United Airlines is an American airline and one of the biggest airlines in the world, its headquarters located in Chicago, Illinois. United Airlines was named Varney Air Lines when it was founded in 1926. Today, the airline flies to more than 340 locations from its hubs at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, George W. Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Los Angeles International Airport, Narita International Airport in Tokyo, Denver International Airport, Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport in Guam, Newark Liberty International Airport, San Francisco International Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport.
Of its many routes, some of the most popular United Airlines flights are those to Los Angeles, Hawaii and San Francisco. To serve its many routes, the company operates more than 700 aircraft, with the largest being the Boeing 737s. There is also other smaller Boeing and Airbus airplanes that make up the fleet. United Airlines is an affiliate of the Star Alliance and is one of the founding members.
Online check-in
Online check-in is available to passengers travelling on United Airlines flights. This opens 24 hours before a flight is scheduled to take off and closes 1 hour before scheduled departure. Online check-in can be done on a mobile or a web browser using an e-ticket number or confirmation code. To be able to check in online for a United Airlines flight, passengers must be able to fulfil certain criteria such as having no more than 9 people in their reservation, be taking less than 4 flights, and have a first flight operated by United Airlines. Online check-in is not available for passengers needing special assistance.
Hand luggage allowance
Only 1 carry on item and 1 personal item is allowed without charge on a United Airlines flight. The carry on item should be no larger than 22 x 35 x 56 cm, while the personal item should be no larger than 22 x 25 x 43 cm. Items that exceed these sizes will have to be checked in and may incur an additional fee. On top of that allowance, passengers are allowed to bring an umbrella, book, mobility aid, diaper bag, breast pump, pet carrier or duty-free purchase without extra charge. Some small musical instruments are also allowed as hand luggage, provided that they are in a hard case and that they fit into one of the storage spaces available on the plane.
Checked baggage policy
All checked baggage on a United Airlines flight must have a combined width, length and height of less than 158 cm. The checked baggage allowance is 1 piece for Economy tickets and 2 pieces for Business, BusinessFirst, First and GlobalFirst tickets. The maximum weight for each item of checked luggage varies with ticket type. For Economy passengers it is 23 kg while for Business, BusinessFirst, First and GlobalFirst it is 32 kg. Any luggage that does not meet these requirements will be subject to an extra fee. Infants with reduced-fare tickets receive the same luggage allowance as adults. Infants can also bring a pram and a car seat onto the airplane free of charge. The airline will accept most sports equipment as luggage but there may be a charge involved, depending on the exact nature of the equipment.