CHICAGO — UAL Corp.'s United Airlines is scrapping plans to use a new jetway for simultaneous boarding through the front and back doors after a plane was damaged during testing.

The world's second-largest carrier stopped trials of its five dual-end loading bridges in March when one collapsed onto a plane's wing in Denver. After an inquiry, Chicago-based United decided not to adopt the jetways, which cut boarding time in half, spokeswoman Megan McCarthy said today.

"The technology didn't meet our needs," McCarthy said in an interview.

United began trying out the bridges in Denver in September 2006 on Airbus SAS A320s from its low-fare Ted unit, paring boarding to 10 minutes. Discounters rely on quick turnaround times at gates to fly as many people each day as possible.

The dual-loading system was also tested on United's mainline fleet of Boeing Co. 757s, McCarthy said.

The Y-shaped bridges have an arm reaching over a plane's wing so travelers can enter and exit via the back door. United is removing the extensions to convert the jetways for front-door loading, McCarthy said.

She wouldn't give financial details or say whether United is working on other ways to speed boarding.

"We're always interested in new technology that can improve the experience for our customers," McCarthy said.

The bridges were made by Dewbridge Airport Systems, a unit of Ottawa-based DEW Engineering and Development Ltd.

United's decision was reported earlier by the Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News.