United CEO Vows to Beat Margin-Leader Delta on Quality not Quantity
Photo Credit: United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby says the airline will compete — and win — on quality and not quantity. United Airlines
Skift Take
United CEO Scott Kirby is talking up his investments in product, and quality improvements at the carrier. But it will still be a steep challenge to beat Delta Air Lines, the longstanding leader on quality and margins in the U.S.
Any longtime United Airlines flyer will know quality has not always been the airline's strong suit. Things went decidedly downhill, both onboard and operationally, after the carrier merged with Continental Airlines in 2010 and really only began to recover after former CEO Oscar Munoz took the helm in 2015.
Scott Kirby, Munoz's right-hand man until he took over as CEO in 2020, is changing that narrative. While costs remain of high importance to the famously penny-pinching manager, those cuts will not come at the expense of improving the passenger experience. In fact, United has embarked on a major investment program to improve the onboard experience for travelers and, Kirby hopes, get the airline to higher margins than long-time U.S. leader Delta Air Lines.
"We will win customers on quality," Kirby said at the Skift Aviation Fo
