There isn’t much Richard Carrick doesn’t love about his job at United Airlines. At the Express Travel Group conference in Vietnam, this writer recalls how Richard was even happy to don United’s business class PJs for the day to make an impact. And indeed he did… and continues to.
Fresh from picking up the gong for Most Outstanding Sales Executive Air at the National Travel Industry Awards (NTIA), Richard shares what the win means after 17 years in travel, the relationships that fuel success and his excitement about United’s future.
From tips on breaking into the biz to glimpses of aviation’s cutting-edge upgrades, this is an insider’s look at a career driven by passion, persistence and some serious wanderlust.
Congratulations on the win… what does this award mean to you personally and professionally?
Winning the award is really humbling. After about 17 years in the industry, it’s great to be recognised amongst my peers and the other fantastic finalists this year.
I know a lot of previous winners who really supported and encouraged me to go for it and it’s amazing to be named amongst others I respect in the industry.
To what do you attribute your success?
There are a lot of different things, including building strong relationships with agency partners and other supplier partners, as well as being approachable. But my success at United is due to the team around me.
I started at United Airlines in January 2020 – and we know how things went for the next few years. But I have a really supportive team of managers and colleagues at United.
Our local inside sales team is also a great support to our whole team and a fantastic resource for our agents.
Do you have some advice for anyone looking to enter your line of work?
If you have your sights set on something you’re passionate about, don’t give up on it. I interviewed for three different travel agent roles before finally getting a job in travel and when I realised I wanted to get into the product and supplier side of things, there were many roles I missed out on as well. But I knew where I wanted to be – at an airline – and now here I am.
What are you most excited about that’s coming up for travel or the aviation sector?
There’s a lot of exciting things happening in aviation.We sometimes talk about United being a four-year-old startup embedded inside a 98-year-old airline, and I think that gives you a bit of idea of what lays ahead for United.
There has been so much innovation recently, and that will continue, along with investing in our fleet, operation and network more broadly.
As a self-proclaimed aviation geek, it’s exciting to see what’s going to happen with our fleet modernisation over the next few years. Everything from Bluetooth seatback entertainment, Starlink-enabled wi-fi, through to supersonic aircraft one day, perhaps. And the customer empowerment we’re enabling via our mobile app is second to none.
What does the future look like for you and United Airlines?
United continues to grow our presence in the Pacific – we’ve got more capacity between Australia and the US than we did only a few years ago and it’s exciting to be part of that growth.
Globally, we’re adding exotic destinations such as Mongolia, Greenland and Morocco. So, who knows what destinations we’ll add next?
What do you love most about your job or the travel industry?
I love the people. After being in the industry for so long, I’ve made some great friends along the way. It’s always exciting to be at an expo or conference and see familiar faces and catch up. It’s a bit like having more colleagues – just at different companies! And of course, the travel opportunities that we’re lucky to have.
Care to share a fun travel tip that you swear by when exploring new places?
Get out on foot! Whenever I arrive in a new city, I love to get out and explore the local area by foot. It’s a great way to find hidden gems and discover things you wouldn’t usually notice otherwise.
Also, don’t worry about the cost of things (within reason!) when travelling. You won’t remember in a year how much it cost, but you’ll definitely remember the experience.
Read our wrap of NTIA 2024 including all the winners here.
For more information on United Airlines, click here.