CHICAGO -- A computer problem with Uniteds passenger
processing system delayed about 150 of Uniteds 3,700 flights
worldwide Jan. 3, airline spokesman Jeff Green said.
The systems
mainframe was down from about 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Central Standard
Time, and caused an average delay of 60 minutes, Green said.
Employees had to check-in customers manually or with a lot more
computer key strokes than normal using a back-up system, and they
had to hand-write baggage tags.
United is
investigating the cause and has plans to upgrade the system,
although Green could not provide a timetable.
The problems came as
United revealed it plans to spend $400 million this year on capital
improvements, more than in any year since 2001. The airline will
use the money to upgrade computer systems, add more check-in
kiosks, refurbish aircraft interiors and buy new ground equipment,
COO Peter McDonald said in a Jan. 3 message to
employees.
United said it
remains on track to emerge from Chapter 11 in February. Its
creditors approved the airlines reorganization plan Dec. 30; the
next step is approval from the bankruptcy court, with a hearing
scheduled to begin Jan. 18.
To contact
reporter Andrew Compart, send e-mail to [email protected].