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SFO Airs Out the Archives for a Retrospective of United Uniforms

United just opened up the airline archive, as they’re looking to make room for some new stuff. They’ve got decades of uniforms that they’re looking to show off to the public, so they just sent a whole bunch of them over to San Francisco International Airport for a new display.

In total there are flight attendants uniforms from like the very first flights back in the 1930s through the current styles of today. Green capes, blue suits, and everything in between are now available to check out in person between April 8 and September 15. Unfortunately there isn’t a sneak peek of United’s new uniforms, as it sounds like those are still on backorder—ha.

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Seats Now on Sale for the Restart of United's 787 Dreamliner Flights

Its been nearly two full months since the FAA grounded Boeing's brand new 787 Dreamliners due to caution over battery issues, but last week saw the bird return to the air...over the skies of Washington State, at least. Boeing is in the process of trial flights to asses a fix to prevent future fires in its lithium-ion battery system.

Changes could be approved as early as the end of this month, and it's obvious that's exactly what a few airlines are betting on as a recent schedule update shows United's confident enough to put some 787s back on schedule, starting May 31. And those flights, between Houston and Denver, are already on sale, according to AirlineRoute.net.

We attempted to purchase a ticket on the first United flight using the 787, on May 31, and it was not only still available but reasonably priced and light in load.

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United's Newest Fee Will Get You on the Plane Faster

Another week another airline fee, and this time it’s all about speeding through the airport. United is just the latest carrier to provide convenience in exchange for cash, as they’re hoping that you’ll gladly part with a few bucks in favor of a shorter line at airport security.

The new option starts at just $9 each way, and United is calling it Premier Access. Usually it’s just reserved—for free—for their more frequent fliers, but now one and all can rub elbows with the airline’s elite as they make their way through the security line.

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New Routes from American, United, and JetBlue Get You Going

Sometimes it’s hard to stay on top of all the new route announcements that come our way, so we’ve complied a little bit of a rundown below. As long as you can afford the fares, this should definitely help add to your passport stamp collection.

· American Airlines:
Lately it’s all American Airlines all the time when it comes to airline news, after all they are shacking up with US Airways. There’s still plenty of time for new route news, as it sounds like American Airlines has their eyes on San Diego. June 12 will bring nonstop options between Miami and San Diego, and it's some Boeing 737s will do the flying back and forth between the two states and cities. The new routes don’t stop there, as American Eagle is also getting in on the flying fun. Two new spots down in Mexico will be an option out of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, as there will be nonstop flights to both the airport in Hermosillo—Ignacio Pesqueira Garcia International Airport—as well as Zacatecas and their General Leobardo C. Ruiz International Airport.

· United:
There’s still plenty of winter left where we call home, but United already has the warmer months on the brain. The carrier is busy moving planes around to here and there, as they’re looking to launch a new seasonal route this summer. They’ll be flying nonstop between Newark and Traverse City—that’s in Michigan—beginning on June 29. The plan is to fly these flights back and forth through the end of August, and there should be three flights doing their thing each and every week. Don’t expect too much in-flight comfort here, as Embraer ERJ145s will be doing the flying. However, we can’t really complain when we get to where we need to be.

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It's United, Turkish Airlines and Ethiopian Leading This Week's New Route News

Sometimes it’s hard to stay on top of all the new route announcements that come our way, so we’ve complied a little bit of a rundown below. As long as you can afford the fares, this should definitely help add to your passport stamp collection.

· United:
At this point you’re probably well aware of some of the issues that the Boeing 787 has been experiencing. As a result, new flights, new routes, and other in-flight improvements have been delayed. Now it looks like United is grounding its planes to at least June, but there’s one route that is suffering a little bit less.

Assuming they fix those pesky batteries sooner rather than later, it sounds like the nonstop option between Denver and Tokyo will takeoff on May 12. Initially it was scheduled to start doing its thing at the end of March, but we’ll keep our fingers crossed that May is when it finally hits the skies.

· Delta:
For travelers looking to hit in big during North Dakota’s oil boom, Delta has you covered as they’re getting ready to boost their service over to the Roughrider State. Tickets are scheduled to go on sale tomorrow. Delta is planning to fly nonstop between Minneapolis-St. Paul and Dickinson.

The flights will begin on June 10, and they’ll do their thing two times per day. Sure there’s money to be made in western North Dakota, but just don’t expect anything too comfortable on these flights. The back and forth flying will be done thanks to SkyWest and some less than comfy commuter jets.

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When Economy Class Used to Have a Lounge (on the Plane!)

Here's something you'll never see again on a commercial airplane: lounges in Economy Class.

The above video is an ad from United, to promote their new DC-10 airplanes flying between San Francisco and Washington DC-Dulles. These cross-country flights meant advertising space to stretch out, hence the stress on the "big" seats in coach.

Sadly there's no peek inside the other cabins in this video, but we must mention that just as United is dealing with the troubles of the Boeing 787 right now, it's not like they don't have practice. The DC-10 was another problem plane, with both engine and cargo door flaws. Sitting in that "Friendship Lounge" however, a passenger's mind would only be on pretending to live the high life en route to the other side of the country.

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The Deal with United and Their Long Haul WiFi Options

In-flight WiFi is no longer the latest and greatest in airplane technology, but we still get a kick out of logging on and doing our thing miles above the earth. For some time the WiFi was limited, as it was only possible over larger landmasses due to the fact you needed antennas on the ground to beam the signal around. Thankfully satellite technology has now arrived as well, and United has started to give it a try aboard some of their international flights.

Earlier this week they launched their very first plane with the long-haul WiFi option, but it sounds like they’ve got more planned for sooner rather than later. For now it’s available on just one Boeing 747, but eventually they’ll get stuff installed, switched on, and available in like 300 of their airplanes. The goal is to have things ready to go by the end of 2013, so they’ve still got plenty of time.

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A Little Smoke Can't Stop, Won't Stop the Boeing 787 Dreamliner

"Everyone on the bus!"

It was a nippy morning outside of Seattle and two loads of Boeing top brass and members of the press were being bussed out onto the tarmac at the airline manufacturer's Paine Field Airport. This would be the very first peek inside the shiniest airplane on the flight line before ANA/All Nippon Airways flew her away to Tokyo. The other airplanes on the tarmac, windows still blacked out and engines still unconnected, could have felt nothing but jealousy (if airplanes had feelings, that is).

This was 16 full months ago, in September 2011, when Boeing first delivered a 787 Dreamliner to a customer airline. We were there, onboard that bus, and then, later, inside that plane, running our palms over the new seat fabric and imagining the thousands of eager travelers who'd sit in each individual seat during only the first few months of service. Would they know what a special plane they were on?

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United Will Bring Your Bags Right to Your Hotel or Home

Despite what we thought the future would hold for us, there still doesn’t appear to be a way to transport our suitcase from here to there without lugging it around. Teleportation still isn’t a thing—and it’s probably not coming anytime soon—so United is trying to improve on the whole experience with their new baggage delivery service.

They’re patterning with another group of luggage luggers, as BagsVIP is helping them out with this new delivery service. Basically it’s going to allow you to skip the wait at the baggage carousel, as a (hopefully) friendly employee will assist your luggage in making its final leg of the journey right to your hotel or home. They promise that you will get your bags within four hours of your arrival as long as your destination is located within 40 miles of the airport. They’ll go a little bit farther as well, but it’s going to be a six hour wait if you’re more than 40 miles—but less than 100 miles—away from the airport.

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United Increases Club Fees, Secures Their Place in the Past

We've already mentioned the flashy new United Club design the airline just revealed to wow passengers. We should have guessed it would have been only a matter of time that the prices to access it would increase. Somebody has to pay that $50 million bill, right?

The standard membership is now $500, up from $475. If you are a regular frequent flyer and have some status, you will pay a little less. Premier Silver members will pay $475 and Premier Gold members will see even more of a break to $450. The second highest, Premier Platinum, will have to fork out $425 and even the top-tier 1K elites need to pay $400 for the year. The option for a 3 year discounted membership will be discontinued.

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Now Departing on New Routes from United, American and Delta

Sometimes it’s hard to stay on top of all the new route announcements that come our way, so we’ve complied a little bit of a rundown below. As long as you can afford the fares, this should definitely help add to your passport stamp collection.

· American Airlines:
Not that long ago the Raleigh-Durham area down in North Carolina was awarded a new nonstop over to San Francisco, and for 2013 they’re adding another nonstop to the west coast—this time right over to Los Angeles. It’s American Airlines doing the flying fun on this new nonstop option, as the carrier says it’s getting ready to fly back and forth beginning on April 2.

It’ll be an option each and every day of the week all year long, and things are scheduled to leave RDU around 7:30pm and land over at LAX around 10pm—all times local. Heading back to the east coast with be a redeye flight leaving Los Angeles around 10:30pm and getting into Raleigh around 6:30am the following morning—bring a pillow.

· Finnair:
When it comes to Finnair, they’ve always got some pretty interesting options when it comes to their flights. This week they’re getting ready to start a new nonstop all the way over to China, as the plan is to connect Helsinki-Vantaa Airport with Xi´an Xianyang International Airport. It sounds like things will just be seasonal—at least for 2013—as the flights will start up on June 14 and will run through October 26. This is the carrier’s fifth destination in China overall, so if you’re in Finland and need to get elsewhere they truly have you more than covered.

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Same Snacks, New Chairs: A Peek at the Redesigned United Club

2013 probably won't be the year of the airline club since that designation really belongs to 2012, but don’t tell the designers and organizers over at United that. After changing the name of their lounges following their merger with Continental, it looks like United is going all in with a little bit of a revamp and renovation to the United Club.

It all starts with one of the clubs over at Chicago-O’Hare, as the airline has released a sneak peek of what things will look like in Terminal 2.

To our eyes, the new design mimics the stylish lounges for long-haul travel, and by that we mean that they’re skipping the domestic carrier coffee-machine-and-a-comfy-chair look. Think a dash of Virgin's panache, but without all the additional features—and food and beverage—that come along with a true international airline lounge experience.

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