Hi, this is Patti Carson and welcome to FLT-LINE on Friday, February 7th.

We continue to work with our unions and creditors on our plan for transformation of United. A key element of the plan is to ensure that we have a range of pricing and travel options to meet the changing needs of today’s customers. This is especially true for our business travelers who now
consider cost when booking travel.

In our hubs, United has the highest exposure to low cost carriers, as compared to other major carriers. Currently, our exposure is 24 percent of available seat miles versus American at 18 percent and Delta at 9 percent in their hubs. Individually, there’s not much we can do about airline pricing, but we can, on board the airplane, absolutely “WOW” our customers with great service. Our flight attendants spend the most time with our customers and you have the ability to influence their purchasing habits or their intent to repurchase.

On a recent flight, our flight attendants truly did “WOW” one special customer, as he crossed into million-mile status during the flight. Through simple conversation and inflight announcements, they celebrated his new status and engaged other customers in the recognition. Both the cabin and cockpit crews joined in and made the experience both fun and memorable. It’s actions like this that sets us apart from the competition and will help us succeed in the long run.

Last year, we captured the title of most reliable airline in the United States. And again, I congratulate you for achieving this remarkable status. This year, we will still need to focus on reliability, but we also have an opportunity to improve our customers’ perceptions of United and of our service.

In last week’s message, I talked about Marketrak and last year’s overall flight attendant rating, which was excellent. One of the areas I’d like us all to be aware of is flight attendant availability throughout the flight. Our customers are telling us they want to see more of you.

This is a great compliment and a tribute to your professionalism and skill. As time permits, take a moment to talk with our customers especially during quiet times. I know that you’re being attentive to our customers’ needs throughout a flight, but particularly during those times between services… be sure to spend time in the aisles.

Bidding for the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF) list is now open. The bid period closes on March 7th. As clarification, we are currently flying Military Airlift Command (MAC) charters not CRAF missions, but need to be prepared in the event CRAF is activated. Your participation as a
volunteer is appreciated. If you have any questions, be sure to read the CRAF information that was placed in your company mailbox last week.

So far, United has scheduled 34 MAC charters. These trips generate additional revenue for our company. We receive approximately $500,000 dollars for each trip. In addition, we’re able to carry more freight on the return ferry flights, which brings in even more revenue. At this point and when we need it the most, the charters and freight revenues will generate approximately
$17,500,000 million dollars to our bottom line.

That’s it for today’s message. Thanks for dialing in I’ll talk to you again on Tuesday. Until then, it’s the same story… take great care of each other and of our customers. Have a great weekend.