I got the following email from Biztravel.com the other day and thought it was very interesting. I'm especially interested in the statement that starts with "Protecting passengers on delayed/canceled flights..." Can any of you FT's out there confirm this? I always had the understanding that you absolutely had to get United's endorsement. But maybe this is something special that they're doing under the circumstances. This is most of the email, I omitted some not so necessary things.

It seems that everyone has been affected by United's most recent flight delays and cancellations. Recognizing how frustrating the situation has become, United is taking action. They are:

- Increasing the number of designated "spare" aircraft.
- Reducing their flight schedule by three percent, representing a reduction of approximately 6,600 flights by the end of September. October's schedule is currently under review.
- Continuing to hire and train new pilots as quickly as possible while continuing to negotiate with pilot, mechanic and other employee labor groups on new contracts.
- Installing new baggage scanners to expedite the flow during peak times or during disrupted operations.
- Contacting top tier clients by phone and mail to resolve issues as quickly as possible.
- Protecting customers on delayed/cancelled flights with alternate airlines. This way, you can take your ticket directly to the other carrier, without having to see a United representative to endorse the ticket. Currently, endorsement agreements are set-up with the following carriers: Alaska, Horizon, Delta, TWA and ATA. United is also working on agreements with American, Northwest, Midwest Express, and US Airways.
- If you prefer, you may be able to obtain a full refund without penalty if you can show:
- Ticket, completely unused
- Travel was originally scheduled
on or before September 30, 2000
- Ticket is on 016 Ticket Stock
- Ticketed flight was delayed
minimum of five hours or cancelled
- Affected flight was a true United
flight

Now, you may say "too little too late." Who can argue? But we need to travel and United is a major player in the air travel game.
So, if you do have a United reservation, here are some suggestions to assist you while en route:

- United has the capability of electronically contacting Internet enabled pagers, cell phones, hand-held devices and PC's to advise a customer of an operational disruption. Through United's Web site, you can be proactively informed of any changes in flight status.
- When traveling on non-refundable tickets, you have the maximum flexibility with paper tickets. This may cost a small service fee when having your tickets issue but United currently only has one e-ticket interline agreement with Air Canada.