Can't log into UA site (site back up @ ~1:08pm CST 7/17/12)
Jul 17, 2012, 11:42 am
#91
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Dusseldorf
Programs: LH Senator, Hertz Presidents Circle, IHG Plat. Previous: UA 1K, AAdvantage Platinum;
Posts: 638
ua.com totally down ...
Got this message at united.com just now:
We are currently updating our website and reservations systems. This will temporarily affect our ability to serve you online and over the phone.
Must be a BIG update to bring everything to a standstill. Hope it's not impacting airport operations as well
Jul 17, 2012, 11:42 am
#92
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Suburban Philadelphia
Programs: Marriott Lifetime Plat, IHG Gold
Posts: 3,392
Hi Everyone, over the weekend, we discovered a united.com programming error that allowed customers to actually use the website. We have since corrected the error. Customers will be given the choice to book with another airline, or wait until the website error resurfaces, rendering it functional again. We regret any inconvenience this has caused you, and appreciate your understanding.
Jul 17, 2012, 11:42 am
#93
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Manchester, NH
Programs: UA 1k 1MM, National Exec Elite, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Gold, IHG Gold, AMTRAK
Posts: 513
Jul 17, 2012, 11:42 am
#94
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Seattle, WA
Programs: UAL 1K 1.3MM till 1/31/2015 Bye Smissek, Delta Plat. Marriott Gold, Hilton Gold, Hertz Pres. Circle
Posts: 227
It can't be easy trying to keep united's creaky IT infrastructure running especially when you add SHARES to mix.
Jul 17, 2012, 11:42 am
#95
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Benicia, California, USA
Programs: AA PLT,AS,UA PP,J6,FB,EY,LH,SQ,HH Dmd,Hyatt Glbl,Marriott Plat,IHG Plat,Accor Gold
Posts: 10,820
This is indeed a good, very valid question. But it seems that the current management team's approach precludes taking this into account. It's all based on specific transactions, what can be milked via a specific ticket and passenger. Lousy systems, lousy customer service, lousy policies, poor training, stretching equipment and schedules too thin, delays, cancellations (unless UA has to pay another airline to take its passengers, which UA is loathe to do), etc. are all exogenous factors that fall outside this approach.
Jul 17, 2012, 11:42 am
#96
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: FLL
Programs: United Premier 1K; Alaska MVP 75K; Hilton Honors Diamond; Hertz Pres Circle
Posts: 667
UA Website Shut Down Completely
Doesn't really make sense to do this mid-day on a weekday, but what do I know? You can't even get to the home page.
"We are currently updating our website and reservations systems. This will temporarily affect our ability to serve you online and over the phone."
Largest airline in the world and no way to get in touch with them.
"We are currently updating our website and reservations systems. This will temporarily affect our ability to serve you online and over the phone."
Largest airline in the world and no way to get in touch with them.
Jul 17, 2012, 11:42 am
#97
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: San Francisco Bay Area, CA
Programs: UA, Marriott Lifetime Plat
Posts: 94
Definitely looks like an issue. Here's their posting on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/united/status/225283338183778304
https://twitter.com/united/status/225283338183778304
Jul 17, 2012, 11:44 am
#101
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: ALB
Posts: 41
The thing of it is that it's not just a web server or a database server that went down - UA hosts their site and related services on clusters of machines (most likely cloud services to allow for cost-effective bursting during high-volume times). To have the whole thing go down points to something pretty darn serious. Maybe they are using a 50 year old mainframe to power the (black) heart of their system and it committed suicide 
Jul 17, 2012, 11:45 am
#104
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: MEL
Programs: VAG
Posts: 1,865
It's currently business hours across the US, so it's presumably peak booking time. Some people will book later, but a reasonably large portion will shrug and head off to another airline.
Let's say 50% of potential bookings are lost to other airlines, assume (incorrectly) that all bookings are made in the 120,000 work minutes per year, assume $32 billion in revenue per year [last year's figure but I don't know if it includes CO] and they're burning about $130,000 a minute. That may be an overestimate, but it's the right order of magnitude.
Orbitz et cetera are still offering united for sale, though I'm not sure whether the booking would actually go through if you made one.
Jul 17, 2012, 11:46 am
#105
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: DEN
Programs: UA Gold-MM, AA Gold-MM, F9-Silver, Hyatt Something, Marriott Gold, IHG Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 6,393
This is indeed a good, very valid question. But it seems that the current management team's approach precludes taking this into account. It's all based on specific transactions, what can be milked via a specific ticket and passenger. Lousy systems, lousy customer service, lousy policies, poor training, stretching equipment and schedules too thin, delays, cancellations (unless UA has to pay another airline to take its passengers, which UA is loathe to do), etc. are all exogenous factors that fall outside this approach.