United Airlines trims 2024 hiring goals amid Boeing delays
United hired over 800 pilots and 600 flight attendants since January
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United Airlines is reducing the number of employees it plans to hire this year due to ongoing Boeing aircraft delays.
On Wednesday, United Airlines told reporters it is planning to hire about 10,000 employees this year, down from the 13,000 to 15,000 employees the company had expected to hire, according to Reuters.
During a briefing, Kate Gebo, head of United's human resources and labor relations, said its hiring efforts are "directly tied to the orders and the growth of our operation."
UNITED TO SLOW PILOT HIRING DUE TO BOEING CERTIFICATION, MANUFACTURING DELAYS
It's not the first time operations at United, a major Boeing customer, have been affected as new aircraft certification and manufacturing delays persist at Boeing.
United Airlines airplanes proceed to a runway at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey, in front of the skyline of midtown Manhattan on Jan. 27. (Gary Hershorn/Getty Images / Getty Images)
FAA WON'T APPROVE INCREASED 737 MAX PRODUCTION IN NEAR FUTURE
In a memo sent to pilots in March, Marc Champion, vice president of flight operations, and Kirk Limacher, vice president of flight operations, planning and development, said the airline will pause new hire classes in May and June.
"While we remain on a path to be the fastest growing airline in the industry, we just won’t grow as fast as we thought we would in 2024 due to continued delays at Boeing," Champion and Limacher said in the memo.
Just last week, the head of the Federal Aviation Administration said the agency hasn't given Boeing the green light to increase production of its 737 Max 9 jets and hinted it won't happen over the next few months either.
United Airlines
The major carrier plans to resume pilot hiring in July.
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Since the start of the year, the Chicago-based carrier has hired more than 4,000 people to meet summer demand. This includes over 800 pilots, more than 600 flight attendants and nearly 600 corporate support team members.
In 2023, United hired 16,000 employees. That's on top of the 15,000 it hired in 2022.