ZMAN777
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- Aug 23, 2002
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I'm posting this for the benefit of both our UAL employees and those that follow UAL. This is Glen Tilton's "Eye-On-UA" message of 29 August. I think everyone will admit that this guy is focused and has brought a renewed sense of enthusiasm and excitement back to UAL. Call it esprit de corps or whatever you choose, bottom line this airline is operating extremely well and those of us who work the line or elsewhere know that it will even get better. Enjoy.
Cheers,
Z B)
EYE-ON-UA
August 29, 2003
Hi this is Glenn, and it's Friday, August 29. I’m calling you from Tokyo where we just completed a very successful visit to Asia, including a well-attended press conference to introduce our new marketing alliance with Air China, followed by a celebratory banquet.
Today I met with our counterpart at ANA, President Ohashi, and briefed the press on our progress since my last visit to Tokyo nearly eight months ago.
And then I'm going to have the opportunity to spend some time with our Tokyo employees.
Before heading back to the U.S., I wanted to give you a sense of what’s been going on out here as well as a feeling for some of the important changes that I’ve witnessed during my travels in Asia this week.
There was a great appreciation for United's commitment to the region, particularly after the devastating effects of the SARS epidemic and the severe, prolonged downturn in the local economies throughout Asia.
On Tuesday, I was in Hong Kong, meeting with business leaders and helping to launch a new, month-long promotion -- and a very exciting one -- to drive traffic to Hong Kong in cooperation with the Hong Kong Tourism Board. I know that many of you have already read about our declaration of October as Hong Kong Month in NewsReal.
We've had a tremendous response to our announcement, with more than 50 members of the press in attendance, and great press coverage in Hong Kong and, indeed, all over the world. But certainly much more important than the number of reporters that were there, was the extent to which so many in Hong Kong, Beijing and Tokyo are now embracing the United story and our work to transform the company and return to the United that they all remember.
We’re going to be doing a lot more of this in the months ahead -- that is, reintroducing our company into specific marketplaces in creative ways and in very exciting ways -- and certainly in ways that make the most sense locally.
We’re going to continue to surprise people. And while we'll be mindful of our financial circumstances and the issues related to our Chapter 11 case, we're not going to be defensive. We're going to behave like an airline that has moved past some significant financial hurdles, move beyond limitations that we had to put on ourselves – and we're going to behave like a company that is in this for the long haul and is ready to compete.
Our code-share announcement in Beijing yesterday -- during a press conference that was attended by about 60 global news organizations -– provided another opportunity to reinforce what sets United apart -– in this case, the global route network that is our greatest asset. One of the main reasons that Air China chose to partner with us is because of our incomparable global route network -- something that has been an enormous attraction to the Star Alliance partners as well.
This really is a validation of our strategy -- to maintain the crown jewels of our operation while working aggressively to set a cost platform that gives us the right to optimize them. To a significant extent, the strong reception that we have received in Asia this week is due to the hard work of all the people on the ground here, particularly Sidney Kwok, our country manager in China, and Henry Ma, our country manager in Hong Kong.
As a result, we are today well positioned to capitalize on the recovery that is now well under way in Asia. Throughout this trip, I’ve seen full flights, busy airports, crowded hotels and a new sense of energy and enthusiasm. People are out there doing business again. Our fall bookings to the region are improving and, as we bring capacity back, our local reservations agents are getting busier. So, while we have made great progress, there is still a lot of hard work to do.
What we’ve done is important and is significant, but it's really only getting us back in the game. Now, we need to keep our energy high, we need to keep our enthusiasm regenerated, stay focused and show that we are in this game to win. Keep up the great work and I'll look forward to speaking with you again soon when I return to the United States.
Cheers,
Z B)
EYE-ON-UA
August 29, 2003
Hi this is Glenn, and it's Friday, August 29. I’m calling you from Tokyo where we just completed a very successful visit to Asia, including a well-attended press conference to introduce our new marketing alliance with Air China, followed by a celebratory banquet.
Today I met with our counterpart at ANA, President Ohashi, and briefed the press on our progress since my last visit to Tokyo nearly eight months ago.
And then I'm going to have the opportunity to spend some time with our Tokyo employees.
Before heading back to the U.S., I wanted to give you a sense of what’s been going on out here as well as a feeling for some of the important changes that I’ve witnessed during my travels in Asia this week.
There was a great appreciation for United's commitment to the region, particularly after the devastating effects of the SARS epidemic and the severe, prolonged downturn in the local economies throughout Asia.
On Tuesday, I was in Hong Kong, meeting with business leaders and helping to launch a new, month-long promotion -- and a very exciting one -- to drive traffic to Hong Kong in cooperation with the Hong Kong Tourism Board. I know that many of you have already read about our declaration of October as Hong Kong Month in NewsReal.
We've had a tremendous response to our announcement, with more than 50 members of the press in attendance, and great press coverage in Hong Kong and, indeed, all over the world. But certainly much more important than the number of reporters that were there, was the extent to which so many in Hong Kong, Beijing and Tokyo are now embracing the United story and our work to transform the company and return to the United that they all remember.
We’re going to be doing a lot more of this in the months ahead -- that is, reintroducing our company into specific marketplaces in creative ways and in very exciting ways -- and certainly in ways that make the most sense locally.
We’re going to continue to surprise people. And while we'll be mindful of our financial circumstances and the issues related to our Chapter 11 case, we're not going to be defensive. We're going to behave like an airline that has moved past some significant financial hurdles, move beyond limitations that we had to put on ourselves – and we're going to behave like a company that is in this for the long haul and is ready to compete.
Our code-share announcement in Beijing yesterday -- during a press conference that was attended by about 60 global news organizations -– provided another opportunity to reinforce what sets United apart -– in this case, the global route network that is our greatest asset. One of the main reasons that Air China chose to partner with us is because of our incomparable global route network -- something that has been an enormous attraction to the Star Alliance partners as well.
This really is a validation of our strategy -- to maintain the crown jewels of our operation while working aggressively to set a cost platform that gives us the right to optimize them. To a significant extent, the strong reception that we have received in Asia this week is due to the hard work of all the people on the ground here, particularly Sidney Kwok, our country manager in China, and Henry Ma, our country manager in Hong Kong.
As a result, we are today well positioned to capitalize on the recovery that is now well under way in Asia. Throughout this trip, I’ve seen full flights, busy airports, crowded hotels and a new sense of energy and enthusiasm. People are out there doing business again. Our fall bookings to the region are improving and, as we bring capacity back, our local reservations agents are getting busier. So, while we have made great progress, there is still a lot of hard work to do.
What we’ve done is important and is significant, but it's really only getting us back in the game. Now, we need to keep our energy high, we need to keep our enthusiasm regenerated, stay focused and show that we are in this game to win. Keep up the great work and I'll look forward to speaking with you again soon when I return to the United States.
