SR0721 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0721 LRB104 21455 MST 36606 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate wish to congratulate United Airlines on the 100th anniversary of its founding; and

WHEREAS, The aviation pioneer Walter T. Varney began providing air transport of mail service on April 6, 1926, and this is considered one of the foundational pillars of modern commercial air service; and

WHEREAS, Walter Varney, the proprietor of Varney Air Service, was involved in a consolidation of various companies, and those companies organized to become what is now known as United Airlines; and

WHEREAS, Boeing Air Transport, a subsidiary that evolved into the entity that became United Airlines, was the first to employ a "flying nurse"; in 1930, Ellen Church, a licensed pilot and nurse, was the founder of the "sky girls", women hired to calm sick and frightened passengers; in addition to providing nursing while onboard, the sky girls loaded luggage, helped fuel the plane, and collected tickets; the sky girls are the forerunners to today's flight attendants who are essential safety professionals aboard every commercial flight; and

WHEREAS, United Airlines was the first to operate the Boeing 247 in 1933, and the operation of this aircraft made coast to coast service possible in less than 20 hours; and

WHEREAS, United Airlines has long been committed to excellent customer service, including opening the world's first flight kitchen in 1936; and

WHEREAS, United Airlines has long been committed to the use of technology to improve training and operations; it was the first airline to train pilots on electronic flight simulators in 1954 and the first airline to use an operational jet bridge in 1958; and

WHEREAS, United Airlines was the first to fly both the Boeing 767 and 777, the cornerstones of twin-engine wide body service; and

WHEREAS, In 1984, United Airlines was the first domestic carrier to fly to all 50 states and used the moniker, "First to Fifty", to celebrate this feat; and

WHEREAS, After showing commitment to connecting all 50 states, United Airlines partnered with international carriers to create the first global airline alliance, Star Alliance, which today has 25 airline members and provides service to more than 190 countries and more than 1,100 airports; and

WHEREAS, United Airlines continuously shows its commitment and leadership on environmental issues; in 2021, it was the first airline to fly passengers with 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF); and

WHEREAS, As United Airlines continues to connect people and unite the world, it does so by keeping people connected throughout their travels; it is the first major U.S. airline to roll out Starlink, which provides the same high speed, low-latency internet service in the air as internet customers enjoy on the ground; and

WHEREAS, United Airlines is the first to fly 1,000 mainline aircraft, which makes it the world's largest airline; and

WHEREAS, United Airlines is headquartered in Chicago and proudly employs more than 18,000 people in the local area; entities that later became United Airlines have served Chicago since 1927, and this includes service at Chicago Municipal Airport, which later became Midway, and later Chicago O'Hare International Airport; and

WHEREAS, United Airlines recently announced more than 750 flights to serve O'Hare International Airport, including year-round service to multiple international locations, including London, Paris, Tokyo, Frankfurt, Brussels, Munich, Amsterdam, Zurich, Sao Paul, Dublin, and Tel Aviv, which is further evidence of its commitment to connecting people and uniting the world, showing why it has earned the nickname of Chicago's Hometown Airline; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate United Airlines on its 100th anniversary and express our gratitude for its century of service; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to United Airlines as a symbol of our respect and esteem.