United Airlines has reduced by four minutes the average amount of time it takes to "turn" its airplanes from an arrival to departure by making improvements at airports including Denver, and is expanding the efforts throughout its hubs, chief operating officer Pete McDonald said Monday.
United has begun a process to install five automated jet bridges at Denver International Airport that will allow passengers to load and exit from both ends of the plane, for example.
By turning airplanes more quickly, an airline can keep planes flying longer and increase productivity.
United is also starting construction of a new regional jet facility at DIA.
United reported it made $119 million in its second quarter, confirming an earlier announcement of its first net profit since 2000.
"While we are encouraged by the trend and the momentum we see within the organization, we are by no means satisfied," chief executive Glenn Tilton told employees in a message Monday.
Tilton said United is about halfway toward its goal of eliminating 1,000 salaried and management positions this year.
Higher airfares and fuller planes nationally have helped many carriers profit in the June quarter, including Frontier, US Airways, Southwest, Continental, American and JetBlue.
The results indicate some success in their efforts to bring in more revenue as fuel costs continue to grow. Fares in Denver decreased on a year-over-year basis after Southwest Airlines started flying here in January.
Copyright 2005 LexisNexis, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Terms and Conditions | Privacy Policy
News stories provided by third parties are not edited by "Site Publication" staff. For suggestions and comments, please click the Contact link at the bottom of this page.
