United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby, a graduate of the United Sates Air Force Academy, offered his reflections on the 2023 Memorial Day holiday in a video message and note to employees.
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby Offers 2023 Memorial Day Message
Unlike his predecessor, Oscar Munoz, who mostly stuck to written memos to employees, Kirby frequently records video messages for employees and has done so in the case of the Memorial Day holiday. While his video and note were largely similar, one thing he said in the video that is not in this note below is this:
“While this country is imperfect and it’s frustrating at times with the political process, including right now, we are fortunate to live in what I think is the greatest country in the history of the planet.”
Indeed, hopefully the debt ceiling compromises negated by the Speaker of the House and President will be passed by Congress and we can move beyond that mess to focus on the many other issues pressing this country.
Kirby also penned the following note:
United Team,
As we launch into the Memorial Day weekend, which kicks off the busiest summer travel in the history of United, I wanted to take a moment to honor all of those who’ve made the ultimate sacrifice to create this country and everything we appreciate today.
While imperfect, the United States is a beacon, a shining light, and an example that many others around the world aspire to become. And it’s relevant to think about where United Airlines fits into this picture on a much smaller scale.
That we have become the leading airline around the globe and one that others look to for inspiration and leadership, speaks to the incredible work that all of you have done, especially over the past two years.
We’re now the largest airline in the world. But far beyond that, we’re also making a difference in sustainability, in our communities, and across the industry with our investments in new gates, simulators, our new inflight training center, technology, club space, and of course the largest narrowbody and widebody orders in the history of aviation. We’re so far ahead of the rest of the pack with everything that we’ve done that nobody can catch us unless we stumble, and I’m 100% committed to making sure that we don’t stumble.
So thank you for all that you’re doing and the future that you have set up for us here. And on this Memorial Day, thank you to all of those who aren’t with us, who made the ultimate sacrifice to make this all possible.
Best,
Scott
That’s a rather vanilla note that is mostly not about Memorial Day, but calling the USA “the greatest country in the history of the planet” and a “shining light” is not something you often hear from a prominent corporate leader any longer.
But I do share his sentiment. I’ll have more to say about that in my next post, in which I will offer my own reflection on Memorial Day this year.
>> Read More Of My Past Memorial Day Posts:
image: @scottkirby / Instagram
Fantastic post. Thanks for sharing and makes me happy I’m a United flyer.
Forget what he said about the US, it’s what he said about the airline itself that raises an eyebrow…
“That we have become the leading airline around the globe and one that others look to for inspiration and leadership”
“We’re so far ahead of the rest of the pack with everything that we’ve done that nobody can catch us unless we stumble”
I mean, don’t get me wrong, their Polaris lounges are great, they have a good route network, and while their Polaris seats aren’t the best they are still above average, but still…lots of room for improvement.
Scott is an amazing leader. He understands the airline industry like nobody else. United is really luckily to have him at the helm.
“Scott is an amazing leader. He understands the airline industry like nobody else. United is really luckily to have him at the helm.”
My father who came of age in the 1940’s had a lot against the Japanese and I can sympathize with his feelings, but I marvel when I look at the relative rate of compensation (5X to 20X) between USA and Japanese CEO’s. Knowing him, RIP, he probably would agree that perhaps if Japan won the war, we’d have higher expectations of our CEOs.
As a normal American worker, I’m expected to perform and if I don’t, I’d risk getting “managed out” after my annual performance review. I was expected to perform good work for a normal paycheck. To get what considered an higher bonus, I’d have to perform a miracle. To get paid twice as much? I’d have to be ultra exceptional. Are our CEO’s doing such incredible work to justify their outrageous bonuses or are they merely well politically connected?
I was thinking perhaps we should have a jury duty system for our politicians: Don’t get the ones who have the connections to get the campaign donations or even charm, but rather grab some poor schmuck off the street, have them state their issues without their identity being mentioned, and make them serve a term anonymously and without the opportunity to be lobbied. People would vote for them based upon their positions and after service, they’d be released from the chore.
He’s a loser like all the major airlines ceos. United has received (as well as delta and American) around $40bn in bailouts since 2001. Think about that. Only in America do we prop up crappy companies that serve no purpose when that money could be used to fund a much more socially advantageous alternative (I.e. trains). This guy is just another moronic doesn’t know his ass from his elbow CEO.
It is an interesting way that he tied in his own achievements at United with the personal sacrifices made by the troops for the nation’s existence. My father came home in one piece from Germany in 1958 but he probably didn’t think about United’s Purchase Orders as the reason for his service.
We should turn this around and ask what he’s doing for the country rather than the country doing for him. For starters, devaluing the miles people had saved for trips probably wasn’t the best. Is United, and for that matter, most of the corporations creating good paying jobs that people can have a middle class existence or mostly low paid service jobs? If a CEO refuses to show up for work unless he gets at least a million dollars a year, why should some guy volunteer for combat at a low base pay?
In any case, it’s nice to have the freedom to contemplate these issues and to bring them up for debate.
Well said.
Great post!
How extremely refreshing, beyond words.
America is one of the greatest but does not have the distinction of the absolute greatest. Other contenders include Canada, Taiwan, Singapore, Netherlands. American ethics are high but not too high. Look at crime. Taiwan has many poor people but they don’t rob you.
United is just ok but they have many seat miles and EVA and SQ has a lot of routes with only 1-2 flights.
How is Canada part of that group?
Higher standard of living (better healthcare, not as much crime, etc.). Several countries rank higher than the US in standard of living surveys and studies, which is why it is so silly to call the US the greatest country on the planet. No thanks.
For once, I agree with Kirby. Being great in various ways doesn’t equate with being problem-free or having fewer or less severe problems than some other countries.
He’s obviously never been to Sweden !!!
I’m guessing that as the CEO of a global airline, he likely has been to Sweden and would stand by his comments. It’s exhausting to hear people compare the US (which, as he stated, has it’s problems of course) to a country like Sweden; a much smaller nation with a complete lack of racial diversity (roughly 86% white population), relatively limited job opportunities and minuscule size comparatively. There’s pros/cons everywhere but let the man have pride in his great Nation. No nation has provided more opportunities and freedoms than the US, and there’s a reason nobody coined the phrase: “The Swedish Dream.”
What a bizarre claim. The US has undoubtedly made a number of significant positive contributions to the world, but if starting wars in faraway places, installing dictatorships in foreign countries and systematically ignoring basic human rights (e.g. at Guantanamo) don’t prevent a country from becoming the ‘greatest in the history of the planet’, I don’t know what would.
Maybe a social credit scoring system is also perfectly fine, in which case it’s only a matter of time until the title gets passed on to the People’s Republic of China.
The tendency of power to corrupt those privileged with power is such that I can’t foresee countries such as China, India, Russia, Indonesia, Nigeria, Brazil, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Japan and Mexico behaving any better domestically and internationally if they had the privileges of power and resources of the US I’m absolute and relative terms vis-a-vis other countries. That a great power with such great power hasn’t done even more harm is a sign of greatness.
A lot more people are going to come to regret the end of the US’s unrivaled global hegemon status and the declining faith in the US by both Americans and foreigners in liberal democratic polities.
Ignorant jingoism.
Assuming you’re a one “percenter” which I believe the CEO of United is, it would be pretty easy to say “I live in the greatest country in the world”. It might be better to ask a minimum wage earn wage employee the same question.
To use a Mel Brooks film quote “it’s good to be the king”.
Thanks for stating the truth !!! USA !!!
Yet he is the wokest airline CEO, supporting destructive policies that are destroying the culture of the US.
Waaaaah big bad man did something “woke”! Waaaaaah!
Dude,
Which extraordinarily destructive policies is he supporting that are destroying culture or much of anything in America? Other than his squeezing Americans and others for money as an industry cartel kingpin, don’t know that he’s done anything more destructive than the average Trump fanboy.
What destroys is people turning a blind idea to the problems that exist while cheerleading for a past that was messed up too and led to the worst problems of today,
https://amgeneral.ultipro.com
No country is the greatest country. Or the worst. They all have good things and not so good things. No reason a Bruneian/Serbian/East Timoran, etc. should think that their country is the greatest.
One can love their country, be patriotic, and still recognize that it is not the greatest in the world. It’s the difference between patriotism and nationalism.