Hello, this is Charlie Ahmes with a message for Friday, May 4th.

Last week, I had the privilege of participating in a recognition dinner for flight attendant Iris Peterson to mark her upcoming retirement after 60 years of service with United. Those of you who know Iris, or have flown with her, know the many contributions she has made to our industry and the flight attendant profession.

It was my distinct pleasure to present Iris with her 60-year pin during the dinner we held in her honor. It was a small gathering, in line with Iris’ wishes, but the following day, the SFO domicile hosted a larger reception for Iris, and her husband, Ray. It was a wonderful occasion to spend time and catch up with the SFO-based team.

As many of you know, I have spent more than a few years at United, yet when I first met Iris in 1975, she had just reached the midpoint in her career. How time flies.

Whether you have many years of service or just a few, you know the importance of improving the experience for our customers, particularly our premium customers. To that point, there is work going on in many corners of the company, and several of your colleagues are intimately involved.

Last week, we held the third meeting of our Customer Experience Committee. The group is comprised of 13 pursers representing each domicile, along with two AFA representatives. During the day-and-a-half they spent together, the Committee worked through suggestions from each of the first two meetings to identify a few that could be tested as early as June.

One of the suggestions is a variation on *Fix, but with reservations. *Res would provide pursers with a special inflight line to the Detroit Reservations office, enabling them to verify connection information for Global Services and First and Business Class customers. This tool could also be used during irregular operations to provide these premium customers with advanced notice of any EasyRebook action that has been taken on their behalf. More information will be provided in the coming weeks on this test and other evaluations, including how some of you may be able to participate.

This week, we have flight attendants participating in the ongoing work around our new International Premium Product. They are reviewing results of the first phase of the Dining Ala Carte test that we have been conducting between ORD and NRT. Involvement by our flight attendants, particularly those who frequently work in the galley, in these and other activities that I’ll share with you in future messages ensure that you have colleagues who are part of the teams developing new products and services.

Finally, we announced to the outside world this week that we signed a five-year contract with the Coca Cola Company to become our primary beverage supplier, effective May 1. Together with juices and other beverage choices, we expect the Coke “family” of products -- Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, Sprite Zero, Seagrams Ginger Ale, Tonic, Seltzer Water, and Spring! Water -- to accommodate the wide range of our customers’ tastes and preferences.

The contract with Coke was ultimately a business decision. Our agreement encompasses promotional activities and corporate travel as well as the cost of product.

We are working closely with our caterers to facilitate a smooth transition to Coke. Until the inventory is depleted in the kitchens, there will be a period of time where Pepsi and Coke will be boarded together.

That’s all for now. Thanks for taking good care of our customers, and fly safely.

Charlie Ahmes,

Vice President, Onboard Service