2009-2010 Corporate Responsibility Report: Making Lasting Connections
This year's report is about our progress and our plans to improve the impact we have on the travel experience, on our communities and on the environment. We have made good progress and are proud of these accomplishments; they have established a solid foundation for us to build on.
In towns and cities across America and around the world, United connects families and friends, colleagues and companies. We help drive tourism, generate business opportunities and contribute to economic growth and exports. Most importantly, the actions we take and decisions we make matter. More is expected of us, and we rise to that expectation with commitment and a true sense of responsibility.
Report Highlights
This past year was one of many firsts for our company:
- First in on-time performance in 2009 and the first 7 months of 2010 among the largest global network carriers in the U.S.
- First U.S. airline to become signatory to the United Nations Global Compact
- First U.S. commercial flight powered by synthetic fuel
- First trans-Atlantic "Green Corridor" roundtrip flight on World Environment Day in 2010, reducing emissions by 20,000 pounds of CO2
- First commercial airline to fly disaster relief missions to Haiti, flying 7 missions and transporting more than 150,000 pounds of aid and relief supplies
Learn more about our corporate responsibility efforts:
Corporate responsibility video overview
At united, we show up and we act to make a difference in our communities, and we're working across our company and industry to minimize our impact on the environment. We invite you to view our video to learn more about our actions in the air, on the ground and in our communities.
Watch video
Sustainable Business Agenda
We are focusing on the future and are working to create a financially stable company by improving the business and the experience for our customers. We're committed to safety in every aspect of our operations, and to empowering our people through development opportunities and tools that enable them to perform at their best. We promote responsible and ethical business practices and productive engagement with civic organizations and participation in policy dialogue.
Highlights include:
- More than 892,231 training and development courses completed by our employees through the United Learning Network in 2009
- Reduced injuries across our workforce by 31 percent in the last two years
- Our customer satisfaction scores rose nearly 20 percent in 2009, while our Employee Courtesy Index jumped 30 percent in two years
- Rewarded our frontline employees with $34 million in performance bonuses tied directly to operational improvements
Path to Environmental Solutions
We are working across our company and industry to reduce our impact on the environment, developing and promoting solutions and commitments that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We have continued taking proactive actions in the air and on the ground, reducing our environmental impact across our operations. We advanced recycling and waste reduction programs onboard and within our facilities. And we participate in cross-industry forums and transparency initiatives to reinforce our commitment to accountability and collaborative approaches to environmental solutions.
Highlights include:
- Improved fuel efficiency by 32% between 1990 and 2009 (gallons per revenue ton mile)
- Reduced CO2 emissions on our mainline fleet by 11% from 2008 to 2009, in direct correlation to our capacity reductions, while continuing to improve our fuel efficiency
- Enhanced our onboard recycling program to give it the capability to recycle up to 25 million cans and 6 million plastic bottles on all our eligible U.S. routes, diverting 590 tons from landfills
- Increased the number of electric and alternative fuel vehicles in our ground service equipment fleet by 15 percent in 2009
Fueling Social Spirit
We connect with and support the needs of communities, using our resources – our aircraft, people, and global network – to make a difference. We engage the youngest members of our communities with opportunities to grow and excel, and we address health and hunger to enable our communities to thrive. We volunteer our time to causes that are important to us locally, and connect with our customers to support our nonprofit partners. We continued our work in global humanitarian relief though our relief missions to Haiti and the delivery of mosquito nets to fight malaria in Accra, Ghana.
Highlights include:
- More than 196 million miles donated to our nonprofit partners through the Mileage Plus Charity Miles program in 2009
- Launched a new partnership with VolunteerMatch providing access to more than 3,000 nonprofit programs to make it easier for employees and their families to volunteer in their local communities
- Provided $8.2 million in travel, monetary and in-kind support to our community partner organizations
- More than 15,200 children experienced aviation through education initiatives supported by United and through the United Airlines aircraft exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry
The United Airlines Foundation provides financial support to organizations focused on education, arts and culture, health and youth initiatives and engages employees and customers in many related programs. To learn more about the Foundation, our grant guidelines and our grantees, visit United Airlines Foundation.
Measuring Up
We're measuring our progress. We provide an overview of our company including our company profile, product offerings, network and alliances, corporate governance, and business ethics. We include information on our commitment to the principles of the United Nations Global Compact, our alignment to the Global Reporting Initiative, and our approach to stakeholder engagement. Most importantly, we provide detail on our corporate responsibility metrics.
