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United Airlines Fined $2.75 Million for Neglecting Disabled Passengers

The company needs to improve its services

United Airlines fined 2.75 million for neglecting disabled passengers, after more complaints have been filed as well as for excessive tarmac delays.

According to the Department of Transportation the number of complaints filed by disabled passengers has been higher than ever during 2015, accusing the company of neglecting their special needs.

The investigation revealed that United Airlines wasn’t properly helping disabled passengers on and of the planes and they were not making a priority from returning their wheelchairs and other devices.

Besides that, the company has kept passengers longer than the limit of three hours inside the planes during ground delays not giving them the permission to leave the aircraft on six different instances. Five of the delays occurred on December 8, 2013, at the O’Hare International Airport in Chicago and the sixth one on May 20, 2015 at the Houston Hobby Airport.

Anthony Foxx, the Secretary of the Transportation Department declared that it is the department’s duty to make sure that these violations of the transportation rules won’t happen again.

However, the United Airlines was allowed to spend $650,000 of the $2 million disability-fine to improve its audits of wheelchair vendors and also to develop an app that would speed up the assistance provided for people with special needs. Besides that, the company received credit for the $650,000 paid to customers in disability-related claims.

The remaining $700,000 of the fine has to be paid by United Airlines within 30 days. The mobile app and the other steps for improving the assistance to passengers with special needs have to be completed by September 1, 2017.

The Department of Transportation said that of the $750,000 tarmac-delay fine the United Airlines will have to use $375,000 to buy the equipment they need to allow their planes reach the gates in poor weather conditions.

United Airlines said in a blog post that they were already doing more to help their special needs passengers, being committed to meet all the rules imposed by the Department of Transportation. The company also said it is their main priority to make sure that all their passengers have equal access to services.

Regarding the flight delays the company said in a statement that during the past few months it recorded improved on-time statistics as it uses new updated technology.

United Airline has been declared one of the twenty safest airlines in the world for 2016 by airlinerating.com.

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United Airlines Reintroduces Free Snacks for Economy Passengers

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After nearly 10 years, United Airlines reintroduces free snacks for economy passengers amid efforts to make savings by lowering service standards for travelers that opt for cheap flights.

The decision will come into effect in early 2016 and affect only passengers that fly within the Americas. According to the airliner, economy customers flying early in the morning would be served a Dutch snack called stroopwafel, which is a delicious Dutch sweet food filled with caramel. Passengers leaving after 9:45 a. m. would be served savory snacks such as Cajun pretzels or Asian nibbles.

The shift, which was unveiled Wednesday, was reportedly a response to passengers’ request for free snacks, fly attendants’ wish to provide better service, and changes in the company’s policy made by the newly appointed CEO Oscar Munoz.

A spokesperson for the airliner disclosed that many passengers demanded better coffee and free snacks as a move to improve their in-flight experience. The company will now offer tea or free Italian coffee to budget travelers, as well.

When asked why it opted for the peculiar Dutch snack, the company replied that the stroopwafel complements perfectly the Italian coffee or tea. Passengers would get free snacks only on short routes that are not on international flight paths in both the U.S. and South America. The changes would be enforced starting February.

The company ended its free-snack policy for budget travelers in 2006. Four years later, United merged with Continental Airlines to create United Continental Holdings. That year free snacks were ditched by Continental Airlines, as well.

For international flights, the company still gives free meals. But economy class customers saw service steadily lose quality because of companies’ efforts to cut costs in order to keep ticket prices low. In 2008, United thought about introducing a fee for extra luggage, and most of airliners across the globe soon followed suit.

U.S. airlines also revamped their coach section so that it contains only ‘slim-line’ seats in order to be able to make room for an additional row. Companies said that the move didn’t affect their customers’ experience.

While American Airlines doesn’t have free snacks on its menu, Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines do. The two companies treat their couch travelers with free pretzels, peanuts, and cookies on every short route.

A United representative said Wednesday, when the move was first unveiled, that food plays a major role in enhancing customer experience. The spokesperson also said that the shift to free snacks is the result of a listening campaign that gathered feed-back from the airliner’s passengers and employees.
Image Source: Wikimedia

Skiplagged Founder Raises $42,000 To Fight United Airlines, Orbitz

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The 22-year-old founder of cheap airfare website Skiplagged has raised more than $40,000 for his legal defense against a lawsuit filed against him by United Airlines and Orbitz. The travel companies have sued the young man for $75,000 claiming unfair competition and damages for lost income. The lawsuit was filed in Chicago federal court.

The Skiplagged website helps travelers find cheaper airfares by focusing on “hidden city” ticketing, allowing them to book a one-way flight to a cheaper city with a layover in the city they actually want to travel to. The passenger then leaves the flight at the layover and forfeits the last leg of their journey. With the way airlines price their fares, booking the longer trip can be much cheaper than purchasing a ticket directly to the destination the passenger desires.

The website was built as a side project to take advantage of the hub-and-spoke nature of airfares, where airlines fly traveling customers to their hub city and then put them onto connecting flights to different destinations. By exposing the airline’s inefficiencies in pricing air travel, the website has created a way for consumers to get around some of the highest fares on popular travel dates and slash the price they pay for flights on other days.

While technically not illegal, the practice has been prohibited by both the airlines and third party booking sites. The airline carriers have claimed that the practice will ultimately hurt consumers by forcing the airlines to raise their prices on all flights. Customers caught using the practice have had their tickets cancelled and have been punished with the loss of their frequent flier miles or loyalty program status.

Aktarer Zaman has reported that the crowdfunding campaign for his legal defense has raised about $42,000 from more than 2,000 people interested in helping his defense. The fundraising campaign currently has a goal of raising $50,000 for Zaman’s legal defense. In an email post, Zaman has stated that any funds left over after the lawsuit is resolved will be donated to charity.

The lawsuit may ultimately backfire on United Airlines and Orbitz. Many people (including this author) had never heard of the website prior to the filing of the lawsuit and the subsequent news reports about the issue.

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