It used to be that airline passengers didn t learn about canceled connecting flights until after they d landed. Some- times a captain would announce cancellations just before touch- ing down at a major hub, but how were passengers to notify waiting relatives or business associates on the ground? As a customer service supervisor for United Airlines, you ve just received information that all United flights from Chicago s O Hare International Airport to Boston s Logan International have been canceled until further notice. A late-winter storm has already blanketed Boston with snow, and freezing rain is ex- pected overnight. The way the weather report looks, United will probably be lodging Boston-bound connecting passengers in Chicago-area hotels tonight. Meanwhile, you ll be using some of United s newest communication tools to notify travelers of the bad news. United Airlines now partners with Verizon Airfone to pro- vide JetConnect information services, giving travelers access to instant messaging and other resources while they re airborne. For a small fee, they can plug their laptop computers into the Airfone jack, activating their own instant messaging software to send and receive messages. If they ve signed up for United s EasyUpdate flight status notification service, they ll also receive instant message alerts for flight cancellations, delays, seating up- grades, and so on. Write the cancellation alert, staying within the 65-word limit of many instant messaging programs. You might want to mention the airline s policy of providing overnight lodging for passengers who planned to use the Boston route as a connecting flight to complete journeys in progress.