United''s Checks are Bouncing

[P][SPAN class=newsarttitle][STRONG][SPAN class=newsartsubtitle]United Air Bounces Check at Eagle County, Colo. Airport[/SPAN] [BR][/STRONG][/SPAN][BR]
[P]VAIL, Colo. (AP)--Eagle County, Colorado officials are threatening to block United Airlines (UAL) flights from operating out of the resort town''s airport until the bankrupt airline pays its landing fees.[/P]
[P]United bounced a $15,000 check to the county to cover November''s charges. Officials also want the airline to pay its landing fees in advance since it used its bankruptcy protection to cancel its 10-year lease at the airport, a move that stunned county and ski resort executives.[/P]
[P]The lease expired Wednesday and Eagle County administrator Jack Ingstad said that was the deadline for United to pay. Executives from the airline were expected in Vail on Thursday for lease negotiations.[/P]
[P]Ingstad said the airport cannot stop a United airplane from landing at the airport. But after it lands, he said, Those snowplows, they may get stuck behind the plane.[/P]
[P]They file for bankruptcy and there is no more trust, Ingstad said.[/P]
[P]United spokesman Chris Brathwaite said he didn''t know about the bounced check.[/P]
[P]We have a long relationship with Vail and I''m sure that whatever the issues are, we''ll work out, he said.[/P]
[P]United Express has five daily flights between Denver and Vail during the winter. The flights are operated by Air Wisconsin (X.AWS) under a contract with United.[/P]
[P]The judge in United''s bankruptcy case has authorized United to pay Denver International Airport $4.7 million in back facility charges.[/P]
 
A followup article says that it wasn't a bounced check but rather the airport's bank decided to hold onto the funds to allow time for the check to clear. UA says the check cleared but that the airport's bank continued to hold the funds. The airport appears to be backing off the statements.[BR][BR][EM][SPAN class=headline1]United check gets clearance[/SPAN] [/EM]
[P][EM][SPAN class=subhead]Bank held up payment to Eagle County airport; airline says matter closed[/SPAN] [/EM]
[P][SPAN class=smalltext][EM]By Kevin Flynn, Rocky Mountain News[BR][SPAN class=smalltext]January 16, 2003[/SPAN] [/EM]
[P][SPAN class=bodytext][EM]The money's in the bank, but Eagle County can't spend it yet. [/EM]
[P][EM]The case of the missing money that Eagle County says United Airlines owes it for passenger charges at the airport serving the Vail resort area has been resolved - sort of. [/EM]
[P][EM]While Wells Fargo Bank accepted Eagle County's deposit of $15,010 from United on Jan. 3, the bank later decided to place a hold on withdrawals against the check in case it didn't clear.[BR] [BR]If the check cleared, the funds would be made available to Eagle County on Jan. 21, more than two weeks later. But the check cleared United's bank the very next day, Jan. 7, according to internal records from United's accounts payable department. [BR][/EM][BR]Full article at [BR][A href="http://www.insidedenver.com/drmn/business/article/0,1299,DRMN_4_1676943,00.html"]http://www.insidedenver.com/drmn/business/article/0,1299,DRMN_4_1676943,00.html[/A][/P][/SPAN][/SPAN]
 
could it be that AA will have to deal with the same issues very soon?
 
If I were UA, I would stop serving ASE and tell those ****ers to go to hell after comments like that. Threatening to block a plane with snowplows is unprofessional to say the least.

Oh wait, better yet, do the opposite and bring back some 727's out of the desert and fly half-hourly shuttles between ASE and DEN! Lots of noise for the spoiled brats who live there, and $25 a seat should overrun that snotty town with visitors real fast!
 
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On 1/21/2003 10:13:08 PM JS wrote:

If I were UA, I would stop serving ASE and tell those ****ers to go to hell after comments like that. Threatening to block a plane with snowplows is unprofessional to say the least.

Oh wait, better yet, do the opposite and bring back some 727's out of the desert and fly half-hourly shuttles between ASE and DEN! Lots of noise for the spoiled brats who live there, and $25 a seat should overrun that snotty town with visitors real fast!
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I appreciate the sentiment, except it wasn't Aspen (ASE) airport, but rather the one serving Vail/Eagle (EGE).
An ever-so-slightly less spoiled/snotty class of residents...
 
Oh wait, better yet, do the opposite and bring back some 727's out of the desert and fly half-hourly shuttles between ASE and DEN! Lots of noise for the spoiled brats who live there, and $25 a seat should overrun that snotty town with visitors real fast!

If one of our newly re-deployed 727's hit one of their snowplows--that they purposely used as a 'blockade'--could we generate revenue by collecting on the insurance? (I'm kidding)...