United Airlines just released their domestic Boeing 787 Dreamliner schedule, according to this Flyertalk post. Looks like most hubs will see the Dreamliner in revenue service on November 4. If I’m not on the actual first revenue flight, you’ll certainly see me on at least one of the IAH-LAX-IAH segments the first day. The 10…
United’s Official Response to Yesterday’s Outage, Upcoming Webcast
As many of you know or experienced first-hand, United Airlines had an outage yesterday impacting SHARES. More than 500 flights were delayed and several cancelled. United’s official response to me at CNBC was: So much for “fully redundant.†To United’s credit, they did issue a travel waiver for all cities late yesterday. It’s gone now…
Notable Airline, Hotel and Travel Industry News: August 28, 2012
United Airlines had a major SHARES outage late this afternoon, bringing their website down and halting operations at some airports. United is apparently offering a travel waiver for impacted customers, but as of this posting, no link has been posted online. [Edited (thanks Kris): The waiver is now posted.] In other not-so-good United news, a…
The Funniest Thing About United’s Outage Today…
If you’re not following @FakeUnitedJeff on Twitter, you need to. Case in point is his exchange with American Airlines (and others) following the SHARES outage at United Airlines today. Kudos to American’s social media team for participating. Related posts: An Interview With American’s Social Media Team United Airlines Retweeted WHAT? Being Schooled on United’s Complimentary…
Being Schooled on United’s Complimentary Premier Upgrades
Keeping up-to-speed with how United’s reservation system processes Complimentary Premier Upgrades (CPUs) can be a daunting task. The vast majority of my flying on United Airlines this year came before the system conversion to SHARES on March 3. And all of my United flights since that date have been upgraded through other means – Regional…
Notable Airline, Hotel and Travel Industry News: August 27, 2012
The FAA is beginning to review electronic devices and whether passengers can one day use them at all times during a flight. The agency is forming a committee to review the issue, even accepting input from the traveling public. American Airlines posted a net income of $135 million for July 2012, the second straight month…
Flight Review: Virgin Australia Business Class Perth to Sydney
I flew to Perth on a Virgin Australia Airbus A330 sporting the old business class configuration, and I was excited to experience the new, more luxe layout on my return to Sydney. If you didn’t read my outbound review, you should know that Qantas and Virgin Australia have really upped their game on this premium…
Vintage Airline Seat Map: Delta Air Lines DC-10
When Delta Air Lines acquired Western Airlines in 1987, they integrated Western’s DC-10-10 fleet into their operation. The seat map below reflects a -30 configuration, and unless I’m wrong, Delta never had -30s so I assume this is a typographical error (this map was published in July 1987). Potential error aside, I’m a DC-10 aficionado…
Notable Airline, Hotel and Travel Industry News: August 24, 2012
American Airlines pilots are still talking with US Airways reps regarding a labor deal should the two airlines merge. The pilots’ union say they’ll hold a strike vote if American continues a path to throw out their contracts. Several airlines have issued travel waivers as Tropical Storm Isaac nears the U.S. The RNC convention might…
Notable Airline, Hotel and Travel Industry News: August 23, 2012
Qantas canceled orders for 35 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, valued at $8.5 billion, amid the airline’s first full-year loss since it was privatized in 1995. Qantas isn’t giving up on the revolutionary aircraft, though, and still has options for 50 787-9s. Delta Air Lines seeks to upgrade its 5X weekly Detroit to Beijing service to daily…