United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby used to be the president of American Airlines, before essentially being told that he wouldn’t be picked as the next CEO. At that point he moved to United, where it seems like one of his top priorities has been to do everything possible to destroy American… despite then also saying he wants United to buy American, to essentially save the carrier.
Despite all his trash talking, Kirby is constantly spotted traveling on American, which might confuse people, on the surface. So what exactly is going on here, and why is Kirby flying American? Well, there’s a pretty straightforward explanation…
Kirby lives in Dallas, commutes to Chicago, often flies American
United is based in Chicago, and despite the fact that Kirby has been working at the airline for a decade, since 2016, he doesn’t actually live there. Instead, he still lives in Dallas, also home to his former employer (well, American is based on Fort Worth, but close enough):
- Kirby has several children, and I guess they didn’t want to uproot their lives and switch schools when he moved from American to United
- Texas has no state income taxes, so I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s also a consideration (I’m not an expert in Illinois taxation, though, obviously)
- Still, commuting for a decade and not consistently being with your family sounds not terribly fun (though perhaps it allows him to focus better, because I can’t imagine what it’s like to have seven kids!)
Anyway, The Daily Mail covers how Kirby is frequently spotted flying on American. So what explains that? Well, since Kirby was a senior executive at American, he gets unlimited positive space travel privileges at the airline, even though he’s now at United. So as long as a seat is for sale (in any cabin), he can confirm it at no cost, along with all kinds of other privileges (like lounge access — not that I imagine Admirals Clubs get him very excited).
Between Dallas (DFW) and Chicago (ORD), American operates an average of 14 flights per day, while United operates an average of seven flights per day. So I imagine on some level, he’s often flying American simply because the schedule is better.
Technically, it sounds like his travel privileges can only be used for personal travel, and not for business reasons. Though I suppose commuting home from work would be considered a “personal” reason.
Could there be another reason Kirby prefers flying American?
Two other potential reasons come to mind that I could see Kirby choosing to fly American over United.
First, Kirby is a very principled person, and (at least subconsciously) I imagine he loves taking away a seat that could be sold on American, and leaving it to be sold on United.
He loves to spite American wherever he can, and that seems like a small way to do it, and I’m sure it gets on the nerves of some people at American. Hey, cheap thrills! Now, Kirby earned over $32 million in 2025, so I think he could afford his own tickets, but what’s the fun in that? 😉
For that matter, I think on some level he probably just prefers the peace and quiet of flying on American. Airline CEOs are pretty public figures when they’re flying on their own airline, given how invested frequent flyers sometimes are in the airlines. And that says nothing of employees, and the “feedback” they often provide to executives.
When flying American, I’m sure Kirby absolutely gets spotted by long time employees, and maybe some passengers. But I suspect he doesn’t get nearly the level of attention on American that he gets on United. So if he actually wants to work (or read a book, or nap — all of which he’s a fan of), it seems that’s much more likely to happen on American than United.
In general, I commend airline executives for flying competing airlines, since it’s good to see what other carriers offer. I think far too many executives only fly their own airline, and obviously don’t get the “real” experience. But in the case of Kirby, I don’t think that’s the primary motivation.
Bottom line
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby frequently flies on American, which might cause some people to do a double take. The explanation for this is pretty straightforward — he lives in Dallas, home to his former employer, and commutes to Chicago. Since he was a former senior American executive, he gets unlimited positive space travel on the airline, and the carrier has twice as many frequencies in the market as United.
At least that’s the primary motivation. Kirby can be a bit of a petty guy, as I see it, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he also loves taking away seats from American any chance he gets, or even getting on the nerves of people at American, who surely see that he’s doing this.
What do you make of Kirby’s frequent flights on American?
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