Apple Mac Support

Much of the information below was compiled by UAL pilot and Mac expert Paul Maus and is duplicated with his permission.
Please note: Our staff is not capable of troubleshooting Mac OS issues since Crew Companion is still a Windows-based product. We encourage you to use the resources available to you on the UAL MEC forum and your regular Apple support avenues.
  1. Crew Companion currently only works through Windows emmulation or Windows dual boot. We are still considering adding true Mac compatibility but there is a serious problem.  Core Technology, the company who owns the component that authenticates and loads the Unimatic terminal said they are 100% certain they will NOT produce a MAC version of that component.  So, native Mac capability is still on our To Do List but won’t be possible until we figure a way around Core Technology. We intend to transition to a web-based platform for Crew Companion by the end of 2009 and since the web client from Core does work on a Mac, this should eventually allow for true Mac compatibility. In the meantime, you will need to follow the steps below to get Windows set up on your Mac to realize the tremendous quality of life-enhancing benefits of the Crew Companion.
  2. Skynet/Unimatic/Apollo Access. Yes, you can get on Unimatic and Skynet with your Mac using Safari (Mac's built-in web browser.)
  3. Running Windows XP or Vista. Due to Microsoft's monopoly, it is fairly common to require the use of certain windows software from time to time and there are three very good options with the new Intel powered Macs. (If you own a previous generation PowerPC powered Mac you are SOL.) In all cases you will need to supply your own version of Windows. Discounted copies of Windows are available via the employee discounts on Skynet or even potentially cheaper OEM versions may be obtained from online retailers.
    • Boot Camp from Apple allows you to select Windows or OSX at startup.
      • PROS: FREE and games 3D graphics play at full speed.
      • CONS: requires reboot to switch between operating systems.
      • Requirements: Boot Camp requires XP Home (or Pro) Service Pack 2 (or greater) or any 32-bit version of Vista

    • Parallels Desktop for Mac allows one to run Windows within an window on the Mac desktop.
      • PROS: works great and must be seen to be believed, no re-boot required.
      • CONS: $$$.
      • Requirements: Parallels requires XP Home (or Pro) Service Pack 2 (or greater) or 32-bit versions of Vista Business or Vista Ultimate for full networking capabilities

    • VMWare Fusion allows one to run Windows within an window on the Mac desktop.
      • PROS: works great and must be seen to be believed, no re-boot required.
      • CONS: $$$.
    • Both Parallels and Fusion take advantage of the virtualization technology included in Intel's latest CPU's and chipsets that allow more than one operating system to run on the same computer at the same time. Very Cool.
    • NOTE: Regardless of whatever method you use to run Windows, you are still running Windows and will require Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware software. You can download and install both AVG Anti-Virus (Free Edition) and Microsoft Windows Defender (free) on your version of Windows.
  4. Office Software. Sure, you can buy Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac, but there are several choices:
    • The free open-source office suite, NeoOffice, that is the Mac port of OpenOffice works fine. (OpenOffice is also working on a Mac version themselves and has an 'alpha' software version can be downloaded for the adventuresome.)
    • Apple's excellent iWork ($$$) suite replicates and is file compatible with the PC versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Apple also offers a free trial of iWork.
    • Microsoft Office 2008 For Mac (Student and Teacher Edition) is $130 from Amazon.com and includes Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint.
  5. Media Plug-Ins. OSX comes loaded and ready to use for most media uses on the web.
    • One glaring omission: Microsoft Media Player plug-in for Quicktime. Luckily it is a free download from Microsoft.
    • DivX is also available as a free download.
  6. Moving Bookmarks. If you want to take all of your internet bookmarks from your PC to your Mac, simply install Firefox on your PC then EXPORT bookmarks. Save this file to disk or email it to yourself. On the Mac, open Safari and IMPORT the same file. Presto!
  7. Moving your Outlook or Outlook Express contacts and emails from the PC to the Mac's Mail application and Address Book. This document outlines a pretty straightforward method to export Outook or Outlook Express files from your PC to the Mac for the pilot friendly amount of $0.00.

    On the PC, you will need to download the (free) Eudora Mail for Windows; and on the Mac, the (free) Eudora Mailbox Cleaner. Once the software is properly downloaded to the respective machines, follow the instructions in the document.