$32M Expansion Adds Ditching Trainer for Water Landings, Amphitheater as Part of Growth Plan

United Airlines opened its expanded Inflight Training Center, a 56,000 square foot facility with a bevy of new classrooms, additional cabin and door trainers to bolster its output of qualified flight attendants. 

The 32 million-dollar Houston, Texas facility is now host to all the necessary class space for the company's expansion plans. If United's plans bear out, it will soon be used to train 4,000 new flight attendants among 15,000 new employees in general. Starting this year, United plans for more than 600 flight attendants to attend the location every month, rotating out at the end of their 6-week training course. Recurrent training every 18 months will also bring back current employees for additional refreshers, utilizing mock seating, a 400+ seat auditorium, and PA practice room for board announcement practice. Most exciting for employees is the addition of a state-of-the-art aquatic center and mock fuselage allowing United trainees to practice their water ditch procedures over 125,000 gallons of water. 

According to a study accompanying the expansion plans, Houston's status as a United hub brings in $5.3 billion per year Texas GDP, with employees contributing $1.2 billion to the local region.

"The best flight attendants in the industry deserve the best, most modern training facility in the country," said United CEO Scott Kirby. "This expansion project is yet another example of an investment we made during the depths of the pandemic that will support our employees, further improve our ability to deliver great service and set United up for success in 2023 and beyond."

"United continues to be a great partner and business leader in the city of Houston, connecting Houstonians to the world and investing in vital infrastructure projects that help enhance the travel experience for millions of travelers," said Mayor Turner. "I congratulate United on opening its global Inflight Training Center, a testament to the region's workforce and pro-business environment."

FMI: www.united.com