As a global airline, our role as a force for good is an important part of our identity. When communities experience hardship from natural disasters, United works to provide relief and restoration for those who have been impacted.
When Super Typhoon Mawar made landfall in Guam in late May of this year, flooding the Pacific island and taking out integral infrastructure and power in its wake, our United teams jumped into action. We pulled together vital resources, such as community aid partners and medical and service personnel, to administer support and resources. As the only U.S. air carrier to fly to Guam, and as Guam’s hometown airline of 55 years, our main goal was to restore the impacted communities using our best assets: our aircraft.
In the days and weeks following the super typhoon, we operated multiple humanitarian flights, carrying more than 40,000 pounds of cargo, including water; hygiene, comfort, and cleanup kits; IT equipment to help restore telecommunications; and blood products for local hospitals and clinics, in collaboration with the American Red Cross and Airlink. Arriving with this cargo were more than 150 hardworking volunteers who were ready to help and render aid to impacted residents and visitors of Guam.
Our United team worked around the clock, using our immediate response programs to quickly deploy supplies and aid to ensure the safety of all those on the island, including our 800 employees. We are proud of their work to ensure that we take care of each other.
As recovery efforts continue in Guam, so does our commitment of support to the communities where we live, work, and fly. It is a part of our values, as a company with a network that reaches across the globe. When catastrophe strikes, we stand shoulder to shoulder, ready to jump in and help restore, rebuild, and renew.
In times of hardship, I am reminded that what we’re building here at United transcends being the world’s largest airline. Rather, we’re also creating a network of impassioned people to lean on and support one another, both in the workplace and beyond. With this as our North Star, we become not just the world’s largest airline, but the world’s best airline.
We’re grateful to have you onboard, and it’s our pleasure to be of service—whether in the air or on the ground in communities of need.
Sincerely,
Brett Hart
President, United Airlines
