United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby posted a video of a recent trip to Washington, DC, pulling back the curtain on how the job of being an airline CEO and a politician is inextricably mixed.
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby Goes To Washington, DC
Kirby is a hands-on, detail-oriented CEO. While his predecessor Oscar Munoz was an incredibly kind man who seemed to me to be the right man at the right time to restore morale at United after the disastrous tenures of Jeff Smisek (and Glenn Tilton before him), Kirby has a pulse for the industry like no other. Far more than a figurehead, Kirby is the mastermind behind United’s great rebound into a two-way competition with Delta for the most premium U.S. carrier.
Ask Kirby about frequent flyer programs, route maps, aircraft types, onboard amenities, labor contracts, or just about virtually anything relating to the airline, and he can address it…and it’s clear he knows what he’s talking about. While some of his lieutenants bloviate with whitewashing doublespeak, he’s refreshingly candid…a straight shooter who does not shy away from controversial topics and also makes himself available to key stakeholders rather than sending notes written by other people.
With the airline industry so heavily regulated, part of being an airline CEO is cajoling public officials toward desired policy outcomes. We saw that most brazenly on display during the pandemic, when Kirby and his colleagues were able to talk the US government into bailing it out via a taxpayer-funded subsidy. While carriers across Europe had to pay back governments for COVID-era bailouts, Kirby walked away with loan forgiveness.
In the video below, we see a day in the life of Kirby in Washington, DC. It includes stops at United’s posh new DC office (United, like other US carriers, has a lobbying arm based in Washington, DC), a visit to the US State Department, a meeting with Airlines for America (A4A), which is the trade association representing US airlines, and stops at the offices of elected represenatives on Capitol Hill.
Think about Air Traffic Control modernization. Who is going to pay for it? In Kirby’s mind, the more this cost can be transferred to all US taxpayers rather than drawn from airport fees passed directly onto consumers who fly, the better. That’s because higher ticket costs do turn away customers and do not benefit United when they come in the form of higher taxes/fees.
CONCLUSION
To some extent, it’s all a game…the game that is inherent in a representative republic like the USA. And love him or hate him, Kirby is the man of the hour for United and his hands-on approach to leadership is aimed at trying to deliver shareholder returns. In other words, he’s doing his job. I don’t hide the fact that I quite like Kirby and while I do not support all of the things he has pursued as CEO like MileagePlus devaluations and pandemic-era bailouts, I understand he’s a man on a mission and his role is a highly political one.
Kirby is under 6 feet tall, that explains a lot about why he is the way he is.
Airline greed is another reason . Taxpayers ought Not be on the hook for ATC , and especially Newark volume .
He wants taxpayers to be on the hook so United can hitch a free ride , for what is their responsibility alone .
“hands-on approach to leadership” ? Nonsense . He is a “leader” in the race for free-ride money : that’s all .
While I like Mr Kirby as a CEO at United and how he’s enhanced their network and profitability, he has an impeccable ability to shape shift between Biden apologist to Maga darling to curry favor.
He seems to be at the forefront of business leaders turning the US into a banana republic (or Hungary). Have some self-respect, Scott.
I don’t generally don’t like using MAGA terms, but he epitomizes the term “the swamp” to an unusual degree.
I do tend to agree with you, but I also think an airline CEO is different than a politician. That sort of groveling is not ideal, but at least understandable.
Sorry to be random, but is that a 747-400 wingtip in the background behind Mr. Kirby?
Yes.
When is he retiring?
“While some of his lieutenants bloviate…” Did I just enter the no-spin zone?
Seriously though, Kirby needs to just sell his dignity to get what he wants. Flatter the administration, and give them money, then you’ll get what you need, It’s that easy.
He has already done so…
Maybe United could start accepting TrumpCoin for payment of airline tickets.
So is United the maga airline?
United supports the party in power.
“how the job of being an airline CEO and a politician is inextricably mixed.”
Watch a gay porn if you don’t already know what it’s like
Scott Kirby loves for everyone to think he is the smartest person in the room.
The reality is that other airlines and other companies also have very active CEOs and other people including SVPs that just don’t have an incessant need to toot their own horn.
and let’s not forget that Kirby’s incessant running of the mouth and very public criticism of the FAA is part of why the FAA came down hard on EWR capacity – which has still not returned to levels that existed at the beginning of the year and possibly never will.
Most of the strategies that United is using to succeed were copied from Delta which itself has pulled together a group of strategies from other airlines and other industries.
and let’s not forget that the biggest risk to United’s future success comes from its employees that want to be paid industry-comparable salaries which Kirby has kept at bay for 5 years post covid. UA’s profits will either fall or its employees will be much less engaged if not downright antagonistic to the company.
He supports lowering safety in favor of racist and sexist DEI policies for pilot hiring. He also is a drag queen .
As the son of retired United Airlines employees, I have fond memories of the old United and air travel in the 70’s and 80’s. When transcon Ocean to Ocean service in coach offered shrimp cocktail appetizers followed by steak or chicken for dinner. I am glad I had a chance to experience that era. I know, the business world has changed and Wall Street is allergic to customer service. If you want to know what it was like, fly a shorter length intra-Asia flight on Singapore Airlines in business. Something like DPS or BKK to SIN. You get to experience that level of service without breaking the bank.
I fired United in 2014 after a nightmare of an experience. SFO had weather delays which caused me and many others to miss our connections. I ended up in a 50 person line in Terminal F with one employee staffed at the Customer Service counter. After waiting in line for over 2 hours, we finally begged a passing United employee to get the counter fully staffed. I was done with United and shifted my business to Delta. I have been very happy with Delta so they get most of my business.
I have flown a couple of short RNO-SFO flights on United recently and was pleasantly surprised. I will be flying to the east coast in the fall and may try United on a longer length flight. Delta is getting expensive in Y+ and the airfare for a similar seat on United has caught my attention.
I like Kirby because he is cheerfully doing a job most would find difficult. No one likes to be the butt kisser, but sometimes that is the job.
and yet Kirby and his endlessly running mouth has also led to getting smacked by the feds – which is exactly what happened by his incessant criticism of the FAA’s handling of the moves involving EWR ATC functions. UA’s hub at EWR will be smaller for at least 6 months and maybe forever.
Sometimes keeping your mouth shut in public and working w/ people behind the scenes yields better results than going on every national news program to trash your regulator for weeks on end.