United Airlines Reveals Look & Feel of New Low-Fare Service
DENVER, November 18, 2003 - After weeks of anticipation, United today unveiled Ted, in the form of an Airbus A320, as the first aircraft in the company's new low-fare fleet.ý Ted's debut in its new Denver hub officially put a "face" to the much-talked-about name.
With a distinctive new look, logo and colors -- vibrant blue and orange -- the Ted plane gives the impression of being United's spunky kid brother.ý
"Ted has a personality all its own," said Sean Donohue, Vice President, Low Cost Operation.ý "It's warm, friendly and casual.ý If this airplane could wink, it would."
Ted offers a compelling alternative to the current crop of low-fare carriers. As a full-fledged member of the United family, Ted will offer complete connectivity and seamless travel on all United offerings -- United mainline, United Express and Star Alliance partners.
In addition, Ted fliers can earn Mileage Plus miles for every Ted flight, and will have access to United's suite of Easy products including EasyCheck-In and EasyUpdate.
Ted will offer an onboard experience designed to bring a laid-back style of fun to the low-fare travel marketplace.ý Onboard entertainment includes a variety of overhead programming called ýTedtv,ý featuring an array of selections such as music videos, stand-up comedy and sitcoms.ý ýTedtunesý is the airlineýs audio offering, showcasing music genres including dance, trance and club; Latin; kids tunes; Top 40 and home-grown music from Ted destinations.ý Tedýs audio headsets will be multi-colored and most importantly, free.
From a food and beverage standpoint, Ted customers will be able to purchase premium items a-la-carte style, including Ted's favorite beer and cocktails and Ted signature items.ý Finally, Ted will offer signature branded merchandise like t-shirts, children's toys and aircraft models for sale.ý
"After 77 years in the business, we've learned what people like," said Donohue.ý "They want their trip to be a great experience, and weýve made it as simple as possible.ý All Ted passengers will have pre-assigned seats, and every plane will feature a 66-seat Economy Plus section with four extra inches of legroom to reward loyal customers.ý
Economy Plus will be complimentary for premier members of Mileage Plus and United is working on ways to make this section available for other passengers who are willing to pay a little more for extra legroom.
"The uniqueness of Ted is that it maintains United's core strengths of safety, professionalism, employee commitment, the Mileage Plus program and connection to our worldwide network, while at the same time creating something different," said Donohue.ý "We want everything about Ted to be a little bit unexpected, a little bit outside the norm.ý Ted will reveal even more of its personality as we continue to add destinations and hubs."
Ted will begin flying customers in February 2004, and by early April there will be 106 daily Ted flights offering service from Denver to Reno, Las Vegas, Phoenix, New Orleans, Tampa, Orlando, Ontario (California) and Fort Lauderdale, a new Ted market not previously served nonstop by United.ý Beyond Denver, Ted will also offer service between Las Vegas and Los Angeles, Las Vegas and San Francisco and San Francisco and Phoenix.
Tedýs pricing structure is simple, with just six fare types.ý Ted offers affordable everyday low fares and significantly reduced fully refundable walk-up fares.ý Lower promotional fares may be available to select destinations. Some sample pricing includes:
Sample everyday low fares are each way based on required roundtrip purchase and are non-refundable.ý See below for details. *
Denver-New Orleans $159
Denver-Ft. Lauderdale $139
Denver-Las Vegas $164
Denver-Phoenix $169
Denver-Reno $149
Los Angeles-Las Vegas $59
San Francisco-Las Vegas $126
Sample walk-up fares are one-way and are fully refundable.ý See below for details. **
Denver-Ft. Lauderdale $409
Denver-Las Vegas $409
Denver-Phoenix $409
Denver-Reno $409
Los Angeles-Las Vegas $193
San Francisco-Las Vegas $275
San Francisco-Phoenix $330
The Ted fleet will feature the popular Airbus A320 aircraft exclusively, launching with four planes converted from our existing fleet based in Denver and expanding to as many as 45 planes by the end of 2004 -- 19 of which will be based in Denver.ý Each A320 will have 18 more seats than United's mainline A320s -- due to a single class of service -- for a total of 156 seats.
Tickets go on sale today online at flyted.com and all of United's regular distribution channels including 1-800-UNITED1 and united.com.ý More destinations and hubs will be added in the futureý.stay tuned.
About United
TED Unmasked United, United Express and Ted (OTCBB: UALAQ.OB) operate more than 3,400 flights a day on a route network that spans the globe.ý News releases and other information about United can be found at the company's web site atýwww.united.com.
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*EVERYDAY-LOW FARE FACTS: Fares above are each way based on required roundtrip purchase for United Economyý travel on TedSM. Seats are limited and may not be available on all flights/dates. Purchase Requirements: Tickets require a 14-day advance purchase and must be ticketed within 24 hours of making reservations. Fares apply to U.S. point-of-sale only. Reservations and ticket purchases on united.com must be completed simultaneously. Travel Days/Dates: Fares above apply to travel beginning on the following dates: Denver-Las Vegas, Denver-Ft. Lauderdale, and Las Vegas-San Francisco on 2/12/04, Denver-Reno on 2/15/04, Denver-New Orleans on 2/21/04, Denver-Ontario, CA on 2/27/04, Denver-Tampa 3/4/04, Denver-Phoenix, Denver-Orlando, and San Francisco-Phoenix on 3/13/04, and Las Vegas-Los Angeles 3/25/04. Min./Max. Stay: Fares require a one-night minimum stay, exceptions noted below. The maximum stay is 30 days. Additional Taxes/Fees: U.S. fares do not include a $3 per flight segment tax.ýý A flight segment is defined as one takeoff and one landing.ýý Fares do not include the September 11th Security Fee of up to $10 maximum per roundtrip or Passenger Facility Charges of up to $18, which may be collected depending on the itinerary. Itinerary Changes: Tickets are non-refundable.ý No changes may be made after ticketed departure date for any portion of the ticket.ý Tickets whose reservations are cancelled prior to the ticketed departure date are valid for travel one year from the original issuance date.ý Changes made on or before departure are subject to fare rules and a service charge of $100.ý If a reservation is not cancelled before the ticketed departure date, the ticket has no value. Other Conditions: Fares are subject to change without notice. Other restrictions may apply. Lower fares may be available to select destinations.ý Exceptions for Min. Stay: Fares for Orlando, New Orleans, and Ontario, CA require a three-night minimum stay.
**WALK-UP FARE FACTS: Fares above are one-way for United Economyý travel on TedSM. Seats are limited and may not be available on all flights/dates. Purchase Requirements: Tickets require no advance purchase and must be ticketed one hour prior to scheduled departure time. Fares apply to U.S. point-of-sale only. Reservations and ticket purchases on united.com must be completed simultaneously. Travel Days/Dates: Fares above apply to travel beginning on the following dates: Denver-Las Vegas, Denver-Ft. Lauderdale, and Las Vegas-San Francisco on 2/12/04, Denver-Reno on 2/15/04, Denver-New Orleans on 2/21/04, Denver-Ontario, CA on 2/27/04, Denver-Tampa 3/4/04, Denver-Phoenix, Denver-Orlando, and San Francisco-Phoenix on 3/13/04, and Las Vegas-Los Angeles 3/25/04. ý Min./Max. Stay: Fares require no minimum or maximum stay. Additional Taxes/Fees: Fares do not include a $3 per flight segment tax.ýý A flight segment is defined as one takeoff and one landing.ýý Fares do not include the September 11th Security Fee of up to $10 maximum per roundtrip or Passenger Facility Charges of up to $18, which may be collected depending on the itinerary.ý Itinerary Changes: Tickets are fully refundable. Other Conditions: Fares are subject to change without notice. Other restrictions may apply. Lower fares may be available to select destinations.
