United IT should be embarassed
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02-27-2017, 06:27 PM
#13
Don't say Guppy
Joined APC: Dec 2010
Position: Guppy driver
Posts: 1,926
My method is to simply not use it.
I use my IPAD for JeppPro and Content Locker. WSI barely worked when I first got it. Somehow it uninstalled itself a year ago, and hasn't worked since I reinstalled it.
My flying partners ask me why I don't special order my meals. I always tell them the less I expect from United, the less they will disappoint me.
This technique helps me maintain my sanity, which I then lose, shortly thereafter, when I notice they underpaid me. Again.
Lower your expectations, and be happy.
I use my IPAD for JeppPro and Content Locker. WSI barely worked when I first got it. Somehow it uninstalled itself a year ago, and hasn't worked since I reinstalled it.
My flying partners ask me why I don't special order my meals. I always tell them the less I expect from United, the less they will disappoint me.
This technique helps me maintain my sanity, which I then lose, shortly thereafter, when I notice they underpaid me. Again.
Lower your expectations, and be happy.
03-04-2017, 10:33 AM
#15
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Aug 2016
Posts: 149
Not only is United an airline, it's also a Fortune 100 company.
However, everything IT-related seems to be sized, funded, and staffed as if United were Joe Bob's Widget Factory and Bait Shop.
Management likes to talk about "how difficult IT is at an airline," and all of the challenges associated with having multiple legacy IT systems. They also talk about how hard it is to implement IT-related changes when you're flying 24/7/365.
We get it, it's hard. IT at an airline is a thorny problem. However, it's not rocket surgery. Other companies face worse IT challenges. They put time, effort, and money into them, and make progress on making things better.
I haven't seen a whole lot of measurable progress with IT at United. Things like transitioning maintenance of legacy UA aircraft onto legacy CO's SCEPTRE platform is a start, but it's taken much longer than originally planned, and just means that we've eliminated one piece of late 70's technology (AMIS) for another.
To make it work, you need people who understand IT and airplanes. Those folks aren't growing on trees, but they're out there. You just have to find them, and pay them appropriately. Instead, United likes to do things like put career aircraft-maintenance types in charge of IT projects. Sometimes it works OK, most times it doesn't. Often, we're beholden to IT subcontractors, and we just have to hand them a sack full of cash, and cross our fingers that things work out for the best.
It seems like it was the exact same five years ago, and I'd wager it's going to be the same five years from now.
03-05-2017, 04:57 AM
#17
Don't say Guppy
Joined APC: Dec 2010
Position: Guppy driver
Posts: 1,926
United's IT problems are self induced, like most of their problems. My favorite is the IPAD.
Southwest gave their pilots money to buy their own IPAD. They use WSI and Jep Pro just like we do. Everything is stock IPAD. I doubt they have 3 people on the payroll for their IPAD "department"
United? We need everything custom. I don't know how many people we have on the payroll that do nothing but pilot IPAD's, but I would bet it is in the 100's. The only things that are required are WSI and Jepp Pro, and Content Locker. I believe Jepp would publish our manuals on their platform, as they did when we had an IPAD catastrophe a month or two ago.
We should use Airbus and Boeing manuals, and stock IPADs. We could probably do away with a few thousand management positions.
16 years ago, we had 700+ aircraft, 12k pilots, and a Senior VP of Flight ops, which we called "the Chief Pilot". Today, we once again have 700+ AC, 12k pilots, a Senior VP of Flight Ops, a "System Chief Pilot", his assistant Chief Pilot, and a "Managing Director of Pilot Base Administration. Plus, the IPAD division.
I think we might be more bloated than we were prior to 9/11.
Southwest gave their pilots money to buy their own IPAD. They use WSI and Jep Pro just like we do. Everything is stock IPAD. I doubt they have 3 people on the payroll for their IPAD "department"
United? We need everything custom. I don't know how many people we have on the payroll that do nothing but pilot IPAD's, but I would bet it is in the 100's. The only things that are required are WSI and Jepp Pro, and Content Locker. I believe Jepp would publish our manuals on their platform, as they did when we had an IPAD catastrophe a month or two ago.
We should use Airbus and Boeing manuals, and stock IPADs. We could probably do away with a few thousand management positions.
16 years ago, we had 700+ aircraft, 12k pilots, and a Senior VP of Flight ops, which we called "the Chief Pilot". Today, we once again have 700+ AC, 12k pilots, a Senior VP of Flight Ops, a "System Chief Pilot", his assistant Chief Pilot, and a "Managing Director of Pilot Base Administration. Plus, the IPAD division.
I think we might be more bloated than we were prior to 9/11.
03-05-2017, 08:52 PM
#18
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jan 2011
Position: A Nobody
Posts: 1,559
I shake my head at this as well.
Not only is United an airline, it's also a Fortune 100 company.
However, everything IT-related seems to be sized, funded, and staffed as if United were Joe Bob's Widget Factory and Bait Shop.
Management likes to talk about "how difficult IT is at an airline," and all of the challenges associated with having multiple legacy IT systems. They also talk about how hard it is to implement IT-related changes when you're flying 24/7/365.
We get it, it's hard. IT at an airline is a thorny problem. However, it's not rocket surgery. Other companies face worse IT challenges. They put time, effort, and money into them, and make progress on making things better.
I haven't seen a whole lot of measurable progress with IT at United. Things like transitioning maintenance of legacy UA aircraft onto legacy CO's SCEPTRE platform is a start, but it's taken much longer than originally planned, and just means that we've eliminated one piece of late 70's technology (AMIS) for another.
To make it work, you need people who understand IT and airplanes. Those folks aren't growing on trees, but they're out there. You just have to find them, and pay them appropriately. Instead, United likes to do things like put career aircraft-maintenance types in charge of IT projects. Sometimes it works OK, most times it doesn't. Often, we're beholden to IT subcontractors, and we just have to hand them a sack full of cash, and cross our fingers that things work out for the best.
It seems like it was the exact same five years ago, and I'd wager it's going to be the same five years from now.
Not only is United an airline, it's also a Fortune 100 company.
However, everything IT-related seems to be sized, funded, and staffed as if United were Joe Bob's Widget Factory and Bait Shop.
Management likes to talk about "how difficult IT is at an airline," and all of the challenges associated with having multiple legacy IT systems. They also talk about how hard it is to implement IT-related changes when you're flying 24/7/365.
We get it, it's hard. IT at an airline is a thorny problem. However, it's not rocket surgery. Other companies face worse IT challenges. They put time, effort, and money into them, and make progress on making things better.
I haven't seen a whole lot of measurable progress with IT at United. Things like transitioning maintenance of legacy UA aircraft onto legacy CO's SCEPTRE platform is a start, but it's taken much longer than originally planned, and just means that we've eliminated one piece of late 70's technology (AMIS) for another.
To make it work, you need people who understand IT and airplanes. Those folks aren't growing on trees, but they're out there. You just have to find them, and pay them appropriately. Instead, United likes to do things like put career aircraft-maintenance types in charge of IT projects. Sometimes it works OK, most times it doesn't. Often, we're beholden to IT subcontractors, and we just have to hand them a sack full of cash, and cross our fingers that things work out for the best.
It seems like it was the exact same five years ago, and I'd wager it's going to be the same five years from now.
In the end I have a window seat and the others, management, don't.
03-07-2017, 08:59 PM
#19
Banned
Thread Starter
Joined APC: May 2014
Position: Tom’s Whipping boy.
Posts: 1,182
The travesty! 72 different computer systems from 4 different decades, all trying to run in sync through a central network... yet you can't turn off a pop up blocker and it an utter failure.
My iPad has worked flawlessly on CCS, FT, ULN, etc, so long as the operator understand how to use it.
It's not the arrows, it's the Indian.
My iPad has worked flawlessly on CCS, FT, ULN, etc, so long as the operator understand how to use it.
It's not the arrows, it's the Indian.
Odd thing is that it worked for over a year just as configured, until this instance. Clearly something was changed, just like the Takeoff Learning link in CCS that took me to a 550 page error. When I got a hold of CCS help all they could say was "yeah we know about that", so from now on log into Flying together and go to flt ops, training.....
Just ignore that menu item in CCS.
Well, the CCS link worked a month ago.
Or how about the latest training event notice you get in CCS that instructs you to book your flight to DEN by going to employee res and book "business travel", then go to USAW and use the link to get the flight authorized, except there is no link and booking "business" travel will not allow a first class seat.
Oh, with a note that if you cannot reach USAW, just call the Pilot Service Center " at the 877 number"! No kidding that is a direct quote. Couldn't be bothered to put the number in the memo.
I just don't remember that 877 number.
Last edited by BMEP100; 03-07-2017 at 09:15 PM.
03-16-2017, 04:10 AM
#20
Don't say Guppy
Joined APC: Dec 2010
Position: Guppy driver
Posts: 1,926
Well, my WSI and company email haven't worked on the IPAD for over a year. My latest is the new platform for the ULN has no lessons. I clicked every link in the page multiple times to try to get to a place where I could add lessons, but nothing. CCS on a computer and IPAD.
My new solution to IT issues is to do nothing. We don't get paid to fix them. I wait until a deadline, and let them catch it. That way, it makes it fairly far up the food chain. If we all did this, our leadership would start getting really tired of dealing with IT issues, instead of us.
My new solution to IT issues is to do nothing. We don't get paid to fix them. I wait until a deadline, and let them catch it. That way, it makes it fairly far up the food chain. If we all did this, our leadership would start getting really tired of dealing with IT issues, instead of us.
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