United Shuttle Aims to Speed Business Travel

United Airlines’ Shuttle, stepping up its rivalry with low-fare king Southwest Airlines in the West, today plans to announce several moves to allow business travelers to get on and off its planes more quickly. The steps include separate counters for frequent business travelers and standby passengers, mobile check-in counters and rear-end jet-ways that enable passengers in the back to move quickly from the aircraft to the terminal. Business travelers represent 35% of the Shuttle’s passenger traffic, but they account for the majority of its revenue and earnings, said Amos Kazzaz, the Shuttle’s president. “Time is of the essence” for those passengers, who “want to get on and off the airplane as quickly as possible,” he said. The Shuttle has nearly 500 daily flights to 22 cities.