From vaccines and life-saving medications to clinical trial materials and other healthcare products transported across the globe, temperature-sensitive shipments play a critical role in everyday life.

This summer, while United passengers relax in their seats 35,000 feet in the air enjoying onboard service, hundreds of tons of vanilla will also be making a global trip for the third year in a row.

Just one year ago, in May 2025, a special request came to United Cargo. After years of preservation at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., a feathered cape once worn by a Hawaiian chief in the 1800s was returning home to Hawaii as part of a repatriation effort.

In April 2026, in Palm Springs, United was honored with the Silver Award for Best Emergency/Disaster Response Initiative at the Halo Awards Gala – a recognition that underscores the power of partnership and purpose in action.