Chicago, U.S.A. – United Airlines will launch its 2012 Team USA television advertising this evening, highlighting the airline’s role as the official airline of Team USA and marking the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The commercials – under the direction of veteran commercial director Joe Pytka – are narrated by Academy Award-winning screenwriter and actor Matt Damon, and feature a stirring new arrangement of United’s signature theme, “Rhapsody in Blue,” by the London Symphony Orchestra:

• “Tunnel,” a 60-second commercial highlighting United’s role in flying Team USA to the London 2012 Olympic Games. The spot launches during NBC’s broadcast of the Opening Ceremony and will run, along with a 30-second version, throughout the network’s 17-day coverage of the Games.
• “Getting Ready,” a 30-second commercial highlighting United employees’ pride and coordination in flying Team USA. The spot will also run throughout NBC’s coverage of the Games.

The commercials are part of a larger United 2012 Team USA advertising campaign, “Before They Move Us, We Move Them,” which highlights the airline’s history in flying Team USA Olympic and Paralympic athletes to training events, competitions, Olympic Trials and Olympic Games for 32 years. The campaign includes print and outdoor advertising, a “17 Days/17 Flights to London” promotion that United conducted in the spring, social media and airport signage in United’s eight continental U.S. hubs.

“Our effort reflects the enormous pride United has in flying Team USA,” said Mark Bergsrud, United’s senior vice president of marketing. “We are thrilled to support the 2012 Team USA Olympic and Paralympic athletes as they ‘go for gold’ in London.”

United’s agency-of-record, McGarryBowen, developed the campaign with the airline.

About United

United Airlines and United Express operate an average of 5,605 flights a day to 375 airports on six continents from our hubs in Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Guam, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco, Tokyo and Washington, D.C. In 2011, United carried more traffic than any other airline in the world, and operated more than two million flights carrying 142 million passengers. United is upgrading its cabins with more flat-bed seats in first and business class and more extra-legroom economy-class seating than any other airline in North America.

United operates nearly 700 mainline aircraft and has orders for more than 270 new aircraft deliveries through 2022, including 50 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, 25 Airbus A350XWBs, and 100 Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft.

United was rated the world’s most admired airline on FORTUNE magazine’s 2012 airline-industry list of the World’s Most Admired Companies. Readers of Global Traveler magazine have voted United’s MileagePlus program the best frequent flyer program for eight consecutive years. United is a founding member of Star Alliance, which provides service to 193 countries via 27 member airlines. More than 85,000 United employees reside in every U.S. state and in countries around the world. For more information, visit united.com or follow United on Twitter and Facebook. The common stock of United’s parent, United Continental Holdings, Inc., is traded on the NYSE under the symbol UAL.

Image Courtesy of   Aspen Photo / Shutterstock.com

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Washington, U.S.A. — Pilots at legacy United Airlines and legacy Continental Airlines, speaking clearly, loudly and with a unified voice, have overwhelmingly authorized a legal withdrawal of service pursuant to the Railway Labor Act (RLA). Nearly 94% (93.9%) of the eligible pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA), took part in the ballot, with 99% voting in support of a withdrawal of services, if required.

This authorization comes after two years of negotiations for a new joint pilot contract following the merger of United and Continental, announced May 2010. If the National Mediation Board (NMB) concludes that further mediated negotiations will not produce an agreement, it could release both sides into economic self-help after the expiration of a 30-day cooling-off period, at which point a strike could ensue.

Said Captain Jay Pierce, chairman of the ALPA unit representing the Continental pilots, “The strength of this vote clearly indicates the level of frustration our pilots have with management’s disinterest in reaching a conclusion to negotiations. Our pilots are tired of management’s lack of progress with the merger and the damage to our airline that grows every day.

Management would be wise to note the resolve of their pilots and to reconsider the substantial benefits that can be obtained by working with us. The merger cannot be completed and the synergies will not be fully realized without completed labor contracts. A strike is never the preferred path to reaching agreement, but our pilots have demonstrated that they realize it may be necessary.”

Captain Jay Heppner, chairman of the United Master Executive Council, remarked, “Over the last decade, pilots made several major sacrifices to help the airline survive and management has done absolutely nothing to restore those sacrifices. In fact, they have done the opposite by offshoring and outsourcing our jobs at the very same time they have given themselves millions of dollars in salary, bonuses and perks.

When management makes decisions based on their own needs instead of the needs of customers and employees, the company suffers, which is what is happening today. If a strike is what it is going to take to wake up the company’s leadership, the pilots are prepared to act..”

The vote by pilots followed multiple letters from ALPA to the National Mediation Board (NMB) in May and June, requesting that the NMB assist the parties to bring about an agreement by proffering arbitration, and if not accepted by both parties, issuing a release under Section 5, First of the Act. If the NMB releases the parties to what is referred to as “self-help,” the pilots would be allowed to take lawful action, including a strike, following a 30-day cooling off period.

The pilots are involved in joint negotiations for a labor contract that will cover pilots at both airlines, are wholly dissatisfied with the pace of the talks. The parties initiated negotiations in May 2010. The parties jointly requested mediation by the NMB in December 2010and mediated negotiations were initiated on February 28, 2011. The parties have been in mediated bargaining since that time.

The Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA) is the largest airline pilot union in the world and represents more than 53,000 pilots at 37 U.S. and Canadian airlines. There are approximately 7600 pilots at United Airlines and 4800 pilots at Continental Airlines.

Image Courtesy of  Songquan Deng / Shutterstock.com

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Sunday marks the 10th anniversary of the most devastating terrorist attack on American soil in modern times. Countless ceremonies, gatherings and events will take place around the U.S. and world to honor approximately 3,000 people who lost their lives on September 11, 2001.

On Sunday, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and other city officials, will dedicate the newly built 9/11 Memorial at the site where the World Trade Center (WTC) towers once stood, according to American City & Country. “We had to design a memorial that would stand the test of time — and design the space that our city would need to grow and prosper,” Bloomberg said Tuesday at breakfast in Lower Manhattan sponsored by the Association for a Better New York. “I believe that history will record that we accomplished both.”

Bloomberg’s words are evidence of the perseverance that U.S. leaders and citizens have demonstrated in the years which followed the deadly events of 9/11.

On September 11, 2001, at 8:46 a.m., a hijacked American Airlines (AA) Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. A mere 17 minutes later, at 9:03 a.m., hijacked United Airlines (UA) Flight 175 crashed into the South Tower of the WTC.  At 9:37 a.m., hijacked AA Flight 77 flew into the west wall of the Pentagon. At 10 a.m., the hijacked UA Flight 93 crashed into a field in Shaksville, Pennsylvania. The passengers and crew attempted to retake control of the plane which was believed to be traveling toward the White House.

According to The District of Columbia Website, a candlelight service will take place at the First Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. to honor the lives lost in the plane crash at the Pentagon.

President Obama and Vice President Biden will visit the crash site in Shaksville Sunday. Biden will later attend the dedication in New York. Obama will attend ceremonies in D.C., according to the New York Daily News.

Many will take a moment Sunday to remember the servicemen and servicewomen who lost their lives while responding to the terrorist attacks.

Police and firefighters in New York, and all around the U.S., are expected to observe a national Moment of Remembrance of the 9/11 attacks by sounding their police and firefighters sirens and bells, according to the Jackson County Times-Journal. At precisely 1 p.m EDT, bells will sound for a minute. Frank Lautenberg, U.S. Senator of New Jersey, encouraged the public to participate. “’This Moment of Remembrance’” will be a symbol of solidarity throughout the county and across the country. We must never forget what happened on that tragic day,” Lautenberg said.

Other individuals are sharing their perspectives and memories of 9/11 through a quieter, solitary activity – writing.

In post on the Foundry website, a Conservative policy news blog from the Heritage Foundation, Jessica Zuckerman reflects on how the events of 9/11 shaped the world for many young Americans. “I was barely a teenager on 9/11, but these memories will stay with me forever,” Zuckerman said. “For many in my generation, the events of September 11, 2001 shattered our naiveté and changed our perspective of the world. Coming of age in the War on Terror, we were defined by it.” Zuckerman said that after 9/11 her dreams of becoming a doctor or a teacher were replaced with an interest in the hot topic of homeland security and counterterrorism.

In an opinion piece written for the Washington Times, Gayle Lynn Falkenthal, of San Deigo, expressed outrage that the memorial for Flight 93, in Pennsylvania, has not been completed due to a lack of funding. “Flight 93 is an afterthought in the narrative of 9/11 and it shouldn’t be,” Falkenthal said.

Linda Paul, a guest columist for OregonLive, recalls her experience being inside the Pentagon when the airplane struck the building. “When the plane struck us, there was a single loud boom, more like a solid but muffled thud and the office shuddered, identical to the shudder of an earthquake,” Paul said. “I looked back to see the giant black cloud of smoke hovering over the building. I thought, ‘They’re killing us with our own damn airplanes.’ I may have said this aloud.”

Storytelling is a tool that many organizations are encouraging people to use in an effort to unite Americans and to honor the lives lost on 9/11.

The Washington Informer is inviting people to submit their stories of 9/11 along with photos to be added to the “Informer’s 9/11 Anniversary section.” One person who contributed to the Informer said, “That evening, I did nothing but watch television news and read the special edition of the Post. I knew that America would never be the same from then on.”

According to the Huffington Post, even the cooking community has come together to share their 9/11 experiences. The Food Republic interviewed 8 New York Chefs about that horrific morning. ”I remember while walking over the [Queensboro] Bridge, this one somber moment when someone, who clearly was from Ground Zero, covered in white dust, with a blank stare, was walking on the bridge,” said Bryan Voltaggio, chef at VOLT restaurant.

Similarly, StoryCorps, a nonprofit organization, “whose mission is to provide Americans…with the opportunity to record, share, and preserve the stories of our lives,” dedicated space on their website for the oral telling of 9/11 stories. StoryCorps hopes to record one story for every life lost on 9/11.

“It was Christine’s first trip in an airplane,” Lee Hanson said during his recording for StoryCorp. He and his wife, Eunice Hanson, lost three family members on 9/11 – they were passengers on UA Flight 175.

According to Kirsti A. Dyer MD, a fellow of the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress, our stories can strengthen us. “Storytelling can be regarded as one of the oldest healing arts; it has been used for centuries as a universal, useful way for the grieving person to cope with loss” Dyer said. “Telling the story can provide the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of one’s experiences.”

Codi Schneider, a 7 year-old at the time of 9/11, remembers the towers crumbling on TV and his father predicting the Air Force would send him to war soon, the Associated Press said. Codi’s father, an Air Force Chief Master, served in Iraq and was responsible for disarming enemy booby traps. Now a teenager, Codi said the years since 9/11 have been full of nightmares. He often wakes up screaming in the middle of the night.

According to the AP, Codi said he doesn’t want to be in the Air Force like his father. He wants to be a filmmaker or maybe a journalist when he grows up. “Whatever I do when I’m older,” Codi said “I want to tell people my story.”

While ceremonies to remember 9/11 will be the focus of Sunday for many Americans, the U.S. Homeland Security Department will be on alert in light of recent terrorist threats.

Image courtesy: http://www.flickr.com/photos/usnationalarchives/6120234023/

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Thomas Stuker, a 58 years old American businessman, has been rewarded for his loyalty to the airline company “United Airlines” after accumulating 10 million air miles.

For 29 years this salesman has boarded 5,962 United Airlines flights and flown the equivalent of 400 times around the globe. As a result he will never have to queue at airports, always get upgraded, and a plane has been named after him.

In 2009, Thomas Stuker was already United’s top flier.  As he remarked at Time magazine at the time, “when I call the 800 number in Michigan, most of the time I don’t even have to introduce myself, they know me. I got my own 1-800 KISS MY ASS hotline”.

Before been rewarded for the ten million miles, Stuker had also enjoyed elite services during his flights over the years. As he explained at the Time´s interview, he enjoyed $500 of free wine one Christmas and another time, a gourmet dinner at Chicago’s Tru for two (“They even let me pick the wine, which they might not do again”). He even had a United-sponsored appearance as a diner on Seinfeld (“I just sat there; they didn’t want me to talk”).

In the interview at the outlet media he stated that when he reaches the 10 million miles he will do it in style. “It won’t be on a flight to Des Moines or Omaha, I’ll take a bus before I cross the mark on one of those flights. It’s going to be an international flight, probably Europe with my girlfriend. I’m going to plot it out exactly and know when I hit it. And hell yeah, there is going to be champagne.”

However, sometimes life is not exactly as people expect it. Plans can change. Now, three years after that interview, Stuker has made his dream come true but not as he wished. Mr Stuker reached the milestone after arriving to his native Chicago, not to Europe, on the 9th of July.

Despite this great achievement before boarding the flight to Chicago, Mr Stuker admitted that many years ago he was scared to death of flying. “I couldn’t get on an aircraft, it really bothered me,” he told America’s National Public Radio.”But now it’s evolved to a time where if I go a week without a flight something’s not right.”

“Up in the air” goes down to the earth

Mr Stuker´s feat may resemble the movie “Up in the Air” starring George Clooney. However, in this case it seems that reality doesn´t go above and beyond fiction.  In the film when Bingham (played by George Clooney) hits his 10 million-mile goal during a flight from Chicago to Omaha he receives a surprise champagne celebration onboard, and American Airlines’ chief pilot appears for a congratulatory sit-down visit.

Bingham also receives an instant upgrade: a personally engraved metal card that will allow him to directly access his own private operator, someone who will greet him by name.

As Stuker, other people have hit this milestone before him. Unfortunately, non of them have received as good services as Clooney does in his movie. In 2007, Phillip Dunkelberger, the president of a data protection firm, went over 10 million miles in his flight to Zurich. As he stated to the Time magazine, ”I knew this trip would put me over 10 million miles.”

According to Dunkelberger, his Executive Platinum status with American is “pretty sweet”. Among its advantages on the one hand, it offers upgrades, lounge access and a 100% flight mileage bonus (meaning he doubles his miles with each trip). On the other hand, if he wants to keep these privileges he must also hit certain mileage marks each year.

Another American that once crisscrossed the skies reaching the ten million miles is Jerold Solovy, who had been flying American Airlines for 64 years.  He cannot even remember when he crossed the 10 million mile mark. “I wasn’t keeping track,” he said to Time magazine. “American Airlines wrote me a nice letter. They advised me I crossed. They keep me posted.”

He admitted that he expected more than a letter. Still, he was proud of the status it affords him. “I go to O’Hare and LaGuardia and they treat me royally. I know everyone and they are very nice to me,” said Solovy.

Real life doesn’t provide definitely the amazing party that Clooney enjoys for actual 10 million miles, though certainly get treated well.  With the rewards points all of them can travel to any international destination several times a year. And what it is more important as Solovy said to the Time magazine, “I don’t know what they did for Mr. Clooney; for me I get good service, they get me where I want to go and when I want to get there.”

Image Courtesy of  http://www.flickr.com/photos/11811587@N04/1241864259/sizes/z/in/photostream/

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