FLIGHT OPS FLYER DECEMBER 25, 1998 **************** ***************** ************************************************************ * * * HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!! * * * ************************************************************ 1998 COMMUNICATIONS SURVEY RESULTS ---------------------------------- MORE THAN 2,000 DIVISION EMPLOYEES RESPONDED TO THE 1998 FLIGHT OPERATIONS COMMUNICATIONS SURVEY BETWEEN AUG. 29, 1998, AND OCT. 9, 1998, REPRESENTING AN 20 PERCENT DIVISION RESPONSE RATE. THE HIGHEST RESPONSE RATE CAME FROM ANCFO WITH 25.6 PERCENT OF THAT DOMICILE'S EMPLOYEES COMPLETING THE SURVEY, FOLLOWED BY DENFO WITH A 23.9 PERCENT RESPONSE AND LAXFO WITH A 21.7 PERCENT RESPONSE. THE FOLLOWING SUMMARIZES THE RESULTS OF THE SURVEY: MOST EMPLOYEES READ "FLIGHT OPS FLYER" AT THE DOMICILE OR AT A STATION, AND THEY GAVE THE WEEKLY PUBLICATION A RATING OF 3.4 OUT OF FIVE FOR ITS AVAILABILITY FOR READING. TWENTY- FOUR PERCENT OF EMPLOYEES READ THE PUBLICATION EVERY WEEK, WITH ANOTHER 24 PERCENT RESPONDING THAT THEY READ IT AT LEAST ONCE A MONTH. SIXTY-ONE PERCENT OF THE EMPLOYEES READ 75 TO 100 PERCENT OF EACH ISSUE. MOST EMPLOYEES DID NOT CARE FOR THE OPTION TO TAKE A COPY OF THE PUBLICATION WITH THEM (62%), NOR DID THEY CARE TO READ IT VIA A DIS PAGE (70%). EMPLOYEES ARE MOST INTERESTED IN THE SAFETY INQUIRIES SECTION (4.2 RATING) OF THE PUBLICATION, FOLLOWED BY THE GENERAL NEWS SECTION (3.8 RATING) AND THE PILOT NEW- HIRE INFORMATION (3.7 RATING). RUMOR CONTROL, CREW SCHEDULING AND DOMICILES RANKED AS THE TOP THREE TOPICS THAT RESPONDENTS SAID THEY ARE INTERESTED IN READING. FLIGHT OPS FLYER RECEIVED AN OVERALL RATING OF 3.2 OUT OF FIVE FOR MEETING INFORMATIONAL NEEDS. FIFTY-FIVE PERCENT OF SURVEY RESPONDENTS SAID THEY READ 11 OR 12 OF THE PAST YEAR'S "PILOT SCHEDULE" ISSUES, WITH 74 PERCENT OF RESPONDENTS SAYING THEY READ 100 PERCENT OF THE NEWSLETTER. MOST RESPONDENTS FELT THAT A MONTHLY (67%), FOUR-PAGE (71%) PUBLICATION WAS THE IDEAL FORMAT FOR THE NEWSLETTER. OPERATIONAL FEATURES, TIDBITS AND PAY ARTICLES RANKED IN THAT ORDER FOR THE TOPICS READERS FIND MOST INTERESTING. "THE PILOT SCHEDULE" RECEIVED AN OVERALL RATING OF 4.0 OUT OF FIVE FOR MEETING INFORMATIONAL NEEDS. EIGHTY-FIVE PERCENT OF EMPLOYEES RESPONDED THAT THEY READ LETTERS SENT FROM SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT-FLIGHT OPERATIONS CAPTAIN HART LANGER, AND STRATEGIC DIRECTION OF THE DIVISION, NEW ROUTES AND DIVISION OBJECTIVES/ACCOMPLISHMENTS RANKED RESPECTIVELY AS THE TOP THREE AREAS IN WHICH EMPLOYEES WANT TO HEAR FROM HIM. IN ADDITION TO LETTERS, EMPLOYEES FELT E-NOTES (27%), NEWSLETTERS (24%) OR "FLIGHT OPS FLYER" (21%) ON AN AS-NEEDED BASIS (35%) WOULD BE APPROPRIATE FORUMS AND TIME FRAMES IN WHICH TO HEAR FROM LANGER. LANGER LETTERS RECEIVED AN OVERALL RATING OF 2.4 OUT OF FIVE FOR MEETING INFORMATIONAL NEEDS. MOST RESPONDENTS (86%) READ "STRAIGHT SCOOP" EVERY TIME IT'S PUBLISHED AND NEARLY ALL READ 75 TO 100 PERCENT OF THE ISSUE (91%). READERS WOULD LIKE TO SEE SHORTER, MORE-FREQUENT ISSUES OF THE TECHNICAL, FLEET-SPECIFIC PUBLICATION (86%). HOT ITEMS AND TECHNICAL ARTICLES RANKED AS THE SECTIONS IN "STRAIGHT SCOOP" THAT READERS FIND MOST USEFUL. "STRAIGHT SCOOP" RECEIVED AN OVERALL RATING OF 4.2 OUT OF FIVE FOR MEETING INFORMATIONAL NEEDS. SIXTY-FOUR PERCENT OF RESPONDENTS SAID THEY READ "SAFETYLINER" EVERY TIME IT'S PUBLISHED, WHILE ANOTHER 33 PERCENT SAID THEY READ THE FLIGHT SAFETY PUBLICATION OCCASIONALLY. A TOTAL OF 68 PERCENT OF EMPLOYEES READ 75 TO 100 PERCENT OF THE MAGAZINE, AND MOST (79%) WOULD LIKE TO SEE SHORTER, MORE-FREQUENT ISSUES. "SAFETYLINER" RECEIVED AN OVERALL RATING OF 3.6 OUT OF FIVE FOR MEETING INFORMATIONAL NEEDS. MOST EMPLOYEES (89%) SAID THEY READ "FRONT PAGE NEWS" AND A MAJORITY (64%) REPORTED THAT THEY WOULD ACCESS A DISPLAY PAGE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON SUBJECTS MENTIONED ON THIS FIRST UNIMATIC PAGE. "FRONT PAGE NEWS" RECEIVED AN OVERALL RATING OF 3.5 OUT OF FIVE FOR MEETING INFORMATIONAL NEEDS. DOMICILE NEWSLETTERS ARE WIDELY READ WITH 90 PERCENT OF RESPONDENTS REPORTING THAT THEY READ THEM. EMPLOYEES WOULD LIKE TO SEE DOMICILE NEWSLETTERS PUBLISHED ON A MONTHLY (43%) OR QUARTERLY (29%) BASIS. DOMICILE DETAILS, STATION INFORMATION AND TECHNICAL INFORMATION ON THE FLYING PARTICULARS FOR SPECIFIC DOMICILES RANKED AS THE TOP THREE TOPICS EMPLOYEES WOULD LIKE TO SEE COVERED IN THE NEWSLETTERS. THE PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED AN OVERALL RATING OF 2.9 OUT OF FIVE FOR MEETING INFORMATIONAL NEEDS. DIVISION EMPLOYEES OVERALL ARE COMPUTER SAVVY WITH 78 PERCENT REPORTING THAT THEY SUBSCRIBE TO COMPUSERVE AND ANOTHER 74 PERCENT RESPONDING THAT THEY CURRENTLY ACCESS THE INTERNET. ALTHOUGH THE MAJORITY OF RESPONDENTS REPORT THAT THEY WOULD ACCESS DIVISION PUBLICATIONS VIA THE INTERNET IF MADE AVAILABLE (61%) AND WOULD ACCESS AN ELECTRONIC ARCHIVE OF CURRENT AND PAST PUBLICATIONS (66%), MOST RESPONDENTS REPORTED THEY PREFERRED TO RECEIVE PAPER PUBLICATIONS (63%) OVER ELECTRONIC PUBLICATIONS (37%). MOST EMPLOYEES REPORTED A LOW INTEREST LEVEL IN READING ABOUT DIVISION RETIREES, WITH 85 PERCENT RATING THAT STATEMENT WITH A THREE OR LOWER ON A SCALE OF FIVE. FIFTY- FIVE PERCENT OF EMPLOYEES FELT STRONGLY THAT FLIGHT OPERATIONS PUBLICATIONS ARE CURRENTLY MEETING THEIR INFORMATIONAL NEEDS BY RATING THAT QUESTION A 4 OR 5 OUT OF FIVE. ANOTHER 53 PERCENT OF EMPLOYEES WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE DIVISION WORK TOWARD CONSOLIDATING THE INFORMATION THEY RECEIVE. THAT MAJORITY MARKED A 4 OR 5 TO THAT QUESTION, WHILE ANOTHER 31 PERCENT RATED IT A 3 AND FELT IT COULD GO EITHER WAY. A TEAM OF 15 CROSS-DEPARTMENTAL FLIGHT OPERATIONS EMPLOYEES MET IN OCTOBER TO ANALYZE THE SURVEY STATISTICAL RESULTS AND MORE THAT 1,000 WRITTEN COMMENTS. WITH THAT INFORMATION, THE TEAM FORMED RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT AND CURRENTLY IS SHARING THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS CONSULTATIVELY WITH DIVISION SENIOR MANAGEMENT. DIVISION COMMUNICATIONS REPRESENTATIVES WILL SHARE THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS WITH ALL EMPLOYEES IN THE NEW YEAR. WHEN BIDDING FOR FEBRUARY... ---------------------------- THE FEBRUARY PILOT MONTH RUNS JANUARY 31 TO MARCH 02 THIS YEAR AND CONTAINS *TWO* `FIRSTS" -- FEB 01 AND MAR 01. FOR FEBRUARY SECONDARY CRITERIA, USE THE FOLLOWING: JAN 31 = 31 FEB 01 = 01 MAR 01 = 29 FOR FEBRUARY HOLYDAY REQUESTS USE: FEB 01 = 01 MAR 01 = 01* WELCOME ABOARD -------------- THERE WAS NO NEW-HIRE CLASS AT THE FLIGHT CENTER THIS WEEK. THE TOTAL NUMBER OF NEW-HIRE PILOTS FOR 1998 REMAINS AT 543. 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." ************************************************************