United Airlines Faces 'Agonizing Change'.

Byline: Edward Russo

Dec. 10--If you've got immediate travel plans, go ahead and use United Airlines, but if you're booking for the spring or summer of 2003, better play it safe and look to another carrier, Eugene travel agent Vivienne Kouba advised on Monday, as United filed for bankruptcy.

The Chicago-based airline's filing, the sixth largest by any company, came less than a week after the federal government rejected a plea for financial assistance and amid the industry's worst downturn.

The bleak numbers in its petition, filed before dawn in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Chicago, underscored what the company portrayed as an urgent need to slash costs, including wages. The company said it has been losing $20 million to $22 million a day in recent weeks, much worse than previously reported.

The bankruptcy filing ratcheted up the tension in the friendly skies over Lane County -- United is the dominant carrier at Eugene Airport -- but airport manager Bob Noble said local passengers should not notice any change in service, at least not immediately.

United will continue to serve Eugene, Noble said, with a schedule that now has 10 daily departures and arrivals. In spite of the Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization filing, United says it will honor frequent flier programs, code-sharing flights with its partners, and other customer programs.

Hoping to prevent passengers from defecting to rivals, CEO Glenn Tilton promised United would keep flying as usual…