CHICAGO, Sept. 22, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Commission on
Presidential Debates (CPD) has selected United Airlines as the
official airline for the 2020 Presidential and Vice Presidential
Debates. United will fly 65 CPD staff and crew to each of the four
debates being sponsored and produced by the Commission, starting
with the first Presidential debate on Sept.
29 at the Samson Pavilion at Case
Western Reserve University, on the main campus of Cleveland
Clinic. Cleveland Clinic is serving as Health Security Advisor to
the Commission on Presidential Debates, and earlier this year,
United partnered with Cleveland Clinic to guide the airline's
health and safety protocols. In addition to the Commission
production staff, United will be flying medical professionals from
Cleveland Clinic who will be onsite for the debates.
"The CPD is deeply grateful to United Airlines for generously
supporting the health and safety of the crew that will produce the
debates. The United States'
presidential debates are each watched by a global audience of more
than 100 million," said Janet H.
Brown, CPD's Executive Director. "The CPD is responsible for
four debates in three weeks —United's contribution to the
well-being of the production team helps ensure these important
voter education events take place."
United is also encouraging its employees to be active
participants in the election process. Today, on National Voter
Registration Day, the airline is kicking off an internal campaign
to inform, educate and provide access to voter resources so that
United team members know when and how to exercise their right to
vote. United is also encouraging staff to take time off so that
they may head to the polls early or on November 3, and airline employees are organizing
several volunteer initiatives in Chicago and in their local communities to help
get the word out about how to vote in the upcoming election.
"At United, our mission is to connect people and unite the world
– and one of the most important ways to do that is to engage in the
democratic process," said Brett
Hart, President of United Airlines. "That's why we have long
provided our employees with resources to help them get registered.
Since the start of the pandemic, we've overhauled our cleaning
measures through a program we call United CleanPlus and we're proud
that the CPD has placed their trust in United to safely fly their
people across the country to each of the four debate sites this
year."
While Cleveland Clinic is serving
as Health Security Advisor to CPD for all four 2020 general
election debates, United has also been working with Cleveland
Clinic to guide the airline's health and safety protocols. Since
the start of the pandemic, United has been a leader among U.S.
airlines in enacting new policies and innovations designed to keep
employees and passengers safer when traveling. It was the first
U.S. airline to mandate masks for flight attendants, quickly
following with all customers and employees. United was also among
the first U.S. carriers to announce it wouldn't permit customers
who refused to comply with the airline's mandatory mask policy to
fly with them while the face mask policy is in place. United was
also the first U.S. airline to roll out touchless check-in for
customers with bags, and the first to require passengers take an
online health assessment before traveling. And last week, the
airline announced it will apply Zoono Microbe Shield, an EPA
registered antimicrobial coating that forms a long-lasting bond
with surfaces and inhibits the growth of microbes, to its entire
mainline and express fleet before the end of the year.
"United took early action to curb the spread of COVID-19 in
airports and onboard flights. By continuously updating protocols
and implementing multiple layers of precautions, they have
demonstrated an ongoing commitment to health and safety," said
James Merlino, M.D., Chief Clinical
Transformation Officer at Cleveland Clinic.
For more details on all the ways United is helping keep
customers safe during their journey, please
visit united.com/cleanplus.
About United
United's shared purpose is "Connecting People. Uniting the
World." For more information, visit united.com, follow @United on
Twitter and Instagram or connect on Facebook. The common stock of
United's parent, United Airlines Holdings, Inc., is traded on the
Nasdaq under the symbol "UAL".
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SOURCE United Airlines