United Continental to pay profit sharing to employees

United Continental Holdings Inc. will distribute $265 million in profit-sharing to employees based on the combined full-year financial results of its subsidiaries, United and Continental airlines.

The company is paying eligible employees approximately five percent of their annual pay for profit-sharing.

“My co-workers worked together all year to deliver solid financial results, reliable operational performance and excellent customer service,” said Jeff Smisek, United Continental Holdings president and CEO. “We are sharing the results of working together by distributing more than a quarter of a billion dollars in profit-sharing.”

Smisek will deliver profit-sharing checks to employees at the airline's hubs at Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston and O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. Other officers of the company are traveling to locations around the globe to distribute profit-sharing to employees.

In addition to profit-sharing, company employees earned cash incentive payments for on-time performance totaling $40 million during 2011. The on-time incentive program pays up to $100 monthly when the combined airline hits targets for on-time domestic and international arrivals. The program reinforces the new United's commitment to working together to deliver outstanding performance for its customers.