United moving flight crews out of city hotels ahead of election to ensure 'safety and suitable rest'

United is moving flight crews away from downtown hotels across the country this week in anticipation of potential election unrest. United sent an urgent message to flight attendants on Friday about the changes. "As we approach the 2020 presidential election, there is a possibility of renewed protest activity," the alert from inflight administration says. "We are taking precautionary measures to ensure your safety and suitable rest are met." The airline said it will move crews out of downtown hotels to airport hotels in "specific cities due to potential disruptions that could impact layovers at these locations." Affected cities include Seattle, Washington, Denver, Chicago, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Portland, Ore. The switch began Monday and is expected to last a week, the airline told employees. United said it also plans to move its flight network operations center to a backup facility outside downtown Chicago to ensure its operations stay on track in the wake of any protests. United's major competitors would not detail their plans, if any, to adjust crew hotels this week, but all said flight crew security is top of mind.<br/>