United has a rich history, tracing its roots to 1926 and the historic flight of a predecessor company. Walter T. Varney initiated contract airmail service from Pasco, Washington to Elko, Nevada, which marked the true beginning of commercial air transportation and the birth of United Airlines.
The United name first appeared in 1929 when Boeing Airplane and Transport Corporation, the holding company that owned and operated Boeing Airplane Company, Boeing Air Transport, Pacific Air Transport, changed its name to United Aircraft and Transport Corporation. United Air Lines was the name originally adopted for the transport divisions.
United, a founding member of the Star Alliance network, offers flights to 117 destinations in 26 countries, and two U.S. territories. United also offers a network of connecting flights through its marketing arrangements with three regional U.S. carriers operating under the brand name of United Express.
United offers approximately 1,800 scheduled daily departures and flies more than 172,787 passengers each day. In 2001, United carried more than 75 million passengers.
United employs 84,359 people worldwide, including 8,818 pilots, 22,448 flight attendants, 14,647 public service union employees, 22,410 mechanic/related and 16,036 management and non-union employees.
