United Now Holding Flights for Connections at IAH, More Hubs Soon
Earlier this year, United rolled out a truly flyer-friendly tool called ConnectionSaver, It enables employees to work behind the scenes to hold flights for travelers connecting at a hub airport, who, without the new software, would otherwise misconnect and get stuck away from home — often overnight.
ConnectionSaver launched in Denver (DEN) in February, and rolled out to Chicago (ORD) and Los Angeles (LAX) earlier this summer, saving more than 25,000 connections in the process, according to United. When the tool is employed for any given flight, United predicts an affected aircraft will remain at the gate an extra six minutes, on average. And with schedule padding at play, passengers already on the plane should still arrive at their destinations on-time.
Related: Bye, Bye Continental: United Officially Drops Continental Name
Now, ConnectionSaver has been rolled out to another big United hub: Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston (IAH). Next up is Newark (EWR) on July 30, followed by San Francisco (SFO) on Aug. 6 and Washington Dulles (IAD) on Aug. 13. It'll eventually be available at all airports with United flights, though the carrier hasn't detailed timing for a global rollout just yet.
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