Hello everyone! This is Larry De Shon and welcome to FLT-LINE. Today is Friday, November 1st. I’ve got a lot of news to share with you this week, so let’s get started.

I’ll begin this week’s message by thanking everyone who sent letters to the ATSB board members and to President Bush. The Onboard Service division was responsible for submitting over 14,000 letters, which encourage the ATSB to approve our loan application. This was an incredible feat that was accomplished in a very short period of time. I am proud of all of you for taking the time to show your commitment to United’s recovery. Thank you for supporting our company, our employees and our customers.

Speaking of United’s recovery… The union coalition has completed its work and now the company and the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) are in bilateral discussions. We reached an unprecedented and far-reaching agreement with our unions to reduce operating expenses. Now, it’s time to talk individually and to negotiate specific initiatives with the unions. As details become available, I’ll share them with you.

Phase two of Cabin Defense Security training is well underway. During October, 340 flight attendants volunteered for and attended this exceptional training course. On the course survey, flight attendants responded that the training is exactly what they asked for after completing phase one. Phase two provides hands-on, interactive training scenarios. They also responded that they feel more confident in their security responsibilities. Flight attendants may now bid for training dates over the next two years. Bidding details will be available in the monthly domicile cover letters. I’d like to congratulate the training team at World Headquarters for making this training class a success.

Last week, the company made two officer announcements. The first announced the appointment of Pete McDonald as executive vice president of operations. Effective immediately, Pete will lead all divisions responsible for United’s operations. This includes Maintenance and Engineering, Flight Operations, Onboard Service, System Operations Control, Airport Operations, Information Services and Safety. Most recently, Pete served as the senior vice president of airport operations and has been leading our
airport operations through this great performance.

In addition to great operational performance, he’s been tasked with providing our customers with the industry’s best service and highest-quality travel experience. Pete has a reputation for demonstrating the kind of teamwork it takes to be a leader in the industry. He is well respected by his peers and the people who work for him. Our division now reports to Pete McDonald. I look forward to joining together to strengthen our division’s
reputation for having the best flight attendants in the industry.

We also announced the appointment of Rosemary Moore as senior vice president of Corporate Affairs. Rosemary will be responsible for all external and internal communications with employees, customers and the media. She is joining United from ChevronTexaco, where she served as vice president of Public and Government Affairs. Rosemary brings deep experience and expertise in global communications, which is critical for our future success. She will play a vital role in helping guide United to a more profitable future. Rosemary will join the United team on November 4th.

Okay, before I close with this week’s recognition, I have a couple of reminders for you…

Annual vacation bidding for flight attendants opened on October 29th. The bid packages and general information are available on SkyNet and in domiciles. The primary bid period closes on November 7th. As a reminder, the company extended the improved vacation accrual schedule to flight attendants. Based on years of service, you may need to bid an additional week of vacation in 2003. Be sure to check the VACBID screen for
updated vacation accrual amounts.

The annual Open Enrollment period for employees on the U.S. payroll began October 28th and continues through Tuesday, November 26. During this period, employees can make changes to their medical, dental, flexible spending and 24-hour personal accident insurance benefits for next year. Changes take effect January 1, 2003. Open Enrollment packets were sent to employees last month. The packet and other benefit information are
available on SkyNet. Be sure to carefully review the packet. Even if you don’t anticipate making any changes to your medical or dental selections, the current benefits plans may have changed for 2003.

You can reach the vacation team and Open Enrollment via FLT-LINE. The options are available on the main menu of FLT-LINE.

Now, I’ll close this week’s message by recognizing Los Angeles-based purser
Gwendolyn Johnson. On a recent flight between Los Angeles and Kennedy, Gwendolyn and her crew: Cassandra Morrow, Brad Zittel, Christine Noel, Jamie Baskent, Bonnie Bunting, Sean Blue and Tracy Burns, were able to positively change one of our customer’s opinion of United. He wrote that he had given up flying United a few years ago due to our poor operating performance and service. Recently, his company scheduled him on United and he was extremely impressed with this crew’s service. He stated that he
believes things are beginning to change at United and because of this crew, plans on flying United again! Getting customers to come back to United is essential to our company’s recovery. Thank you Gwen and your crew for a job well done.

That’s it for this week’s message. Thanks for dialing in and I’ll talk to you next week.