Boeing

Boeing [NYSE: BA] Commercial Aviation Services announced today that launch customer Southwest Airlines has implemented its first module of a Boeing state-of-the-art software application for planning, scheduling and tracking the full range of fleet maintenance activities.

Developed by Boeing subsidiary AeroInfo Systems, the MainStream^TM long-term forecasting module, called FRC, allows an airline to look far into the operational future of its fleet to more accurately predict the need for facilities, labor, material and maintenance downtime. It also delivers immediate business value to an airline by allowing the airline to run multiple forecasting and scheduling scenarios for its fleet to determine the one that best meets its operational needs.

"Having this application will provide the necessary tools for us to quickly adapt to a dynamic industry," said Jim Sokol, Southwest Airlines vice president of Maintenance and Engineering.

A team of Southwest and AeroInfo employees worked together to integrate the application with other Southwest maintenance systems.

"The integration went very smoothly, and we are very pleased with the support from AeroInfo in getting this project done in a timely and cost-efficient manner," said Jeffery Hillis, director of Maintenance and Business Intelligence Solutions at Southwest Airlines.

FRC is one of a suite of MainStream^TM modules being implemented by Boeing at Southwest Airlines.

"Southwest always has been an innovator," said Lou Mancini, vice president of Boeing Maintenance Services. "With the successful implementation of this enterprise-level software, Southwest once again has shown itself to be a leader in the industry."

MainStream^TM is part of Boeing Enterprise One^TM, a comprehensive maintenance management software system for airlines. Other information technology offerings from Boeing Commercial Aviation Services include the Portable Maintenance Aid^TM, an advanced software to aid mechanics in troubleshooting airplanes, and MyBoeingFleet.com, a convenient Web site providing up-to-date technical information.