United
Golden light meets the soaring peaks of Jackson Hole, Wyo., as a United B-737 is prepared for flight. Photo: F/O Abi Pilloni (United)
At A Glance
Pilots joined ALPA: 1932
Number of pilots: 17,813
Pilot bases: Chicago, Ill.; Cleveland, Ohio; Denver, Colo.; Houston, Tex.; Los Angeles and San Francisco, Calif.; New York, N.Y.; Washington, D.C.; Orlando, Fla.; Las Vegas, Nev.; and Guam
Headquarters: Chicago, Ill.
Operations: United is approaching 1,000 total aircraft in its fleet, operating roughly 4,500 daily flights to more than 300 cities across five continents.
Fleet: A319s, A320s, A321s, B-737s, B-757s, B-767s, B-777s, and B-787s
The focus of the United Airlines Master Executive Council (MEC) is to better engage with the pilot group through a “Union First” campaign in which pilots first seek ALPA’s vast resources to assist in all manner of career-impacting issues, such as safety, scheduling, and personal and financial well-being, etc. Concurrent with this effort, the MEC has instituted routine polling of and fostering engagement with the pilots with the goal of better serving the pilot group’s negotiation process moving forward.
A recent highlight was holding the largest Family Awareness event in ALPA history—a college football game between Navy and Air Force. The outing brought together more than 1,000 pilots and their families to further pilot unity, educate families on union issues, build support structures, and create two-way communication between pilot leaders and pilot families.
Regarding the pilots’ 2023 collective bargaining agreement, most of its implementation was completed ahead of schedule. The MEC and its committees acted swiftly to address concerns, notably ensuring a smooth rollout of United’s complex new reserve scheduling system.
Looking ahead to 2025, the MEC faces several key challenges, including the implementation of preferential bidding system 2.0 bidding technology, new uniform rollout, and weathering the ongoing impact of Boeing’s delayed aircraft delivery schedule. The United MEC is prepared to tackle these issues with the same determination that it has historically been known for.
