UAL chief executive Glenn Tilton was doing his best to reassure United customers and boost employee morale at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport early Monday.
In an early morning appearance at the airport -- one of United's two major hubs along with Denver, Colorado -- Tilton glad-handed customers before heading back downtown for an 11am (Chicago time) bankruptcy hearing in US district court.
But the announcement that the Chicago-based aviation titan had filed for bankruptcy had obviously rattled passengers.
"It sounds like they're going to keep flying," said Chicago businessman, Mike Lewis, 44. "I would fly United the way it is."
Others suggested they would keep flying United if the price was right.
"My business office books my tickets and it's all about price," said Kim Vogt, 31, who was waiting for her lost luggage from Des Moines, Iowa, to show up.
For others, the issue was frequent flier miles, and how soon could they spend them.
"I've got a lot of frequent flier miles and I'm worried about their value in the future," said Gary Anderson, 42.
Terrie Vyborny, who was returning from a vacation in New York, was more concerned about the implications for the fragile US economy.
"I'm worried that a big company like that could go out of business."
The carrier's 83,000 employees were clinging to the fact that while more downsizing is inevitable -- the airline has cut close to 20,000 staff and slashed capacity by about 25 percent since September 2001 -- closure is not.
"Nobody is talking about us closing. This is a reorganization. Everybody is going to get their pay check," said Herb Hunter, a Miami-based United pilot and pilot spokesman.
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