Our people are our greatest asset, and hiring talented individuals from all walks of life is crucial to the success of our airline. We demonstrate our commitment to diversity and inclusion in our hiring practices through our participation in a number of important recruiting events each year that are focused on ensuring United employees represent every background and belief, origin and orientation, color and creed.
Our LGBT community is an important source of talent at our airline and in the aviation industry, and that’s why, earlier this month, for the third year in a row, team United came out in full force to support the 2018 National Gay Pilots Association (NGPA) Industry Expo and Winter Warm-Up held in Palm Springs, California. As the presenting sponsor of the event, our pilot hiring team and our Diversity and Inclusion department partnered to represent United in a number of ways at the event. Recruiters spent time talking with hundreds of potential candidates about why United is such a great place to work, explaining more about the hiring process, and discussing our ongoing partnership with the NGPA as part of a panel discussion. Domestic Line Stations VP Matt Miller provided the keynote speech at the event.
“Industry-leading performance certainly requires a winning strategy – one that optimizes our network and product, elevates our service and leads us closer to becoming the airline of choice for customers – but there’s something even more important as we work to unlock our full potential, and the key is our people,” said Matt. “Just as we know that it’s our people who will drive our success in the industry, we know it takes a group of people as diverse as the communities we serve to achieve our goals, and that’s why we’re so honored to partner with organizations like the NGPA. These connections give us even greater opportunity to ensure we’re recruiting the best, most diverse group of employees in the industry.”
Our team also gave two scholarships – a $5,000 Flight Operations scholarship and a $1,500 Technical Operations scholarship – at this year’s event, which will help recipients pursue their aviation careers.
Founded in 1990, the NGPA is an organization of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender pilots and other aviation enthusiasts from around the world that supports programs and scholarships to further LGBT equality within the aviation community, including education and careers in aviation. This year, the association expanded globally and now supports the LGBT aviation community in more than 14 countries.
We are a diamond-level corporate partner with the NGPA — the first ever in this category. Together we continue our efforts to develop workplace inclusivity programs, training and recruiting opportunities. ACN
First Boeing 737 MAX 9 Scheduled to Enter Service
United Airlines announced it has added its newest aircraft type, the Boeing 737 MAX 9, to its domestic flight schedules. The MAX 9 features Boeing’s Advanced Technology winglets and fuel efficient engines providing a quieter ride and the ability to fly farther on less fuel.
United expects to begin operating MAX 9 aircraft on June 7, between its hub at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport and five cities. Beginning June 29, United expects to add additional MAX 9 flights from its Houston and Los Angeles hubs including service between Los Angeles and Honolulu.
“The addition of the MAX 9 furthers our efforts to become a more efficient and productive airline. It has better fuel efficiency, lower maintenance costs and does all of this while maximizing customer comfort,” said United’s Chief Financial Officer Andrew Levy.
This year, United will receive 10 new MAX 9 aircraft from Boeing and will continue to add service from its hubs to cities throughout the United States. ACN
