I’m recording this week’s message early due to the upcoming Thanksgiving Holiday in the United States. So, let’s get started…

Over the past week, United again reported exceptional operating performance. For the entire week of November 14th, we completed 99.8 percent of our scheduled departures. We were also ahead of goal in departure, baggage handling and cargo performance.

As a matter of fact… this year alone, we’ve broken 29 operational records. All I can say is WOW! Our employees are focused on running a great airline and nothing is getting in your way of providing customers with the reliable flight service they depend on, expect and deserve. I am incredibly proud of your efforts and thank each and every one of you for your contributions.

On a recent trip to Denver, I had an opportunity to meet with the domicile staff and flight attendants. On my return trip, I was especially impressed with thoughts shared by San Francisco-based flight attendants Fernando Rodriguez, John Johnston, Teddy Zeleznik and Chicago-based flight attendant Melissa Gauer. Many other flight attendants have personally shared their ideas for saving money and generating revenue. You are truly
concerned about the future of our company and recognize that the problems we face are real.

We have reached a critical hour with our ATSB loan filing. Regardless of the decision ATSB makes, our employees must keep United going. Whether we restructure the company in court or out of court, we have a responsibility to run a great airline, provide great service and keep our customers on United.

Together, we need to exude confidence and show our customers that we will emerge from our financial troubles. We need to take away their anxiety and demonstrate that we plan to be around for a long time. We must come to work and support the communities we serve. We must effectively compete with those who would prefer to see us fail. We cannot afford to show defeat, as one way or another… we will restructure our debt and keep the airline running.

As we enter this holiday weekend, which you may or may not celebrate… I ask that we all give thanks for the good things in our lives. We work for a good company, we serve supportive customers from around the world and most importantly… we have each other.  By taking care of our customers and ourselves, we will endure these difficult times.

Thanks for dialing in and I’ll talk to you next week.