United Airlines Scores as New Official Airline of the Golden State Warriors

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, United Airlines, GSW Arena LLC, and the Golden State Warriors announce a new multi-year relationship, naming the carrier the official airline for the Warriors and a Founding Partner for Chase Center, the state-of-the-art sports and entertainment complex to be built in San Francisco's Mission Bay neighborhood. United will begin its partnership with the Warriors for the 2016-17 season at Oracle Arena and continue the relationship when the team relocates to Chase Center.

"As the official airline of the Warriors, United solidifies its leadership and commitment to the San Francisco and Bay Area communities," said Julia Haywood, executive vice president, and chief commercial officer at United. "San Francisco is a key market for United, and this relationship demonstrates further investment in our employees and our customers."

To celebrate this announcement, Warriors players Shaun Livingston, James Michael McAdoo and Zaza Pachulia along with Warriors president and chief operating offer Rick Welts and Julia Haywood tipped off the relationship with a news conference at a hangar at United's maintenance base in San Francisco. The airline transformed a hangar into a fully functioning, co-branded basketball court, where United employees competed in a basketball shooting game with assistance from some of the Warriors players.

"Adding United Airlines as a Founding Partner of Chase Center continues to show our commitment to building and operating a world-class sports and entertainment facility in San Francisco," said Rick Welts. "Chase Center will be the best destination in the world and adding United Airlines as a Founding Partner is integral in getting this privately financed venue built."

Executives from Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco – an organization that aims to inspire young people, especially those from disadvantaged circumstances, to realize their full potential – were also present for today's news conference. United announced plans to expand its relationship with the organization to $60,000 in travel funds, presented to the organization's President Rob Connolly. The Boys & Girls Clubs will use this support to fly its Rebels basketball team to Amateur Athletic Union basketball tournaments around the country.

As part of this sponsorship, MileagePlus™ members will be able to redeem their miles for access to premium seats, suite tickets and VIP experiences, along with autographed Warriors merchandise on the MileagePlus Exclusives platform. The new relationship grants United space for radio, social media, online and in-arena messaging at Oracle Arena and, after the team moves, at Chase Center. In addition United will have a presence at Chase Center's East Side Club.

About the Golden State Warriors

The Golden State Warriors organization, currently in its 71st season, is a charter member of the National Basketball Association. Founded in 1946, the Warriors called the city of Philadelphia home for 16 memorable years before moving to the West Coast in 1962 to become the San Francisco Warriors and ultimately, in 1971, the Golden State Warriors when the team moved across the Bay to its current home in Oakland. The team's storied history includes four NBA Championships, six of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players and 27 members of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. For more information on the Golden State Warriors, please visit warriors.com.

About GSW Arena LLC

GSW Arena LLC, founded in 2010, is privately funding the construction of a new sports and entertainment center to be named Chase Center, which will be the anchor of an 11-acre mixed use complex on private property in San Francisco's Mission Bay neighborhood. For more information, please visit warriors.com/sf. 

About United

United Airlines and United Express operate more than 4,500 flights a day to 339 airports across five continents. In 2015, United and United Express operated more than 1.5 million flights carrying more than 140 million customers. United is proud to have the world's most comprehensive route network, including U.S. mainland hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. United operates more than 720 mainline aircraft, and this year, the airline anticipates taking delivery of 21 new Boeing aircraft, including 737NGs, 787s and 777s, as well as six used Airbus A319 aircraft. The airline is a founding member of Star Alliance, which provides service to 192 countries via 28 member airlines. For more information, visit united.com, follow @United on Twitter or connect on Facebook. The common stock of United's parent, United Continental Holdings, Inc., is traded on the NYSE under the symbol UAL.

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SOURCE United Airlines