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Greetings

Change Is in the Air

AT UNITED, we care about the things you care about — a safe, reliable and consistent travel experience with the products and services you value — and we are focused on the fundamentals of delivering that experience.

Our on-time arrival performance was first among network carriers through the first four months of 2009. More international aircraft with upgraded premium cabins are coming into service. We are also returning first-class service to nearly 60 of our domestic aircraft and outfitting the economy cabins with leather seats. Leather will ultimately be the standard across all of our narrow-body aircraft. Throughout our fleet, we are making investments and improvements to keep our cabins clean and workable, something you should expect and a standard that we are proud to deliver.

Additionally, we’re testing new meals and snack items to expand your choices, while continuing to provide more interesting entertainment options during your time with us.

Your experience — and our performance — is the direct result of the efforts of our people. We are increasingly united in our focus on running an airline that all of us can be proud of and that you value. Many of you have noticed the difference. You have shared that with us, and we, in turn, are sharing that feedback with our people. Doing so keeps us connected with what matters most to you.

One of our newest changes is Hemispheres, our award-winning inflight magazine for the past 17 years. We’ve refreshed our publication with more of the stories that speak directly to your wide-ranging interests, with top-notch writing and contemporary design, as well as more of the beautiful photography and thoughtful illustration for which this magazine has come to be known.

Whether your destination is around the world, across country or a city nearby, it is our pleasure to serve you. We hope you enjoy the redesigned Hemispheres as another component of your overall onboard experience.

Sincerely

JOHN P. TAGUE
Executive Vice President
and Chief Operating Officer
United Airlines, Inc.

Ready for Takeoff

I’LL ADMIT it’s a stretch to compare our good friends at United Airlines to the House of Medici, the wealthy merchants whose patronage supported the work of Da Vinci, Galileo and others.

The Medicis lived extravagantly, after all, while United is made up of hardworking types who mostly concern themselves with things like route networks and on-time performance ratings and getting us all safely from point A to point B. The Medicis were power-mad, while the people at United just need you, pretty please, to turn off your cell phone. And as for attire, let’s just say I’ve never encountered a floppy hat at United HQ.

But when United brought in a new editorial team to put out Hemispheres, the airline did a very Medici-like thing. They asked us to reinvent the title from the ground up. There was no talk of focus groups or fretting over demographic data points; just a lot of excitement about working together to publish the best magazine in the skies. The new Hemispheres was to have a contemporary design and a fresh editorial vision. The voice was to be smart and engaged, friendly and personal, and the range of content broadened to better reflect the incredible diversity of United’s customer base.

The results are in your hands — a magazine that aims to illuminate the world, to make your flight more enjoyable, and to bring you stories you might not find elsewhere, at 35,000 feet, or on terra firma. Fans of the old magazine will still find some of their favorite elements. Three Perfect Days, Hemispheres’ venerable signature feature, remains albeit with some exciting extras, as does the airline’s “Voices” column. And yes, we still have a crossword and sudoku. The rest, for the most part, is new. We won’t claim it’s the Mona Lisa, but in time we hope it can become the best inflight magazine in the skies. We’d love to hear what you think.

Let us know at hemispheres.ed@ink-publishing.com or by visiting www.hemispheresmagazine.com

Warm regards

AARON GELL
Editor in Chief

3 Responses to “Greetings”

  1. Eric Hanson Says:
    June 9th, 2009 at 9:53 pm

    I was disappointed when Hemispheres shut down. I thought of all those passengers who now had to talk to the person next to them. I was also a contributing writer and illustrator. Some of my first gigs were with inflight magazines. I loved writing (and illustrating) for a well-traveled, literate audience with sophisticated tastes and broad experience. The kind of people I would actually talk to on a plane if their noses weren't in the magazine…

    (My new book is A BOOK OF AGES, published by Harmony/Random House. I try to be seen reading it whenever I am on a plane.)

  2. Kt Davis Says:
    June 30th, 2009 at 2:14 pm

    Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiya :)

  3. King James's School Says:
    June 30th, 2009 at 2:18 pm

    I'm doing travel and tourism and i'm wondering if you could give me any information about your policies, processes and responses to customer services?