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

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On my icn-sfo flight, (arrived just now) IFE was down and everyone got skykits. And Also got an email saying IFE uses GPS (map portion I guess) and therefore had to stay turned off. Everyone else had similar experience?

12/28 Update from UntedPR:

If so, that would be a major blow to the IPTE program and has the possibility to delay the 777 upgrades... not sure they'd want to install IFE on these planes until a new software is released which could take awhile.

And, of course, our beloved Channel 9 :(

there was mention in the massive NW/DL thread about yesterday's incident that pilots are no longer allowed to do announcements like, "if you look out to your left, we're passing over Des Moines" - that offer insight into the planes current location.

hopefully channel 9 won't be disabled....

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry9630/4.7.1.57 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/104)

Well I'm sitting on UA881 ORD-NRT and they told us bc of the incident yesterday no IFE, now I have nothing to do for 13 hours except drink... This is a joke, like we won't be able to have a general idea of where we are by looking out the window and knowing we have to cross an ocean to get to Europe or Asia... What a waste of 3 SWU I just used to upgrade my dad, brother and myself! Once I get to the hotel in tokyo I'm sending my email to 1kvoice. I asked about skykits or something but there was an onboard service supervisor on and he said united would reach out to us, let's see!

Any prohibition against using a laptop or other video/audio devices a passenger supplies?

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry9630/4.7.1.57 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/104)

No restrictions on your stuff but the in-seat power is not working so you have as long as your battery lasts. I'm mostly pissed about not being told before checkin or before boarding so I could have went to the bookstore here in the airport, not even a word about this while we were in the RCC either.

Wow, that freaking blows. I'd ask for my SWUs back. If this isn't devaluing SWUs, I don't know what is... :D

Ask the TSA for your SWU's back, it's their directive not UA's. You think UA/other airlines want to disable a system they have paid millions for?

Do you really think disabling a function is going to take a while?

These systems are highly programmable, and it's probably just a matter of removing it from the menu system.

The older systems may be more difficult to program than the newer ones because they're the ones most likely to be hard-coded. Doesn't the 777 seat have a map button, for example?

Has UA made any statement, or given any indication, how long this IFE nonsense will last? Nothing on the web site as of now.

I'm flying all the way from SFO-SIN tomorrow with our 2 young children (2 of us have cleared into J and the other 2 are waitlisted). I'll lose the will to live if I end up sitting in J with no IFE and nothing to entertain them with - especially when their iPods, DS etc all run out of batteries!

This is ridiculous. The scale is so out of whack on those. The plane is about the size of Rhode Island. :rolleyes:

UA should sue the TSA for $X,000 per day they are forced to shut off the IFE.

Why don't they learn from Isreal, who, despite all the security threats against them, have never had a problem because they have invested in proper security, and so do it right beforehand. The guy who caused the whole incident has been on a US terrorist watchlist for ~ 2 years now - how was he even allowed to board the plane. What's the point of the list if its not being used. What is the point of this department?

The airport and specifically security - which I'll now refer to as the circus - is just going to cause the 99.9999999999999% of us honest people to jump through hoops to get on our flights, and not do a single thing to stop the behavior of the ones trying to harm us.

Let me clearly state I have no problem in going through extra security if it has the chance of making a difference - unfortunatetly, having FA's enforce everyone sitting in their seat for an hour before landing and shutting off the IFE, among other things mentioned, isn't going to make a difference in stopping these types of things. Investing in the proper type of security, and not putting all our efforts and $ into trying to stop the last attempt, would be a lot more effective.

To be consistent, they should not reveal flight times any more either since if you know you're departing Chicago at x and you want to do damage to a plane over Denver it wouldn't be too tough to figure out when you'd be there, map or not. Beware of anyone who looks at their watch in flight. ;)

I fear for the future of Ch 9 :(. Will the TSA nonsense ever stop?

Imagine the spin which could be put on them doing this, as the blogosphere would have a field day saying United is more concerned about the bottom line then security. :rolleyes:

Oh, that's right. Shoot.

I've been on plenty of UA flights where the Air Show was broken but the rest of the IFE was fine. Can't they just break it? :D

Did the guy have a visa for the US, or did they let him board without one? If he did have one, why did he have one?

Keeping this on topic, I guess I'll find out tomorrow whether my UA 777 from FRA to IAD will have IFE disabled. It won't matter as far as my entertainment is concerned as I have 30+ hrs of videos on my laptop and about 8 hrs of battery life, so I wasn't really planning on using the on-board IFE for anything than the map.

United's website now advises people to allow for extra time at check-in in and boarding due to extra security measures.

http://www.united.com/page/article/0,6867,53307,00.html

That's, of course, easier said than done with pre-arranged travel connections. We'll be arriving 2 hrs before departure at FRA, and thanks for united's crappy OLCI I am not able to check us in for the flight to the US.

No IFE for domestic flights? Or only int'l flights? I'm unclear on that one.

Exactly. We're used to the TSA circus...and more is inevitable. Turning off the IFE is another issue. I suppose that won't apply to the 747s in coach where everyone watches the same movie on the wall?

No ch 9 or IFE is nothing compared to this:

<SNIP> new rules imposed by the Transportation Security Administration limit on-board activities by passengers and crew in U.S. airspace. The airline said that during the final hour of flight passengers must remain seated. They won't be allowed access to carryon baggage or to have any items on their laps.

Flight attendants on some domestic flights are informing passengers of similar rules. Passengers on a flight from New York to Tampa Saturday morning were also told they must remain in their seats and couldn't have items in their laps, including laptops and pillows.

:rolleyes:

I'm hoping these rules get adjusted pretty quickly.

The 1 hour rule is tough, especially if you've had a lot to drink on a long int'l flight, that's gonna cause some interesting problems. Try telling a little kid they have to hold it for an hour or more. I give it a day or two before some stubborn person runs to the bathroom and causes some "security emergency".

Plus, United and all the airlines can't be too thrilled about having no IFE. It destroys demand for any premium cabin, and plus, no IFE=cranky passengers = never good.

I'm pulling my upgrades for Monday...No way am I standing for this nonsense with no IFE, no power, no bleep,...all because some idiot employee in Yemen couldn't do their jobs?

Then again I'd just enjoy the food and the booze and pass out.

This is a freak incident that is unlikely to be repeated.

The IFE on United will likely be restored.

There is no evidence from other airlines such as cx, sq, qantas or other carriers that gps and onboard maps has contributed to suicide bombers. also, these so-called terroism acts that are reported widely appear to affect mostly US based carriers.

UA spent a significant amount to refurbish their premium cabins and it is meant to enable fair competition with other carriers. Inflight IFE is the norm of travel. If UA is asked to remove their IFE product permanently, they will likely suffer a further loss on profits and reduced revenue growth.

remove IFE and UNITED becomes SWA.....no need for business class seats other than if you REALLY need to sleep...ill go over the pond in economy all the time now, upgrades worthless....yeah i know im exagerating, but this just sucks!
I cant imagine my upcoming trip, almost 33 1/2 hours in a place without some sort of entertainment....my laptop only had so much battery

Has this actually been verified?

I am flying back to SFO from SYD on Wednesday and can report then, but I am positive that people will be flying internationally before then and can report any announcements/experiences related to the thread topic.

Looks like from VTHokieFlyer's post theres at least one confirmation.

Ridiculous
 

Is this IFE ban being dictated by the government or United? It's the craziest thing I've ever heard. Who do I direct my ire?

I'm certain United would not do this voluntarily. I'm flying KIX-SFO in 2 days. I hope they regain their senses by then.

Last I checked, Southwest doesn't fly international.

Look, the day after the liquid thing at Heathrow happened, similar things occurred. Remember when NO beverages were served on aircraft, period?

Rules were relaxed.

Once airlines get the avalanche of complaints from customers, their lobbyists and executives will be making phone calls to key people.

My guess is that Canada will be one of the first places where things will be re-examined. Quickly. Air Canada and U.S-flagged carriers will realize their influx of extra checked bags, fewer staff to move those bags, more missed connections and irate employees and passengers.

It WILL impact the bottom line of all airlines. Capitalism always trumps security. We know as well as anyone that UA, and all other carries are looking to cut costs. Adding to costs won't fly with the airlines.

Give it a few days, I'm guessing within five to seven days things will change.

UA statement on the web site:

Nothing about IFE, or domestic flights.

I doubt they're going to mention that, and that engineers are trying to figure out how to disable the maps without the whole system.

UA potentially loses the revenue from XM if they do not play the audio.

We'll see.

Agree 100%. I start my International Business travel in January,with 30K BIS booked within first 6 weeks of 2010.
I am confident all of this cr**p will be over once Business travel is full swing by mid January.

I can confirm the IFE nonsense is not limited to int'l flights - I just got off UA722 ORD-IAD, and the IFE was all shut down about 2 minutes before we pushed back. As we were taxiing out they came on the PA and said "you might have noticed that the IFE is inoperative - this is due to the recent security issues".

So much for my nice 763 C seat...:td::td::td::td::td::td::td::td:

Hopefully Panasonic is working quickly to come up with a way to turn off the map feature but leave the other parts of the IFE on...

At least in the US, only a handful of flights have moving maps, so there is still going to be IFE on most flights. It's the international ones (and hopefully limited to just the new configuration with Panasonic software) that are affected. :(

Inbound flights only?
 

Is this IFE idiocy only flights inbound to the U.S., or does it include international flights outbound? I'm flying trans-pac this week, so I'll report back, but I'm wondering if I shouldn't quickly invest in some extreme battery solutions for my laptop.

Is this issue only limited to United? :confused: I checked other forums, such as AA, Delta, USAir, JetBlue etc. and I did not see other people complain similar issue. Did TSA or United make the decision to turn off IFE? :mad:

Polar Bear

I was thinking what about hard-copies of maps!


This is insane, surely they can just turn AirShow off.
I though airshow is stored on a separate unit which is connected to IFE like you would with a PS3. Ive been on NZ 744/772/763/320 when the map has been disabled when its broken!