United Airlines | featured news

United Airlines flew the first U.S. commercial passengers Monday on a Boeing 737-824 powered partly with Honeywell biofuel made from algae, a Honeywell subsidiary announced. Flight 1403, scheduled to arrive in Chicago's O'Hare airport at 1:00 p.m. CST from Houston, used a blend of petroleum-based jet fuel and aviation biofuel made from algal-oil, provided by Solazyme, according to Honeywell's UOP.

United Continental Holdings, Inc. is about to take on Delta, Virgin America and JetBlue in a major way. Despite being later than some to the in-flight Wi-Fi game, the merged United and Continental partnership will soon sprout internet in the skies. Panasonic Avionics Corporation has been chosen to provide Wi-Fi connectivity on more than 300 United Airlines and Continental Airlines mainline aircraft beginning in mid-2012. Panasonic's Ku-band satellite technology offers faster speed than air-to-ground technology (ATG) and will provide connectivity on flights worldwide. The system will also enable wireless streaming of video content.

United and Continental are the latest airlines to ditch heavy paper flight manuals for iPads.

United Airlines worked to resume normal flight operations after resolving a computer outage but flight departures were expected to be delayed throughout the weekend, the company said on Saturday.

An international flight was escorted back to Washington, D.C., by U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter jets after an argument between two passengers over a reclining seat erupted into a brawl, The Washington Post reported late Tuesday.

The man in the aisle reportedly would not return to his seat. Passengers said another man with him repeatedly stood up and kept asking how long until the plane arrived in Portland. Yet another man was reportedly reading a book about weapons, according to a passenger seated next to that person. All three were taken off the plane in Chicago.

United Continental Holdings Inc., the world's biggest airline
company, scrapped its 2011 growth plans on Monday and said it will
cut unprofitable routes because of rising fuel prices.

The most recent attempt by U.S. airlines to boost fares has been cut in half by pressure from discount carriers. Last week, the big network carriers including United, Continental, Delta and American raised many domestic fares by $20 a round trip. By Monday afternoon, the increase had been cut to $10.

Shareholders of United and Continental airlines voted Friday to approve a combination of their companies that would create the world's biggest airline and could have far-reaching effects on where they fly and how much they charge passengers.

A United Airlines jetliner hit severe turbulence while flying over Kansas, injuring 30 and jolting one woman out of her seat so forcefully that she left a crack when she hit the side of the cabin, authorities and a witness said.