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back to article Y'know how airlines never explain delays? United's bug bounty works the same way

United Airlines' frequent flier points for bugs plan has come in for criticism from a researcher who says the airline didn't respond to news of a critical bug report for five months, and then only after he threatened to go public. Randy Westergren, whose assessment of Subway's impressively-secure app graced our pages last July …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Poor sod.

    I'll bet his reward will come in the form of a 'special screening' by the TSA next time he flies anywhere.

    12 0 Reply
    1. Mark 85
      Reply Icon

      Re: Poor sod.

      That will happen only if his ticket doesn't accidentally get canceled or the flight is <ahem> overbooked and he gets bumped. I wouldn't even want to think about lost luggage.

      6 0 Reply
      1. Nick Ryan Silver badge
        Reply Icon

        Re: Poor sod.

        That will happen only if his ticket doesn't accidentally get canceled or the flight is <ahem> overbooked and he gets bumped. I wouldn't even want to think about lost luggage.

        How will he be able to tell if this happens if it's because of his reporting this bug or just business as normal for UA?

        10 0 Reply
  2. Notas Badoff

    Wait, so how long then?

    If he wasn't the first to report the bug, and he can testify to the delay being at least 5 months, then how long a delay are they admitting to then?

    18 0 Reply
  3. John Tserkezis

    Sounds a bit like the semiconductor industry. We've reported a variety of bugs on chips, and never received so much as, well, anything.

    Though we know they get fixed in the next revision of silicon, IF there's another revision that is.

    1 0 Reply
  4. trapper

    Not surprised. See song, "United Breaks Guitars."

    5 0 Reply
  5. P. Lee

    Not a bug

    It's a publicly accessible web-based API.

    2 0 Reply
  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    bug bounty program mean anyone who discloses a bug won't be given any frequent flyer points

    best promotion ever!

    2 0 Reply
    1. TheOtherHobbes
      Reply Icon

      Re: bug bounty program mean anyone who discloses a bug won't be given any frequent flyer points

      It's a new definition of "bounty" - first they ignore you, then they ignore you some more.

      If you threaten to Tweet they stop ignoring you and tell you you're late anyway.

      Everyone's a winner!

      3 0 Reply
  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    frequent flier points for bugs

    I can't decide whether filer is a spelling mistake of a pun on their bug bounty program for those researcher who file the most bugs.

    0 0 Reply
  8. chivo243 Silver badge

    United shaddy?

    I think the whole organization is a bit whacked. The CEO was just jettisoned for bribery, hey UA's HQ is in Chicago, and the next CEO had a heart attack, one would guess from seeing what a cesspool he had inherited?

    So, it doesn't really surprise me that they don't get it when it comes to bug tracking etc....

    2 0 Reply
  9. Stevie

    Bah!

    I've always found airlines to be very forthcoming about the reasons for delays.

    The staff of some at given airports are a disaster, but I put that down to boredom and the need for staff entertainment rather than systemic indifference.

    Now if you want to experience unexplained delays almost every day, ride the Long Island Rail Road. They turn it from an art into a science.

    1 0 Reply
  10. terryy

    How about fixing your own typos?

    The researcher therefore told United he'*s* go public on November 28th

    But it's United ... what do you expect? I am cashing my million miles to switch airlines.

    0 0 Reply
  11. terryy

    How about fixing your own typos?

    The researcher therefore told United he'*s* go public on November 28th

    Then again; it's United, the world "least favourite airline"

    0 0 Reply
  12. ma1010
    FAIL

    There is another web site with interesting info on United.

    Visit UNTIED.COM. It's all about United. And click "Flight Dangers" to see what happened to another security guy who found problems with their wi-fi security that allowed him to hack into the flight's communications. (He was a bit less than bright to tweet about it at the time, though. Got a nice, warm reception from the FBI.)

    Once upon a time (25 years or so ago), United used to be a great airline, and I always asked for United when making travel plans. Nowadays I wouldn't travel on United if they let me do it free.

    1 0 Reply
    1. Tom -1
      Reply Icon

      Re: There is another web site with interesting info on United.

      I managed to miss the time when it was a great airline, if it ever was. I've used United exactly once - 17 or 18 years ago - and never again. It was my worst flying expeience ever. When I commented to an American colleague about how awful it was he told me that the degree of awfulness was par for the course for flying United.

      0 0 Reply

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