United Airlines begins to show signs of improvement and stability: customer service and operational

One of the most significant challenges United Airlines has faced in its unsettling merger integration is operational improvement. The company suffered a high profile operational meltdown in the summer of 2012 that sent some lucrative business passengers searching for a more reliable airline. In 2014 and 2015 the company also endured technological challenges that disrupted its operations.

During the past two years United has worked to shore up its operational performance as Delta Air Lines, on a mainline level, continues to outshine its peers in the large global network airline category. Part of United's strategy to improve its operational integrity entails investment in updated technology and changes in flight patterns to maximise efficiency.

Those efforts are starting to show positive results, but obviously it will take some time for United to reach the operational performance of its rival Delta, whose supremacy will be temporarily affected by an Aug-2016 technological outage. United's renewed focus on operations had started prior to the late 2015 management shake-up at the airline; but its performance under the direction of a new CEO should continue to improve steadily.