Hello, this Sean Donohue with a special message for both pilots and flight attendants for Tuesday, January 9.

Earlier today, we received word from the Department of Transportation that our proposal for a new route that will connect the capital cities of Beijing and Washington , D.C. was approved. The addition of this route that strengthens our competitive position in a growing market is a tremendous win for our customers, our employees, and our investors: our customers get non-stop access between two cities that have diplomatic, cultural and commercial ties; pilots and flight attendants have access to another long-haul route; and, investors have further reason to be optimistic about the potential we have for improved performance.

We earned this victory. Our “capital-to-capital” non-stop service proposal was selected over other proposals from Northwest, American and Continental.

One of the important factors in our successful bid was the show of support from our employees and our unions, in addition to our customers and government and business leaders. By demonstrating that we were ready to work together in support of this new route – in contrast to our major competitor – we showed the strength working as one company.

Both ALPA and the AFA supported United's bid and participated in our grass root efforts to persuade the DOT. My thanks to the leadership of both unions for their contributions to the success of our China route bid.

Overall, our grass roots effort was extraordinary. Close to 10,000 employees, retirees and UAX-partner employees sent letters and emails to the DOT and members of Congress. More than 30,000 letters in total were sent to either U.S. Senators, U.S. Representatives or the DOT.

Standing together as we did was undoubtedly a factor in the DOT's decision. I want to thank each and every pilot and flight attendant that supported our bid.

We will fly this route in a B747-400. There is the potential of 20-day period before the DOT issues a final order on their decision. We expect to begin this service on March 25.

That's all for today. Again, thanks to everyone for their support. Fly safely, take good care of our customers and each other. I'll talk with you soon.