Each customer site links its own internal network to the Telseon system through a single dedicated switch, a far simpler route than the clumsy path of the old telephone system.

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But the carrier, which has a much smaller European route map than United, has some flexibility to switch to Boeing 767 jets, and a spokesman said it tries to do so in the winter.

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All power wasn't lost, because a second switch remained active, allowing some electricity to flow over an alternate route.

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