United Airlines Achieves Operating Goal for January, Announces Incentive Payout for Frontline Employees

CHICAGO, Feb. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- UAL Corporation (Nasdaq: UAUA), the holding company whose primary subsidiary is United Airlines, today announced the company achieved an operating goal for January, triggering a $100 cash payout for all frontline employees in the first month of a new incentive plan.

United expects to lead all network carriers in January for on-time performance when the U.S. Department of Transportation reports industry results in early March. In January, nearly eight out of every 10 flights operated on time, pushing United ahead of all other network carriers. At the same time, United also exceeded its customer satisfaction goals.

"These results clearly demonstrate we ran a good airline in January, and the work of the entire United team to provide safe, on-time, courteous service is making a difference to our customers," said John Tague, executive vice president and chief operating officer. "We are pleased to be able to provide a payout to our people in the first month of a new program and look forward to providing the performance our customers expect and meaningful rewards to our team for a job well done."

United completed 98 percent of all its scheduled flights in January.

Tague said the efforts of United's employees to drive higher on-time performance, combined with cleaner planes, contributed to the highest customer satisfaction scores the company has seen since it began an online survey of customers in April 2007. More than eight out of 10 customers said they would recommend United to friends and acquaintances.

Under the company's new cash incentive plan, a first-place DOT ranking among the major network carriers in on-time performance (Arrival : 14) performance means eligible represented employees will receive a monthly pretax payout of $100. Achieving a second-place finish or meeting the company's own operational goals results in a $65 payout. The company expects to make the payments to employees later this month.

About United

United Airlines (Nasdaq: UAUA) operates more than 3,000* flights a day on United and United Express to more than 200 U.S. domestic and international destinations from its hubs in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Chicago and Washington, D.C. With key global air rights in the Asia-Pacific region, Europe and Latin America, United is one of the largest international carriers based in the United States. United also is a founding member of Star Alliance, which provides connections for our customers to 912 destinations in 159 countries worldwide. United's 49,500 employees reside in every U.S. state and in many countries around the world. News releases and other information about United can be found at the company's Web site at united.com.

*Based on United's flight schedule between Jan. 1, 2009, and Jan. 1, 2010.