Union: United's maintenance has deteriorated-WSJ

LOS ANGELES, Aug 8 (Reuters) - The United Airlines pilots union sent a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration on Friday saying four recent engine failures or compressor stalls may indicate the airline's maintenance standards have deteriorated, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

United Airlines, a unit of UAL Corp (UAUA.O), denied any problems.

"There is nothing more important than the safety of our employees and customers, and it is unconscionable and intentionally misleading for ALPA (Air Line Pilots Association) to suggest otherwise; our engine performance and maintenance requirements exceed all federal safety standards," the company said in a statement obtained by Reuters.

United sued the union and four pilots in federal court last month, accusing them of misusing sick leave and taking other steps the company said led to hundreds of canceled flights this month.

The union's letter to the acting head of the FAA said four recent engine failures or compressor stalls on United 737s may indicate that "maintenance standards have deteriorated at United as operational decisions are increasingly driven by economic considerations," the Journal said.

Capt. Steve Wallach, chairman of the Air Line Pilots Association branch at United, said all the emergencies, which occurred shortly after takeoff, were resolved without incident or injury when the pilots returned to the airports and landed safely, according to the report.

Shares in UAL Corp closed up $1.52, or 15.82 percent, on the Nasdaq, to end Friday's trade at $11.13. (Reporting by Deena Beasley, editing by Leslie Gevirtz)