United Airlines Continues to Award $125,000 in Cash to Employees for Excellent Customer Service

Customers also receive awards as part of company's initiative to further improve customer service

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Apr 26, 2013, 01:15 ET

GUAM, April 26, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- United Airlines has awarded $125,000 to employees across the company for excellence in customer service as part of the company's Outperform Recognition Program. The company held a celebration on Thursday at A.B. Won Pat International Airport on Guam. This is the second program recognition event.

Launched in June 2012, the Outperform Recognition Program invites eligible customers who are MileagePlus members to nominate eligible employees for service at the airport, on the phone, on a flight, or at any other point in their experience with United and United Express. Employees from all work groups, including pilots, flight attendants, ramp and customer service employees, may be nominated.

The airline randomly selected 16 winning employees from more than 5,200 customer nominations submitted during the three-month nomination period of the program from October through December 2012.

"I am excited to continue recognizing and rewarding our co-workers who delivered excellent service to our customers. It's our job to provide our customers with the best experience possible when they're traveling with us," said Kyle Betterton, United's managing director, Airports – Americas, Asia and EMEA, who attended the celebration event in Guam to present the grand prize to the winning employee and an award to the customer who nominated her. "More than 5,200 employees around the system were nominated by our customers for their outstanding service during the period, and I am very proud to be part of this great team."

Mayflor Hattori, a Guam-based Airport Service Agent, won the Grand Prize of $50,000 in cash for service she provided to customer Marybeth Torres at Guam airport last fall.

"Mayflor was very helpful, pleasant and made me feel like I was important," said Marybeth Torres. "I had to make changes to my travel and add another itinerary for a family member in the U.S. and she responded, 'You can make as many changes as you need, I'm here to help you and get you where you need to go, how can I help you?' Mayflor is an excellent example of our island spirit and represents the warm hospitality. She made me feel valued. I am grateful for the program that provides an opportunity for customers to recognize excellent customer service. It's because of the service that I receive from the moment I pick up the phone to make my reservations, checking in at the airport and on the airplane, that United continues to be my airline of choice for all my travel."

Click here to download a high-resolution photo of the Grand Prize winning employee and customer.

For submitting the winning Grand Prize nomination, the airline awarded Marybeth Torres with a voucher for two round-trip tickets valid for international travel to anywhere United flies. Other customers who submitted winning nominations received frequent flyer mileage awards.

The following employees also demonstrated outstanding customer service and received cash prizes:

$25,000 to Patty P., lead United Club representative from Houston
$10,000 to Jing-Rung (Jean) L., flight attendant from Tokyo
$5,000 to Francesca D., flight attendant from Newark
$5,000 to Gina M., reservations agent from Detroit
$5,000 to Holly D., flight attendant from Houston
$2,500 to Laurie W., flight attendant from Houston
$2,500 to Sally W., customer service representative from Chicago
$2,500 to Janice H., sales account manager from Greensboro, North Carolina
$2,500 to Paula P., flight attendant from San Francisco
$2,500 to Jennifer B., customer service representative from Cleveland
$2,500 to Dusty C., flight attendant from Seattle
$2,500 to Maria M., flight attendant from Newark
$2,500 to Melody G., flight attendant from Denver
$2,500 to Debbie B., United Express flight attendant from Houston
$2,500 to Maree S., flight attendant from Los Angeles

Below is a sample of comments that customers submitted about the winning employees:

"She provided fabulous service on flight 1425. She was customer oriented with a 'can do' attitude, friendly, team player; a real role model."
"I was traveling with a broken foot, cast, and crutches. Paula went out of her way to offer help and made sure I had a wheelchair waiting for me upon landing. Paula made my travel experience much more tolerable due to her kind heart and attention to guest needs. Thanks Paula!! You deserve to be recognized!"
"Sally has continued to go above and beyond all the years I have known her, and all the years I have been with Global Services."
"I enjoyed observing the fine teamwork of the flight attendants in my section. They made passengers feel special."
"Long delay could have been a problem; this charming flight attendant kept it calm and tension free. Great Job!"

The current Outperform Recognition Program nomination period runs from Apr. 2 through June 30, 2013.

For more information on the program, including the Official Rules and eligibility requirements, customers can visit www.united.com/outperform. Customers can nominate employees using United's mobile app, United.com, Unitedhub.com, as well as United's Facebook page.

The Outperform Recognition Program builds on the airline's additional employee reward and recognition programs, such as awarding cash payouts for meeting on-time performance goals. Employees can also win brand new cars for achieving perfect attendance.

About United

United Airlines and United Express operate an average of 5,446 flights a day to more than 370 airports across six continents. In 2012, United and United Express carried more passenger traffic than any other airline in the world and operated nearly two million flights carrying 140 million customers. United is investing in upgrading its onboard products and now offers more flat-bed seats in its premium cabins and more extra-legroom economy-class seating than any airline in North America. In 2013, United became the first U.S.-based international carrier to offer satellite-based Wi-Fi on long-haul overseas routes. The airline also features

DIRECTV® on nearly 200 aircraft, offering customers more live television access than any other airline in the world. United operates nearly 700 mainline aircraft and has made large-scale investments in its fleet. In 2013, United will continue to modernize its fleet by taking delivery of more than two dozen new Boeing aircraft. The company expanded its industry-leading global route network in 2012, launching nine new international and 18 new domestic routes. Business Traveler magazine awarded United Best Airline for North American Travel for 2012, and readers of Global Traveler magazine have voted United's MileagePlus program the best frequent flyer program for nine consecutive years. United is a founding member of Star Alliance, which provides service to 194 countries via 27 member airlines. More than 85,000 United employees reside in every U.S. state and in countries around the world. For more information, visit united.com or follow United on Twitter and Facebook. The common stock of United's parent, United Continental Holdings, Inc., is traded on the NYSE under the symbol UAL.

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SOURCE United Airlines