According to NewsReal, a number of the high ranking UAL Officers are taking to the roads and conducting meetings/visits with employees.  Why?  To "answer employees' questions and share information on a number of subjects, including operations, US Airways and labor negotiations."

I haven't been able to attend any of these meetings, but I'd love to hear comments from UAL's 'hip' person of the moment, Rono Dutta, about how this merge will help make UAL Corporation one of "the top 100 U.S. Companies to Work For" if you are an IAD-based flight attendant.  His quote of the hour last year (at the annual Purser meeting in LAX) was that we have to "change the deodorant".  He was talking then about changing the internal problems at UAL.  His comment got a loud belly laugh from a majority of the pursers and his speech received a standing ovation.

He's got good stage presence and people seem to love him.  But some things are no laughing matter.

Oh well, you got to give these guys credit: it takes a lot of courage to get out in the trenches and face the music.

In a related story----it appears that United Airlines has started to advertise its proposed acquisition of US Airways to the public.  Starting this week and running throughout the end of this year, United will be running various newspaper advertisements promoting the deal.  According to a recent NewsReal report, the ads will say, ""We want our digital networks to be simple and seamless, why not our travel networks?"  They will also mention: "Does it seem strange to you that our country can move information today more seamlessly than we can move people?" 

Where will the ads be seen?  In newspapers in New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Florida, Maryland, Virginia, Illinois and Washington DC.  Why those places?  Because they are considered by UAL to be "geographically important for approval of the deal".