Wyndham Worldwide to Fly Carbon Neutral on United Airlines

Global hospitality company signs on as launch partner for airline's corporate carbon offset program

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Jul 27, 2015, 11:05 ET

CHICAGO, July 27, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- United Airlines and Wyndham Worldwide are working together to reduce carbon emissions associated with corporate air travel. The hospitality company, which is one of the largest in the world, has agreed to become an official launch partner for United's Eco-Skies CarbonChoice corporate carbon offset program. The Eco-Skies CarbonChoice program enables the airline's corporate customers to track and offset the emissions stemming from their business travel and freight shipments on United at the enterprise level.

"As the only U.S. airline to offer a corporate carbon offset program, United's CarbonChoice program represents another way for us to broaden and partner with our customers on environmental initiatives outside of our normal business relationship," said Angela Foster-Rice, Managing Director of Environmental Affairs at United Airlines. "This program underscores United's efforts to lead commercial aviation as an environmentally responsible company and we are thrilled to help play a role in Wyndham Worldwide's carbon footprint reduction efforts."

Through the CarbonChoice program, participating corporate customers receive customized enterprise-level carbon emissions reports and can purchase offsets to counterbalance the emissions associated with their transport, effectively allowing them to ship and travel carbon neutral on United. United's industry leading corporate offset program uses actual flight level data – recognizing aircraft type, routes, fuel consumption, payload, and customer-specific business travel and cargo shipments on United. The carbon offsets are available through United's partnership with global NGO Sustainable Travel International and enable participants to support projects designed to help reduce greenhouse gases as well as provide social and economic benefits to communities where those projects are located.

"Our commitment to sustainability extends across all facets of the Company," said Joanne McNellis Coelho, senior manager, Global Travel at Wyndham. "At Wyndham Worldwide, practicing sustainability doesn't just mean turning off the lights or using low flow faucets, it's about being innovative and working with colleagues across all functions of the Company and with key supply chain partners to make a difference. We are excited to be one of the first members of United's CarbonChoice program."

Wyndham Worldwide is a hospitality industry leader in sustainability and social responsible practices and has been named to both the Dow Jones North America and World Sustainability Indices; recognized by CDP, the world's largest global environmental disclosure system; and rated among the 2015 World's Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere Magazine, Corporate Responsibility Magazine's 100 Best Corporate Citizens, and DiversityInc's Top 50 Companies for Diversity.

Wyndham's corporate offset purchase will be invested in the GreenTrees' Advanced Carbon Restored Ecosystem (ACRE) project along the Mississippi River Valley. To date, GreenTrees and its landowners have planted over 36 million trees on nearly 100,000 acres along the Mississippi Alluvial.

United's carbon offset projects have obtained independent third-party verification and are registered with long-standing, well-respected carbon offset programs. United customers can learn more by visiting united.com/carbonchoice.

United's Eco-Skies Commitment to the Environment

United Airlines is committed to leading commercial aviation as an environmentally responsible company by taking actions today that shape an environmentally sustainable future. Through various fuel efficiency measures, in 2014 alone the company saved more than 100 million gallons of fuel, resulting in a reduction of more than one million metric tons of CO2 emissions. Since 1994, United has improved its fuel efficiency by 33 percent. United is also a leader in the advancement and use of alternative fuels, making history in commercial aviation with its partnership with AltAir Fuels to bring commercial-scale, cost-competitive renewable jet fuel to its Los Angeles hub later this year and its $30 million equity investment in Fulcrum BioEnergy, a pioneer in the development and commercialization of converting municipal solid waste into low-cost sustainable aviation biofuel.

For more information on United's commitment to the environment, visit united.com/ecoskies.

About United

United Airlines and United Express operate an average of nearly 5,000 flights a day to 373 airports across six continents. In 2014, United and United Express operated nearly two million flights carrying 138 million customers. United is proud to have the world's most comprehensive route network, including U.S. mainland hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. United operates nearly 700 mainline aircraft, and this year, the airline anticipates taking delivery of 34 new Boeing aircraft, including the 787-9 and the 737-900ER. United is also welcoming 49 new Embraer E175 aircraft to United Express. The airline is a founding member of Star Alliance, which provides service to 193 countries via 27 member airlines. More than 84,000 United employees reside in every U.S. state and in countries around the world. For more information, visit united.com, follow @United on Twitter or connect on Facebook. The common stock of United's parent, United Continental Holdings, Inc., is traded on the NYSE under the symbol UAL.

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SOURCE United Airlines