United Airlines News

Can we now say that the radical evolution of loyalty and premium upgrade is nearly complete?

For United, this went about as well as the airline could have hoped. Now the airline can refocus its attention on winning back customers.

The Jeff Katz and Boston Consulting Group startup Dihedral -- with an assist from two major airlines and four hotel chains -- can turn out to be something huge or meander nowhere like some of the traveler journeys they'll be charting. Certainly the two have a track record and they are hitting all the right notes, including Big Data and experiences.

Delta, United, and American wanted the U.S. State Department to take unprecedented action against Emirates, Etihad Airways, and Qatar Airways. But the government didn't opt for a brash approach. This may well be the beginning of the end of the complaints.

If flight attendants ratify the contract, United's customers should win, and it will be a big win for Munoz, too. Today, flight attendants work under two labor agreements, making the airline a model of inefficiency at times.

If you were planning on an upgrade on your next United flight, it may be best to just pack a snuggie.

Design firm Acumen did something no one thought possible. It created a high-density, direct-aisle access business class cabin for United Airlines. Will passengers like it? We'll find out early next year.

Singapore Airlines will defend its home turf against United Airlines by launching new non-stops between Singapore and San Francisco. The airline does not have the perfect aircraft, but it will make due for a couple of years until a better plane arrives.

United said all along it had not violated a 2010 agreement requiring it to keep a certain number of flights in Cleveland for five years, and it seems an auditor has agreed.

Few things annoy passengers as much as having no entertainment on a long flight, so this change is long overdue. Customers should be pleased.