Aug. 23 at 1:04 PM
Kirby, a three-decade airline executive, is the United States’ most outspoken airline CEO. His team knows this, and they’ve stopped telling him well in advance what will be on tap for the next batch of Instagram-friendly routes.
“They no longer tell me in advance because they’re afraid I’ll spill the beans, which is fair,” he said.
While Delta has still had a lead on profits, CEO Ed Bastian doesn’t want to give up ground to United. It is starting to expand flights over the Pacific, a United stronghold.
“People say, ‘Well, when is it someone else’s turn?’ Well, I’m never going to let that be someone else’s turn. It’s always our turn,” Bastian told students at Columbia Business School in April 2024. “We always get a chance to prove it every single day. ... Yesterday really doesn’t matter. It’s only today and tomorrow that you can think about.”
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