Much improved airline - lots of good things came from a proper UA/CO merger - not just a livery change …
My perspective on that is a bit more complex.
Before 9/11, United was great airline. We had a solid CEO, and we were the top of the industry, the largest, most profitable, airline in the world. We flew the world. One afternoon in Narita, I saw 12 United 747s at the terminal- more than any other carrier, including Japan Air Lines.
But United was unprepared for the dramatic shift in flying that happened after the NASDAQ implosion in early 2000, and the subsequent financial shock of 911 drove the airline into bankruptcy.
In bankruptcy, the CEO was a former oil guy whose job was to strip the airline, sell off the assets, get costs lowered, look for a merger or sale. His name was Glen Tilton, and he was widely reviled by United employees, that is the 40% of employees who remained with the company after his program was completed, the rest were gone. It was a bloodbath of layoffs and dramatic pay cuts.
The merger with Continental in 2010 brought yet another CEO with no experience running an airline. A Harvard Law- trained lawyer. Again, widely reviled…also not very successful. He was a face in a suit. He lacked any kind of leadership.
What changed the airline was a CEO named Oscar Munoz who came in in 2014. I’ve actually met Oscar personally a couple of times, and I continue to be impressed. Oscar came from the railroad industry, so while not directly an airline, at least he understood things like schedules, and unions, and complex, expensive rolling stock.
What made Oscar different? He was a people person. He articulated a vision for United going forward. He hired the best people. He engaged* with Frontline employees. Leadership.
One of his good picks was our current, CEO, Scott Kirby, who Oscar brazenly poached from American Airlines. It’s Scott Kirby that has continued the change that Oscar initiated. Empowering employees, fixing things that were broken. Many of those things were cultural, and structural, not easy to fix…not simple. But like turning a supertanker, it takes a while, and a firm idea of where we should go. Scott is proud of this new airplane order.
So am I.
In the Navy, when I was in command, I would “walk the deck plates“. I firmly supported the chain of command, but I also wanted to see things for myself, to hear things directly from my most junior sailors. You’d be surprised how much can be learned from talking to the folks who are at the “bottom” of the organizational chart.
United Airlines went from having two hollow-suit CEOs who talked only to other members of the C suite and members of the board, to two CEOs, who got out among the “troops”. It is a powerful difference, and an example of what leadership does to turn a company around.
The positive change I see in the airline is dramatic. I feel like I’m back at the airline that hired me in 1997 and the industry leader. A company I’m proud of.
* On one occasion, I met Oscar, because he was simply walking down the C concourse in Newark. Stopping to chat with flight attendants, gate agents, and yes, two pilots, including me, who were just sitting in a public space catching up. He visited all of his domiciles, talked with all of his employees. You’d find ramp guys and mechanics who had met Oscar, and talked with him.
My wife and I saw Oscar at a gate in Washington Dulles back in June. He was deeply involved in a phone conversation, and out of respect I didn’t want to disturb him.
So I simply took one of my business cards and wrote on the back, “thank you for your leadership.” I handed it to him without a word and walked back to my seat. I am sincere in my appreciation of his leader ship. I remain grateful for a CEO who liked to “walk the deck plates”.
