{"id":95889,"date":"2025-05-22T23:38:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-22T18:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/?p=95889"},"modified":"2025-05-24T21:41:59","modified_gmt":"2025-05-24T16:11:59","slug":"highest-paid-us-airline-ceo-in-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/22\/highest-paid-us-airline-ceo-in-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Highest Paid US Airline CEO Earns Almost $34 Million"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

CHICAGO-<\/strong> In 2024, United Airlines (UA)<\/a> CEO Scott Kirby emerged as the highest-paid airline executive among major US carriers, with a total compensation of $33.9 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This marked a significant rise from his 2023 earnings and signaled a return to uncapped executive pay following COVID-era restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The compensation figures, disclosed in SEC proxy filings, also showed significant variations among CEOs of other major carriers like Delta Air Lines (DL)<\/a>, American Airlines (AA)<\/a>, and Southwest Airlines (WN)<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These figures reflect not just performance, but also shifting priorities in the post-pandemic aviation market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Highest
Photo: Aviation A2Z, Source Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Highest Paid US Airline CEO<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The airline industry in the US underwent strict pay limitations between 2020 and 2022 due to the CARES Act, which tied federal aid to executive compensation caps. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

CEOs during this period were limited to a base of $3 million plus a fraction of their 2019 compensation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to OMAAT<\/a>, these caps officially ended on April 1, 2023, enabling 2024 to be the first full year of unrestricted executive earnings since the pandemic began.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With that regulatory constraint lifted, US airlines have realigned CEO salaries<\/a> to reflect performance, market expectations, and shareholder interests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The compensation breakdowns vary in structure, incorporating base salary, bonuses, stock awards, and incentive plan earnings, depending on the airline’s financial strategy and board decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each airline structures executive pay differently, combining salary, bonuses, incentive plans, and equity awards. The table below shows how each US airline CEO\u2019s 2024 compensation was allocated:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Airline<\/th>CEO Name<\/th>Base Salary<\/th>Bonus<\/th>Non-Equity Incentive Plan<\/th>Stock Awards<\/th>Total Compensation<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
United Airlines (UA)<\/td>Scott Kirby<\/td>$1.2M<\/td>$3M<\/td>$5.1M<\/td>$24.4M<\/td>$33.9M<\/td><\/tr>
Delta Air Lines (DL)<\/td>Ed Bastian<\/td>$1.5M<\/td>$3M<\/td>$11.6M<\/td>$11M<\/td>$27.1M<\/td><\/tr>
American Airlines (AA)<\/td>Robert Isom<\/td>$1.2M<\/td>$2M<\/td>$5.4M<\/td>$7M<\/td>$15.6M<\/td><\/tr>
Southwest Airlines (WN)<\/td>Bob Jordan<\/td>$1.2M<\/td>$2M<\/td>$2.4M<\/td>$5M<\/td>$10.6M<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Photo: American Airlines 777 by Cl\u00e9ment Alloing Compounded by Aviation A2Z<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Factors Influencing CEO Pay in 2024<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Several factors contributed to the differences in CEO compensation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n