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United Airlines (UA) hopes its new training center in Houston will help the legacy carrier keep pace with the increasing demand in air travel.
Per reports from Houston-based media outlets, the airline held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially open the expanded facility, with Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner among the special guests.
Houston FOX affiliate KRIV reported that the 56,000-square-foot expansion is twice the size of what’s already present, and among its features is a $32 million training center for flight attendants.
“I want to thank United Airlines President Brett Hart [and] CEO Scott Kirby for the great work that they are doing not only as the largest airline in H-Town, but also as one of Houston’s largest employers," Turner said in a Facebook post.
George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) is one of UA’s eight hubs, and the facility is one of seven of the airline’s training centers in the world.
According to a report from Houston CBS affiliate KHOU, flight attendants at the center will undergo training for such things as an inflight decompression and an emergency landing in a body of water, which the facility’s 125,000-gallon pool and mock fuselage area are for.
“To be able to jump into the water, to board a raft, to feel what it feels like to board a raft, to actually put a canopy up,” UA Specialist Curriculum Developer Jennifer Schauman said, KHOU reported.
Per KHOU, Mo Quinn Mariano, the airline’s inflight service training director, said everything is hands on.
“This facility really brings to life really what’s on paper when it comes to training,” Mariano told the station.
KHOU reported that aside from safety, the center also has flight attendants hone their customer service skills.
“We do customer boarding, we do de-escalating techniques, a lot with service as well," UA Instructor Evaluator Specialist Norma Jean Rodriguez said, according to the station.