Hi, this is Patti Carson and welcome to FLT-LINE. Today is Friday, January 10th.

I’ll start this week’s message by thanking you for showing your commitment to United’s future.  As you may know, members of the Association of Flight Attendants, ALPA, TWU and PAFCA voted to ratify their agreements on interim wage reductions. More than 93 percent of the eligible AFA voters cast their ballot in favor of the agreement. We will continue to work with our unions to reach consensual agreements that will enable us to meet our financial targets. On to this week’s news…

On Monday night, Flight 16, which was headed from LAX to JFK, made an emergency landing after the flight crew reported a problem with tires on the right side landing gear. While the pilots were flying to burn off fuel, the crew expertly prepped the cabin and spent two and one-half hours reassuring anxious customers. Thankfully, the plane landed safely and no one was injured.

I learned from the crew’s debriefing that Purser Cary Ray and his crew Toyo, Carlos, Diedre, Cristina, Martin, Kristina and James demonstrated unparalleled professionalism. According to our customers, they were organized and provided clear direction. There was no panic. Instead,
they calmly prepared our customers for the emergency while attending to several unaccompanied children, a medical problem and a family that only spoke Italian. Coincidentally, one of the flight attendants speaks fluent Italian. After they were safely on the ground, the customers invited our
flight attendants and pilots to the first class lounge, where they were greeted with a standing ovation, hugs and applause.

Each time I hear a story about the heroics of our flight attendants, I am uplifted. This crew did an outstanding job in soothing the fears of our customers. They worked as a team and demonstrated confidence and capability. They treated our customers with respect and made them feel
important. I know these customers will look back on this event and remember how well United’s flight attendants took care of them. I’d like to thank each of these flight attendants for doing such a wonderful job!

In December, United’s total scheduled revenue passenger miles (RPMs) rose 15 percent over the same period in 2001. Our load factor also increased to 75.9 percent. Thanks to the hard work of our employees, we carried nearly 6 million loyal customers on board United Airlines last month.

As part of United’s need to meet the covenants of its debtor-in-possession financing, we reduced meal service in a number of North America markets. These reductions, which are reflected in IBS, will allow us to continue a competitive offering, while helping us to further reduce our costs.

In addition to our leisure fare sale, we are offering discounts up to 40 percent on one-way business fares for travel in markets to and from Chicago and Denver including thousands of connecting markets. When customers ask about these fares, let them know that we’re responding to their need for affordability and flexibility. And, when the opportunity presents itself, be sure to tell them about these terrific values.

This week, we started operating the US Airways code-share flights that opened for sale in mid-December. United and US Airways customers now earn miles in each other’s frequent flier programs. This will also bring United significant revenue benefits.

I’ll close by quoting Glenn Tilton… “By keeping our heads up, we project the confidence that we’re here to play and we’re here to win, no matter how tough the circumstances are.” You are all doing a great job and should be proud of everything you’re doing for each other and for our customers.

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