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Dec '09 UA Security Procedures-operational changes on INTERNATIONAL flights? [Merged]

Dec '09 UA Security Procedures-operational changes on INTERNATIONAL flights? [Merged]

 
Old Dec 28, 2009, 12:00 pm
  #211  
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Originally Posted by notquiteaff

The second meal service started over two hours before arrival at IAD because of the one hour "stuck in your seat" period. Water glasses were taken away after that service and no beverage service during the ConAir phase.
Haha, this is what it always is like on Singapore Airlines. The ridiculous serving of the second meal 2-3 hours before landing...
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Old Dec 28, 2009, 12:14 pm
  #212  
 
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Originally Posted by milepig
But most reports are that for GPS to work on a plane you have to hold the unit right up against the window, making it pretty obvious what you're doing. The GPS on my phone and ITouch pretty much don't work inside at all.
A lot of those small devices require the loading of maps to show positions, and that needs some sort of internet connection. You could get exact coordinates of course with no map needed, but on devices like the IPhone, the Google Maps GPS feature won't be of much use if the device can't load the correct map.
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Old Dec 28, 2009, 12:25 pm
  #213  
 
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Can Anyone Confirm on UA

This suggests that TSA caved on the last hour in your seat restriction. Can anyone report about their travels on UA today?

http://twitter.com/WestJet/statuses/7130990888
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Old Dec 28, 2009, 12:33 pm
  #214  
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Wanted to clarify some topics mentioned in this thread.

Shortly after the situation on the flight from Amsterdam to Detroit, we temporarily disconnected the IFE on IPTE flights inbound into the U.S. We did this to immediately comply with a component of the new TSA security directive. If we were not able to comply, we likely would have had to cancel the flights that were scheduled to depart shortly after the directive was issued.

As more time progressed between when the directive was issued and when our next bank of international flights departed, we were able to turn off the GPS portion of the IPTE IFE system and keep the remainder of it in operation. IFE on IPTE (B767 and B747) is now in operation and continues to be on the B777s.

For those of you who were inconvenienced during this short interim phase, Customer Relations will be reaching out to you to apologize with a goodwill gesture.

To comply with the current TSA security directive, Channel 9 is turned off on international flights inbound to the U.S.

All this aside, we hope you had a nice holiday.
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Old Dec 28, 2009, 12:49 pm
  #215  
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Originally Posted by United PR
Wanted to clarify some topics mentioned in this thread.

Shortly after the situation on the flight from Amsterdam to Detroit, we temporarily disconnected the IFE on IPTE flights inbound into the U.S. We did this to immediately comply with a component of the new TSA security directive. If we were not able to comply, we likely would have had to cancel the flights that were scheduled to depart shortly after the directive was issued.

As more time progressed between when the directive was issued and when our next bank of international flights departed, we were able to turn off the GPS portion of the IPTE IFE system and keep the remainder of it in operation. IFE on IPTE (B767 and B747) is now in operation and continues to be on the B777s.

For those of you who were inconvenienced during this short interim phase, Customer Relations will be reaching out to you to apologize with a goodwill gesture.

To comply with the current TSA security directive, Channel 9 is turned off on international flights inbound to the U.S.

All this aside, we hope you had a nice holiday.
Thanks for the clarification. A couple of more questions:

1. Are there any new restrictions on in-cabin electronics?

2. Will I still be able to bring on board one carry-on plus one personal item?

3. Has UA stopped applying these restrictions on out-bound flights from the U.S.?

Thanks!
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Old Dec 28, 2009, 12:51 pm
  #216  
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Originally Posted by PTravel
Thanks for the clarification. A couple of more questions:

1. Are there any new restrictions on in-cabin electronics?

2. Will I still be able to bring on board one carry-on plus one personal item?

3. Has UA stopped applying these restrictions on out-bound flights from the U.S.?

Thanks!
Thanks, those are indeed the important questions. Apart from the fact that I usually dislike the movies and have spent countless hours crossing large bodies of water or frozen wasteland while staring at the Airshow
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Old Dec 28, 2009, 1:07 pm
  #217  
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Originally Posted by United PR
Wanted to clarify some topics mentioned in this thread.

Shortly after the situation on the flight from Amsterdam to Detroit, we temporarily disconnected the IFE on IPTE flights inbound into the U.S. We did this to immediately comply with a component of the new TSA security directive. If we were not able to comply, we likely would have had to cancel the flights that were scheduled to depart shortly after the directive was issued.

As more time progressed between when the directive was issued and when our next bank of international flights departed, we were able to turn off the GPS portion of the IPTE IFE system and keep the remainder of it in operation. IFE on IPTE (B767 and B747) is now in operation and continues to be on the B777s.

For those of you who were inconvenienced during this short interim phase, Customer Relations will be reaching out to you to apologize with a goodwill gesture.

To comply with the current TSA security directive, Channel 9 is turned off on international flights inbound to the U.S.

All this aside, we hope you had a nice holiday.
Many of us have heard unconfirmed reports that TSA has relaxed the inanely stupid restrictions about being seated for the last hour of the flight, and the disabling of GPS and other real time connectivity instruments - which led to no CH 9 and no airshow on the IFE.

Denying access to CH 9 and airshow/route mapping is monumentally stupid. Anyone with a watch and a rudimentary knowledge of math can figure out when an international flight has made landfall after crossing the Atlantic or Pacific.

CH 9 and Economy plus are two very unique products that separate United from the competition. If United doesn't act to push back against this ridiculous and totally unnecessary TSA Kabuki theater, you are putting your own bottom line at risk.
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Old Dec 28, 2009, 1:15 pm
  #218  
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Originally Posted by GadgetFreak
Thanks, those are indeed the important questions. Apart from the fact that I usually dislike the movies and have spent countless hours crossing large bodies of water or frozen wasteland while staring at the Airshow
I do the same thing. I have my iPod and laptop for IFE, which is far more appealing to me than any on-board IFE. Like you, I am an Airshow addict and, notwithstanding all my self-provided amusements, I spend more time staring at the map, altitude and speed info than anything else.
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Old Dec 28, 2009, 1:43 pm
  #219  
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Originally Posted by halls120
Many of us have heard unconfirmed reports that TSA has relaxed the inanely stupid restrictions about being seated for the last hour of the flight, and the disabling of GPS and other real time connectivity instruments - which led to no CH 9 and no airshow on the IFE.

Denying access to CH 9 and airshow/route mapping is monumentally stupid. Anyone with a watch and a rudimentary knowledge of math can figure out when an international flight has made landfall after crossing the Atlantic or Pacific.

CH 9 and Economy plus are two very unique products that separate United from the competition. If United doesn't act to push back against this ridiculous and totally unnecessary TSA Kabuki theater, you are putting your own bottom line at risk.
Agreed 100%, if not more. ^

It never ceases to amaze me how many pax have the airshow map on when I walk down the aisle on a given flight. And to me, Channel 9 is a real plus over other airlines, though not so much a dealbreaker as E+ going away would be.

These rules are incredibly dumb, and UA should lobby the government against implementing stupid restrictions which will do nothing to actually make us safer but will only make our flights that much less enjoyable (and I've said as much in a letter to the 1K Voice, anyway).
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Old Dec 28, 2009, 2:08 pm
  #220  
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
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Originally Posted by United PR
Wanted to clarify some topics mentioned in this thread.

Shortly after the situation on the flight from Amsterdam to Detroit, we temporarily disconnected the IFE on IPTE flights inbound into the U.S. We did this to immediately comply with a component of the new TSA security directive. If we were not able to comply, we likely would have had to cancel the flights that were scheduled to depart shortly after the directive was issued.

As more time progressed between when the directive was issued and when our next bank of international flights departed, we were able to turn off the GPS portion of the IPTE IFE system and keep the remainder of it in operation. IFE on IPTE (B767 and B747) is now in operation and continues to be on the B777s.

For those of you who were inconvenienced during this short interim phase, Customer Relations will be reaching out to you to apologize with a goodwill gesture.

To comply with the current TSA security directive, Channel 9 is turned off on international flights inbound to the U.S.

All this aside, we hope you had a nice holiday.
Thank you so much for the update! We know all this nonsense is not United's fault, and you guys had to do what you could to comply with the TSA restrictions. Hopefully (according to other posts about WestJet and Cathay) the rules have now been relaxed.
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Old Dec 28, 2009, 2:13 pm
  #221  
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Yes, we hear you and along with other U.S. airlines, we are all uniting under our industry's governing body, the Air Transport Association in Washington D.C.
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Old Dec 28, 2009, 2:40 pm
  #222  
 
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Originally Posted by United PR
Yes, we hear you and along with other U.S. airlines, we are all uniting under our industry's governing body, the Air Transport Association in Washington D.C.
United PR, thanks for the updates today. I think this latest post is the news most people here were looking/waiting for. Everyone knows this isn't really UA's fault, but they just want to hear that United is going to push back at decisions that were made a little too quickly.

These are exactly the cases when having an official PR person here (I suppose twitter works too) helps a lot.
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Old Dec 28, 2009, 2:53 pm
  #223  
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My suggestion is a simple one.

Whoever is responsible for making and setting the policy needs to do the following:

1. Fly one transatlantic RT in E- (lets say from IAD to LHR)
2. The fly one transpacific RT in E- (lets say ORD to SIN, via HKG)
3. Check in one standard suitcase
4. Take their laptop and a wheelie
5. No IFE, no seatmap and no getting up 1-hr prior
6. Do this in 7-days

Then lets see how they go - after a period of delays, missed connections, boredom, frustration and total discomfort. They can then experience what it's like for 99% of the flying public.
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Old Dec 28, 2009, 2:58 pm
  #224  
 
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The Terrorists seem to be taking every last pleasure out of commercial flying; another sad moment for airline travel. The removal of IFE and Channel 9 on inbound international flights is sad indeed, but hopefully in time these features will return.

I am confident that United will push for the return of these features, so long as it serves the safest interests of its passengers.

TSA's motivation behind having such features removed (IFE, Blankets,1 Hr Sit Down before Arrival etc.) all seem to be initiatives which aim to comfort rather than address the real problems. If the policy is 1 hr prior to arrival, what would stop someone from getting up 1.25 hrs prior to arrival? A more proactive approach sounds like it would include more aggressive procedures on the ground prior to departure.
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Old Dec 28, 2009, 3:02 pm
  #225  
 
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Originally Posted by United PR
Yes, we hear you and along with other U.S. airlines, we are all uniting under our industry's governing body, the Air Transport Association in Washington D.C.
Very good, thank you.^
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