United's Scott Kirby Finally Gets a CEO Job: Now What?

Over two decades at four airlines, more than a few junior or midlevel employees have feared briefing Scott Kirby. The problem has never been that he was uninformed or would need extra explanation. The issue is Kirby often seemed to know more about whatever issue they were presenting than they did. If they had holes in their presentations, he would find them, chiding them on what they missed. It didn't matter if the talk was about operations, revenue management, network, or even onboard product. Kirby knew it all. "He was an imposing figure," said Brett Snyder, an airline analyst who worked for Kirby from 1999–2002 at America West Airlines. "He certainly cast a long shadow, and he was very blunt. He was not going to play games. You would know where you stood pretty clearly when you were interacting with him." Blunt or not, by many accounts, Kirby is among the top airline minds in the United States, a modern Robert Crandall or Herb Kelleher, and it's remarkable he has had to wait this long to lead a carrier. But his wait is over: Kirby, now president of United Airlines, will become CEO in May, 14 years after taking his first airline president job — as the No. 2 executive at US Airways. Current CEO Oscar Munoz will become executive chairman for one year.