United Airlines News

Wi-Fi for miles may be a good idea for some travelers but let the buyer beware because it could be relatively expensive and deplete loyalty accounts.

Given the tumultuous events in the C-suite at United over the last two months, Acting CEO Brett Hart, who had been the airline's general counsel since 2010, is emphasizing stability. That could mean that the sense of momentum that sidelined CEO Oscar Munoz hoped to generate could be a casualty of the executive changes.

Munoz was moving quickly to repair the damage that his predecessor had caused both through arrogance and negligence, and apart from the human tragedy here there's a corporate one as well.

Munoz knows he has a problem with consumers and employees and he isn't wasting any time letting them know he knows.

With Surprise and Delight, passengers now have something to look forward to.

United CEO Oscar Munoz Munoz is saying all the right things and needs to reassure MileagePlus members before more of them bolt to other airlines. But after years of poor performance, members of United's loyalty program and other customers will want to see concrete results, not just the verbiage.

United’s tracks moving forward could run along the lines of the Amtrak model; not aspiring to compete with global airlines on design, passenger comfort, and perks. If the kinks are taken out of the system, staff unity is achieved, fares are competitive, and United becomes more efficient, U.S. passengers might not mind.

That Smisek would go, effective immediately, based on the curious Federal case of the Chairman's Flight and not the botched United-Continental merger speaks volumes about the state of U.S. aviation.

Now that airlines are making money again, they're fighting for business from corporate travel agents.