United is apologizing for revealing data about revenue from
its biggest San Francisco-area corporate customers.
The LAflyer Twitter account shared photographs of banners that
named Apple as United's largest global account, providing annual revenue of
$150 million. The banners also noted Apple's top routes and some spending
trends. In addition, they named 12 other top United accounts, along with their annual
spending ranges.
Small print at the bottom of the banners indicated the
information was confidential and not to be shared outside United. It was not
clear from the photo where the banner had been displayed. In a letter from
United's sales department, the carrier said the data had been provided to its
employees "as part of a limited pilot project focused on San Francisco to
highlight the importance of our corporate relationships and was not intended to
be shared publicly."
United said it has contacted the accounts listed
on the banners and in the future would "review and further restrict
sharing of internal account information to a strictly need-to-know
audience."