bottoms up

United Airlines is suffering a computer system malfunction that stranded pilots and caused canceled flights, evidence the company is still struggling to integrate Continental Airlines more than three years after the merger closed, people with knowledge of the matter said.

The breakdown contributed to the scrapping of almost 1,500 flights as the airline also grappled with unseasonably cold weather, said the people - five United employees who were not authorized to speak publicly about the issue. United's crew desk lost track of hundreds of pilots around the world since Dec. 30 as the system erroneously reported which pilots would control specific flights, the employees said.

The technology problem is the latest in a string of miscues that have dogged United parent's Chicago-based United Continental Holdings Inc. since the 2010 merger. The issue was amplified by tighter federal limits on pilot duty hours, which took effect Jan. 4 as a winter storm and plunging temperatures thinned pilot ranks at its Chicago and Newark, N.J., hubs.

"The company has brought on the perfect storm for our pilots, exacerbating the subzero temps and snow," Jay Heppner, who heads United's pilots' union, wrote in a Jan. 4 letter to members and obtained by Bloomberg News. "In the communications received from our pilots, we are hearing about an operation which is coming apart at the seams."


Computer issues and new federal duty limits "created a nightmare" for United pilots and crew schedulers, said Christopher Cooke, a spokesman for the union representing United flight attendants.

Continental's system
Crew-scheduling woes started after the second-largest U.S. carrier shifted all 10,200 of its pilots to a system previously used only by Continental pilots on Dec. 30, the United employees said.

David Messing, a United spokesman, declined to discuss any issues regarding the change.

"We worked hard to support our pilots as we have made changes to their routines at the same time we have faced unprecedented bad weather," Messing said in a phone interview. "As we began complying with the new regulations, we were combining our pilot scheduling systems. We are making progress each day in making all of the new processes easier for our crew members."

Dave Kelly, a spokesman for the Air Line Pilots Association, said Heppner wasn't available for an interview.

Pilots said they had difficulty logging on to the system, known as CCS, for Crew Communication System, which shows everything from trip assignments to pay stubs.

The new technology required three passwords, said a United captain, and was prone to crashing. Once logged on, he found it difficult to navigate and the information that was available was largely out of date. Flights were even assigned to pilots who are retired or deceased. When pilots tried to call for help, they sometimes sat on hold for more than an hour.

Another pilot, based in Chicago, said that every time he logged on to the crew-scheduling system in recent days, a different person was listed as the captain of the flight he was supposed to fly.

He had difficulty calling in to the swamped scheduling department to straighten out matters, which caused him to be late on several of the flights, the pilot said.

Testing 'on the fly'
"The company is field-testing the CCS system on the fly, several months behind schedule, and fixing issues as they arise," Heppner wrote in the letter to pilots. "At the same time we are switching bidding systems," adding the new scheduling system and reacting to the realities of the new pilot rest rules.

United canceled 1,467 mainline flights from Jan. 1 through Jan. 8, and more than 8,700 when including its regional and commuter airlines, according to flight data analyzer masFlight. Other carriers also scrapped large parts of their schedules as they contended with frigid temperatures in the Eastern U.S. and the same new federal restrictions on pilot flying time, known as FAR 117.

SFGate source United cancels flights over computer troubles - SFGate

Probe

I was non-reving a few days ago next to a dispatcher and we had a long talk. It gets dumber.

Lots of 757 flights coming back from Europe have been cancelled. Apparently a new rule surprised the company. It is called "117". With strong winter winds, 75's can't make it back without a fuel stop. But the fuel stop makes them illegal due to flight/duty time.

Nobody saw it coming.

He was also complaining about flying 900's to Hawaii. Weight restricted all the time. Many times they fudge the numbers by claiming there are more kids than there really are, and still they have to leave 8-10 seats empty.

This really is a dodgy outfit. At some point the adults need to step in.

bhmdiversion

It's United... Anything else need to be said?

bottoms up

My apologies. I see it was posted in another thread

Airhoss

It was working just fine before the new experts in the new management stepped in to clean it up.

pilot64golfer

Can't be true. I thought the 757 was an "international airplane" just like the guppy, which can make it to Mexico, an "international" destination.

Its a good thing we are parking the 757s to replace them with the guppy.

Looks like this new management is not sure what to do with a big plane, or maybe the big planes scare them.

Airhoss

This management is bound and determined to try and do a 10 gallon job with a 5 gallon bucket. And while it hurts some peoples feelings here the truth of the matter is that the Guppy will never be a 757. The 757 is a lousy trans Atlantic bird and we all knew that. But the megalomaniacs at WHQ don't seem to get the big picture and are unwilling to listen to those on the front lines who know.

If you want to run an international global airline the first thing you need a is decent fleet of international global airplanes. 737's and 757's just ain't going to cut it. Jeffy needs to snap out of his regional airline mentality and he needs to do it RIGHT now or we are doomed.

Meanwhile the 787 is looking more and more like a complete flop if that is what we are waiting on it's time for plan B.

John Carr

“If you want to be the world’s leading airline, which is what we at United are working for, you’ve got to have the world’s leading airplane.”

"It's a game changer"

"it's a way cool airplane"

"evvvreeewunnn gonna like flyin' disss aeroplayne"

socalflyboy

Are you high? Just fine=bankrupt/ loss of scope/loss of pension/so hard up a us air merger was once welcomed/loss of pay...shall I continue?

Airhoss

Apparently and not surprisingly you have a major disconnect in understanding the difference when it comes to knowing what an operational vs business/career issue is. Even at it's very deepest bottom in BK UAL was running a better more reliable operation than what's going on right now.

Lets address some business issues that you mentioned;
Out of bankruptcy, our one to your two BTW, USAIR 1 was during the peak of the good times and consolidation was just a spark on the horizon and it was shot down by government regulators, USAIR 2 was a ploy to get the CAL merger done, and apparently it worked. Even at the lowest pay we were making about the same as you guys due to your total and complete lack of a decent contract. We lost our pension yours was frozen and was going to be taken at some point anyway, just have a look around pensions are going the way of the dinosaur, no need to thank us for your 16% B fund however we did that for you free of charge ...But that's really besides the point. Sorry to bruise your ego here but huge egos are a major part of what's wrong with the current operation. If it's broke FIX IT do not just keep doing the same thing over and over refusing to admit that there is a problem.

Now to the point.

The point is that UAL didn't have these kinds of operational problems before CAL mangament came in and screwed it up. While UAL had it's obvious issues they knew what airplanes to put on what routes and ran a very reliable international and domestic schedule. The operational problems began after El Jeffe Jeffy came in and "fixed" the operation. His operational plan of placing incapable airplanes on un doable routes in the name of frugality isn't working PERIOD even an apologist like you should be able to figure that out. And this procedure of stepping over dollars to pick up dimes is destroying our customer base and in the long run will put this company out of business.

So step back from the crack pipe open your eyes and take an un jaded look at what's really going on. The 756 and the 737's being pushed onto routes they can't handle is a 100% LCAL management problem. As are every other IT and operational failure that has occurred since the boys from Houston have taken the reins. They simply will not listen to their key people on the front lines and they refuse to acknowledge or fix these fixable problems. Jeff and his fanatical group of boot licking yes men are as poor an example of effective leadership as can be had.