United CEO: Don’t fly places that lose money. A lot of airlines still do | Invest 2026
United Airlines chief executive Scott Kirby tells Brian Sozzi that a fuel bill up sharply this year is about to force decisions across the industry, and that most US airlines are managing with hope rather than cutting the routes that lose money. He says he has closed three hubs in his career and found it unemotional, that United still wants a merger partner and does not have one, and that he is more interested in buying assets than airlines. He also sets out the Starlink rollout, the case for fixing air traffic control, and why he thinks cheap air travel is alive and well. Figures here are his own.
Featuring:
Scott Kirby, Chief Executive Officer, United Airlines
Brian Sozzi, Executive Editor, Yahoo Finance
Watch the full day of Yahoo Finance Invest: https://youtube.com/live/rAYVxDJYeAc
Timestamps
0:00 The year in one word
1:06 Where the cost increases actually came from
2:35 “Managing with hope is the strategy”
4:21 How worried he is about the other majors
6:27 The merger he floated, and the partner he does not have
7:40 Why he wants a US flag carrier people are proud of
9:11 Where Starlink stands on United
10:38 Why he thinks competitors got this wrong
11:40 When investors would see it in the numbers
12:51 Grading America’s aviation infrastructure
14:35 Where the air traffic controllers come from
15:54 How the flight itself changes
17:32 The next AI bet, and “every flight’s a story”
19:01 What happens to the cheap seat
20:24 Is the era of the affordable ticket over?
22:50 Whether he would ever run for office
#UnitedAirlines #Aviation #Starlink #YahooFinance
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