Vintage 1990s United Airlines Shuttle by United Bag Luggage Tag - NOS NIP

Description

Here's the deal, folks:
I have been unemployed for the past <
gulp
> 22 months
and have never needed money more than now. So I have been scouring through many boxes of items stored at my home in search of things that I don't use/need anymore to sell and help pay the bills. Please feel free to bid generously! I am happy to combine shipping on all items won within a 72-hour period -
just let me know your plan
in advance
and do not pay individual auto-generated eBay invoices. Thanks and good luck bidding! Here are the details on this authentic vintage item:
Description:
Vintage 1990s United Airlines Shuttle by United Bag Luggage Tag - NOS NIP
Color/Materials: White plastic w/ blue & red imprint
Please Ask Me as Many Questions Needed to Make an Informed Bidding Decision
Condition:
Used Vintage Condition / Photos Best Describe Condition / Please View Photos to Determine Condition for Yourself / I am Not a Collector, so Please Ask Me as Many Questions Needed to Make an Informed Bidding Decision
Provenance:
From the Estate of a 50-Year United Airlines Flight Attendant Who Retired in 2005
Photography:
My photos are designed to make each item's flaws stand out so you can see them prominently and not be surprised when received. In natural daylight, I believe that most of my items look better than in my photos. Just let me know if you need more photos to make an informed bidding decision.
Note:
I have been unemployed since the end of April 2019 and am disposing of many items that have been sitting around the house for many years in order to help "pay the bills." I have been a recreational eBay seller since 1998 and have maintained a 99%+ positive feedback rating for more than 21 years.
My Pledge to You:
I will provide you with "Damage-Proof" Secure Packaging, Speedy Shipping, Honest & Accurate Descriptions, and Photos that Highlight Each Item's Flaws (
and Not Try to Hide or Mask Them)
What I Ask of You:
After receiving your purchase, please leave me positive feedback if the transaction has met or exceeded your expectations - I will do the same for you. And please contact me immediately if in the rare instance the transaction did not meet your expectations. I will try my best to resolve the issue, but that is impossible to do if you leave negative feedback without contacting me. But it's also your responsibility to make sure that you know what you have bid on and purchased. I am not an expert on 95% of the items I sell on eBay, so I list items to the best of my knowledge and online research.
COMBINED SHIPPING TERMS (
PLEASE READ
):
I'm able to combine shipping
ONLY
if you make your request in advance of payment so I can send you a combined invoice.
I AM UNABLE TO PROVIDE YOU WITH A COMBINED SHIPPING DISCOUNT IF YOU PAY FOR INDIVIDUAL ITEMS WITHOUT WAITING FOR MY COMBINED INVOICE WITH SHIPPING DISCOUNT APPLIED - SORRY. I am unable to combine shipping if you pay eBay auto-generated invoices on multiple items; then ask me for a combined shipping refund.
The easiest way to receive a combined shipping discount is to add all items to your shopping cart; then click the "REQUEST INVOICE" button. This can only be done using a
non-mobile
device (
i.e. laptop or desktop computer
).eBay automatically generates non-paying bidder alerts if payment has not been received within 48 hours unless I override the system, which I am unable to do if you do not alert me in advance.
SELLER'S TERMS (
PLEASE READ
):
Buy bidding on this auction, you accept the following terms:
Once the United States Postal Service has taken possession of (
accepted
) this item for shipment and provided confirmation via tracking number,
I, Advance-man, accept no liability if said item is not successfully delivered to its final destination
. That means I did my part. I packaged the item very well, purchased postage for it, and took the packaged item to my post office where I obtained confirmation that USPS accepted the item for shipment. I will not be held responsible if USPS loses the package while it is in-transit. I am not Amazon or another mega-eCommerce retailer and cannot "write-off" shipments lost by a carrier. However, if your item is lost by USPS while in-transit, I will do everything in my power to help locate it in the USPS network.
If you do not accept these terms, PLEASE DO NOT BID on this item
.
Please ask as many questions as you need to make an informed purchase.
I'm happy to send you additional pics, answer your detailed questions, or provide whatever additional information you need to ensure that your expectations are met or exceeded once you receive this item. But please don't ask for additional information an hour before the auction's close, as I only check eBay messages a few times daily.
This item comes from a smoke-free and pet-free home and will be very carefully packed and quickly shipped to the winning bidder!
Shuttle by United was an "airline within an airline" operated as a subsidiary of United Airlines from 1994 to 2001 along the West Coast of the United States. It operated from San Francisco International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport. Shuttle's fleet consisted of Boeing 737-300s and 737-500s. The service was eventually renamed United Shuttle before it was shut down by United and its aircraft returned to mainline service with the airline. The recession of the early 1990s and the expansion of low-cost carriers and other effects of deregulation pressured the major airlines to reduce costs and fares. In July 1994, United Airlines concluded an ESOP agreement with its pilot (ALPA) and machinists (IAM) unions whereby employees would take ownership of 55% of the airline in exchange for reduced wages (4.88 billion reduction for 5.5 years) and benefits for new employees. Disliked CEO Stephen Wolf was summarily removed (with a 75 million severance package) and a new management team, Jerry Greenwald and John Edwardson took the reins at United. The new "Team" began a spending spree. In their first year, they replaced all of United's ground equipment. Eating up nearly all of the United's ESOP tax advantage for 1994–1995. Feeling financially flush, management moved to organize the lowest scales into a new "airline within an airline" dubbed "U-2." "U-2" designed to replicate some of the cost and operational advantages of regional competitors such as Southwest Airlines. All 58 of its aircraft were of a single type, the Boeing 737. Hot meals were eliminated, aircraft turn-around times were reduced to less than 20 minutes and OAK replaced SFO as "U-2's" new hub. The fare structure was reduced and simplified to lure passengers, with revenue stabilized by increasing frequency of service, over time, United was able to regain 80% of its market share that it had lost to Southwest. At the same time, "U-2" would remain legally part of United Airlines, with access to its Apollo Computer Reservation System. In the beginning, "U-2" experimented with un-assigned seating (window-middle-aisle boarding). Not until near the end of the "U-2" did passengers again enjoy preassigned seating, could transfer seamlessly to and from "mainline" service, and accumulate miles in United's MileagePlus frequent flyer program. In this respect, it resembled competitors' first generation "airline within an airline" divisions such as Continental Lite, Delta Express, and US Airways' MetroJet. Development and testing for "U-2", began in May 1993 at United's Headquarters in Chicago, IL. On October 1, 1994, the first "Shuttle by United" flight departed out of SFO to LAX. SFO Fire Trucks created a "water-arch" for the aircraft to taxi through. Robin Williams, who was seated in First Class, was quite impressed. Using Oakland, CA as their new hub, United's, "Shuttle by United" offered flights to Los Angeles, Burbank and Ontario for as little as one-way. Within nearly three years it had expanded to 20 cities and comprised 5% of United's total capacity. In February 1996, Rono Dutta, United's Senior Vice President of Planning, decided to return its successful "Shuttle by United" to a "hub and spoke" feeder to United's Domestic and International flights which departed primarily from LAX and SFO on the West Coast. It didn't take long for the Shuttle's schedule and reputation to collapse. SFO replaced OAK as the Shuttle's hub. Unlike OAK, when inclement weather hit SFO, arrival traffic was cut in half. This decision alone by Rono Dutta, became the straw that broke the Shuttle's back. Profits tumbled, in 1995, United lost million on .22 billion in revenue. In 1999, United established a second base in Terminal 8 of Los Angeles International Airport, United's newest hub, by which time it also served as a feeder operation for United's transcontinental and international services. In the late 1999 its name was changed to United Shuttle. United slowly converted the "Shuttle" to a hub and spoke feeder airline for its mainline and international flights. Rescheduling Shuttle flights to meld with mainline and international flights was the demise of the Shuttle. Pricing started increasing and quick turn-a-rounds disappeared. With demand for travel to the San Francisco Bay Area heavy during the Dot-com bubble, Shuttle was profitable and United regained 80% of the market share that they had lost to Southwest Airlines in the early 1990s. Rono Dutta's decision to return the Shuttle to a hub feeder airline meant the demise of the Shuttle. Cloud cover at SFO reduced arrival traffic by 50%. These frequent delays, exacerbated by Shuttle's high frequency schedule and less than adequate staffing, meant the eventual demise of the Shuttle. In 2000 two out of three flights between SFO and LAX were delayed or canceled. When air travel declined in 2001 it became evident that cost savings had not materialized to justify the Shuttle, and it was folded back into the mainline United operation and its Boeing 737 aircraft were eventually repainted. In December 2002 United declared bankruptcy and hinted at a revival of the Shuttle. Instead it created a leisure destination carrier called Ted, part of a second generation of "airline within an airline" services along with Delta Air Lines' Song and Air Canada Tango.