Former CEO of ATA Brings In-Depth Industry Experience, Proven Track Record to UAL

United Airlines Sunday announced John Tague has been named to the newly created position of executive vice president - Customer, with responsibility for Worldwide Alliances, Marketing, United Loyalty Services, Advertising, Sales, Reservations and Cargo.

Tague served most recently as President and Chief Executive Officer at ATA Holdings Corp., the tenth largest U.S. passenger airline. Before that, he was Executive Vice President of Marketing and Planning. At United, he will report to Glenn Tilton, chairman, president and chief executive officer, and will assume his responsibilities on May 12, 2003.

Formula For Growth?

At ATA, Tague was the architect of a business strategy that enabled the company to successfully grow from $300 million in sales to $1.4 billion. He also negotiated transactions that enabled ATA to move from one of the oldest fleets in the industry to the youngest; managed aggressively the company's successful post-9/11 response; and worked successfully with financial sponsors and the investment community. During Tague's tenure as CEO, ATA was named best-managed medium-sized airline worldwide by Aviation Week and Space Technology magazine. Prior to joining ATA, he headed Planning and Marketing at Midway, and helped take revenues from $200 million to $750 million.

"John Tague truly understands the dynamics of this industry, its customer base and the unique challenges we all face," said Tilton. "As United focuses on revenue enhancement and the customer experience, John's breadth of knowledge will serve us well not only in his role as EVP-Customer, but as a member of our core executive team."

Building A New Foundation

"United has an asset base, operating performance record and, now, cost structure that give it an unmatched platform from which to build, so I am particularly excited to have this opportunity," said Tague. "United enjoys tremendous loyalty among the traveling public and a powerful brand, and I am looking forward to helping enhance the value that we can offer our customers. During our discussions, I was particularly impressed with the leadership of Glenn Tilton and his team. And I greatly admire the tremendous positive contribution being made by United employees both operationally on the job and financially. I am proud and honored to be joining the people of United as we move forward."

FMI: www.united.com