Travel-On Travel Industry News
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Friday, March 02, 2012

Travel Alert: United and Continental Travelers March 3-5

On Saturday, March 3rd, United and Continental will move to a Single Passenger Service System. The process will start after midnight Central Standard Time on Saturday March 3rd. A system outage will occur during the cutover. United.com and Continental.com will go dark and agencies will not have access to inventory. Continental bookings will become United bookings with the same flight numbers and new United record locators.

Kiosks and united.com online check-in will continue to accept either the old United or Continental record locator or the new United record locator.

Since United operates around the world and the cutover will take several hours, there will be some airports requiring manual check-in. Customers traveling between Saturday, March 3rd, and Monday, March 5th, should:

  • Check in online on and print their boarding pass if possible
  • Plan to arrive at the airport early in case there are any issues
  • Pay extra attention to Gate and Terminal information as there are split operations in many airports
  • Check flight status and information before leaving for the airport

United Kingdom - Heathrow Express Strike Feb. 26-27

Rail, Maritime and Transport union members working for London's Heathrow Express rail service plan to go on strike for 24 hours starting at 1215 Feb. 26. Despite the work stoppage, the company will provide a half-hourly train service between Paddington Station and London Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 via LHR Central Terminals 1 and 3. A bus service will operate between Terminal 4 and Heathrow Central Terminals 1 and 3. Service on the rail network will return to normal at 1500 Feb. 27. The RMT also announced additional dates for labor disruptions, including a 48-hour work-to-rule action starting at 0300 March 3 and a 24-hour strike starting at 1215 March 11.

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  • Iceland, Tahiti, and Singapore are among the countries where it is considered rude to tip.
  • Some airplanes have "corpse cupboards" to discretely store the body of any passenger who dies in flight.
  • In most Northern European countries talking in elevators is frowned upon.
  • Refrain from wearing a yellow tie when doing business in China.

Q and A

Is there a lot of variance between carriers when it comes to transporting pets?

Yes, each airline has its own policy regarding the transport of pets, as well as variations for domestic and international travel, type of aircraft, and length of flight. Some airlines will only transport pets small enough to ride in the cabin in an under-seat carrier, while others allow them to be checked as baggage or shipped as cargo. Some will not transport certain breeds that are prone to respiratory issues. Others accept pets for transport only when the forecasted temps are between 45-85 at all points on the itinerary. Each carrier also has its own requirements regarding size of carrier, but generally require that the carrier be leak-proof, well-ventilated, and large enough for the animal to stand up and turn around. If traveling internationally keep in mind that the regulations of the destination country must also be considered. A number of countries, including those of the European Union, require that all pets have a tattoo or implanted chip for identification. Some countries will require a quarantine period, while other countries will not accept inbound pets at all. Acceptance of service animals also varies by carrier, but is generally a bit more lenient. For more information, consult your Travel-On agent or your airline.

Important Reminder For Online Profile Users!

United Airlines will be issuing new Mileage Plus numbers within the next couple of weeks. In order to ensure that the correct number is applied to your reservations so that you can receive the correct mileage credit it is important to update your profile.

  • If you currently have a United Mileage Plus Membership - replace the existing number with the new one as soon as you receive it
  • If you currently have a Continental OnePass number - re-label this number as "United" in your profile
  • If you currently have both United and Continental numbers - delete the existing United number and re-label the Continental number as United
Once Continental's OnePass program goes away in early March reservation systems will no longer recognize a "Continental" frequent flyer number, so it is important that you re-label that number as "United" in your online profile. If you have any questions, please contact your account manager or lead agent for assistance.