places

Peek beneath the surface: Some of the world’s best snorkeling destinations

By The Hub team, August 09, 2016

There are so many places on land to discover, but even more that are underwater, just waiting to be seen. Once you take the plunge beneath the surface and open your eyes, what you see can transform your perspective. Snorkeling is an activity that most anyone can enjoy, even those who don't necessarily like being completely underwater. It provides an opportunity to see what's below the surface, along with a chance to dive deep down to the depths of the ocean. Next time you find yourself in one of these top snorkeling destinations, grab a mask and have a look for yourself.

Florida Keys, Florida

Home to the only living coral barrier reef in the continental United States, the Florida Keys are your best bet for spotting colorful and diverse marine life close to home. Reef sharks dominate the area, but there is no need to panic, as these local sharks are both common and harmless. Additionally, snorkeling in the Keys will give you the opportunity to see turtles, stingrays, eels, barracudas and tons of tropical fish. Don't miss Key Largo, where the Molasses Reef is located, and Islamorada, which is a bit more secluded. It's also where you might see hammerhead sharks.

Sunset in Punta Mita, Mexico

Punta Mita, Mexico

Travelers that fly into Puerto Vallarta airport are often completely unaware that one of the best kept secrets in the country is less than an hour away. Punta Mita is a small town that provides a very high-end resort experience, with some of the best hotel chains in the world dominating the area. Many of the resorts have exclusive, private beaches with access to crystal clear waters and rock formations near the coastline. The topography provides an opportunity to see and swim with all sorts of marine life, including eagle rays, moray eels, starfish and seahorses. Punta Mita is also home to underwater caves, which invite exploration. While out in the ocean, keep watch for the dolphins that occasionally swim by.

Sunset in Maui, Hawaii

Maui, Hawaii

Maui has something for everyone, including great snorkeling spots all around the island. Between the lava rocks, coves and sandy beaches, it's no wonder Maui's reputation is renowned among snorkelers. Make sure to drive out past Big Beach to the Ahihi Kinau Natural Area Reserve to enjoy this very unique spot for where no fishing is allowed. Experience memorable sea life encounters by taking a boat near Molokini, just off of Wailea Beach. Trips here are usually available via tour boats that take you to the best dive locations around the island and offer an amazing experience in the open waters.

Nusa Lembongan in Indonesia

Nusa Lembongan, Indonesia

There are many reasons to visit Bali, or the “Island of the Gods" as it is commonly referred to. But when you come to Bali with plans to snorkel, things are done a bit differently. What makes Bali such a cool experience is that in some spots, jumping in the waters and riding the water current provides a special way of snorkeling. Drift snorkeling, as it's called, can be a little intense. But what can beat letting your body flow with the current while your eyes spot all sorts of biodiversity? Once you have had your share of the fast-paced snorkeling, hire a boat for a short ride to Nusa Lembongan where the waters are calmer, making it an ideal spot for snorkelers of all levels.

Vie of Great Barrier Reef in Australia

Great Barrier Reef, Australia

With more than 3,000 individual reef systems and coral cays, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia is the largest and, hands down, the most desired coral reef in the world. A visit to Heron Island will provide you with the opportunity to swim next to and see approximately 60% of the species of fish that live along the reef. Beyond beach snorkeling, boats are available for hire from most coastal cities and can take you to some of the better locations for snorkeling. Popular reefs are located near the cities of Cairns, Port Douglas and Townsville.

If you go

Visit united.com or use the United app to plan your snorkeling adventure.

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United Cargo and logistics partners keep critical medical shipments moving

By The Hub team, July 02, 2020

By working together and strengthening partnerships during these unprecedented times, our global community has overcome challenges and created solutions to keep the global supply chain moving. As COVID-19 continues to disrupt the shipping landscape, United and our industry partners have increasingly demonstrated our commitment to the mission of delivering critical medical supplies across the world.

United Cargo has partnered with DSV Air and Sea, a leading global logistics company, to transport important pharmaceutical materials to places all over the world. One of the items most critical during the current crisis is blood plasma.

Plasma is a fragile product that requires very careful handling. Frozen blood plasma must be kept at a very low, stable temperature of negative 20 degrees Celsius or less – no easy task considering it must be transported between trucks, warehouses and airplanes, all while moving through the climates of different countries. Fortunately, along with our well-developed operational procedures and oversight, temperature-controlled shipping containers from partners like va-Q-tec can help protect these sensitive blood plasma shipments from temperature changes.

A single TWINx shipping container from va-Q-tec can accommodate over 1,750 pounds of temperature-sensitive cargo. Every week, DSV delivers 20 TWINx containers, each one filled to capacity with human blood plasma, for loading onto a Boeing 787-9 for transport. The joint effort to move thousands of pounds of blood plasma demonstrates that despite the distance, challenges in moving temperature-sensitive cargo and COVID-19 obstacles, we continue to find creative solutions with the help of our strong partnerships.

United Cargo is proud to keep the commercial air bridges open between the U.S. and the rest of the world. Since March 19, we have operated over 3,200 cargo-only flights between six U.S. hubs and over 20 cities in Asia, Australia, Europe, South America, India, the Caribbean and the Middle East.

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Celebrating Juneteenth

By United Airlines, June 18, 2020

A message from UNITE, United Airlines Multicultural Business Resource Group

Fellow United team members –

Hello from the UNITE leadership team. While we communicate frequently with our 3,500 UNITE members, our platform doesn't typically extend to the entire United family, and we are grateful for the opportunity to share some of our thoughts with all of you.

Tomorrow is June 19. On this day in 1865, shortened long ago to "Juneteenth," Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, to announce that the Civil War had ended and all enslaved individuals were free. For many in the African-American community, particularly in the South, it is recognized as the official date slavery ended in the United States.

Still, despite the end of slavery, the Constitutional promise that "All men are created equal" would overlook the nation's Black citizens for decades to come. It wasn't until nearly a century later that the Civil Rights Act (1964) ended legal segregation and the Voting Rights Act (1965) protected voting rights for Black Americans. But while the nation has made progress, the killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd have made it undeniably clear that we still have a lot of work to do to achieve racial parity and inclusion.

Two weeks ago, Scott and Brett hosted a virtual town hall and set an important example by taking a minute, as Brett said, "to lower my guard, take off my armor, and just talk to you. And talk to you straight from the heart."

Difficult conversations about race and equity are easy to avoid. But everyone needs to have these conversations – speaking honestly, listening patiently and understanding that others' experiences may be different from your own while still a valid reflection of some part of the American experience.

To support you as you consider these conversations, we wanted to share some resources from one of United's partners, The National Museum of African American History and Culture. The museum will host an all-day Virtual Juneteenth Celebration to recognize Juneteenth through presentations, stories, photographs and recipes. The museum also has a portal that United employees can access called Talking About Race, which provides tools and guidance for everyone to navigate conversations about race.

Our mission at UNITE is to foster an inclusive working environment for all of our employees. While we are hopeful and even encouraged by the widespread and diverse show of support for African Americans around the country – and at United - we encourage everyone to spend some time on Juneteenth reflecting on racial disparities that remain in our society and dedicating ourselves to the work that still must be done to fight systemic racism. By honoring how far we've come and honestly acknowledging how far we still must go, we believe United – and the incredible people who are the heart and soul of this airline - can play an important role in building a more fair and just world.

Thank you,

UNITE (United Airlines Multicultural Business Resource Group)

Leadership Team

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Making every step of the travel journey safer for you

By United Airlines, May 20, 2020

We remain passionate about connecting the world safely

United CleanPlus ^SM is our commitment to putting health and safety at the forefront of your journey, with the goal of delivering an industry-leading standard of cleanliness. We're teaming up with Clorox to redefine our cleaning and disinfection procedures, and over the coming months, we'll roll out Clorox products across our U.S. airports, starting in select locations, to help support a healthy and safe environment, and to provide transparency and choice throughout the travel journey.

At the airport

At check-in:
1
Implementing temperature checks for employees and flight attendants working at hub airports
2
Installing sneeze guards at check-in and gate podiums
3
Encouraging use of the United app for contactless travel assistance and more
4
Promoting social distancing with floor decals to help customers stand 6 feet apart
5
Rolling out touchless check-in for customers with bags
At the gate:

6
Disinfecting high-touch areas such as door handles, handrails, elevator buttons, telephones and computers
7
Providing hand sanitizer and
disinfectant wipes
8
Allowing customers to self-scan boarding passes
9
Boarding fewer customers at a time and, after pre-boarding, boarding from the back of the plane to the front to promote social distancing
10
Rolling out Clorox Total 360 Electrostatic Sprayers to disinfect in the airport

On our aircraft

1
Providing individual hand sanitizer wipes for customers
2
Requiring all customers and employees to wear a face covering and providing disposable face coverings for customers who need them
3
Providing onboard items like pillows and blankets upon request
4
Disinfecting high-touch areas, like tray tables and armrests, before boarding

5
Reducing contact between flight attendants and customers during snack and beverage service
6
Ensuring aircraft cleaning standards meet or exceed CDC guidelines
7
Using electrostatic spraying to disinfect aircraft
8
Using state-of-the-art, hospital-grade, high-efficiency (HEPA) filters to circulate air and remove 99.97% of airborne particles
- The cabin recirculated air is exchanged every 2-3 minutes

We're working closely with the experts at Cleveland Clinic to advise us on enhancing our cleaning and disinfection protocols for the safety of our employees and customers. Visit Cleveland Clinic's website to learn more about COVID-19.