Technical Difficulties with UBids

Status of UBid.

8:00PM CT Update - System Operational - Bids Close for all bases at 12:00N Home Domicile Time & Revision to Italy Vaccination Recency Requirements

Update as of 8:00PM CT - Final Update

Management reports there has been some slow but albeit, progress in restoring full access to UBid.  It is known that many Flight Attendants have selections in their carts but have not been able to finalize the submission of their bids for April schedules.

As we reported earlier, access to the bid screen that allows for manual entry of bids was restored earlier today.  UBid access is possible and company activity logs show bidding activity is taking place, including via UBid.  While still slow, access has been restored but may take a little longer to finalize.

This being the case, after consultation with AFA, a joint decision was reached to delay the closing of bids by four (4) hours. All bids will close tomorrow, March 17, at 12:00 Noon Home Domicile Time.  We believe it to be prudent to provide an adequate period of time for all Flight Attendants to have the ability to submit bids.  This would include those on flights that departed this evening who may require the additional time after completing their flight assignments tomorrow morning.

We have requested and the company has mutually agreed to delay the closing of bids.  We should all understand this means that the release of April awards and the finalization of April schedules will likely be later than that to which we are accustomed.  Nevertheless, management fully anticipates releasing the awards and schedules consistent with the requirements of our Contract -Awards available by 0800 on the 18th and lines in CCS by 5:00PM on the March 18.  All efforts will be made to release awards as soon as practicable. 

Update on Italy Vaccination Recency Requirement

Earlier today, United management released a CCS message advising Flight Attendants of an update to the vaccination recency requirements when flying to Italy.

Effective in April, Flight Attendants flying to Italy no longer need to meet the 180 day vaccination recency requirement.

Although the April Key pages reflect differently, in April all crew members will be required to undergo pre-departure testing with a negative test result in order to work flights to Italy.  While it appears a CCS message may have gone to some bases flying to Italy, we are receiving reports that perhaps not all locations have been advised of this revised requirement.  Please make note of this change if your base is flying to Italy in April.

Update #1 as of 5:00PM Central Time:

IT has identified that the issue with UBids is caused by a server issue and work is underway to fix that issue.

While the access issues to the Monthly Schedule Bidding link in CCS are being resolved, there is an alternate way of getting to the Monthly Line Bid screen:

Access through the Bidding tab on CCS is available.  The tabs providing access to Permabid and Monthly Line Bid have been restored and will provide direct access to the regular monthly line bid screen where you can manually enter your bids.  Alternatively, you will also have access to Permabid.

However, at this time,. access to UBid remains temporarily unavailable.

We understand that some of you may be flying and you have concerns about your ability to submit bids and are asking your Local Council leadership about the possibility of a delayed closing of bids.  At this time, you should know we are advocating for your best interest.  Keep in mind, until the depth of this issue is identified, it would be premature to publish a revised bid closing time.  Please stay connected to this page and e will provide additional updates as they become available.

Initial Notification Message:

Reports indicate there are currently some unexpected technical difficulties with UBids which are creating some instability issues with the platform.  Flight Attendants report slow response times, inability to remain signed in and, in some cases, an inability to access the platform to submit bids.

United’s IT Department is aware of the issue and there is supposition that this may be a sever issue.  Research to isolate the issue is underway.  We continue to monitor progress in restoring service from the MEC Office.  We will keep you updated as we receive additional information.