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Jan 13, 2000 Company establishes new
e-commerce subsidiary to maximize the sale of travel
products over the Internet and Internet-enabled
devices.
Jan 31,
2000 UAL common stock closes at
52-week low of 56 7/8 as fuel prices rise and company
faces the prospect of higher post-ESOP labor
costs.
Feb 16, 2000 United
offers industry's first Boeing 777 service between the
U.S. mainland and Hawaii, with nonstop service between
San Francisco and Maui.
Feb 23, 2000 United and
buy.com launch a jointly owned full-service web site
called buytravel.com, marking the first time United's
discounted E-fares are available on an Internet web site
other than http://www.ual.com/. |
 
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March 13, 2000 United
completes installation of Economy
PlusSM on its
fleet. Larger
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March 26, 2000 The Austrian Airlines Group joins Star
Alliance, to be followed by Singapore Airlines April 7
and Mexicana on July
1. |
 

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April 2000 Two
of United’s computer systems - SkyPath and the Aircraft
Scheduling Automation Project (ASAP) - are archived in
the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in
Washington, D.C. Larger
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April 12,
2000 After five years and nine
months, ESOP investment period ends for most U.S.
employees, except for mechanics, whose investment period
ends July 12. Also today, the pilots' contract becomes
amendable.
April 13,
2000 United puts its name on the
Internet by changing the company's web address
from www.united.com to united.com. |
 

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April 17,
2000 United's innovative
E-TicketSM technology,
which the company has sold to 14 airlines worldwide, is
recognized as industry leading. It becomes part of the
Smithsonian Permanent Research Collection on Information
Technology at the National Museum of American
History. Larger
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April 26,
2000 Office and clerical employees
decline representation by the International Association
of Machinists (IAM).
May 1,
2000 United supports U.S.
government's decision to begin lifting slot controls
established at O'Hare International Airport in the
1960s. Instead of being restricted in its number of
takeoffs and landings per day, United now can establish
it's own schedule at its largest hub.
May 4,
2000 U.S. FAA grants United the
industry's first authority for 207-minute extended range
twin-engine operations (ETOPS) for its Boeing 777-200B
aircraft operating across the North Pacific.
May 18, 2000 *
United declares a cash dividend on common stock and ESOP
preferred stock, the first in a dividend program
approved by UAL shareholders in November 1999. *
United takes delivery of a Boeing 777-222, bringing the
company's total fleet to 600 aircraft – the
most in its history.
May 22,
2000 United reduces its summer flight
schedule to minimize the impact of crew shortages. As
situation worsens, due to ATC congestion and poor
weather, the company eliminates nearly 7,000 flights
from its schedule through September, cancels many other
flights and increases block and ground time.
May 24,
2000 Company announces plan to
acquire US Airways, subject to U.S. government
approval.
June 8, 2000 United
introduces nonstop service between San Francisco and
Frankfurt.
June 14, 2000 United and
Air Canada launch the industry's first true interline
electronic ticketing service, enabling customers to use
a single electronic ticket to travel on more than one
airline.
June 15, 2000 United
becomes the first major U.S. airline to offer free
headsets to customers in all classes of service on U.S.
domestic flights that are
video-equipped. |
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June 28, 2000 United
completes deployment of 463 automatic gate readers
throughout North America and in Japan, a project that
began in 1998. Larger
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Aug.
16, 2000 *
United launches full-page newspaper ads in USA
Today, The Wall Street Journal and
The New York Times, apologizing for the pain
its labor issues and flight cancellations have caused
customers. * The Society of American
Travel Writers names United's
HEMISPHERES inflight magazine the "Best
Monthly Travel Magazine" in the United
States. Larger
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Aug. 22, 2000 As part of its effort to retire its older
aircraft, United exercises options placed in 1998 for 12
narrowbody Airbus aircraft. The six A319s and six A320s
are scheduled for delivery in 2002.
Aug. 28,
2000 United launches its Customer
Advocate Center (CAC) to help reaccommodate customers
whose flights are delayed or canceled. The CAC
proactively rebooks customers on alternate flights,
often before customers are even aware of a
problem.
Sept. 11, 2000 Air Line
Pilots Association's (ALPA) Master Executive Council
endorses tentative pilot contract, ending a summer
marred by schedule disruptions and flight
cancellations.
Sept. 18, 2000 United
announces plans to retire remaining DC-10 aircraft
sooner than previously planned to improve operational
reliability and because all-cargo service has not been
able to sustain profitability. Freighter DC-10s will
retire Dec. 24, while passenger aircraft will retire
Feb. 15, 2001.
Sept. 28, 2000 United
becomes only U.S. airline to win an AVION award for best
overall inflight entertainment, awarded by the World
Airline Entertainment Association (WAEA).
Oct. 23,
2000 United
announces testing of self-service check-in kiosks in
Chicago and San Diego, to be introduced officially in
March 2001 as United
EasyCheck-inSM.
Oct. 25,
2000 UAL Corp. creates United New
Ventures. Its United NetWorks unit will grow united.com
and related wireless initiatives and frequent flier
program partnerships. The United NetVentures unit will
support and grow Internet business ventures, such as
Orbitz and Hotwire.
Nov. 13, 2000 United Networks enhances its United
UpdateSM proactive paging
service with the industry's first wireless booking
capability. |
 

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Dec. 1,
2000 United forms new
fee-per-departure relationship with United Express
carrier Atlantic Coast Airlines. Larger
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Dec. 20, 2000 To save
fuel and labor costs, United announces plan to
accelerate the retirement of its Boeing 727-200 fleet.
The company will retire 25 aircraft in 2001, almost a
full year ahead of the previous schedule, and the
remainder of its B727-200 fleet by the end of
2003.
Dec. 24, 2000 Citing
reliability issues and unprofitability of its all-cargo
service, company retires last DC-10 freighter from its
fleet, ending the all-freighter service established in
1997. |
 

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Late December
2000 United and its new United
NewVentures unit launch United
SameDaySM, a new service
offering door-to-door, same-day delivery of
small-package shipments. Larger
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January
2001 United
consolidates its advertising with one agency - Fallon
Worldwide - for cost savings and greater
efficiency. |
 

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Jan 25, 2001 United
establishes "Easy" as the brand name for new products
and services designed to make air travel
easier. Larger
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Feb 15,
2001 To improve operational
reliability, United retires last DC-10 from its
passenger fleet, ending its 29 years of DC-10 service.
The aircraft receives a water salute, a ceremony derived
from the maritime tradition of saluting vessels arriving
at, or departing from, a harbor on special
occasions. Larger
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March 1, 2001 United officially introduces United
EasyCheck-inSM kiosks at
airports, a concept it began testing in October 2000.
The kiosks enable U.S. United
E-TicketSM customers to
obtain boarding passes, print electronic ticket
receipts, change seat assignments, keep Mileage Plus
accounts current and, at designated units, even check
their bags. By November 2002, the company had deployed
336 of the units at 10 U.S. airports, and more than five
million customers had used
them. |

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March 18, 2001 The company
introduces United
EasyUpdateSM ,
significantly enhancing communication with its
customers. Larger
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April
1, 2001 * United launches daily
nonstop service between New York Kennedy and Hong Kong.
At 7,339 nautical miles, it is the longest nonstop
passenger service in the world. Just five months later,
on August 30, the company discontinues the service as a
result of the weak Asian economy. * The company inaugurates the first daily
nonstop service between Chicago and Beijing and
reinstates service to Delhi, India - part of the
company's 'Round-the-World service that was launched in
1995 and suspended in 1999 due to the Asian economic
recession. |

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April 6, 2001 United marks its 75th anniversary, tracing its
beginnings back to Walter T. Varney's first contract air
mail flight between Pasco, Wash., and Elko, Nev., on
April 6, 1926. That flight was the true beginning of
U.S. commercial air transportation and the birth of
United Airlines. Larger
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April 26, 2001 United announces plans to launch a
business jet subsidiary. Later named "Avolar," the
venture places aircraft orders, but ultimately falls
victim to the economic downturn resulting from the
Sepember. 11 tragedy and folds in March
2002.
June 1, 2001 United inaugurates its first nonstop
trans-Atlantic flight from Denver with seasonal service
to Frankfurt, Germany.
June 4, 2001 The Orbitz online travel site opens for
business, offering competition for Travelocity and
Expedia. United is a co-founder of the venture, along
with four other major carriers.
June 21, 2001 Severe hailstorm in Denver damages all 35
United aircraft on the ground at the time, taking some
out of service for a week or more.
July 2001 The company launches United
EasyCheck-inSM at Chicago
O'Hare, enabling U.S.
domestic E-TicketSM
customers to check themselves in at a self-service kiosk
and receive a boarding pass in less than 60
seconds.
July 18, 2001 UAL Corp. reports a second quarter net
loss of $292 million, compared to earnings of $347
million in the same period a year earlier. The company
attributes the dramatic drop to weak economy and its
impact on business travel demand in the U.S. and Asia,
as well as higher labor costs.
July 26, 2001 After cooperating in the making of the
film "Rush Hour 2," United premiers the movie on its
flight from Los Angeles to Hong Kong prior to its
opening in theaters in August.
July 30, 2001 UAL Corp. and US Airways Group, Inc.
terminate their merger agreement after the proposal
fails to receive U.S. government
approval.
Aug. 7, 2001 The U.S. DOT grants United the right to
provide code-share service to Vietnam with Star Alliance
members All Nippon Airways and Thai
Airways – the first U.S. airline service to
the country since the end of the Vietnam War. Service
begins in
November. |
 

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Sept. 11,
2001 United loses
16 crew members, two employee travelers and 93
passengers when terrorists crash Flight 175 into the
World Trade Center and Flight 93 into the ground near
Shanksville, Penn. Larger
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Sept. 19, 2001 United announces the furlough of 20,000
employees – the largest such action in the
company's history – due to the airline's
serious financial
situation. |
 

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Sept. 30,
2001 United wins
its second consecutive award for "Best Inflight
Entertainment Overall" at the World Airline
Entertainment Association's AVION
Awards. Larger
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Oct. 3, 2001 United announces the end of its United
Shuttle branded operations effective with the November
schedule change. Due to the dramatic drop in demand and
new longer turn times associated with additional
security measures, the service introduced October 1,
1994, as "Shuttle by United" no longer can fulfill is
mission as a low-cost, high-utilization
operation. |
 

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Oct. 28,
2001 Amid growing
concerns about United's financial problems and labor
issues, Jim Goodwin resigns as chairman and chief
executive officer and is succeeded by UAL board member
John W. Creighton. Larger
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Oct. 30, 2001 To
reduce costs associated with multiple fleets, United
retires its Boeing 727-200 and B737-200 fleets. The
change leaves United with five families of aircraft:
B737-300/500, B747-400, B757/767, B777 and Airbus
319/320.
Nov. 19, 2001 To
reduce capital spending, United restructures its
aircraft delivery program with Boeing and Airbus,
deferring deliveries of new aircraft for 2002 and 2003
from the 67 originally planned to only 24.
December 2001 UAL Corp. business jet subsidiary Avolar
opens for business, selling fractional shares of
business aircraft to customers, but closes its doors in
March 2002 – a victim of the economic
downturn.
Dec.
18, 2001 United introduces interline electronic
ticketing with Northwest, adding to its ability to offer
E-TicketSM service with
Air Canada and
Continental. |
 

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Dec. 19,
2001 UAL Corp.
relaunches United New Ventures under the name United
Loyalty Services (ULS). ULS will focus on expanding the
profitable non-core marketing business of UAL and
building customer loyalty for United via loyalty
programs, travel distribution, direct-to-customer
services and media. Larger
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Dec.
20, 2001 The
U.S. Department of Justice determines that United's
application to add bmi british midland to its existing
antitrust immunity with Lufthansa, SAS and Austrian
Group poses no risk to competition. In July 2002, United
and bmi expand their codeshare
operations.
Dec.
31, 2001 United ends the year with a record loss of
$2.1 billion, including a fourth-quarter net loss of
$308 million.
January
2002 U.S.
President George bush establishes a Presidential
Emergency Board to resolve contract issues between
United and IAM District 141M, representing the company's
mechanics. United accepts the board's recommendations,
the IAM rejects them, but the two sides reach agreement
Feb. 19.
Jan. 28, 2002 Chairman and CEO Jack Creighton
restructures his officer corps, putting President Rono
Dutta in charge of a Strategic Initiatives Group to
develop a revenue and cost structure that ensures
long-term profitable
growth. |
 

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Feb. 11, 2002 United opens a new cargo facility at Los Angeles
International Airport. Larger
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Feb. 28, 2002 United closes four Reservations Centers in
California and one in Rockford, Ill., furloughing nearly
900 employees.
April 2002 United restores 127 daily flights to its
schedule in anticipation of stronger travel
demand.
April 4,
2002
The U.S. Dept. of Transportation grants
conditional approval to United's application to add bmi
british midland to its existing antitrust immunity with
Lufthansa, SAS and Austrian Group. The immunity
does not go into effect until the governments of the
United States and the United Kingdom enter into an Open
Skies agreement. |
 

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May 2002 *
United reports its best operational performance in
history, canceling just .44 percent of its nearly 55,000
scheduled departures and operating nearly 76 percent of
its departures on-time or early. The company also has
its lowest-ever number of maintenance delays and
cancellation. * United names a Boeing 777 (#2825)
The Spirit of United in memory of the 18
employees lost during the terrorist attacks Sept. 11,
2001. Larger
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June 18,
2002 United announces wage cuts for
officers and U.S.-based management and salaried
employees as part of the company's financial recovery
plan, subject to pilot participation.
June
20, 2002 The UAL board and the
MEC of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) approve
the pilot portion of United's recovery plan, subject to
pilots' ratification and contingent on other employee
groups' participation in wage cuts.
June 25,
2002 United files
with the Air Transportation Stabilization Board (ATSB)
for $1.8 billion in federal loan
guarantees.
July
2002 * The
company moves forward with several security measures by
starting the installation of the industry's first
"fortress" cockpit doors, pushing for government
approval to arm pilots with non-lethal Taser weapons to
disable attackers and planning a test of the industry's
first cabin surveillance system. * Star Alliance approves membership of three
new carriers, to be added during the next nine to 18
months – LOT Polish Airways, Spaniar of Spain
and Korea's Asiana.
July 19,
2002 In its
traditionally strong second quarter, UAL Corp. reports a
$392 million net loss, surpassing its $292 million net
loss in the second quarter of 2001.
July 24,
2002 United and
US Airways sign a codeshare agreement, which receives
U.S. government approval October 2. The carriers hope to
obtain some of the revenue benefits of their previously
announced merger plan that was abandoned in July 2001
due to lack of approval from the U.S. government and
lack of support from employees.
Aug.
8, 2002 United Cargo launches a small-package
international express service, Global SP, that provides
the highest freight boarding priority, shortened
acceptance and recovery times (within the United States)
and 100 percent guaranteed on-time
delivery.
Aug.
14, 2002 United announces intensified recovery
effort, to include broader, deeper and longer-term labor
cost savings in order to make the company's cost
structure competitive and to obtain federal loan
guarantees. Company establishes 30-day deadline for
obtaining wage concessions from
employees.
Aug.
29, 2002 Company meets with
union leaders and presents its proposal for a cost
savings target of $2.5 billion annually over the next
six years, including $1.5 billion in annual labor cost
savings. |
 

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Sept. 2,
2002 UAL Corp. appoints Glenn F.
Tilton as chairman, president and chief executive
officer, succeeding Jack Creighton upon his retirement.
President Rono Dutta and Executive Vice President and
Chief Operating Officer Andy Studdert step
down. Larger
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Sept.
9, 2002 The company reports it
moved into first place in on-time arrivals for July,
based on statistics compiled by the U.S. Department of
Transportation. The company first marks a dramatic
turnaround from a year earlier, when United was in last
place. |
 
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Sept. 11,
2002 United marks the first
anniversary of the terrorist attack on America, in which
the company lost two flights carrying 18 employees and
93 customers. Larger
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Sept.
19, 2002 The Stratospheric
Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) - a project
United has been involved in since 1996 - passes an
important milestone when the telescope assembly for
SOFIA arrives in Texas from Germany. Larger
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Sept.
25, 2002 A coalition of United's
unions presents the company with an alternate framework
for cost savings. Over the next two months, the company
negotiates with the unions to achieve a framework that
will allow the airline to obtain a loan guarantee from
the U.S. government and avoid bankruptcy.
Oct.
21, 2002 In response to market
conditions, United announces cost-cutting in its U.S.
operations that will save approximately $100 million
annually. The initiatives, to begin later in the year
and in January 2003, include closing its San Francisco,
Indianapolis and Long Beach reservations centers,
shutting down one of three lines of Boeing 757
maintenance at the Indianapolis Maintenance Center and
converting five stations to United Express (Eugene and
Medford, Ore.; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; and White Plaines and
Syracuse, N.Y.). Two days later, the company announces
in January it will close four international stations:
Caracas, Venezuela; Santiago, Chile; Milan, Italy; and
Dusseldorf, Germany.
Oct.
23, 2002 United files an updated
business plan with the Air Transportation Stabilization
Board (ATSB) in hopes of receiving $1.8 billion in
federal loan guarantees. The plan includes tentative
agreement by the unions to participate in labor cost
reductions totaling $5.8 billion over the next
five-and-one-half years.
Oct.
29, 2002 United inaugurates
service between Washington (Dulles) and both Sao Paulo,
Brazil, and Buenos Aires, Argentina. The company is the
only U.S. carrier to offer nonstop service between the
U.S. capital and South
America. |
 

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November
2002 Pace Communications marks its
10th anniversary of publishing
HEMISPHERES, United’s inflight
magazine. Larger
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Nov.
1, 2002 United and the Air Line
Pilots Association (ALPA) reach tentative agreement on
labor cost savings needed for the company's financial
recovery plan. Members ratify the agreement Nov.
19.
Nov.
3, 2002 United announces
tentative agreement with the Transport Workers Union
(TWU) on labor cost savings needed for the company's
financial recovery plan. TWU members ratify the
agreement Nov. 10.
Nov.
5, 2002 * As part of
United's application to the Air Transportation
Stabilization Board (ATSB) for $1.8 billion in federal
loan guarantees, a team of 17 company officers and
directors present to the ATSB the company's plan for
achieving non-labor profit improvements of $1.4 billion
annually and a process for developing an additional $400
million in savings.
* United
announces an agreement in principle with Kreditanstalt
fur Wiederaufbau (KfW) to restructure approximately $500
million in debt obligations due in November and
December, buying time for the company as it awaits word
from the ATSB on its application for a federal loan
guarantee.
Nov.
8, 2002 United announces need to
reduce its flight attendant work force by an additional
2,700 beginning January 31, 2003, while other divisions
continue reviewing their manpower requirements for 2003
and beyond.
Nov. 10, 2002 Company announces
tentative agreement with the Association of Flight
Attendants (AFA) on labor cost savings needed for the
company's financial recovery plan. Members ratify the
agreement November 30.
Nov.
14, 2002 United establishes enhanced
cooperation with Lufthansa in the North Atlantic market,
including shared revenues on North Atlantic flights,
alignment of North Atlantic fares and sales strategies
and closer cooperation on scheduling, customer service
and marketing to generate additional revenue.
Nov.
18, 2002 Senior officers approve wage
reductions for salaried and management employees,
including officers, as part of United's financial
recovery plan. Company announces the recovery plan will
feature stock options for all employees.
Nov.
20, 2002 Company and IAM reach
tentative agreement on wage reductions.
Nov.
28, 2002 United's IAM-represented
public contact, ramp, food service and security
employees ratify their tentative wage reduction
agreement, as do PAFCA-represented flight dispatchers,
but mechanics represented by IAM141M vote "no." The
company and IAM 141M leaders reach a new tentative
agreement December 2, but the ATSB declines United's
loan application before a ratification vote can be
conducted.
Dec.
2, 2002 United announces that it will
use the grace periods on certain debt obligations due
today, hoping it will receive the ATSB loan guarantee in
time to make payments.
Dec.
3, 2002 Company announces planned 18
percent reduction in officer group and a reduction in
pilot employment levels by 220 in January and 132 in
February.
Dec.
4, 2002 ATSB declines United's loan
application, citing unrealistic revenue forecasts, but
leaves open the possibility it will consider an improved
application at a later date.
Dec. 9, 2002 * United announces
immediate pay cuts for salaried and management
employees, including officers, effective
mid-December. * UAL Corp. files for Chapter 11
reorganization; promises "business as usual" as the
company develops a plan to address is existing debt,
capital and cost structures.
Dec.
10, 2002 Fiduciary for United's
401(k) and Pilot Directed Account Plan (PDAP) retirement
plans announces it has completed the sale of all UAL
stock in those plans.
Dec.
12, 2002 Company presents to unions
its short- and long-term business plan, laying the
groundwork for emerging successfully from Chapter 11.
United must achieve labor cost reductions to satisfy
covenants of the debtor-in-possession financing it has
obtained in order to continue operations.
Dec.
18, 2002 United announces need to
furlough an addition 616 employees represented by IAM
141M, due to reduced workloads.
Dec. 19, 2002 Glenn Tilton establishes
new leadership team with four executive vice presidents
overseeing the areas of operations (Pete McDonald),
strategy (Doug Hacker), finance (Jake Brace) and
customer (to be named).
Dec.
27, 2002 United announces new
tentative agreements with the leadership of ALPA, AFA,
PAFCA and the TWU on significant, interim wage
reductions, subject to a ratification vote by the
represented employees by January 8. There is no
agreement with IAM leadership. United files a motion in
court, asking the judge to allow it to impose wage
reductions on IAM employees if other employee groups
ratify their reductions. All would take effect January
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