American Airlines president leaves for United
Scott Kirby, president of American Airlines, is stepping down to take a new job: president of United Airlines, the two companies announced within 10 minutes of each other Monday.
Scott Kirby, president of American Airlines, is stepping down to take a new job: president of United Airlines, the two companies announced within 10 minutes of each other Monday.
Robert Isom, 52, who is American's chief operating officer, will succeed Kirby, 49, who will leave effective immediately.
Kirby has been CEO Doug Parker's No. 2 since 2005.
Kirby joined America West in 1995, and played a key management role in the 2005 merger of America West and US Airways and the 2013 merger of US Airways and American.
"Scott knows that this move could ultimately lead to him running United as CEO" when current United CEO Oscar Munoz steps down or retires, said aviation consultant Todd Lehmacher, former spokesman for US Airways and American and a former pilot.
Munoz, previously president and COO of CSX Corp., suffered a heart attack last Oct. 15, a month after becoming CEO of United. In January, Munoz underwent a heart transplant. He returned to work March 7.
Parker, 54, American's CEO "isn't going anywhere anytime soon," Lehmacher said.
Kirby, who may have ambitions to be CEO of a major airline, was a proponent of the proposed 2010 merger of US Airways and United, which fell through when United merged instead with Continental Airlines.
"This is a smart move by United," Lehmacher said. "Scott is a sharp one. Everything I saw while at American and US Airways indicated Doug's complete trust in Scott."
United has been hit with a series of operational problems, including computer glitches, since merging with Continental.
On performance metrics - delays, cancellations, consumer complaints, and mishandled bags - United since 2012 has ranked among the worst among its competitors.
Isom's promotion to president at American was "an equally shrewd move," Lehmacher said. Isom led operational turnaround at US Airways in the late 2000s when US Airways was plagued with lost and late checked baggage problems - including at Philadelphia International Airport - flight delays, and customer complaints.
In a statement, American attributed the management changes to the board of directors' "ongoing succession planning process" and "conversations regarding career expectations and the marketability of its executives.
"The company concluded it would not be able to retain its existing executive team in their current roles for an extended period," American said. "As a result, the board chose to act proactively to establish a team and structure that will best serve American for the longer-term future."
American board member John Cahill said, "We view succession planning as one of our most important mandates...We look forward to Doug's continued leadership for many years to come" and "welcome Robert to his expanded role."
American, with a hub in Philadelphia, is the world's largest airline by passenger traffic. United and Delta are No. 2 and 3, respectively, in size among U.S. carriers.
215-854-2831
@LoydLinda