Our safety management system (SMS)
Our comprehensive, formalized approach to managing safety is reinforced through close alignment with external standards and requirements, particularly the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and International Civil Aviation Organization.
Our vigilant approach to safety, combined with our use of data and trend analysis, allows us to be agile in our ability to identify and mitigate safety risks.
Our SMS enables us to uphold regulatory compliance safety standards, identify hazards, elevate corrective actions, collaborate across divisions, flyer partners, business partners, industry organizations, original equipment manufacturers, airports and maintenance repair stations, to ensure the most effective mitigations are in place.
Constant improvement and training
Given an ever evolving operating environment and a constantly changing regulatory landscape throughout commercial aviation, United’s SMS continues to adapt to address both current and emerging safety risks.
United continues to proactively expand the SMS beyond what is required from a regulatory perspective. One way we manage safety risks is by using data science. Our Digital Technology, Safety and Operational teams are collaborating to leverage new technologies like generative AI and natural language processing to proactively identify emerging safety hazards and enable our safety professionals to implement effective solutions to ensure the safety of our customers and employees.
Components of our Safety Management System
The SMS is designed around predictive, proactive and reactive assessment and action and built upon four key components:
Safety policy
Safety promotion
Safety risk management
Safety Assurance
1. Safety policy
- Management commitment, involvement and advocacy
- Clear roles, responsibilities and relationships
- Procedures and controls
As part of our commitment to safety, and as a requirement of the SMS Part 5 Rule, United develops key safety objectives that are carefully curated by each operating team to reduce our safety risks. These objectives include items such as reducing our procedural errors within all operational teams, integrating our data into an industry tracking data exchange and increasing hazard awareness at our gates.
2. Safety risk management
- Risk analysis and assessment
- Hazard identification
- System analysis
- Controlling risk
As we continue to grow our company, we are proactively identifying areas of risk and expanding where necessary to help ensure our operation continues to be efficient. We have also taken an elevated approach to root cause analysis by revamping the overall process and investing in a system that allows us to get to the core of safety issues to avoid repeat occurrences. Key areas of focus include adding new stations and maintenance facilities, analyzing equipment requirements to support our new aircraft and analyzing gate area and baggage room impacts.
3. Safety assurance
- Performance monitoring and measurement
- Data acquisition process
- Analysis and assessment
- Management of change
- Continuous improvement
United has five safety reporting programs that are operational-specific for dispatch safety, flight safety, ground safety, inflight safety and technical operations safety. All programs are voluntary and non-punitive, as we believe in a just culture aimed at identifying and resolving safety concerns and hazards that could result in injuries, damages and accidents. These programs are an industry best practice and supported by the FAA. We strive to foster an environment where employees feel encouraged and comfortable reporting safety concerns and errors, as this ultimately improves overall safety at our company.
4. Safety promotion
- Safety culture
- Competencies and training
- Communication and awareness