As often as we use social media to proclaim our likes and loves, just as often we air grievances to our friends and the world — including complaints about the companies we do business with. When it comes to talking about airlines on social media, a new report says it’s a negative arena, especially when it comes to the largest carriers. [More]
united airlines
United Offers “Bug Bounty” Of Up To 1 Million Miles For Hackers Who Find Vulnerabilities In Website, Mobile App
By 5.14.15
While big companies are known to quietly seek out the services of white-hat hackers to test for weaknesses in their networks and websites, it’s not every day that a major airline publicly offers a “bounty” to people who can diagnose vulnerabilities in its systems. [More]
What Are The Best And Worst Airlines For Using Rewards Travel?
By 5.14.15
So you’ve racked up a bunch of frequent flier miles or loyalty points or whatever your preferred airline calls them, but can you actually use those rewards to book free travel when you want? For some U.S.-based carriers, the answer ranges from “almost definitely” to “good luck.” [More]
Family Claims They Were Escorted Off United Airlines Flight After Autistic Daughter Deemed Disruptive
By 5.11.15
A trip home from the most magical place on earth was anything but magical for an Oregon family after they claim their United Airlines flight made an emergency landing and they were escorted from the flight because of their autistic daughter. [More]
In Which An $8 In-Flight Video Charge Led To A $5M Class Action Lawsuit Against United Airlines
By 5.7.15
When buckling in for an hours-long flight, travelers might choose to pass the time by reading a book, listening to music or enjoying a few television shows or a movie via the in-flight services connection. While those are all viable options, the latter is typically only available under certain circumstances. But one woman says that wasn’t made clear, and now she’s suing United Airlines for $5 million. [More]
Judge Throws Out United’s Lawsuit Against “Hidden City” Airfare Site Skiplagged.com
By 5.1.15
Last fall, both United Airlines and Orbitz sued travel-booking startup Skiplagged.com, which helped travelers find so-called “hidden city” tickets where you book a multi-stop itinerary with the intention of not flying all the way to the end. Orbitz settled its part of the case in February, but the United suit continued — until yesterday, when a federal judge dismissed the airline’s complaint, but not because the airline didn’t have a case. [More]
United Airlines Foots The Bill To Fly Dog Missing For Four Years Back To Family
By 4.30.15
It’s not every day you see a dog flying first class – for free – on an airplane. But that’s exactly what passengers on a flight from Iowa to Louisiana witnessed Wednesday, as United Airlines footed the bill to reunite a dog with his family after going missing four years ago. [More]
Spirit Airlines Brings Up Rear In Latest Airline Customer-Satisfaction Scores
By 4.20.15
Time Warner Cable and merger-partner Comcast have very little company among the lowest-scoring companies on the American Customer Satisfaction Index, but now that ACSI has added Spirit and Frontier to its airline rankings, TWC can no longer claim the honor of having the lowest survey score of all U.S. companies in the Index. [More]
Airline Performance Slips; Virgin America Named No. 1 For Third Time In Annual Airline Survey
By 4.13.15
Many consumers have a love-hate relationship with airlines: We love that they get us from point A to point B faster than a car, but we hate all the little fees, the inevitable delays and the occasional lost bag. It looks like all that hate once again won out, as this year’s Airline Quality Rating Survey found performance declined across all customer-focused categories just a year after the industry’s best scores in 25 years. The only carryover from the hopeful 2013 report was Virgin America’s ranking as top airline for the third consecutive year. [More]
FAA Steps Up Oversight Of United Airlines, Citing Violations Of Pilot Qualifications & Scheduling Issues
By 4.10.15
The Federal Aviation Administration has been fixing its baleful stare on United Airlines for the last two months, after writing in a letter to the airline pointing out potential risks due to alleged repeated violations of mandatory pilot qualification and scheduling requirements. [More]
United Airlines Flight Forced To Turn Around After Passenger Reportedly Makes Run For Cockpit Door
By 3.17.15
A United Airways flight bound for Denver was forced to turn back to Washington Dulles Airport after a passenger reportedly made a rush for the cockpit door, and had to be restrained. An airline spokesman says the passenger “failed to comply with crew instructions” last night. [More]
Woman Says United Airlines Flight Attendant Shamed Her For Breastfeeding During Flight
By 3.12.15
For years now nursing mothers have encountered any number of displeased looks, rude remarks and requests to cover up. A Vancouver mother says she was the latest victim of such a run-in when a flight attendant on a United Airlines flight tossed a blanket to her husband in an attempt to get her to cover up.
[More]
United Airlines Warns Pilots About Safety Concerns
By 2.25.15
Following four incidents that United Airlines dubs “safety events and near-misses,” the carrier has issued a warning to its pilots about “significant safety concerns,” and asking them to cut down on potentially disastrous mistakes. [More]
DOT Won’t Force United To Honor Super-Low First-Class Fares Resulting From Glitch
By 2.24.15
Earlier this month, several people figured out that they could book super-cheap airfares on United Airlines’ website if they made it look like they were accessing the site from Denmark. The airline canceled those tickets after getting wind of the loophole, which it blamed on a software glitch. Thousands of people complained to the Dept. of Transportation, arguing the airline was illegally raising airfares post-purchase, but the DOT has decided that isn’t the case. [More]
United Blames Ridiculously Cheap First-Class Fares On Software Glitch, Won’t Honor Those Tickets
By 2.12.15
Yesterday, a travel blogger figured out that by changing United Airlines’ online booking page to Denmark, travelers could take advantage of what appeared to be a crazy conversion rate to buy super cheap tickets between London and Newark. But what do they say when something seems too good to be true? Yup. It probably is: United now says it won’t be honoring those fares, blaming a third-party software provider. [More]
U.S. Airlines Were Tardy, Bumped More Passengers And Lost A Bunch Of Bags In 2014
By 2.10.15
There’s bad news, and then there’s the slightly less bad news: In 2014, passengers suffered as airlines were on-time less often, lost bags at a higher rate and bumped more people than the year before. But at least airlines canceled fewer flights, and there were fewer lengthy delays leaving travelers stranded on the tarmac, so there’s that. [More]
Orbitz Settles Suit With “Hidden City” Ticket Site Skiplagged.com
By 2.10.15
Back in November, United Airlines and Orbitz sued Skiplagged.com, a site offering so-called “hidden city” fares that can save you money by booking a ticket on a flight you never intend to take to its final destination. Now Skiplagged’s owner and Orbitz say they have reached a deal to keep their dispute out of court. [More]
Medics Check Passengers On United Airlines Flight After Cabin Pressure Issue Forces Emergency Landing
By 2.3.15
Medical personnel were on hand to check out 175 passengers complaining of feeling ill aboard a United Airlines flight, after an issue with cabin pressure forced the flight to turn around and make an emergency landing. [More]
