Help Wanted: Tilton's United To Hire 4,000

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Feb 28, 2003
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Help Wanted: Tilton's United To Hire 4,000
Greg Levine - Forbes.com

New York - Miracles do happen. Just ask Glenn Tilton.

He's the chairman and chief executive of UAL (nasdaq: UAUA - news - people ), and the corporate parent of United Airlines had the sort of news that the industry has missed for years.

United is hiring.

After three torturous years, the carrier finally emerged from Chapter 11 protection on Feb. 1. Like rival legacies Delta Air Lines and US Airways (nyse: LCC - news - people ), Tilton's firm had brutal rounds of layoffs and radical revamping. According to the Chicago Tribune, while bankrupt, United had slashed nearly 25,000 jobs.

But now, the firm is back. In a message to workers late Thursday, the CEO said United's new focus would be on "the important investments that we are making in our people" as well as "our ability to deliver on customers' expectations."

Toward the first end, the carrier said it will hire as many as 4,000 people over 2006. The jobs include some 250 international flight attendants and 2,000 attendants for domestic flights--many of whom are reportedly already in training.

As of Feb. 13, UAL's shares had been upgraded five times by four different research firms.

At Delta, on the other hand, one shouldn't expect either employees or customers to be thrilled.

The No. 3 U.S. carrier, which filed for bankruptcy protection on Sept. 14--the same day as Northwest Airlines--said it'll start passing on to customers the so-called passenger facility charges.

Those are fees that local airports impose to fund improvements; previously, Delta had paid them. According to The Associated Press, the airline said the move will up ticket prices between $3 and $4.50 each way for some connecting flights in the U.S.

As to employees: Some 275 Delta pilots paraded through the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Thursday, quietly protesting the company's effort to trash their contract and impose up to $325 million in pay and benefit cuts.

After three terrible years, United looks even better when you consider the field.