Chicago (February 19, 2004) - As the official airline sponsor of the Academy Awards, United Airlines will roll out the red carpet today for the Oscar statuettes and the passengers of Oscar Flight # 109. Transporting 50 Oscars from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport to Los Angeles International Airport this morning, United and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences are partnering to transport the Oscars that will be presented on February 29th at the 76th Annual Academy Awards Ceremony.

�For many years United has played an important role supporting the entertainment industry, and we are excited to be involved in this important event to recognize the achievements from the year past," said Martin White, United�s Senior Vice President of Marketing. �In addition to carrying the Oscar statuettes, we will also provide transportation to many Oscar nominees, presenters and special guests who will travel to Los Angeles for the Awards ceremony.�

Upon arrival today at the Los Angeles International Airport, Terminal 7, Gate 72 at 12:19 p.m. (PST), the flight will be met by Frank Pierson, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Martin White will be arriving on Oscar Flight # 109 and media have been invited to witness the arrival of the statuettes and attend a special reception in United�s Red Carpet Club.

The flight will feature star treatment for its passengers, with champagne provided by Gloria Ferrar. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences granted special permission to United Airlines to incorporate a 4 foot high, 20 inch-wide image of the Oscar statuette onto the aircraft for the Flight of the Oscars. Designed in San Francisco by a team of commissioned engineers, the image of the Oscar was applied by a special process onto both sides of the aircraft�s fuselage by a team of highly trained technicians from United Operations.

As part of its partnership with United, the Academy will make four tickets available for the Red Carpet Arrival bleacher seats on Oscar night, through a sweepstakes on United�s 1K member website. The Sweepstakes began earlier this week and winners will be selected by February 23th. The winners will also receive an invitation to the exclusive event �The Night Before,� benefiting the Motion Picture and Television Fund.

During the Oscar broadcast United will also debut a new global brand campaign, introducing a new visual look created by Academy recognized animation artists. The campaign debuted in print on February 18th and will have its television premiere in key United cities during the Academy Awards telecast on February 29th.

United, United Express and Ted operate more than 3,400 flights a day on a route network that spans the globe. News releases and other information about United can be found at the company's web site at www.united.com .

Media Contact: Patricia Karedis E patricia.j.karedis@united.com T +61 2 9292 4413