In April 2024, CBSI alumnus Gleb Shenov had a unique honor. He led a tour of United Airlines’ headquarters for Embry-Riddle students — the very same tour that Shenov had once attended as a student and that sparked his passion for his current career path.
We sat down with Shenov to learn more about his time at CBSI and his role at United Airlines.
What did you major in, and when did you graduate?
I majored in Aviation Business Administration and my concentration was Airport and Airline Management. I graduated in December 2019.
Could you tell us a little bit about your current role and what you do day-to-day?
So, my day-to-day is different. Part of working for an airline is that my job is very dynamic. I work in route network planning as a Global Network Planning and Alliances Senior Analyst – what that means is I work in a department that pretty much builds the schedule for the company. If you ever fly Prescott to Denver, for example, someone has to schedule that flight. What aircraft should we fly? What time of the day should we fly? Should we have two or five flights a day? And how many times a week?
How did you know you wanted to work in route network planning?
I did an internship at American Airlines my senior year, and it was an operations internship at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. It was an airline internship and I kind of branched out. I wanted to learn about different parts of the company, and I asked my managers if they could connect me with people in network planning. I shadowed the network planning department at American Airlines for half a day. And I was just so fascinated by it.
How did CBSI prepare you for this career opportunity?
One thing I've learned since working for United is that your degree matters, but it doesn't define who you are. So long as you have a sense of drive, you're able to do anything.
I think the biggest thing you can do is take advantage of resources like the Aviation Business Networking Club. Clubs were huge because they invited guest speakers. There would be networking opportunities. One thing Embry-Riddle does well, especially the School of Business, is the networking part of being on the airline side of things. I think being part of those clubs is important because the AAAE (or American Association of Airport Executives) Club is also when I took my first trip to Chicago.
I was in awe of everything on that first trip. I had never been to Chicago, and the city was amazing. We toured United’s headquarters and O'Hare Airport. I was so inspired by the trip, and then this year, I got to host the same trip as an alum. The trip is what inspired me to work for United. And for me, it's like, what if it inspires someone else to do the same thing?
When I was leading the tour, I could just see in the eyes of the students how excited they were. Seeing them excited made me even more excited about working here too. They were just so engaged… It felt like a full-circle moment because, again, I did that tour eight years ago and here I am because of that trip. I'm the alum organizing it now.
What did students see on your tour?
We got to see United’s headquarters in Willis Tower. We visited the common areas where there are shared spaces like meeting rooms and conference rooms, and I took them on my floor where I work. Several alumni talked about their roles at United. I was also able to steal two recruiters last-minute to talk to the students.
I think probably the most exciting part for them was to be able to see the NOC. I wasn't the one giving that tour, but it was our Network Operations Center, which is like the heart or nervous system of the airline. All the flights, any emergencies, any issues or even just schedule operations take place here. The NOC manages the day-to-day, which I think is pretty exciting.
Do you have any advice for current CBSI students?
I'd say the biggest thing is to network. It sounds so obvious, but the thing about the aviation industry is it's so well-connected. Build connections with people, build quality relationships and maintain those relationships because you never know who's going to introduce you to whom.
The other thing is to do an internship or to work over the summer.
Last question — if you had to name your favorite thing at Embry-Riddle, what would you choose?
I was born in Russia, but I grew up in Ukraine. We had an international festival on campus where people from all different cultures got to prepare a meal from their country. That's definitely one of the things I still remember, going to that. There were dances, there was singing. It was just such a cool experience.