United Airlines is planning to upgrade their international hub at Newark Airport with an upgraded terminal facility and new uniforms, according to USA Today.
The first Boeing 787 Dreamliner to fly out of any New York area airport after a four-month grounding was lifted departed from Houston bound for Chicago at 1:15 p.m. United currently remains the only airline flying the Dreamliner. The grounding was a result of the batteries in a 787 catching fire at Boston's Logan Airport and another smoldering battery forcing an emergency landing of a jet in Japan. Boeing has since developed a new design that will make the battery less likely to catch on fire, as well as improving safety features to control a fire if one were to occur.
United has big plans for the Dreamliner and will be launching more flights between Houston and other U.S. cities before beginning international service between Denver and Tokyo on June 10.
Jeff Smisek, the CEO of United, presented the plans for upgrades to the Terminal C facility, which include a redesign of the check-in facilities as well as a new checked-baggage screening system and new flight installation displays installed in gate areas.
Additional upgrades will include the construction of a widebody maintenance hangar that the entire airline predicts will bring $52 million in economic activity to the region.
"We are pleased to celebrate United's long history at our Newark hub, a premier global gateway and a powerful economic engine," Smisek said in a written statement.
Travelers will see the new uniforms on June 25, when employees begin wearing them. This is the first time that all employees of the new combined United and Continental Airlines will wear the same uniforms.
United flies more than 400 flights each day from Newark Liberty Airport to more than 150 destinations, and has been located at the airport for 25 years.
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