Results tagged “unitedairlines”

Well, this isn't the kind of sentence you enjoy reading. From the Tribune: A" United Airlines pilot was arrested at London's Heathrow Airport Monday on charges that he was about to fly 124 passengers to Chicago while drunk." Damn. The pilot, who was not identified, allegedly failed a breathalyzer test, leading to the arrest. The passengers were rescheduled on other flights back to Chicago. United issued a statement, saying, "Safety is our highest priority and the pilot has been removed from service while we are cooperating with authorities and conducting a full investigation. United's alcohol police is among the strictest in the industry and we have no tolerance for violation of this well-established policy."

• Chicago-based United Airlines has officially retired its full fleet of 737s.
• The Chicago News Cooperative continues to lure writers away from the Tribune. [via]
• The on-again, off-again fuel surcharge on the city's taxis goes into effect once more starting tonight at midnight.

• A First Amendment battle is brewing in Buffalo Grove where a village trustee is trying to track down an internet commenter who said something nasty about her teenage son.
• Alleged mobster Rudolph C. "Rudy" Fratto pleaded guilty to tax evasion.
• Chicago-based United Airlines is facing a fine of almost $4 million for a safety violation; specifically, "operating one of its Boeing 737 aircraft on more than 200 flights with shop towels covering openings near where oil collects in the bottom of the engine instead of using protective caps required by the carrier's maintenance procedures." Damn.

• The City has awarded contracts connected to the demolition of Michael Reese Hospital to make way for the proposed Olympic Village for the 2016 Summer Olympics.
• Unemployment for the Chicago metro area is up again, hitting 11.3 percent for June.
• The battle over a helipad at the new Children's Hospital in Streeterville continues.

The timing couldn't be worse: as people prepare to leave town for the holiday weekend, a computer glitch has left United Airlines at a standstill at O'Hare. The glitch is preventing passengers from checking in and keeping flights grounded. A spokeswoman has said that United flights are landing but taking a while to proceed to the correct gate. A WGN helicopter flew by and the news crew estimated a line of around 2,000 passengers extending outside the United terminal. On their website, United has issued the following statement:

Chicago-based United Airlines announced today they're cutting 600 flight attendant positions due to lower-than-expected air travel and lower attrition than expected. United spokeswoman Megan McCarthy said, "We will again offer our flight attendants a voluntary package, and hope to receive enough responses to prevent any involuntary furloughs." The airline warned its investors last week that lower travel numbers in the second quarter of 2009 could lead to a 20 percent drop in revenue. United cut approximately 1,550 positions last year. [Tribune]

The federal government has sued United Airlines for making it too difficult for workers who became disabled to switch to jobs they could more easily perform. The lawsuit, filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission office in San Francisco, currently has five plaintiffs but that number could grow. EEOC attorney William Tamayo said, "We expect that other people will come out of the woodwork as the case gets more publicity." According to the Associated Press:

• The Sears Tower is opening four glass-bottomed skydecks in June. We are both terrified and intrigued by this.
• The Chi-Town Daily News has a report on the shenanigans going on over at the CHA.
• Three teamsters from Teamsters Local 743 were convicted today on charges of rigging two 2004 elections.

Beleagured Chicago-based United Airlines instituted a new policy today aimed at overweight folks, saying that if you can't wedge yourself comfortably into a regular sized seat, they reserve the right to charge you for a second seat or an upgrade to a bigger business/first class seat. And if the flight is sold-out and there are no extra seats available, well then, tubby, you're going to get bumped from the flight. United joins other airlines with similar restrictions, including Southwest and their adroitly named "Customer of Size" policy.

• President-Elect Obama's team is set to release a report that will clear Rahmbo of the Blago mess. Too bad, we were hoping for a wiretap transcript that would have made Glengarry Glen Ross seem like a Disney movie.
• Ah, Christmas-themed irony, our favorite kind. Dozens of health department workers in southern Illinois became sick -- after eating ham at their own office's holiday party. That's why we usually go with an all bacon Christmas dinner.
• Despite millions traveling over the holidays, beleaguered airline United has told their flight attendants union that more layoffs may be coming soon -- perhaps 250 more jobs next month on top of the 1,550 flight attendant jobs cut a few months ago. Expect the airlines to be next with their hat in hand in front of Congress any day now.

Photo by reillyandrew
• Former Chicago alderman Edward "Fast Eddie" Vrdolyak has been ordered by a judge to cough up the money to cover court costs for waiting until the last second to change his plea to guilty.
• In spite of threats from angry Aldermen, Mayor Daley's 2009 City Budget is one step closer to becoming a reality.
• The three-year-old girl who went missing last night was found safely but the search is now on for the woman who apparently tried to abduct her in the first place.

United Airlines has reinstated the 500-mile minimum award in an apparent attempt to appease their frequent fliers, but we don’t see this as any cause for celebration. Back in July, United began awarding only the actual miles flown to frequent flier members instead of allocating at least 500 miles per flight, as they’d done in the past. The guaranteed 500 is back, but only for United’s elite members who fly at least 25,000 miles per year. The “get what you pay for” model still applies to the average Joe Six Pack flier.

United Airlines announced today that it's increasing its fee for a second checked bag to $50. [Crain's]

As the fall-out from the United Airlines story continues, the Tribune Company says it's identified the culprit: Google. And its Googlebot.

A six-year old Chicago Tribune story about United Airlines' 2002 bankruptcy filing caused United stocks to temporarily plunge Monday morning. A reporter from Miami-based Income Securities Advisors Inc. apparently ran across the old story on the South Florida Sun-Sentinel's website during a Google search, but the date on the story was inexplicably changed. Income Securities Advisors, Inc. then ran the story on the widely-read Bloomberg Financial Services website, causing United stock prices to plummet. Trading of United on NASDAQ was halted until the rumors could properly be addressed; United denied the rumors and demanded a retraction, saying in a statement:

[The rumors] were caused by the irresponsible posting of a 6-year-old Chicago Tribune article by the Florida Sun Sentinel newspaper Web site with the date changed. The story was related to United's 2002 bankruptcy filing, and United has demanded a retraction from the Sun Sentinel and is launching an investigation...United continues to execute its previously announced business plan to successfully navigate through an environment marked by volatile fuel prices and continues to have strong liquidity.

The Chicago-based United is laying off 1,550 flight attendants as part of its plan to cut 7,000 jobs from its payrolls. Yikes. [Crain's]

Chicago-based UAL Corp is asking a federal judge for a an injunction against four of its pilots and their union, claiming that they are abusing their sick leave by refusing to fly extra hours. The injunction request charges the pilots and the Air Line Pilots Association with encouraging a "sick-out," a violation of the Railway Labor Act, which also applies to airlines. The airline says that it canceled 329 flights from July 19 to 27, stranding 36,000 travelers, since they had no pilots.

Police are searching for two men considered "armed and dangerous" who "are believed to be responsible for a string of armed robberies and carjackings in the south suburbs over the past week."

It seems like a Blue Line detour is the least of the worries for travelers out of O'Hare. From January to May of this year, O'Hare reported the worst on-time record of major U.S. airports, falling from 64.4 percent last year to 63.2 percent this year. This in spite of the fact that the total number of flights was reduced by 4.6 percent, thanks in large part to major flight cutbacks from American and United. It could be worse, however. A similar report in Europe has London's Heathrow Airport as the worst airport on that continent with a staggering 56 percent on-time departure rate.

To say the month of June has not been kind to United Airlines and its employees would be a gross understatement. Now comes news that United will be laying off approximately 950 pilots. All told, the layoffs will reduce the current pilot roster by twelve percent. These cuts are in addition to the nearly 1,600 other salaried jobs that are being eliminated, many from the Elk Grove center. The culprit, as has been the case with just about everything airline-related recently, remains offsetting the skyrocketing oil prices.

United is raising its prices—unsurprising—and reviving a minimum stay requirement for most domestic flights, starting in October. The airline has already reinstated a Saturday-night stay rule. [AP]

We love weird old Chicago stuff: the "frightful effects of dope addiction," a 70s White Sox radio, Marina City charm.

The Teamsters Union, which represents mechanics at Chicago-based United Airlines, is taking its grievances over executive pay and worker compensation directly to the board. In a letter to shareholders, Teamsters General Secretary-Treasurer C. Thomas Keegel is asking that they withhold votes at the airline's upcoming shareholder meeting in June for six members of the board that set executive pay, including CEO Glenn Tilton.

United Airlines is apologizing for its worst December ever. They canceled nearly 5 percent of flights, less than half their departures wer on time, and the average delay was 64 minutes.The company blames the weather; its employees blame mismanagment and understaffing.[Trib]

Mechanics at Chicago-based United Airlines may soon vote to join the The Teamsters union. After a two-year organizing drive at the airline, the Teamsters filed a petition for a new representation election with the National Mediation Board on Monday. The 10,000 mechanics at United are currently members of the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA). A vote to switch unions among the mechanics comes at a turbulent [Ed. note: Hay-oh!] time for United, as the legacy...

OK, after this we'll call an end to Thanksgiving-related posting--it's wearing us out--but there were a couple of oddball turkey stories in the news today.

Yeah, people knew how to fly the friendly skies on November 21st, 1965, when the menu above was served on a United Airlines flight from Denver to San Francisco. This and 380 other menus from airlines, ocean liners, and railroad lines are available for perusal online at the Transportation Library archives of Northwestern University. The archives hark back to a time when multiple course meals were de rigueur not only for first class passengers,...

A United Airlines flight had a rough landing at O'Hare last night--rough enough to bounce off the runway and blow a tire and damage two engines. The National Transit Safety Board is investigating. Buh-beep! The state speed limit for trucks remains at 55 mph. CommunityHealth and Erie Family Health Center will be offering free prescriptions to uninsured, low-income patients thanks to a new program called MedAccess Chicago. Sometimes, City employees speed in City-owned cars....

- BREAKING: The Tribune and Sun-Times agree to a historic distribution deal where the Bright One contracts the Tribune to handle most of its delivery. More on this tomorrow after we've had time to let this one sink in. - A Dallas real estate investment firm is thisclose to signing off on an $850 million deal for four downtown office buildings, including 440 S. LaSalle, aka One Financial Place. - United Airlines files lawsuits...

- Our Litigious Society: Cook County resident Jose Trujillo files a lawsuit against Apple, claiming that the company and exclusive wireless carrier AT&T misled iPhone buyers by not clearly informing them that the iPhone battery was sealed, and could only be professionally replaced. - It's Called the Hippocratic Oath: Atheist and agnostic doctors are as likely to provide care for the poor as religious physicians. - A Chicago firefighter is accused of criminal sexual...