News

"New" United is right on track

21 Sep 2011

The merger of United and Continental airlines – which produced “United Airlines” – is right on track to be the “leading airline in the world”, said James Mueller, company vice-president for Asia-Pacific.

The “new” United, stressed Mueller, was not just about combining aircraft and employee numbers but more about “enhancing the level of customer service delivered”.

Formally announced in May last year (see here) as a “merger of equals”, the historic deal created United Continental Holdings, the holding company for both United and Continental that operate internationally as well as domestically in the US through United Express, Continental Express and Continental Connection. It also set up a workforce of 80,000 people in the US and overseas. 

One more milestone, however, needs to happen before the merger is made truly official – United has to receive its Single Operating Certificate from the US Federal Aviation Authority. Mueller expected this to happen around November.

Meanwhile, the behemouth airline company has been busy establishing the branding it wants customers to identify with the new United, starting with its check-in lobby at Chicago's O'Hare Airport, with other hubs to follow, as well as a move towards a single reservations system to be rolled out in mid-2012.

Other passenger touch points include:

• More seamless self-service capabilities – Innovative tools and and functionality on www.united.com and www.continental.com to book flights, obtain seat assignments and check flight status on either website and check in at major US hubs allowed on any of the airlines' self-service check-in kiosks.

• New Premier Access airport services – In May, a fresh set of benefits for frequent premier travellers was introduced, including priority security screening, Premier Access lanes and priority baggage handling among others.

• New Mileage Plus and OnePass features and benefits – Members with miles in both programmes may now link their accounts and combine miles to earn awards faster.

• Consistent airport experience – Both airlines have aligned check-in and boarding procedures.

• New Choice Menu onboard – On flights by both airlines, offering meals and snacks for sale, the new menu includes an Asian noodle salad and Thai chicken wrap and the same type of coffee blend among others at common pricing.

• Alligned policies and procedures – Including same-day flight changes, standby requests and unaccompanied minor handling among others.

• Single channels in social media – Both airlines are connected with followers via the Twitter handle @United and a new Facebook page.

As for product enhancements, United's management has pledged to invest half a billion dollars that will go to adding flat-bed seating on 62 additional long-haul aircraft, bringing total aicraft with flat-bed seats to 185; adding Economy Plus seating to more than 300 aircraft (all of United's aircraft deployed on trans-Pacific flights carry the product, and Continental aircraft will soon get this category); installing wifi on 200 aircraft; and introducing streaming wireless video on Boeing B747-400 aircraft among others. Of the 50 Dreamliners on order, six of these are expected to be delivered next year as previously reported (see story here).

In Asia-Pacific, United's Tokyo Narita hub will be strengthened further with connections to more US gateways (Guam and Honolulu for example), as well as major Asian cities. The new United will be launching a daily non-stop Hong Kong-Tokyo service on October 31, 2011, operated by Continental, and using a B737-800. To mark the flight, a round-trip economy, two-night package from HK$2,999 (US$384) is available.

For more details, visit www.united.com, www.continental.com or www.unitedcontinentalholdings.com

Margie T Logarta

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