United Airlines Taps Industry Veteran for Senior Role; Robert Rivkin Named SVP and General Counsel

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Feb 22, 2019, 07:00 ET

CHICAGO, Feb. 22, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- United Airlines today named transportation industry veteran Robert S. Rivkin senior vice president and general counsel. For the last three decades, Rivkin has drawn on his exceptional legal skills while serving in leadership positions in the airline industry, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and local government. Rivkin brings this unique background and extraordinary skill set to a top role at one of the world's leading airlines. At United, he will be responsible for all legal matters, as well as ethics, compliance, government contracting and security. Rivkin will report to Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer Brett Hart.

Robert S. Rivkin, United’s senior vice president and general counsel

"Bob's distinguished career in public service, the legal community and the airline industry make him an ideal fit for this critical role on our United team. He's a proven leader who will make an immediate impact as we work to fulfill United's incredible potential," said United Airlines Chief Executive Officer Oscar Munoz.

Rivkin is no stranger to the commercial aviation industry, having served as deputy general counsel for Delta Air Lines from 2013 to 2016. Prior to joining Delta, he served as general counsel for the DOT from 2009 to 2013, where he was sworn in following a unanimous confirmation by the U.S. Senate. Currently, Rivkin serves as the deputy mayor of the City of Chicago. He has also worked in private law practice and as a federal prosecutor.

Rivkin graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College, and received a juris doctorate degree from Stanford Law School, where he was an associate editor of the Stanford Law Review. Rivkin and his wife of more than 30 years have three children. Rivkin's last day as Chicago's deputy mayor will be February 28, and he will start his new role at United the week of March 18.

Every customer. Every flight. Every day.

In 2019, United is focusing more than ever on its commitment to its customers, looking at every aspect of its business to ensure that the carrier keeps customers' best interests at the heart of its service. In addition to today's announcement, United recently released a re-imagined version of the most downloaded app in the airline industry and made DIRECTV free for every passenger on 211 aircraft, offering more than 100 channels on seat back monitors on more than 30,000 seats. The multimillion-dollar investment in improving inflight entertainment options will benefit the more than 29 million people expected to fly United's DIRECTV-enabled planes this year.

About United

United's shared purpose is "Connecting People. Uniting the World." We are more focused than ever on our commitment to customers through a series of innovations and improvements designed to help build a great experience: Every customer. Every flight. Every day. Together, United Airlines and United Express operate approximately 4,800 flights a day to 353 airports across five continents. In 2018, United and United Express operated more than 1.7 million flights carrying more than 158 million customers. United is proud to have the world's most comprehensive route network, including U.S. mainland hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. United operates 770 mainline aircraft and the airline's United Express carriers operate 559 regional aircraft. United is a founding member of Star Alliance, which provides service to 193 countries via 28 member airlines. For more information, visit united.com, follow @United on Twitter and Instagram or connect on Facebook. The common stock of United's parent, United Continental Holdings, Inc., is traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol "UAL".

SOURCE United Airlines