The habits of United Airlines’ CEO might explain why the carrier’s Polaris business class catering is still such an area for improvement…
Scott Kirby has never eaten on overnight transatlantic flight
David Slotnick recently had the chance to sit down with United CEO Scott Kirby for an interview, and he shared some thoughts on that in his Substack. Kirby is a smart and interesting guy, and he’s typically willing to talk, and say things that other executives might not be willing to say.
Perhaps the most interesting tidbit is Kirby denying that United is interested in merging with JetBlue, claiming that United’s organic growth is substantial enough, and JetBlue is rather small. Kirby really struggles with keeping a consistent narrative there.
However, here’s what intrigued me most:
“I’ve flown across the Atlantic probably at least 100 times, and I’ve never once eaten a meal going from the US to Europe,” Kirby said. Sleep and hydration is what matters most. So for all of you complaining about the catering on United, maybe that explains it.
Kirby’s airplane dining preferences explain a lot
Funny enough, when airline CEOs talk about their own flying, more often than not they manage to sneak in how frequently they fly in economy, to seem more relatable. But I actually think Kirby’s statement is much more interesting.
Kirby isn’t alone by ordinarily skipping the inflight meal service on an eastbound transatlantic flight. Especially if you’re originating from the East Coast or Midwest, flights are quite short, and there’s a tradeoff between dining and sleeping.
Some people are just really good airplane sleepers, and I’m kind of jealous of their ability to sleep through a loud meal service, which I am just not able to do.
While United has made a lot of premium improvements, catering continues to be a weak point of the carrier’s passenger experience, particularly in Polaris business class. United claims it has invested more in its catering, but for the most part, people aren’t impressed.
I can’t help but think that Kirby’s own travel patterns and onboard dining preferences might partly explain that. As much as we try to pretend it’s not the case, it’s natural to think that our own preferences are more reflective of those of the average person.
Of course Kirby doesn’t view dining at something that hugely needs to be invested in, since it’s not something he values on overnight flights. Kirby is far from being the only executive who takes this kind of an approach, for better or worse. For example, Korean Air has among the best economy seat pitch of any airline, and that’s because Korean Air’s chairman is very tall, so it’s something he personally values.
Bottom line
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby has never eaten on an overnight transatlantic flight to Europe. So if you’ve ever wondered why United improving its Polaris business class catering hasn’t been a priority, I think this explains at least part of the issue. Of course plenty of people go straight to sleep on transatlantic flights, but an equal number of people do value a good meal service.
What do you make of Kirby’s lack of dining on overnight flights?
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