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When One Airline Loves Another Airline Very Much...

February 2, 2012 at 4:15 PM | by | Comments (0)

Last one to a newsstand to buy this week's issue of Bloomberg Businessweek is a rotten egg!

The cover you see above is not the only highlight of the current edition of the magazine; it precludes a full article exploring the finer details of the United/Continental merger. We especially love that the cover promises "a look at the complexity and the absurdity of making the world's largest airline." Face it—the "absurdity" is what will sell this issue, once you get past the risque airplane coitus front and center.

UPDATE: We just checked the Barnes & Noble newsstand to see that this issue, with the United merger cover and story, is from January 15 and already off the stands of course. BOOOO.

[Photo: BusinessWeek/Twitter/Flickr]

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Strong Winds Could Cause Your Flight to Stop for Gas in Canada

Where: Canada
January 13, 2012 at 9:42 AM | by | Comments (0)

It’s already going to cost you a little more to fly to Europe, but it also might take a little extra time on the way back. This week there have been plenty of reports about transatlantic flights back to the nifty fifty taking a little detour to our pals up north in Canada.

The problem has been some crazy intense headwinds that have caused certain airplanes to burn way more fuel than usual, making a stop in spots like Newfoundland and Labrador necessary to pick up a little more jet fuel. Obviously this is a huge inconvenience for everyone involved, but especially the passengers who kind of thought it would be a nonstop affair all the way to the eastern coast of the USA.

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The Newest United 'Hub' Calls the World Wide Web Home

December 20, 2011 at 8:24 AM | by | Comments (0)

The newly combined United is adding a few hubs here and there—like the ones in Newark and Houston that used to belong to Continental. However, their newest hub is one that lives entirely on the internets.

United just launched UnitedHub.com in order to provide plenty of answers, information, and other handy facts about the airline, the merger, and the joys of flying around in economy class. The future promises to bring more about their travel apps, check-in process, and how to interact electronically with the jumbo-airline, but for now most of the stuff has to deal with what’s coming and what’s changing.

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Gift These: Annual Memberships to Your Favorite Frequent Flyer's Airline Lounge

December 13, 2011 at 9:51 AM | by | Comment (1)


What's shaking at the Delta SkyClub...

Frequent flyers in your family don’t want one of those inflatable neck pillows, and they especially don’t want anything from the SkyMall catalog—well, probably. However, what they do want is access to an airline lounge, so they can think of you each and every time they escape the madness of the terminal in favor of a comfortable chair and an adult beverage. Sure, there's a significant annual admission to what lies beyond the automatic doors, so maybe you should just get it for yourself instead of asking Santa.

Here's a quck rundown of the pricing and features of the four major US carriers' lounges, just in case you're feeling extra generous:

· American Airlines Admirals Club Lounge
If you’re a big fan of American Airlines and their shiny planes, there’s no better lounge to access. Membership gets you free beverages—both boozy and not—as well as some snacks, WiFi, and access to computers and printers. There’s 40 clubs across the airline’s network with the majority in the nifty fifty. Getting in will set you back a cool $500 for the year, but if you just want to test things out before committing it’s $50 per visit. That way you can check out their additional food offerings, as select clubs have a little bit of a restaurant thing going on.

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Continental Finally Gets to Join in on the Channel 9 and EconomyPlus Action

November 23, 2011 at 10:03 AM | by | Comments (0)

As part of the love and marriage that is the Continental and United merger, there were plans for the former Continental planes to update their seating maps. That’s because Continental—along with now having Thanksgiving at United’s parents’ house—is bringing EconomyPlus seating onboard.

It’s going to be a long process to upgrade and update all those planes and seats, but there’s been a little bit of progress. Just recently the combined carrier announced that the first Continental plane with EconomyPlus made its debut earlier this week. That means four extra inches of legroom towards the front of the economy cabin, but that also mean paying a few extra bucks for the privilege. As of now the only way to pay for the upgrade is during the check-in process, but as more planes get the seats it’ll also be available online.

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Watch the Skies for United's Eco Plane, Already Flying on Biofuels

November 8, 2011 at 9:00 AM | by | Comments (0)

Huge news. Yesterday marked the first time a US airline used biofuel in a commercial flight. No, it wasn't Alaska Airlines even though they are trying; it was United, and they flew their eco-friendly 737-800 from Continental's's former home base, Houston, to the United home base of Chicago.

For the #avgeeks: The biofuel is algae-based and includes 60 percent petroleum fuel and 40 percent biofuel produced by a company named Solazyme.

The eco-consciousness isn't limited to what goes in the tank, either. United flight attendants now push lighter serving carts and pilots traded in their 38-pound flight bags for more weight-conscious iPads (already loaded with their in-flight navigation charts and aircraft manuals). Furthermore, United makes it easy for plane spotters to identify the Mother Earth-friendly aircraft by its green winglets and 'eco-skies' written towards the front of the fuselage.

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United and Continental Finally Get Their Act Together for In-Flight WiFi

November 7, 2011 at 9:07 AM | by | Comments (2)


Yes, that's a 787 Dreamliner with WiFi

In-flight tech envy has ended for those who fly United and Continental. Hooray! Just days ago, United announced that more than 300 of its aircraft will be outfitted with in-flight WiFi capabilities, starting rather soon in mid-2012; that's just in time for the summer travel season.

Partnering with Panasonic to make both domestic and international WiFi a reality, United will first connect up their Airbus narrow-body fleet—319s and 320s—eventually finishing on the rest of the Boeing fleet by 2015.

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Watch a Time-Lapse of a United 777 Getting a Fresh Paintjob

October 3, 2011 at 9:53 AM | by | Comments (0)

You know we’re suckers when it comes to travel time-lapse videos, and this week we’re falling for an older (though new to us) one showing off United Airlines' livery changes. Obviously it’s going to take quite some time to paint all those airplanes—including the Continental ones—into the new United colors, but here it takes just a couple of minutes.

Apparently this video reveals the behind-the-scenes magic, as one of the very first Boeing 777s headed into the hangar to get an airplane makeover. Don’t forget to turn up the volume too—the dude in the cubicle next door won’t mind—because the Rhapsody in Blue techno-remix just adds to the fun.

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It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like United Airlines Everywhere You Go

September 8, 2011 at 9:12 AM | by | Comments (0)

United and Continental have slowly but surely been aligning their services over the last few months, and they’ve been doing so through goodie giveaways, updated apps, and of course plenty of new signage. We were checking out the changes at Chicago-O’Hare at the beginning of the summer, but now as the season is winding down the changes have begun elsewhere.

Upgrades and updates have arrived in San Francisco, as they got their new signs and stanchions in the middle of July. You still should check-in with United for their flights and with Continental for their flights, but the new branding has certainly arrived.

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This May Just Be the Pettiest Airline Lawsuit Ever

August 22, 2011 at 9:30 AM | by | Comments (0)

UDPATE: The judge has dismissed the suit. Take that, lawyer who sues for the sake of suing!

We thought it was pretty slick that airlines ditched cash in the cabin in favor of plastic money for in-flight purchases, but there’s at least one passenger who isn’t thrilled about the cashless cabin. Of course this person is an attorney, and that means there’s a lawsuit.

A lawyer from New Jersey recently flew from Honolulu to Newark aboard Continental Airlines, but when it was time to purchase some in-flight goodies he wasn’t about to swipe his credit card. This unhappy passenger tried to buy some headphones for the 10-hour flight—apparently the ones purchased on the way to Hawaii no longer worked—but with his credit cards in his checked luggage he was out of luck. We feel for the guy, as that is too long to go without any in-flight entertainment—but is a lawsuit really necessary?

And who puts their credit cards in their checked luggage?!

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The Next Chapter for United Airlines' Cult-Favorite 'Channel 9'

August 22, 2011 at 8:15 AM | by | Comments (0)


A seatback TV on a United/Continental flight recently

You know what an "Easter Egg" is, right? Not the type laid by a mythical Easter Bunny, but the type of surprise unexpectedly found hidden in video games or other programs. Well, if you're flying United, you'll be happy to know that the airline has its own sort of Easter Egg embedded into the flying experience and it's called Channel 9.

Channel 9 is exactly what it sounds like: the 9 channel on a plane's in-flight entertainment radio at your seat. Instead of "The Hits of the '60s" or "Smooth Jazz Classics," Channel 9 plays the actual transmissions between your pilots and air traffic control, plus any other ATC transmissions your pilots are hearing. You're essentially listening in on the cockpit, catching everything from discussions of turbulence to pilot jokes.

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United and Continental Play Nice for the First United Airlines iPhone App

July 27, 2011 at 12:22 PM | by | Comments (2)


Searching for Copenhagen flight, left; homescreen, right

It's happened. United has finally released their long-awaited iPhone Travel App and, to be brief, it's solid all around. Granted, Continental has had their own iPhone app for something like a year now, but this newer app has both airline brands working seamlessly together towards a more united...United.

For users of the Continental app, this one will feel very familiar. There are still the notification alerts for your flights and mobile boarding passes, but it's stocked with much more information. Of course you can track flights (United or Continental), plot them on a map, see delays, manage your bookings and check in to get the aforementioned mobile boarding pass, but the app is also outfitted with airport terminal maps, detailed information and directions for their President Clubs and affiliate lounges and Sudoku games of increasing difficulty levels. And! ANNDD! It's got our favorite innovation to come with the newer airline apps: you can search and book a flight right in the app.

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