable society.
Hmmm….based on the fact that we’re talking about the centers of major cities, and coupled with the list provided, I just really wonder which political party’s adherents this move is in fear of. The article didn’t say, and none of the other articles about this anticipated violence will say either! So strange…
Do you really not know? Which side has been rioting and looting for the last 6 months? There’s your answer.
Yeah! All that looting a burning from Trump supporters!
No wait…
But BLM activists told us looting and burning are just reparations – folks repaying years of disastrous Democrat administrations. What party ran the city council and police department that killed George Floyd? Say it loud and proud – the party of the jackass!
Trump’s GOP Worked Harder to Stop People From Voting Than They Did to Stop Covid-19 From Spreading
That’s good. The party of the jackass
Nah, they just actively plan to kidnap and execute Democratic governors they disagree with, no big deal for you I bet
Enjoy your last day in power!
Biden/Harris 2020 – Adults Back In Charge
Even if he loses, Trump will still be POTUS until noon on January 20th.
Way to show faith in your country United and not fuel the flames of this ridiculousness and support those that want to create a sense of danger.
Can you blame them??
What do all those cities have in common??
Are you people blind!? This is basic stuff people.
Maybe the flight crews can wear their new virtue signaling United BLM pins as a defense amulet. The BLM-Antifa rioters will simply burn loot murder past the crews.
All those guns, all that hate. Come on Americans you can do better than this.
Still time to do something that you will regret for the rest of your life and make the rest of the world go, yup typical american morons.
I don’t know where United crew would stay when laid over in Los Angeles, but several airlines used the Bonaventure Hotel in downtown LA. I was there recently for a business lunch and the waiter noted that several airlines had pulled their contracts with the hotel and that it was hurting now from lack of a steady, consistent flow of pilots and FAs. Very sad, actually.
Boy do you walk backwards? You must because you seem to perceive everything going on backwards! Wake up dumb ass!
Weird that they weren’t already using airport hotels to begin with. Just seems a lot more convenient, cost wise, time wise, transportation wise, etc.
This never happened under any other president. Obama. Clinton. Dubya. Reagan. Right or left, they all strove to be the president of all Americans. Unlike the current occupant of the WH.
This is not complicated, folks.
Did you read the autopsy report on George Floyd?
He was NOT murdered. He died of a self-inflicted overdose of illegal drugs.
You’ve got to be kidding me…
Let me guess, the guy with a mild form of heart disease died from that heart disease, not COVID-19, right?
Again — have you read the report? The report clearly states this.
Hey, weren’t you the one who swore over his dead body that Trump would get re-elected? Whoops.
If the dems lose, the way they’ll show it is by being violent sore losers not respecting the democratic process (democracy doesn’t mean 100% of the voters like the winner) which would really prove what the republican say about them. Democrats are worse, with all their talk about supporting freedoms, it applies only to the point where you disagree with them, then they get violent and steal your stuff. Hey BLM, there was a B president for 8 years! get over yourselves and start taking responsibility for your won failures. Did the police force you to have 5 kids in highschool to 5 different dead beat dads and moms who think childcare is stuffing your 2 year-olds face with a big Mac and yelling into your cell phone? Look at family demographic statistics, that says it all. Slavery has been over for 150+ years. If the republicans lose I doubt you will see violence and looting – even the news media only seems to think violence will be an issue if Biden loses. I guess if the dems can’t get something for free from the government, they’ll get it from the stores they break into. Great state of affairs when we have a complete buffon running and the only alternative is someone whose best strategy was just to say I’m not the other guy. This is the year China pulls ahead, good job America, all your dumb wining like you all had it so bad because a few people a year got killed by the police. Un-fing-believeable – look at 99% of the rest of the world – Americans are so spoiled with how good they have it and like typical children they will throw it all away over the dumbest things.
First, great dusting of racism – always a classy contribution to a travel blog. But SOP by many these days ’round here.
Right-wing claims of the Left rioting will disappear quicker than the “caravan invasion!” claims of 2018.
I can’t imagine another president in history inciting post-election violence or potentially refusing to leave. Contrast this with the dignified concession by Al Gore. Only the bloated oaf behaves this way.
And so they should.