The Transportation Department said United Airlines faces penalties of up to $350,000 for late refunds last year that resulted from big technology problems that angered passengers. United has to pay $175,000 of the civil penalty right away and the other half if it has further violations, the Transportation Department said on Friday.
After United and Continental merged, the combined airline began using Continental's reservation system. That meant that workers who came from United had to learn Continental's computer system. Because of that and other changes around the same time, some passengers didn't get the upgrades to better seats that they expected, there were problems with award tickets for frequent fliers, and some flights were delayed.