CHICAGO- One of the big four carriers, United Airlines (UA), is among a handful of carriers serving all six inhabited continents around the globe. With the world’s second-largest fleet that is only superseded by Delta Air Lines (DL), UA flies to 73 countries and 348 domestic and international destinations.
United Airlines’ CEO is Scott Kirby, an incredibly experienced and respected figurehead in the aviation industry across the world. Here is everything you need to know about him, including how much he is paid for taking UA from stride to stride.
Who is Scott Kirby?
Scott Kirby has almost become a household name in the American airline industry. The 57-year-old has held positions across the country’s most reputed carriers for a number of years.
Before venturing into the airline space, Kirby graduated from the United States Air Force Academy with a Bachelor of Science and then earned an MS from George Washington University.
His first role associated with aviation came with America West Airlines in 1995. Kirby would spend a very successful decade with them before heading to US Airways in 2006 following the merger between both carriers. He served as their president and continued in the role after US Airways merged with American Airlines in 2013.
In August 2016, Scott Kirby joined United Airlines as their president and was promoted to the designation of CEO in May 2020. The highlight of his span as the airline chief executive has been a strong recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, alongside a revamping of the airline’s hubs in Chicago, Denver, and Houston.
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby Salary
Scott Kirby’s pay in 2021 and 2022 was approximately $9.8 million. He secured a 90% rise in 2023, however, and pocketed an attractive amount of $18.6 million.
The base salary component of his compensation was $1.075 million in 2023. Kirby received $6.6 million in incentives for the calendar year alongside $10.7 million in stock awards.
In short, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby, among the highest-paid airline executives in the US, earned a salary and compensation of $18.6 million in 2023.
Kirby’s compensation raised a number of eyebrows, particularly within the airline. The flight attendants from the airline even picketed as a result of their CEO’s salary as they demanded fairer contracts earlier this year.
Other Top Officer Salaries at United
Scott Kirby is assisted on the board of directors by a couple of other high-profile individuals at United. Their salary numbers were also identified as part of the data released in 2023 by United Airlines Holdings, alongside a further breakdown of the finances.
Brett Hart, the president of UA Holdings, was paid $14.9 million in 2023 for his work. Of the amount received, $868,750 was the basic salary component, $6.4 million was a stock award and $7.7 million was paid to Hart as part of several incentive-related bonuses.
Edward Philip, the chairman, earned a surprisingly low amount in comparison to the CEO and president. His total compensation for 2023 was just $607,405 with no allowances, bonuses, or stock awards. It is not known whether he holds any stake in the holdings from earlier on.
United Airlines Plans for 2025
United operates from seven different bases – Chicago O’Hare, Denver, Houston-Intercontinental, Los Angeles, Newark, San Francisco, and Washigton-Dulles. A setup in every region in the country has helped the airline stretch its wings far and beyond the US.
As far as the fleet goes, United will begin replacing its Boeing 757-200s next year with the new Airbus A321XLRs. No other major changes are expected in this regard in 2025.
The airline’s schedule will exponentially increase, however, with up to 760 weekly trans-Atlantic flights expected to operate in summer 2025 of a planned 5600 takeoffs and landings per week.
There will also be some new destinations and routes in the shape of Bilbao, Funchal, Nuuk, and Palermo from Newark, as well as Dakar from Washington, DC, and Ulaanbaatar and Kaohsiung from Tokyo Narita.
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