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Federal Document Clearing House
Congressional Testimony
July 26, 2000, Wednesday
SECTION: CAPITOL HILL HEARING TESTIMONY
LENGTH: 2261 words
COMMITTEE:
SENATE INDIAN AFFAIRS
HEADLINE:
TESTIMONY NATIONAL INDIAN GAMING COMMISSION
TESTIMONY-BY: SHELLEY A. LONGMUIR , SENIOR VICE
PRESIDENT
AFFILIATION: INTERNATIONAL, REGULATORY &
GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS, UNITED AIRLINES
BODY:
July
10, 2000 Testimony of Shelley A. Longmuir Senior Vice President - International,
Regulatory & Governmental Affairs, United Airlines Before
the Subcommittee on Antitrust, Business Rights, and Competition Senate Committee
on the Judiciary held in Pittsburgh, PA Good afternoon. Senators Specter and
Santorum, on behalf of United Airlines more than 100,000
employees worldwide, I appreciate the opportunity to be here today to discuss
our merger with US Airways. The transaction will deliver new
economic growth and travel opportunities to consumers here in Pittsburgh and
throughout Pennsylvania. Senators, I want to thank you for the attention you
have paid to our merger with US Airways. As you know, our
chairman and CEO, Jim Goodwin, testified before this subcommittee last month in
Washington. He also has met with both of you in recent weeks to discuss the
transaction. Members of your staff, Senator Specter, have also spent time with
our senior financial team to review details about the merger.
Mr. Goodwin has also met with Governor Ridge and Allegheny County Executive Jim
Roddey. Our general counsel also met with Attorney General Fisher shortly after
we announced the merger in May. United started flying from
Pittsburgh 44 years ago - on January 22, 1956. Back then we flew four times a
day to New York and had four daily westbound flights to Chicago and then on to
Denver, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, San Francisco and several other cities in
the West. Today, United and United Express have a total of 14 daily departures
from Pittsburgh. We fly non-stop to Chicago and Washington Dulles with
connections to destinations around the world. Unite has 94 employees in
Pittsburgh today, a number that will dramatically increase after the completion
of our merger with US Airways. When United began service from
Pittsburgh in 1956, we ran an ad introducing ourselves to the community. We said
then - and I quote: "We recognize that the privilege of serving the greater
Pittsburgh area carries with it the responsibility not only of providing good
air service, but of being good corporate citizens of the community. We intend to
demonstrate our appreciation by fulfilling both of these responsibilities to the
best of our ability." Senators, what we said then is just as true today as it
was forty- four years ago. United will provide the service that Pittsburgh
consumers deserve. And we will be good corporate citizens and a valuable asset
to Pittsburgh and the airport of which this community is justifiably proud. The
United-US Airways merger will have a very positive impact in
Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh is already a major hub for US Airways. When our
merger is complete, it will become an even more significant hub for
United Airlines. In all, United plans to offer non-stop or
one-stop service from Pittsburgh to 254 domestic and international destinations.
That's 78 more than US Airways serves today from Pittsburgh and
143 more than are available on United. We plan to offer four additional daily
non-stop flights from Pittsburgh to three U.S. cities. That includes the only
non-stop service to San Jose, California, one of the high-tech centers of the
world, the only non-stop service to Portland, Oregon, and two additional daily
nonstops to Denver - a total of five a day to the Colorado capital. United also
plans to offer new one-stop service to several Asian/Pacific and Latin American
destinations. For example, United plans to provide the only one-stop service
from Pittsburgh to Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland, Taipei and Seoul and two popular
Hawaiian destinations -- Kona and Lihue. We'll also add competition with our new
planned service through Miami to Rio de Janeiro, Caracas, Buenos Aires and two
other cities in South America, Sao Paulo and Santiago, Chile. By connecting
Pittsburgh to a larger national and international network, the United-US
Airways combination will mean an exciting expansion of service to and
from the region. The expansion will help grow the region's economy by expanding
tourism, increasing global trade opportunities and attracting new investment. In
short, Pittsburgh will be a big winner. As you know, as part of the transaction
United has pledged that there will be no furloughs of any US
Airways employees for two years following the closing of the
merger. Beyond this promise - which is part of our
merger agreement with US Airways - we have
made a firm commitment, with no time limit attached, not to furlough any
US Airways' employee. We are also confident that our business
will grow and create more opportunities and more jobs in the future. We
recognize that an important issue for Pittsburgh has to do with the construction
of a new maintenance facility here. Our chairman Jim Goodwin has pledged that we
will make a decision on that issue before the end of the month. We will, of
course, advise you and the community as soon as we determine what our plans are.
Senators, thank you for inviting me to be here today and for allowing me to
discuss our transaction and the travel opportunities it offers consumers in
Pennsylvania and around the country. I would be happy to answer any questions
you may have.
LOAD-DATE: August 21, 2000, Monday
