06 May, 2009

United Airlines



United Airlines, a global force and an American giant,  even before the merger with Continental Airlines.
Over 350 aircraft and 48,000 employees,  the airline is evolving at the moment after the merger, including the amalgamated logo.  

The service from both airlines is evolving, both on the ground and in the air,  the final service that will be uniformly adopted is still unclear, however current service is vastly improved from what it was just a few years ago. 


On-time record is slightly above average, around 76 per cent departed on time in the first three months of 2011. 


Reservations
UK 0845 8444 777
USA 1800 864 8331

or book online with Opodo for the best fares



Our Rating 4 Stars.


The service on board

United's pre-merger livery, introduced in 2004, on a Boeing 777–200

First Class Suite Seats on a United Airlines Boeing 747-400 in 2005.
United offers in-flight entertainment on all mainline aircraft, the only mainline legacy carrier to do so. Audio programming is provided by Zune. The entire fleet features "From the Flight deck" on channel 9. This program allows passengers to listen to live radio communications between the cockpit and Air Traffic Control. "From the Flight deck" can be disabled at the pilot's discretion. United also has partnerships with various television networks who provide programming for video-equipped aircraft. The most prominent of these programming partners was NBC, which provided branded "NBC on United" programming. This long-standing partnership ended in early 2009, when NBC signed a two-year deal with American Airlines.[119] Despite the loss of this partnership, United's television entertainment continues to include several prime time NBC programs.
United First
United First is offered on all flights. United First passengers check in at separate counters and can use priority security screening where available. On board, passengers receive a pre-flight beverage service, table linens (on mainline flights) and (on international flight segments only) a five course meal. Passengers are also given priority when boarding, priority baggage handling and access to the International First Class Lounge (on international and p.s. flights only).
  • (Old) United First Suites are offered on internationally configured Boeing 777-200/200ER aircraft and feature 78 inch-pitch flat-bed seats which recline to 180 degrees. Each seat has a personal video screen with a collection of compact videocassettes. Passengers have access to personal satellite phones, laptop power ports, noise-cancelling headsets, pillows and blankets.
  • (New) United First Suites are offered on all Boeing 747-400, all internationally configured Boeing 767-300ER, and nine Boeing 777-200ER aircraft. United has begun retrofitting this new seat on its entire international fleet. The new First Suite is 6 feet-6 inches long and has 180 degrees of recline, creating a fully flat bed. All seats are equipped with a personal 15.4-inch screen personal LCD television with Audio-Video-on-Demand (AVOD), an adjustable headrest, lumbar support, a USB power port, an Apple iPod adapter (to play audio or video through), XM Satellite Radio, a US-style 120V/60 Hz power outlet, a reading light, noise-cancelling headphones and a large tray table. The 767–300 international continues to use the original (smaller) overhead bins.
  • United First (Domestic) is offered on all domestically configured United aircraft. Domestic United First includes a cradle seat similar to the old international United Business seat, but without the personal reading lamps, leg rests, or personal entertainment units. The seats have a 38 inch pitch, and passengers receive priority boarding and baggage handling, pre-departure beverages, free meals and separate check-in desks. United is in the process of upgrading these seats with leather seat covers. Occasionally, 3 class wide bodies will fly between hubs and Domestic First Class will feature the Suites (old and new).
  • United First (p.s.) is offered on all flights from JFK to SFO and LAX and features twelve slanted-flat, leather-trimmed seats, with a 68-inch pitch, along with individual portable digital media players offering a wide selection of movies, TV shows, music and games through noise-reducing headsets. Passengers receive full meals, chocolates and signature champagne cocktails, as well as an invitation to the United International First Class Lounge (on a domestic flight). Seats include personal reading lights, privacy screens and laptop power ports.
United Business

Business Class Seats on the Upper Deck of a United Airlines Boeing 747-400 in 2005.
United Business is offered on all internationally configured aircraft and on a few select domestic flights. United Business passengers check in at separate counters and can use priority security screening where available. In-flight service includes pre-departure beverages, table linens and (on international flight segments only) three course meals designed by chef Charlie Trotter. Passengers are also given priority when boarding, priority baggage handling and access to the United Red Carpet Club (on international and p.s. flights only).
  • (Old) United Business Seats are offered on internationally configured Boeing 777-200/200ER aircraft and feature recliner-type seats with a pitch of 55 inches and 150 degree recline. The seat also features laptop power ports which require EmPower adapters. Each seat includes an individual entertainment system offering nine channels of video (seven films and two short-subjects) and noise-reducing headsets.
  • (New) United Business Suites are offered on all Boeing 747-400, all internationally configured Boeing 767-300ER, and nine Boeing 777-200ER aircraft. United has begun retrofitting this new seat on its entire international fleet. The seats alternate between front-facing and rear-facing.[121] All seats are 6 feet-4 inches long and have 180 degrees of recline, creating a fully flat bed. United Business Suite was the first flat-bed business seat to be offered by a U.S. airline. All seats are equipped with a personal 15-inch screen personal LCD television with Audio-Video-on-Demand (AVOD), an adjustable headrest, lumbar support, a USB power port, an Apple iPod adapter (through which to play audio or video), XM Satellite Radio, a US-style 120V/60 Hz power outlet, a reading light, noise-cancelling headphones and a large tray table.
  • United Business (p.s.) is offered on all flights from JFK to SFO and LAX and features twenty-six leather recliner seats with 54 inch pitch, individual portable digital media players offering a wide selection of movies, TV shows, music and games through noise-reducing headsets. Passengers receive full meals, chocolates and signature cocktails as well as an invitation to the United Red Carpet Club. Seats include personal reading lights and laptop power ports.
  • United Business (Domestic) is offered on select domestic flights between hubs when 3 class international wide bodies are being repositioned between international flights. There is never any guarantee of which routes these planes will appear on as schedules will change according to United's international needs. Aside from the superior International Business Class seats, service is similar to Domestic First Class. Note that Rows 13 and 14 on the 767s receive Business Class service despite being sold as economy seats as they are physically located within the Business cabin.
United Economy
A United Airlines Boeing 767-300ER in the old livery taxiing at San Francisco International Airport, California. (2009)
Passengers in flight in the Economy Section (International) of a United Airlines Boeing 747-400 in 2006.
  • United Economy (International) is available on all internationally configured aircraft in United's fleet. Seats range from 17 to 18 inches wide, and have 31 inches of pitch. All United Economy seats on Boeing 767-300ER and 777-200/200ER aircraft feature an adjustable headrest and a 5 inch personal television at the back of each seat. United Economy's in-flight entertainment system on these aircraft features nine channels of entertainment (Seven films and two short-subjects.) The B777-200/200ER's will be updated in the future to Audio-Video-on-Demand (AVOD) with a 7 inch Panasonic eFX touch screen LCD. United serves free meals on international flights between the US, South America, Europe, the South Pacific and Asia. Shortly after take-off, passengers are served cocktail snacks and free non-alcoholic drinks. On flights with meals, the main meal consists of a salad, an appetizer, a choice of hot entrées and dessert. On longer flights, United also offers a light pre-arrival meal.
  • United Economy (Domestic) is available on all domestically configured aircraft in United's fleet. Seats range from 17 to 18 inches wide, and have between 31 and 32 inches of pitch. Economy seats on all A319-100, A320-200, 757–200, and domestic-configured 767-300ER and 777-200/200ER aircraft feature adjustable headrests. United offers a buy on board program. On United flights between three and five hours in duration, snackboxes are available for a fee. On United flights of five or more hours, fresh sandwiches, salads and snackbox options are also available for a fee. Water, soft drinks, and coffee are complimentary on all flights. Alcoholic beverages are available for a fee on most flights.[122] All aircraft feature overhead television screens. Short subject television program is shown on flights between 1.5 and 2.5 hours and feature-length films are shown on flights over three hours.
  • Economy Plus is available on all aircraft in the domestic and international fleet. Economy Plus seats are located in the front 6–12 rows of the economy cabin and feature up to 6 inches of additional legroom. Economy Plus is available for free to all Mileage Plus Elite members. It can also be purchased at check-in depending upon availability. All seats in economy on the p.s. flights from JFK to LAX and SFO are configured into Economy Plus. United announced that it will keep the "Economy Plus" seating for the combined carrier.

Incidents and accidents (outgoing links to wikipedia pages)

1930s
NC13304
Flight 6
NC13317[124]
NC13323[125]
NC13355[126]
1940s
Flight 14
Flight 28
Flight 404
Flight 521
Flight 608
Flight 624
1950s
Flight 129
Flight 610
Flight 615
Flight 7030
Flight 16
Flight 409
Flight 629
Flight 718
Flight 736
1960s
Flight 826
Flight 859
Flight 297
Flight 823
Flight 389
Flight 227
Flight 266
1970s
Flight 553
Flight 2860
Flight 173
Flight 611
1980s
Flight 811
Flight 232
1990s
Flight 585
Flight 863
2000s
Flight 175
Flight 93
Flight 955
2010s
Flight 663
Flight 497
 
Fleet images
View photos of our current and past planes.

Current fleet


A319
A320
B737
B747
B757
B767
B777
CRJ200
CRJ700
DASH 8
EMB170
ERJ145
SAAB340




Past planes


B40A
B80A
B247
B377
B720-022
B727
B727-22
B737-200
B737-222
B747-100
B747-200
B767-200
Beechcraft 1900
Convair 340
DC3
DC6
DC7
DC8
DC-10
Dornier 328
Ford Tri Motor 5-AT-D
Jetstream 41
L1011
SUD Caravelle
Swallow
Vickers Viscount
United's evolving brand
Our new logo is more than just a visual change — it is a sign of many exciting things to come. The combination of United’s name and Continental’s globe logo symbolizes bringing together the best of each carrier to create the world’s leading airline. You can expect to start seeing this new logo on our aircraft, on our websites, at the airport and elsewhere.
Until we are fully integrated as a single airline, you may still see the Continental name and logo associated with Continental Airlines operations. In the meantime, we are working on several ways to streamline your travel experience. We are already in the process of making improvements to united.com and continental.com, and while you will start to notice some signs of integration on our websites, for now you can continue to use both sites as usual.






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