United Airlines COO Greg Hart is stepping down from his
position to focus on "critical medium and long-term issues" at the
airline, CEO Scott Kirby said in a letter to employees on Wednesday.
In the letter, Kirby said Hart had indicated last year that
he wished to retire but would spend the next 12 to 18 months to groom a
successor. As of 1 June, that successor will be current SVP of airport and
network operations Jon Roitman, who will be taking charge of flight operations,
technical operations and safety in addition to his current responsibilities,
Kirby said.
Hart, meanwhile, will turn his attention to issues related
to safety, hygiene and operating efficiency, as well as developing a flexible
cost structure. The carrier said earlier this month it was preparing for
"extremely painful" actions should demand not begin to rebound for
the rest of this year.
"Demand could be down 30 per cent, or it could be down
70 per cent," Kirby said in the letter. "The way to best survive this
crisis is to be able to nimbly adjust the size of the airline, including labour
costs, to meet demand, and importantly, be ready to bounce back quickly when
the virus is defeated."