december-2009

16
DECEMBER 2009 | UNITED.COM
voices
$22 million in incentive
pay to eligible frontline
employees in recognition
of this accomplishment. In
addition, the carrier’s aircraft
condition, cleanliness and
employee courtesy ratings
are at all-time highs.
“Our team is doing great
work,” Tague says. “A
consistent focus on the basics
is creating an environment
that enables our employees
to be successful at what they
wake up every morning
wanting to do, which is to
provide great service for our
customers.”
The desire to improve
service for customers is
permeating the company.
One example is a training
program that customer
service representatives
at Washington Dulles
Airport, in conjunction
with management and local
unions, came up with to
fi lm their interactions with
customers and share them
on a peer-to-peer basis. (The
program will be rolled out
companywide in 2010.) The
goal: show how changing
one or two little things can
improve the interaction.
As Alexandria Marren,
senior vice president of
onboard service, noted in
a recent Hemispheres Voices
column, “The bottom line
is, we are in the service
business. We always want
our customers to feel cared
for and respected. Our
people love what they do, and
they are focused on being
attentive to our customers’
needs. With that attitude
—and all the necessary
tools—we are making the
customer’s experience that
much better.”
Just like other large
organizations navigating
the current economic
environment, United is
ensuring it’s making the right
investments that provide
value and return to customers.
For example, this year the
company completed the
rollout of new international
fi rst and business cabins on
its Boeing 767s and 747s,
incorporating new lie-fl at
“We’re putting a stake in
the ground that we will
not settle for anything other
than the best.”
UNITED AIRLINES PRESIDENT JOHN TAGUE,
on board one of the company’s B747 aircraft
confi gured with new United First suites
seats, improved on-demand
entertainment and other
amenities that have won
appreciative notices from
media outlets—including,
two years in a row, American
Express Publishing
Company’s Executive Travel
magazine—and customers
alike.
Customer satisfaction
ratings are up as a result.
Overall satisfaction ratings
from customers fl ying the
reconfi gured international
widebody aircraft are
nearly two times greater
than they were before the
improvements. Additionally,
an online survey found that
ratings for cleanliness and
cabin condition improved
three times over. The
company will begin the same
upgrades on all of its 777
aircraft early next year.
Work is well under way in
converting the Airbus 320s
previously used for United’s
former Ted product, installing
fi rst-class seats and leather
throughout. Red Carpet Clubs
are also being thoroughly
refurbished to provide a more
relaxing environment for
customers waiting pre-fl ight
or during layovers.
United recently began
the process of introducing
new uniforms by designer
Cynthia Rowley. The
company is involving all
employee groups in the
eff ort, gathering input
about what is important
to them. This is one of the
many investments United
is making and refl ects the
importance the company
places on creating the best
environment for customers
and employees.
At the same time that
the company is focused on
improving its performance,
it is also committed to
strengthening its alliance
and partner relationships. In
October, United welcomed
Continental to the Star
Alliance, providing access
to more than 60 new
destinations for United
customers. In December,
Brussels Airlines joins Star
Alliance as well. The addition
of Brussels Airlines is even
more valuable due to United’s
announcement that it will be
adding additional nonstop
service to Brussels from its
Chicago hub.
With the work under
way and the strong network
and unmatched alliances,
there’s every reason to believe
United will go from strength
to strength, Tague says. The
number of industry fi rsts
reads like a timeline of modern
air travel: United employed
the fi rst fl ight attendants
and opened the world’s fi rst
fl ight kitchen in the 1930s.
United was the fi rst airline to
introduce a credit card in the
1960s, and—in the 1990s—
was the fi rst to off er e-tickets.
More recently, United
cofounded Star Alliance, the
fi rst truly global alliance. In
the last few years, United
bucked the trend of adding
seats in coach cabins and
continues to off er Economy
Plus, the product it pioneered
that off ers more legroom
and has proven to be hugely
popular with customers.
And next year, United will
move its airline operations
from suburban Chicago to
the iconic Willis Tower in the
heart of the city’s downtown
Loop. The new location will act
as an engine of collaboration
among employees and a clear
representation of United’s
future.
“We’re passionate
about running a great
airline,” Tague says. “The
performance improvements
we’ve made in the past
year give us the confi dence
that we are on the right
path to continue and build
momentum in 2010.”
PHOTOGRAPH BY UNITED AIRLINES CREATIVE SERVICES