From: www.unitedafa.org

United announced today that all employees, retirees and their eligible dependents, including parents who have unlimited space available travel benefits will be rid of paper tickets and migrate to employee E-Travel on May 5, 2004. This will not affect positive space, CJA, or companion travel, but the company will continue to enhance electronic travel in the fall of 2004 and make a complete move to electronic ticketing for employees in early 2005. At the end of the week, United will send a letter to Flight Attendants’ home address or by co-mail to active international based Flight Attendants. The letter will fully explain the parameters of electronic travel and what you need to do to prepare for it. Rest assured, this will not require that you use the easy check-in stands. You will still have the ability to check-in with an agent either outside security or at the gate; only you will no longer need a paper ticket in order to travel. Listing, check-in and security procedures remain unchanged.

With the absence of the paper ticket, many state laws, such as Illinois, California and Washington, require that each employee complete one very important step in order to be qualified for E-Travel. When you sign your paper ticket, you are providing your authorization for the company to payroll deduct travel charges – which is required for travel as an active US payroll employee. Since E-Travel will eliminate the ability for the company to get this authorization on a flight-by-flight basis, by May 5th you must provide a one-time authorization of travel-charge payroll deductions in order to continue travel benefits. You will be able to complete this step by visiting the “E-Travel Authorization” pages linked from “Quick Hits” on SkyNet’s home page. These pages will be available both on computers at the domicile and connections to SkyNet from outside United’s property. Beginning April 17th, this process may also be completed by dialing United’s PAL-LINE at 1-888-725-5463.

Internationally, the PAL-LINE may also be reached through FLT-LINE. You will notice that the system will offer you the option of declining this authorization, but declining or failing to complete this step will result in suspension of travel benefits. The option to decline is simply offered due to parameters of the state laws.

Flight Attendants on Voluntary Furlough are not required to complete this process since there is already a system in place to invoice for these charges. Still, we encourage Flight Attendants on Voluntary Furlough to complete this simple process and eliminate one extra procedure that would be needed before their return to active status.
All other groups eligible for unlimited travel benefits, such as retirees, will receive a letter reviewing the new E-Travel procedures, but since travel charges are invoiced the E-Travel authorization process is not required to continue these benefits. We’ll keep you updated on this new process as we move closer to the May 5th change-over date, but in the mean time, help us spread the word to all active Flight Attendants about E-Travel and the need to authorize payroll deduction to ensure that no one will experience a disruption in space available travel.