United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby Flies American Airlines First Class Using Lifetime Travel Benefits

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby flew first class on an American Airlines flight departing from San Francisco International Airport on Friday. Flight attendant Kristine Tiley took a photo of the 58-year-old executive and posted it on Facebook with the caption “LOOK WHO I HAD IN my first class today from sfo. What a great guy.

Just as nice as he was back in the day He misses us lol. ” Kirby served as president of American Airlines from 2013 to 2016 before the carrier let him go that year. American Airlines then elevated Robert Isom to CEO, setting the stage for the two men to become heated adversaries in the industry.

Thanks to his prior contract, Kirby enjoys lifetime travel benefits with American Airlines. The United chief has most recently tried to push for the two airlines to merge. He pitched the idea directly to President Trump during a February meeting, sources told Reuters.

Kirby confirmed last month that he had been seeking a merger between United and American but that American was not interested. “I was confident that this combination, which would have been about adding and not subtracting, creating a truly great airline that customers love, could get regulatory approval,” Kirby stated.

” With American rejecting the proposal, Kirby said he was ending his months-long pursuit to merge with the competitor.

United Airlines did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment. com reported that the post by Tiley whipped social media into a frenzy as many were confused as to why the chief of United Airlines would fly with American rather than with his own company. Kirby found success with United after he was let go as president of American Airlines in 2016.

He helped push the airline forward while constantly taking jabs at his old workplace and nemesis. The episode on Friday underscored the unusual personal and professional ties that still link the rival carriers’ top executives more than a decade after Kirby’s departure from American.