Aviation News-New fully automated dual end loading bridge enters service with TED.

[wonwinglo]

Ted to Improve Customer Boarding Experience as It Becomes the First Airline to Use a Fully Automated Dual-End Jet Bridge which will Test the State-of-the-Art Bridge System at Denver International Airport.

Ted will become the first airline to operate the fully automated, Over-The-Wing (OTW), Dual-End Jet Bridge an industry leading loading bridge that enables passengers to board and deplane simultaneously

from the front and rear doors on most narrow-body aircraft. This system will cut deplaning time in half and improve the customer experience.

The bridge system initially will be used on Concourse B at the Denver International Airport. Five bridge systems will be installed in 2006, with future systems planned throughout the Ted network in 2007 and beyond after operational testing is complete.

"We're pleased to become the first airline to utilize this innovative equipment, as it gives us a new opportunity to improve our service to customers," said Sean Donohue, vice president-Operational Services, United Express and Ted. "The bridge system will help enhance our operations at the airport by enabling our customers to deplane faster, while giving our employees more time to focus on our customers."

The DoubleDocker Bridge system is the first fully automated passenger loading bridge system, and utilizes the latest technology including artificial intelligence and triple-redundant sensors to drive both front and rear bridges to their docking positions. The system was developed, designed, andmanufactured by Dewbridge Airport Systems of Ogdensburg, New York, and an earlier version is used in Canada. It was designed for maximum flexibility on narrow body aircraft, making it an ideal system for Ted's A320 fleet.

About Ted

Ted is part of United Airlines (UALAQ), which operates more than 3,400 flights a day on United, United Express and Ted to more than 200 U.S. domestic and international destinations from its hubs in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Chicago and Washington, D.C.

With key global air rights in the Asia-Pacific region, Europe and Latin America, United is one of the largest international carriers based in the United States. United is also a founding member of Star Alliance, which provides connections for our customers to 790

destinations in 138 countries worldwide. United's 57,000 employees reside in every U.S. state and in many countries around the world.

[Guest]

Hello Mr. One-Wing-Low

I was actually looking for A320 plastic models when the search engine found your old post. I was operating regularly out of Denver at that time and remember when these bridges went in. About a year later one of them collapsed and damaged a 757. A quick search found the following:

Posted on Saturday, March 31, 2007 4:08:59 AM by Paleo Conservative

(AP) DENVER An empty passenger bridge collapsed over the wing of a United Airlines plane at Denver International Airport on Friday, damaging the aircraft but causing no injuries, the airline said.

The cause of the collapse and the extent of the damage were not immediately known.

United spokeswoman Megan McCarthy said the Boeing 757 had just arrived from Boston and the 184 passengers and crew were still on board.

The bridge extends from the concourse to the plane. The one that collapsed is a new type that extends over the wing so passengers can use both the front and rear exits of the plane.

The collapse occurred in the rear portion of the bridge, McCarthy said. The aircraft will be moved and repaired after the bridge is raised, she said.

The plane had been scheduled to fly to New York's LaGuardia Airport, but that flight was canceled and the passengers were being booked on other flights.

Denver is one of the first airports to use the over-the-wing bridge, a DoubleDocker manufactured by Ottawa-based Dewbridge Airport Systems, according to the company's Web site. It is designed to speed loading and unloading to reduce the time aircraft spend on the ground.

It was installed last year and was financed by United, the Web site said.

Dewbridge Vice President Neil Hutton said the company is investigating.

"We have dispatched a team to Denver. We have no idea yet what caused the collapse."

He said there have been no indications of any safety issues with the bridges and no other collapses.

Five of the bridges are in use in Denver and three in Vancouver, British Columbia, he said.

The fully automated bridges are guided to the aircraft doors by a system using lasers.