Even though Chicago's O'Hare International Airport is the third busiest airport in the world and home to United Airlines, Boeing, and Orbitz.com (seriously), it is not enough for Emanuel. more ›

The tribune is reporting that the Daley Administration has reached a deal with United and American Airlines to continue building new runways at O'Hare Airport. The deal is a coup for Daley in that it puts an end to the lawsuit filed by the two airlines to stop the project, which is part of the O'Hare expansion. more ›

Mayor Daley has consulted his crystal ball and said the time to expand O’Hare Airport is now, despite dwindling air traffic levels and a lawsuit filed by the airlines to prevent the expansion plan. more ›

One of our best flight ever was a British Airways flight from O'Hare to London's Heathrow Airport where we asked the Flight attendant for a Bacardi and Coke every 30 minutes until we passed out, then every fifteen after. We woke up at one point on the flight caked in drool with six rums and Coke in front of us. Those were the days. more ›

United Airlines unveiled a Boeing 757 today painted in colors to commemorate the Big O's farewell season. more ›

United Airline workers at O'Hare are a bit red-faced after a weekend incident in which they lost track of a nine-year-old child for several hours. Julien Reid, splitting time between his mother's home in Ottawa and his father's home in San Francisco, was returning to Ottawa this weekend when a layover at O'Hare lasted a lot longer than it should have. After deplaning at O'Hare, Julien's connecting flight was delayed so he stayed in a room for unaccompanied minors and special needs flyers from which, according to an attendant Julien's mother spoke with, the airline apparently forgot to fetch him. more ›

Yesterday, word spread that United Airlines jilted U.S. Airways and started shacking up with Continental Airlines in merger talks again. And according to Crain's, they're close to a deal that would make "the world's largest airline." And the Tribune is reporting that the new airline would call Chicago its home. Which makes sense considering the big wad of cash Mayor Daley used to woo United into the city in spite of the airline's objection to the current O'Hare expansion project. Of course, the two airlines have tangoed before with nothing coming to pass so we'll just play the old wait-and-see game this time around. more ›

A warning light aboard United Airlines Flight No. 638 was activated early this morning after the flight took off from O'Hare International Airport, effectively forcing the commercial airliner to return back to O'Hare for another maintenance check. The plane took off from O'Hare at 8:53 a.m. and was originally scheduled to arrive at Orlando International Airport at 12:34 p.m., said United spokesman Mike Trevino to the Chicago Tribune. more ›

Chicago-based United Airlines and Tempe-based US Airways have revved up talks of a merger into a super airline once again. They've tried before to make a deal that would create the second largest airline, behind the now-merged combo of Delta and Northwest. Some speculate, though, it may just be United courting a suitor to get the attention of others. From the New York Times: more ›

• Turnout for today's primary has been low so if you haven't voted yet, remember that polls are open until 7 p.m. tonight.
• Family and friends marked the second anniversary of the still-unsolved Lane Bryant killings.
• United Airlines is suing the City of Chicago for $1 million stemming from a February 2005 accident in which a United jet pulling out of its O'Hare gate struck a city maintenance truck.

A United Airlines plane flying out of O'Hare International Airport made an emergency landing in New Jersey this morning after its landing gear "failed to deploy," Chicago Breaking News reports. Passengers were evacuated and no one was injured. more ›

There was a guilty plea today from the United Airlines pilot pulled off a Chicago-bound plane before take-off at London's Heathrow Airport in November. Erwin Vermont Washington had been accused by a co-worker of being drunk before the flight which resulted in his arrest. He entered the plea in Uxbridge Magistrates Court today but the chief magistrate ordered he be sentenced by another court because the most they could punish Washington with is an $8,000 fine. Instead, he'll be sentenced next month in Isleworth Crown Court in London where he could face up to two years in jail. more ›

• Yesterday's death of bicyclist Jepson Livingston has been ruled a homicide; police allege Livingston was caught in an altercation between two cars and was struck when one driver tried to intentionally hit the other car.
• Details are emerging regarding the death - apparently from a self-inflicted gunshot wound - of 12-year-old Michael Maxey Jr. of Gary, Indiana who went missing Monday afternoon.
• United Airlines continues to battle the city over the O'Hare Expansion.

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." more ›

• 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: more ›

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] more ›

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: more ›

• 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. more ›

• 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. more ›

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

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

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] more ›

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. more ›