CHICAGO -- UAL Corporation, the holding company whose primary subsidiary is United Airlines, today announced that James E. Keenan has been named senior vice president of United Services. In this role, Keenan will have oversight for United's global maintenance operation. He will be responsible for the safety and operational reliability of United's fleet worldwide, overseeing administrative, engineering, sales, planning and production support of airframes, engines and components, as well as environmental compliance.
Keenan joins United from Pratt & Whitney, where he was senior vice president and general manager of Pratt & Whitney Global Services Partners, the most extensive commercial engines Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) service network in the industry.
"Continuing United's industry-leading safety standards and practices and improving reliability are key to running a good airline operation for our customers and employees alike," says Joe Kolshak, senior vice president of Operations for United. "Jim's maintenance industry experience will enable him to build on and enhance the focus that our maintenance division has on improving our performance."
While at Pratt & Whitney for six years, Keenan was responsible for engine overhaul, part repair, fleet and materials management, and a portfolio of service solutions. He also was responsible for leading the development and implementation of new repairs and bringing new service solutions to market.
Prior to Pratt & Whitney, Keenan spent 14 years at United Airlines where he served as the vice president of engineering and technical support and had responsibility for the design and optimization of maintenance programs, the modification of aircraft, engines and components, and the performance of aircraft.
Keenan will assume his role on Aug. 15, 2008, and will report to Kolshak and will be based at United's maintenance base in San Francisco.
