CHICAGO, June 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — United Airlines today is helping the Make-A-Wish Foundation go the distance to raise frequent flier miles needed to grant wishes to local children with life-threatening illnesses. In a one-day Mileathon event, Make-A-Wish Illinois is teaming up with NBC Chicago to raise charity miles through its Wishes in Flight program, which arranges travel for the children and their families to reach their wish destinations.

United will match up to one million miles donated by its Mileage Plus members during this one-day event. Throughout the day, NBC Chicago viewers and Make-A-Wish supporters are urged to donate frequent flier miles to Make-A-Wish by calling the Mileathon hotline at 877-928-4251. Donations can also be made by visiting www.wishes.org.

“At United, we are committed to using our resources to make a positive difference in the communities where we live and work,” says United’s Managing Director of Corporate and Community Affairs Sonya Jackson. “The Make-A-Wish Foundation brings tremendous joy to children with life-threatening illnesses and their families and we are pleased to help make their wishes come true.”

For more than 15 years, United has been a proud supporter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. United employees collaborate with local Make-A-Wish chapters to help fulfill travel wishes. Most recently, United co-workers in Chicago helped fulfill the wish of a child who dreams of becoming an airline pilot. The Make-A-Wish Foundation is among United’s top five recipients of charity miles, with United employees and customers donating more than 440 million miles to date. Through these donations, the airline has helped fulfill more than 2,500 wishes for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families.

About United

United Airlines and United Express operate an average of 5,605 flights a day to 375 airports on six continents from our hubs in Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Guam, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco, Tokyo and Washington, D.C. In 2011, United carried more traffic than any other airline in the world, and operated more than two million flights carrying 142 million passengers. United is upgrading its cabins with more flat-bed seats in first and business class and more extra-legroom economy-class seating than any other airline in North America. United operates nearly 700 mainline aircraft and has orders for more than 125 new aircraft deliveries from 2012 through 2019, including 50 Boeing 787 Dreamliners and 25 Airbus A350XWBs. United was rated the world’s most admired airline on FORTUNE magazine’s 2012 airline-industry list of the World’s Most Admired Companies. Readers of Global Traveler magazine have voted United’s MileagePlus program the best frequent flyer program for eight consecutive years. United is a founding member of Star Alliance, which provides service to 190 countries via 25 member airlines. More than 85,000 United employees reside in every U.S. state and in countries around the world. For more information, visit united.com or follow United on Twitter and Facebook. The common stock of United’s parent, United Continental Holdings, Inc., is traded on the NYSE under the symbol UAL.

SOURCE United Continental Holdings, Inc.