FLIGHT OPS FLYER MARCH 26, 1999 **************** ************** Langer Letter Stresses 1999 On-Time Goals ----------------------------------------- Senior Vice President-Flight Operations Captain Hart Langer sent a letter to all pilots this month stressing the important part flight crews play in helping United achieve its 1999 on-time performance goals for departures: 55 percent on-time zero and 71 percent on-time +5. Langer writes about the importance of team communication, the downline impact of delays, and the money United is investing to help improve on-time performance. "United's February on-time performance results -- which exceeded the month's on-time goals in every category -- made it the best on-time month since May 1993," Langer says in the letter. "Following January's improved performance, the results confirm that employee efforts, company initiatives and a bout of mild weather are coming together to bring us closer to achieving this year's overall on-time performance goals." As of March 23, the month-to-date performance for March matched the month's targets with on-time zero at 57 percent and on-time +5 at 72 percent. Pilots Must Attend Safety Seminar --------------------------------- Only six full weeks remain for pilots to attend the mandatory Pilot Safety Awareness Seminar. Since March 1, and continuing through May 10, United's domiciles and the Flight Center are hosting the one-hour seminar. The schedule is available through DIS*17811. All pilots must attend the seminar at any of the locations by May 10. Pilots will receive one hour's pay for attending the seminar, which they will receive via a special check cut after May 10. Pilots who do not attend the seminar by May 10 will be placed on Not Qualified (NQ) status without pay. Gate Reader Installation Meets Deployment Objective --------------------------------------------------- United's North America and Information Services divisions are right on target to complete Phase 1 deployment of gate readers this month. Currently, 51 stations have received the gate readers, with MSP scheduled to receive them on March 31. The implementation of gate readers -- a $16 million investment -- supports the Customer Satisfaction Philosophy (CSP) plank for a simpler, more hassle-free travel experience. "We are seeing usage of the gate readers at 84 percent of the stations that have them, which represents about 64 percent of the our total system flights being impacted by the gate readers," reports Senior Staff Representative- Airport Services Planning Ron Weeks. "Improvements vary station to station, but we are seeing a decrease in overall Customer Service delay minutes at stations where gate readers have been deployed. Initial research also indicates an increase in customer intent to repurchase as related to improvement in on-time." Phase 2 deployment, which includes installation of gate readers in the remaining North America stations, is currently in the developmental stages. SFOFO Seeks Flight Manager Candidates ------------------------------------- In a March 24 Job Posting, Flight Operations announced it is seeking qualified candidates to fill a Flight Manager opening at SFOFO. The chosen candidate will replace Captain Carl Hakenen who retired earlier this year. Flight Manager candidates must have 500 hours experience as a United Captain; LCA experience is preferred. Pilots interested in this position who meet the qualifications should talk to their Chief Pilot and send a self-nomination form with a resume to WHQPE-Job Posting by April 3. Dispatch Welcomes New Hires --------------------------- The class of seven new-hire Flight Dispatchers hired in 1998 is in the IOE phase of its four-month initial indoctrination training. All of these individuals bring aviation dispatch or operations experience to their new position. Congratulations to: Peter Allen, Mikel Alpers, Shane Barry, Karen Ferguson, Curt Freund, Patricia Gabris and Raj Singh. Pilots should start seeing the new dispatchers' names on releases immediately. For 1999, United has hired a class of eight Flight Dispatchers and plans to begin another class of eight in May. ESOP 3 Clarification -------------------- In order to receive your ESOP 3 distribution in five annual installments, your Supplemental ESOP Participant's Distribution Election form must be received by the Pension Department at least one year prior to your separation. To receive your distribution in cash rather than shares, your election must be received at least 30 days in advance of the valuation date upon which your distribution will commence. Call 1-888-PAL-LINE and follow the prompts for ESOP distribution forms. Welcome Aboard -------------- There was no new-hire pilot class at the Flight Center this week. The total number of new hires for 1999 remains at 189. Safety Issues ------------- There were no flight safety inquiries this week. ************************************************************ Flight Operations Communications, WHQVF 847/700-7288 "Flight Ops Flyer" also is available in the United Airlines section of CompuServe under "Pilot Information." ************************************************************