United Airlines appoints new Senior VP for Flight Operations

United Airlines (UAL) announced today a new Senior Vice President for Flight Operations. Bryan Quigley, named to the position, joined United in 1995 and has held several leadership positions throughout United.

Quigley will be responsible for overseeing United’s 12,500 pilots and will serve as the airline’s FAA certificate director of operations. Quigley will replace Howard Attarian who is retiring after more than a decade of leadership at United.

eTN Chatroom: Discuss with readers from around the world:


He most recently was the vice president of the company’s San Francisco hub. Quigley also served as chief pilot and led the team in charge of the integration of policies and procedures following the merger of United and Continental.

“Bryan is an exceptional leader both in and out of the flight deck. He has developed a deep understanding of the entire airline after leading our San Francisco hub and I believe he will do great work as the leader of our pilots,” said Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer Greg Hart.

In addition to his time at United, Quigley spent 26 years in the United States Navy, serving as a U.S. naval aviator.

Attarian retires after more than 40 years in aviation. In addition to his time at United, he spent more than 23 years as a pilot for Northwest Airlines and held several leadership positions with the Air Line Pilots Association. Attarian also served in the United States Air Force and was a demonstration pilot with the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds.

“Over the past five years, Howard has worked tirelessly to develop the best group of aviators in the industry. We will forever be grateful and wish him the best as he enters the next chapter of his life,” said Hart.

Quigley holds a bachelor of science degree in Business Administration from Appalachian State University and has completed the Executive Scholar Program from the Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern University.

Matt Miller, current vice president of international will replace Quigley as vice president of the San Francisco hub.