Originally Posted by Indelaware

Dear Mr. Munoz,

Put aside the demands of a small, but vocal, number of passengers for quick changes in first/business classes, for demands of upgrades, for different coffee/meals, and in the fleet.

The most important thing for you to concentrate on is respecting your employees. With that you will earn their respect. They will work better and harder. And they will be open to giving you real constructive feedback if your ears and heart are truly open to them.

Once you have your employees on board - and they are already hopeful and happy - then it will be much easier to win and (re)win customers. Customers, the ones that count, really only want one thing: to be treated with respect both by United management and by rank-in-file employees. Treat your employees right and they will respect each of your customers, both the high fare customer and the discount flyer; your employees will also help you to understand how United can best respect its customers.

Make sure that every employee knows that each of them is worth having and that each of them come from airlines with proud history. Take a lesson from Parker but go a step further: paint a few planes in former UA colors, a few more in former CO colors, and each of the other historical liveries. Boeing Air Transport, Capitol Airlines, Continental Airlines, Air Micronesia, New York Air, Pioneer Airlines, People Express Airlines, Texas International Airlines, National Air Transport, Pacific Air Transport, Varney Airlines, and Varney Speed Lines. By using each and every historical name, you won't offend anyone. Neither employees nor passengers.

But it all starts with the employees. With them United can win, without them, not.