United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby’s Face The Nation interview on Sunday provides a treasure trove of topics for discussion, almost all of which feature a common thread: the use of federal government coercion to bring about public policy change. That includes new subsidies for jet fuel and taxpayer support for airport construction projects.
United Airlines Wants Taxpayers To Cover Jet Fuel, Airport Improvements
Kirby was asked by host Margaret Brennan about the pair of new infrastructure bills under consideration by Congress. The first bill is a $1.2 trillion plan that features more traditional infrastructure projects like roads, highways, bridges…and airports.
Unsurprisingly, Kirby views that as necessary and believes creating modern airports and an air traffic control system will be beneficial not only for customers, but for society as a whole.
BRENNAN: I want to ask you about some of what’s being debated here on Capitol Hill. There are two huge bills, one of them, this $1.2 trillion infrastructure plan, it’s got funding in airports included into the package. How necessary is it and how would you want that money to be programmed? What do you need it for?
KIRBY: Yeah, so I am very supportive of the entire infrastructure package, as is most of the business community. It’s a great opportunity to invest in America coming out of- out of this crisis. At airports, you know, you can fly around and see the airports. It’s been a long time since we’ve had real investment in the airports. Our air traffic control system, you know, still flies in a lot of ways the same way we flew 50, 60 years ago. And there’s real opportunities to make it more efficient and it’d be good for the economy, good for customers, really kind of good for society as a whole.
The second infrastructure bill is more controversial, broadening the definition of the term to address climate change and social inequality and offering new family and medical leave programs, free universal preschool, and free community college for all students. It has a price tag of $3.5 trillion (but includes the $1.2 trillion in traditional infrastructure).
Kirby is also for this, to the extent that jet fuel is subsidized. He notes “we do need government support, really to fund the investment,” and notes that the goal will be to export technology around the world.
BRENNAN: So, you’re for the 1.2. When it comes to the $3.5 trillion spending bill, there’s also some climate change related provisions tucked into it. We talked about that with Sen. Sanders. But for you in private business, is it just so expensive to make some of these changes on your own that you need American taxpayers to provide tax credits and to provide incentives for private businesses to go green?
KIRBY: Well, particularly for the climate change initiatives, we do need government support, really to fund the investment. If you look at solar and wind, 20 years ago, they couldn’t compete with coal or natural gas, and today it’s cheaper. That’s because the government provided credits to give certainty to invest in the industry, and that’s what we need for things like sustainable aviation fuel. This really is an opportunity in America to drive investment, drive the next generation of great jobs that can be green, but also great jobs, great technology that we can export around the world.
Recently, United announced a broadening of its Eco-Skies program, with a push toward the greater use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
CONCLUSION
While U.S. airlines asking for government assistance is a familiar tale, Kirby wants U.S. taxpayers to bankroll its push toward becoming a greener airline by subsidizing sustainable aviation fuel. Kirby’s plea for government assistance recognizes that such taxpayer support may be the only way such a program is economically viable…for United.
@ Matthew — Screw them and all the other airlines. Yeah, I want all my stuff free, too, paid for by the government.
The word “free” is being destroyed. We all know nothing is “free”. Please eliminate the use of this word and tell Kirby to kick rocks while you’re at it.
‘Today renewable energy is cheaper than coal because the govt makes businesses that use coal pay a fortune to buy carbon credits.” Fixed it.
And I want taxpayer support for the gas that goes in my car too! And my electric bill. And my internet? Oh yeah, taxpayers should be on the hook for that too because I’m important!!
This is such cow plop. Screw them for even asking. And the sad part is that we now have a party in charge who caters to corporatist interests, so Kirby might actually get what he’s asking for.
When did we become a country of people/companies asking for someone else to pay for everything for them? It happens at my company where everyone expects the company to pay for everything, “because we have to work at home”. I don’t get it. It’s gone too far. If you need more money then find a way to make the money to pay for it yourself.
Kirby wants United’s snout in the government trough again? Well, at least he’s a consistent opportunist.
“The first bill is a $1.2 plan”
A whole one point two dollars? Sweet.
At this point he really can’t criticize any Middle Eastern airlines anymore…
Does this joker also want Uncle Sugar’s $ to rebuild a new terminal at IAD? The one they used was built for “Presidential Airways” in the 1980s. I can remember when BA used the west end of the C/D gates terminal and Concorde was parked there. Nowadays it’s akin to Dante’s Inferno.
At least he is telling you what he is aiming for, unlike the hapless crook Smisek. Politics aside, Oscar and Jeff have improved the airline, with and without taxpayer support.
If the gig at UA doesn’t work out for Kirby, he has a promising career in DC politics . More bureaucracy, more spending, and higher taxes.
And I would like my 31 year pension that United so generously dumped on the PBGC after many of us retired early in 2003 to save the airline and the junior employees, only to have UAL file bankruptcy. Of course, the CEO of a few years got his golden parachute because it was in his contract, but the rest of us lost pensions that we earned over decades of sacrifices, and our contracts didn’t matter! Then, when UAL was making tons of money, they refused to reinstate our pensions.
So, I’m sorry Kirby, but I already gave at the office. And gave again when taxpayers bailed out the airline during Covid. I’m living on social security—there’s nothing left to give. Learn to run an airline like Carlson did back in the 60’s and early 70’s.
Kindly remind me how much of the extra fees tacked onto my flight ticket price is for airport use& maintenance? As any multi millionaire will tell you, the first step to wealth is using “ other people’s money “
If you’re getting pissed at the airlines for this, your anger is misplaced. What we need are people in Congress who will tell Parker, Kirby, and the others to go eff themselves, and who will put an end to the crony capitalism.
Please don’t forget that when this card-counting beady-eyed supreme tool of the Punkture Police was busy groveling at the trough of governmental bailouts, while simultaneously promising no employee terminations or layoffs as a condition of receiving said slop, was somehow able to come to the conclusion that it must be perfectly ok to instead cut all of the aforementioned employees’ hard earned pay literally in half….and right at the start of the pandemic no less.
The real icing on the cake occurred when- after getting that (well deserved) smackdown in Federal Court within just hours after it’s announcement, Fool’s team still had the audacity to pen a response memo defiantly reiterating that they the company were well within their rights under the collective bargaining agreement to have sought such drastic measures- but instead had decided against it- As if it was THEY who were the ones that had actually decided the outcome. That bothered me as I knew one day he’d attempt to extract blood in another as yet to be determined way as well for its knuckle-headed stubbornness and obvious inability to admit they’d simply miscalculated and had made a bad decision.
On the good (only in terms of avoiding a showdown) decision side at least he exempted UAL’s pilots (most ¥/\[[€|] anyway) from the Punkture Police. Dis crime in the nation will not stand.