United adjusts flight schedules for Guam

GUAM—United Airlines announced yesterday that it will be making adjustments to its Guam flight schedules due to the decline in demand resulting from the COVID-19 outbreak in the region. This adjustment comes after the recent announcement that United is taking additional steps to reduce its international and domestic schedules as a result of the weakened demand. The adjusted schedule will be effective at the end of March through the end of April.

United also announced that the Island Hopper will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from March 29 through April 27. The Wednesday flight will not be landing in Kwajalein between April 1 and 30.

Sam Shinohara, United managing director for airport operations for Asia/Pacific said, “As a result of the decline in demand for travel in our region, United is temporarily adjusting our flight schedules for Guam. We are monitoring the situation closely and are committed to working with the visitors bureaus and stakeholders in the region to rebuild demand for travel and return to normal operations as soon as possible.”

Given the high level of uncertainty regarding travel, United is working to give customers more flexibility by waiving change fees for any booking – domestic or international – made between March 3 and March 31. The waiver applies to all tickets, all fare types, all destinations, all points-of-sale and all travel dates available for sale. For more information visit https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/travel/notices.html. United customers can contact united.com, United reservations at 1-800-UNITED-1 (1-800-864-8331), their travel agent, or United’s City Ticket Office in Guam for assistance with their flights.

Shinohara added, “We will continue to communicate closely with our partners, our island’s leaders, and our customers to keep them informed of any changes that may arise. We thank our customers for their understanding and continued support.”

The impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak continues to evolve rapidly. The safety of our customers and employees is and always will be our top priority.

United teams are in daily contact with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), federal agencies and other global health organizations to share the most up-to-the-minute information. What’s more, United has a team of in-house medical experts, including an industrial hygienist who reviews and tests cleaning products and a corporate medical team who are on-call, around the clock. United also partners with MedAire, an organization that gives crewmembers ready access to an emergency department doctor for advice and assistance.

The dynamic nature of this outbreak requires United to be nimble and flexible in how it responds, provides service, and protects our customers and employees. Here are some of the ways we are taking action.

Aircraft cleaning

All aircraft are cleaned at a variety of touchpoints throughout the day.

The cleaning procedure for flights includes a thorough wipe-down of all hard surfaces touched by customers and employees — lavatories, galleys, tray tables, window shades and armrests.

United uses an effective, high-grade disinfectant and multi-purpose cleaner.

When we are advised by the CDC of an employee or customer who has traveled onboard and who is potentially exhibiting coronavirus symptoms, that aircraft is taken out of service and sent through a full decontamination process that includes our standard cleaning procedures plus washing ceilings and overhead bins and scrubbing the interior.

United aircraft are equipped with state-of-the-art circulation systems, similar to those found in hospitals, which use a high-efficiency (HEPA) filter to circulate the air and removes up to 99.7% of airborne particles.

Soon, we will start using an electrostatic fogger to disinfect the air and surfaces within the cabin on all international arrivals into our U.S. Hubs, Honolulu and Guam.

In flight

To limit person-to-person contamination, we have instituted the following procedures on board:

• We have stopped refilling used cups and glasses in all cabins. If a customer requests a refill, our flight attendants will provide a new cup or glass.

• Customers may now see flight attendants wearing gloves during food and beverage service as well as during pickup, in all cabins.

• Our flight attendants will hand all beverages directly to the customer, instead of allowing the customer to take their own from the tray.

• All tableware, dishes, cutlery, carts and glassware are washed and sanitized.

• We’ve added supplies for our crews on segments flown to Alert Level 2 zones and upward: gloves, masks, alcohol-based hand sanitizer, sani-com wipes, foaming hand soap, and disinfectant wipes as supply becomes available.

In airports

• Providing hand sanitizer for use in our crew and break rooms, lounges and gates.
• Ensuring regular disinfection of common surfaces inside our airport terminals.

What you can do

According to the CDC, the National Safety Council, and the WHO:

• Wash your hands often – and thoroughly – with soap and water for at least 20

seconds

• Alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol content is a good secondary
option

• Cover your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing

• Avoid touching your nose, mouth and eyes with unwashed hands

• Use gloves and masks as needed

• Get a flu shot if you haven’t already

• If you’re sick – stay home

How to stay informed

For more detailed information about COVID-19, how it spreads and prevention and treatment please visit: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/index.html

Also, the CDC has updated their country index page where you can find up-to-date COVID-19 risk assessments by country.

Every customer. Every flight. Every day.

United continues to strengthen its commitment to its customers, looking at every aspect of its business to ensure that the carrier keeps customers’ best interests at the heart of its service. In addition to today’s announcement, United recently:

• Announced that MileagePlus award miles will never expire

• Committed $40 million toward a new investment initiative focused on accelerating the development of sustainable aviation fuels and other decarbonization technologies

• Established Miles on a Mission, a first-of-its-kind crowdsourcing platform which gives customers a simple way to donate miles to non-profit organizations and charities in need of air travel

• Launched ConnectionSaver, a digital tool dedicated to improving the experience for customers with connecting flights

• Instituted PlusPoints, new upgrade benefits for MileagePlus Premier members

• Gave Economy customers a choice of complimentary snacks on domestic flights

• Made DIRECTV free for every customer on more than 200 aircraft. (PR)