United World - Feb 2012

Worth the wait: Our first 787s arrive later this year

Inside

BZE, PHL, RIC, CUN

Meet Bob Edwards

and Leon Kinloch » p2

featured in Around the Globe » 4

Three of our Boeing 787s in final assembly in Everett, Wash.

A MONTHLY PUBLICATION FOR THE PEOPLE OF UNITED

M O R E O N L I N E O N F LY I N G T O G E T H E R

FEBRUARY 2012

See how we’re investing in our product » p3

It has been a long wait, but we’ll be

bringing home our first Boeing 787

Dreamliner later this year. Boeing has

completed assembly on the first two of

50 Dreamliners we have on order and

is finishing another three in Everett,

Wash., right now.

The 787 aircraft enhances our customers’

experience with bigger windows, improved

lighting, larger overhead bins, improved

cabin pressure and humidity and many

other passenger-friendly features.

We’re currently on pace to get five 787s

from Boeing in 2012, and, while we

have not yet finalized the first routes

for the new airplanes, we’re gearing

up to be the North American launch

customer for Boeing’s first all-new

airplane since the 777. For example,

pilots are flying 787 simulators in

Houston, and flight attendants train on

a 787 mock-up at the flight attendant

training facility near IAH.

Next steps on the assembled 787s that

Boeing is about to complete include

configuring the cabins, installing the

engines and painting the exteriors

before they’re ready for us.

IF T H E Y ’ R E N E A R LY D O N E , W H Y D O N ’ T W E H AV E T H EM S O O N ER?

Our aircraft are receiving changes as a

result of minor improvements identi-

fied during flight test that are typical of

new airplane programs. When done, our

aircraft will benefit from all the knowl-

edge and improvements Boeing has

gained. Over the next several months,

Boeing will complete the work on these

initial production aircraft through a

process called change incorporation.

Some of this work includes installing

electronic and mechanical equipment,

completing software upgrades, testing

functional systems and flight control

surfaces, and removing and reworking

wiring or equipment that needs to

be updated to current configuration

requirements.

“It has been a long journey since we

first ordered the 787 in 2004, but the

787 is a game-changing aircraft and

worth the wait,” said Fleet VP Ron Baur.

“The 787 will give us a competitive

advantage since we will be the first U.S.

airline to operate it.”

We are approaching our March 3 con-

version to SHARES, which will be our

combined passenger service system

(PSS) at the new United. I want to take

a moment to thank the thousands of

you who are making this important

conversion possible. Not only is this

a significant system change at United,

it’s one of the biggest technology and

operations projects our company has

ever undertaken.

Many of you throughout the company

are working tirelessly to ensure the

conversion goes smoothly next month.

This work is in addition to your regular

jobs, and I appreciate your efforts.

Our technology and business folks have

already gone through their final dress

rehearsal for the cutover, and we have

the full resources of HP and Travelport

assisting us as well. We have an army of

instructors and mentors who are deliv-

ering training and classroom support.

We have also assembled “Success

Teams,” comprised of co-workers and

retirees with significant SHARES expe-

rience, to serve in the field across the

globe as we convert to a single PSS.

Moving to a single PSS enables us to

service our customers as one airline,

to more rapidly bring to market new

products and features that our cus-

tomers want and are willing to pay for,

and to launch a single website (united.

com) and a single loyalty program

(MileagePlus). It will also provide us

with operational flexibility, as the

technology at every gate will be able

to service customers whether or not

they are flying on Continental metal

or United metal. The new system will

permit us to earn more revenue than

we could have with Apollo. We expect

to roll out a user-friendly, point-and-

click interface for SHARES by the end of

2012; however, we didn’t want to wait

for a new interface to begin capturing

the customer benefits and revenue syn-

ergies that a single PSS will bring.

This project involves an incredible

amount of work from thousands of

people, including our many co-workers

who have been training on a new

system, and I want to thank all of you.

Achieving a single passenger service

system will be a major milestone for

the new United.

A word from

PSS:

We’re ready

DID YOU KNOW? � 59 companies worldwide have ordered 860 787s

� The 787 is 20 percent more fuel efficient than similarly sized airplanes

� The cruise speed for the 787 is Mach .85, about the same as that of the 747 and 777

� Half of the 787 is made from composite materials; only 12 percent of a 777 is made from composites

� Fewer than 10,000 drilled holes are needed to complete assembly on a 787; a 747 needs about a million

I am a team player.

Everybody is here for one goal:

to make it all work for employees

and customers and to make United

a great company.

Retirees, managers and training instructors will join airport service agents in

participating on the SHARES Success Teams that will support our cutover to

a single PSS. In January, more than 400 co-workers per day attended SHARES

training. Read more on page 3.

Mario Calvo

ORD Customer Service Representative

Working Together:You can bank on it.Profit Sharing Day is Feb. 14, 2012

» p3

2 F E B R UA RY 2 012 | UNITED WORLD

Leon was born in Harlem in New York.

His first job in the industry was a

part-time position in reservations.

Today he is responsible for pricing,

revenue forecasting and analysis,

revenue systems development and

revenue management.

What attracted you to Continental

and the airline industry?

I had never been on a plane until I was

17 years old. I was scared to death, but

I started talking to people and found out

that each one of them sitting around me

had paid a different price for the same

seat. I said to myself, “I want to

do that.”

What’s your favorite part of the job?

I love interacting with people and

getting to know them. Each morning

when I get to work, I walk the floor and

greet people by name. I get to know

them as individuals versus knowing

them by the jobs they do. When people

sense that you’re genuinely concerned

about them, they give you their best

work, because you matter to them.

Bob has spent more than 30 years

in the airline industry and held man-

agement positions in Cargo, Airport

Services, Flight Operations and Tech-

nology. He likes to play the guitar.

What’s the biggest challenge

you’ve faced with the integration

of UA and CO?

The biggest challenge is managing the

entire scope and breadth of the integra-

tion. There is hardly an aspect of the

technology or business system used at

the airline that we aren’t touching. At

the same time, we’re also developing

and managing our relationships with our

business partners.

How did we choose the systems to

support the new airline?

While it’s amazing that some of these

systems built in the 1960s are still

running the airline’s operations, that is

a testament to the Information Tech-

nology team. We’re upgrading to the

very latest Unisys platform in Flight

Operations. The development language

it’s written in may be mature, but

we can modify and expand it. United

recently upgraded the solution with

some of the most advanced messaging

capabilities available. In addition, the

SHARES platform is currently running

MEET THE LE ADERSHIP

Bob Edwards Leon Kinloch

on the latest operating system from IBM

and applications are built in a way that

facilitates the rapid development of our

ecommerce vision. Our strategy is to

innovate around these core systems and

minimize system replacements.

What’s your favorite part of the job?

I love the size and complexity of this

system integration puzzle and being

directly engaged with the technical

team working through the solution. I

get the most satisfaction from seeing

the talent and capabilities of this team.

It’s humbling how dedicated they are to

addressing every detail of our work.

What’s something that almost no one

else at the airline knows about you?

I’m an ordained minister. The worst-kept

secret about me is that I’m a Star Wars

fan [life-sized cardboard cutouts of Star

Wars characters decorate Leon’s office].

Where do you like to travel?

I speak French, so I enjoy traveling

to Europe. As part of my work in the

ministry, I reach out to people living in

West Africa, where people commonly

speak French as a second language.

Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer Senior Vice President, Pricing and Revenue Management

“It’s humbling how dedicated the team is to ensuring we address every detail of our work.”

“When people sense that you’re genuinely concerned about them, they give you their best work, because you matter to them.”

2012 Go Forward Plan

Last month Connections detailed our 2012 Go Forward Plan. This year, we will continue to focus on our four pillars: Fly to Win, Fund the Future, Make Reliabil-ity a Reality and Working Together. Key goals include delivering on more of our merger synergies, reaching responsible joint collective bargaining agreements with as many work groups as pos-sible and successfully migrating to the SHARES passenger service system. Read more in Connections or under the Corpo-rate tab on Flying Together.

In case you missed it!With so much happening all at once at the new United, it’s easy to miss

some big news, especially if you’re traveling for a few days. Here’s a

recap of some big news from the end of 2011 and beginning of 2012.

Great enhancements to pass travel benefits

Visit the Travel tab on Flying Together for updates on topics like availability of vacation passes, how to manage enrolled friends and travel companions, and how and when board-ing priorities will change. If you have ques-tions about pass travel, send them to [email protected].

Star Alliance expands in Africa

On Dec. 13, Star Alliance welcomed Ethiopian Airlines (ET) as the alliance’s third carrier based in Africa. EGYPTAIR (MS) and South African Airways (SA) are the other two.

Globally, Star Alliance now has 28 airlines that offer more than 21,000 daily flights to 1,290 destinations in 189 countries.

Never stop learning

Last month we launched the new United Learning Network (ULN). The ULN is an easy-to-use system that will be the primary training platform for most do-mestic and international co-workers. It offers easy access to training activities, course catalogs and learning transcripts. Find it on the Employee Services tab of Flying Together.

Certified Public Accountants

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Per Diem Calculations

Foreign Based and Contract Pilot Issues

Corporate, Partnership and Estate Returns

Year Round Service

317-984-7666www.pilot-tax.com

Charting a new course…Pilot-Tax is your partner in achieving your financial goals!

UNITED WORLD | F E B R UA RY 2 012 3

Last September, we announced a $550 million

investment in our onboard product. Since then, our

focus has been on achieving our single operating

certificate (granted November 30) and adopting a

single passenger service system (planned for March

3). But also over the last few months, we have made

great strides in improving the customer experience

onboard our aircraft and establishing timelines for

even more enhancements.

Here’s an update on our progress:

NEW AIRPL ANES As we become the North American

launch customer for the Boeing 787, the plane’s

improved efficiencies will open exciting new long-haul

markets to our customers while burning less fuel. We

will also receive 19 new Boeing 737-900ERs with the

new Boeing Sky Interior, including January’s delivery

and at least one later this month.

FL AT-BED SE ATS ON INTERNATIONAL AIRCR AF T On

long-haul international flights, comfort is key, and

when we complete the installation, United will offer

the most flat-bed seats of any U.S. carrier.

We’ve completed installation of flat-bed seats on all of

the three-cabin Boeing 767-300s and all CO 757-200s

as well as two-thirds of the 777 fleet. By the end of

the year, we plan to install flat-bed seats in 767-400s

and reconfigure the two-cabin 767-300s.

P.S . We will also begin a nose-to-tail renovation of the

p.s. 757 fleet in November, which serves the JFK-LAX

and JFK-SFO markets.

E XPANDED ECONOMY PLUS SE ATING By the end of

February, we plan to complete installation of Economy

Plus on 131 of 314 aircraft, aiming to substantially

complete installation on the fleet by year-end.

MORE OVERHE AD BIN SPACE Beginning in April,

we will install overhead bins with approximately

two-thirds more space on all 152 of our Airbus

aircraft. We’ll also start to refresh the interiors of

our Airbus fleet.

WI-FI This June, we plan to install Wi-Fi on our first

Airbus A319, launching inflight Wi-Fi connectivity and

a customer portal.

IN-FLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT We’ll be bringing more

content and variety to our customers, with more new

releases each month and more frequent updates. Cus-

tomers in economy class on board our 767-400s will

enjoy new 9-inch touchscreen seat-back monitors,

with audio and video on demand and power ports

throughout the cabin.

IN-FLIGHT FOOD Beginning in the first quarter of

2012, we will align our premium cabin North American

menus for flights on both carriers. We have standard-

ized premium cabin pre-departure services by offering

customers more beverage options during boarding.

Throughout the year, we will align international

meal offerings.

LIVERY In addition to our interior investment, we

continue to transition to our new brand on the outside.

As of mid-January, we had painted 299 CO and 193

UA aircraft, plus 291 express aircraft. We expect to

complete the CO fleet at the end of the first quarter of

2012 and the UA fleet in 2013.

Investing in our product

PSS: We’re readyI am collaborative.

I am excited.

I am connected.

The real thrill is

to see everyone

sticking together.June Alexander Harris

SHARES instructor and SNA

Customer Service Agent

Our preparations for

SHARES cutover have

finally made us feel

“United” for the

first time. Larry Bretz

ORD Airport Sales Agent

I feel really confident,

and that’s a great

credit to my trainer

and to the United

culture.Luke Anderson

BOI Customer Service

Representative

Teams of airport co-workers, training

instructors, managers and even retirees

are working together to ensure that we

are ready for our cutover to a single

passenger service system (PSS) on

March 3. As of the beginning of this

month, more than half of all co-workers

who are new to SHARES had received

training, and refresher courses are

well under way. From early December

through January, hubs and line stations

conducted at least eight operational

dress rehearsals to identify additional

issues we needed to solve prior to PSS.

We’re ready!

4 F E B R UA RY 2 012 | UNITED WORLD

AROUND THE GLOBE

FEEDBACK ? S TORY IDE A S?

CONTACT [email protected]

A DVER TISING OR DIS TRIBU TION QUE S TIONS?

CONTACT [email protected]

LOVE TO TR AVEL?

Tell us about one of your favorite places in fewer than 300 words and be sure to send plenty of photos of you enjoying your trip to [email protected]

Accessible travel program kicks offA system-wide program aimed at making travel

accessible for people with disabilities and their

families kicked off with a pilot session at PHL (Phila-

delphia) airport last month when five families partici-

pated in an airport practice experience for families

traveling with children with autism. The families first

received storybooks outlining the airport experience

to help the children get familiar with the processes.

United then created a flight that would allow the

families to check in, check baggage, search for the

flight on airport display boards, proceed through

security, and go through the boarding and flight

experience and retrieve baggage at the end. The

Transportation Security Administration guided the

families through the security checkpoint. In addition

to helping ease the travel experience for the families

and children, the program also gave crew members

an opportunity to learn about the challenges these

families face in order to better serve the families

in the future. United hopes to expand the travel

experience programs to all the hubs.

BZE team shows off UnitedCo-workers from Philip S.W. Goldson International

Airport in BZE (Belize) joined with employees from

four other airlines to tell more than 400 airport

visitors the inside story about United and the airport

for Belize International Civil Aviation Day last month.

Local dignitaries, airport officials, students from

around the country and other citizens turned out

for the one-day event in which co-workers dem-

onstrated ramp procedures, technology such as

wireless headsets and aircraft safety. The team also

showed a video of the combined fleets and products,

including MileagePlus and United Clubs.

RIC and CUN achieve Silver Safety statusCo-workers in RIC (Richmond, Va.) and CUN (Cancun,

Mexico), recently celebrated receiving Silver Safety

status. The award recognizes stations that implement

plans to support the Safety Management System. In

order to receive the recognition, stations undergo

safety reviews of overall operational performance

and Occupational Safety and Health Administration

safety compliance. More than 50 CUN co-workers

worked together to gain the recognition for the

airport, Cargo Operations and Maintenance. RIC co-

workers began working toward the goal in summer

of 2009, reached it in early 2010 and, after the

merger delayed

final inspections,

received the award

in September 2011.

RIC Airport Sales Agents congratulate co-workers on achieving Silver Safety status.

BZE International Airport Sales Agent Janelle Vellos and Inter-national CTO Sales Rep Sirane Blanco share the best of the new United with airport visitors.

International Airport Services Supervisor Rosy Valderrama and International Airport Sales Agents Alma Garcia and Jose Cardona celebrate CUN’s Silver Safety award.

Even more photos and stories from

around the globe are available online!

Read about what’s happening at DCA,

FRA, OGG and TPA.

Wherever you go Alliant goes with you.

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SEG444r0112-United-AccessAd.indd 1 12/28/11 12:18 PM

The crew of UA Flight 119 celebrates the second daily EWR-FRA service. // Customers see the other side of TPA.

(Clockwise from center) Airport Ops Accessible Programs and Industry Affairs Manager Rosalie Crabbe, EWR Base Supervi-sors Natalie Cox and Cory Brenson, Captain Rich Parella, Inflight Policies & Procedures Supervisor Niko Puerta, and EWR Base Supervisor Dana McCuen make flying more accessible for children with autism.

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United World - Feb 2012