Skift Take
American has been a big player in Chicago for decades, and that probably won't change. But United President Scott Kirby is one of the most fierce competitors in the airline industry. If he says he wants to win in Chicago, he means it.
As president of American Airlines, Scott Kirby liked quoting his favorite Will Ferrell movie — Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby — to describe airline hub economics.
"If you're not first," he would say, quoting the title character, "you're last."
At American, that mantra was germane in Chicago, one of the only airports with two full-scale airline hubs. Despite having significantly fewer gates than United Airlines, which is headquartered in Chicago, American operates nearly as many daily flights. And in many cases, it provides more convenient schedules for Chicago-based business travelers, while offering more options for connecting passengers. Plus, American flies to some smaller Midwestern cities United does not.
Until August, Kirby was the architect of American's strategy that had it trying to match United's Chicago footprint. But late last summer, Kirby joined United as its president, and now he has a different goal — to make United the clear leader in Chicago, and perhaps someday drive American out.
"In Chicago, we have massive advantages," Kirby told employees recently at a town hall meeting.
