DALLAS >> United Airlines said it will raise the limit — to $10,000 — on payments to customers who give up seats on oversold flights and will increase training for employees as it deals with fallout from the video of a passenger being violently dragged from his seat.
United is also vowing to reduce, but not eliminate, overbooking — the selling of more tickets than there are seats on the plane.
To head off customer defections, United already had announced it no longer will call police to remove passengers from overbooked flights, and will require airline crews traveling for work to check in sooner. On Thursday, it added several other new policies, including:
>> Raising the limit on compensation to $10,000 for customers who give up their seats. That is a maximum — it’s unclear how many, if any, passengers would see that much. The current limit is $1,350. Delta Air Lines earlier this month raised its limit to $9,950.
>> Sending displaced passengers or crew members to nearby airports, putting them on other airlines or arranging for car transportation to get them to their destinations.
Twitter’s revenue declines, but users increase
SAN FRANCISCO >> Twitter on Wednesday reported its first revenue decline since going public in 2013, a sign the company still faces an uphill battle to attract advertisers even as it lures more users.
Twitter executives, pointing to the bump in users, said the tech firm is making progress.
ON THE MOVE
Hawaii Public Radio has announced Ku‘uwehi Hiraishi is its new general assignment reporter, as of April 10. She recently served in the Information and Community Relations office of the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, where she worked with Native Hawaiian homesteaders, community leaders and the general public to enhance the relationship between the community and DHHL.
Atlas Insurance Agency has hired Brennan Velasco as a sales account manager in its Personal Insurance Lines division. He will help clients get the coverage they need at a competitive price. Velasco’s experience includes working with other insurance firms in Hawaii.
The Hawaii Information Service board of directors has promoted Colleen Yasuhara to chief operating officer. Yasuhara joined the firm in 2007 and previously was the vice president of sales and general manager of the local real estate tech company.
