"United intoduces automated dual boarding bridge at DIA"

Friday, September 8, 2006

United intoduces automated dual boarding bridge at DIA
By Dave Carpenter
The Associated Press


CHICAGO - Looking to improve its boarding process and turnaround times,
United Airlines began rolling out new automated boarding equipment Sept. 7
in Denver that it says should make getting on and off its planes much
faster.

The carrier put the first of five advanced jet bridges in place at Denver
International Airport, one of its five U.S. hubs, with plans to install them
at other airports in the near future.

The dual-end or Y-shaped bridge connects to both doors of a narrow-body
plane, arching over the wing to the back door, to allow for simultaneous
loading or unloading. It automatically connects to aircraft using sensors
that detect the plane's position, thus doing away with the need for workers
to connect it by hand.

Some dual-end bridges are in use but United says its is the first to be
completely automated.

The airline began testing the first bridge on Aug. 23 at Denver, where it is
now fully operational for flights on Ted, its discount carrier.

"Our customers - especially those in the rear of the plane - are already
telling us they love the convenience of the new bridges," said Alex Marren,
United's vice president of operational services, United Express and Ted.
"Also, because we can board customers faster, we are able to eventually add
more flights without adding new aircraft."

United says the bridge can reduce the time it takes to unload and then
reboard a plane by 10 minutes, allowing it to fly its planes longer each
day.

The carrier plans to install the other four bridges in Denver by year's end
and will look to expand to other airports soon afterward, spokeswoman Megan
McCarthy said. She declined to elaborate.

United, a unit of Elk Grove Village, Ill.-based UAL Corp., is not disclosing
the cost of the new bridges but has referred to them as "a
multimillion-dollar asset." They are made by Ontario, Canada-based Dewbridge
Airport Systems.

David Stempler, president of the Air Travelers Association consumer group,
said anything that makes the boarding and exiting process go quicker will
please passengers.

"The automated part should also eliminate those irritating waits when you
sit there at your destination and have to wait for someone to come operate
the jet bridge," he said.

But industry consultant Michael Boyd questioned the need for such an
expensive system, saying airlines have at least 40 minutes to turn around
their planes in a hub-and-spoke system anyway.

"It's a nice idea to get people on and off quicker," and it will help if
flights are late, said Boyd, president of The Boyd Group in Evergreen, Colo.
"But if you don't really need to do it, why are you putting all that money
into it? This isn't going to suddenly make them more competitive than
somebody else."

Stempler agreed that the service feature isn't likely to be a big factor in
passengers' decisions about which flights to book, which he said are based
primarily on price, schedule and frequent-flier relationships.

UAL, which emerged from three years in bankruptcy in February, reported its
first true profit in six years in the second quarter, a $119 million gain.
But it hasn't had a profitable year since 2000.

Attached Photo:

United Airlines' manager of operations John Ackerman stands under the rear
bridge of United's new fully automated duel end over the wing loading bridge
Sept. 7 at Denver International Airport. Looking to improve its boarding
process and turnaround times, United Airlines is rolling out new automated
boarding equipment that it says should make getting on and off its planes
much faster.

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