CHICAGO, Jan. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Customers are seeing a new look on United Airlines runways. Welcoming the new year, United is debuting new uniforms designed by Carhartt Company Gear (CCG) exclusively for the airline's 28,000 Technical Operations, Ramp Service and Catering Operations employees. CCG worked directly with United employees for nearly three years to create a collection of uniform pieces that deliver hard-working designs that stand up to the unique demands of their jobs.  

"This is more than a fashion statement for United Airlines," said Kate Gebo, executive vice president of Human Resources and Labor Relations at United Airlines. "This highly inclusive design process reflects how highly we value the input of our employees and union leadership.  Every day all over the globe our employees on the ground are facing the coldest colds and the hottest hots. Through our partnership with Carhartt – the leader in workwear – we've confidently created a uniform collection enabling our employees to look good and feel good while continuing to deliver the best service for our customers."

Approximately 1,000 employees from both domestic and international operations participated in focus groups and "wear tests" where their input was used to enhance garment features and functionality.  The Carhartt collection includes over 50 pieces, each designed to address our below-wing workforce's specific needs, like bottoms with custom-design pockets to fit wands and other tools, color-blocking on hi-visibility gear to address dirt and grime and fabrics designed to address the wide range of climate conditions across our system. As a part of this effort, Carhartt also put an emphasis on the women's collection, ensuring these employees have garments that have both proper fit and function. These various design elements and options created will help employees perform safely and efficiently.

"Carhartt Company Gear offers one of the most comprehensive and innovative workwear solutions in the marketplace and our relationship with United is a testament to our custom product offering," said Andi Donovan, senior vice president of Carhartt Company Gear. "Our goal is to work collaboratively with companies to outfit their entire operation with the best gear that fits their specific needs and based on the feedback we've received from those on the front lines at United, the new uniforms are working hard for each and every one of them."

The uniform refresh is part of a larger effort to revamp all United uniforms for more than 75,000 employees. Each decision with United's uniform design partners, Tracy Reese, Brooks Brothers and Carhartt, have been driven by employee feedback, with a focus on high quality fabrics, improved breathability and overall enhanced fit. The next step in this cohesive collection will be to complete a second wear test before revealing final designs from Brooks Brothers and Tracy Reese for flight attendants, pilots, and customer service representatives. United expects to share more information in summer 2020.

This is one of many recent investments United has made in its employees, demonstrating United's evolving employee culture which has been most recently recognized by the popular job search site indeed.com as a Top 50 Workplace for 2019.

• Announced that MileagePlus award miles will never expire
• Committed $40 million toward a new investment initiative focused on accelerating the development of sustainable aviation fuels and other decarbonization technologies
• Established Miles on a Mission, a first-of-its-kind crowdsourcing platform which gives customers a simple way to donate miles to non-profit organizations and charities in need of air travel
• Launched ConnectionSaver, a digital tool dedicated to improving the experience for customers with connecting flights
• Instituted PlusPoints, new upgrade benefits for MileagePlus Premier members
• Gave Economy customers a choice of complimentary snacks on domestic flights
• Made DIRECTV free for every customer on more than 200 aircraft

United's shared purpose is "Connecting People. Uniting the World." We are more focused than ever on our commitment to customers through a series of innovations and improvements designed to help build a great experience: Every customer. Every flight. Every day. Together, United and United Express operate approximately 5,000 flights a day to 362 airports across five continents. In 2019, United and United Express operated more than 1.7 million flights carrying more than 162 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 791 mainline aircraft and the airline's United Express partners operate 579 regional aircraft. United is a founding member of Star Alliance, which provides service to 195 countries via 26 member airlines. 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".

Established in 1889, Carhartt is a global premium workwear brand with a rich heritage of developing rugged products for workers on and off the job. Headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, with more than 5,500 associates worldwide, Carhartt is family-owned and managed by the descendants of the company's founder, Hamilton Carhartt. For more information, visit www.carhartt.com.

Carhartt Company Gear service model provides a wide range of businesses with the brands iconic and rugged products, which were built to serve and protect hardworking people. Learn more about Carhartt Company Gear partnering with United here: https://www.carhartt.com/LeadGeneratorView?storeId=10201&catalogId=10551&langId=-1&campaign=CCG).