United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby takes shot at American Airlines, predicts only two industry leaders: 'everyone else…'

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby has directly questioned the lonf-term viability of American Airlines and speaks of the future of the U.S. airline industry

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby has made a striking forecast about the future of the U.S. airline industry, and in doing so, directly questioned the long-term viability of American Airlines.

Scott Kirby, chief executive officer at United Airlines Holdings Inc., Photographer: Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg(Bloomberg)

In his latest remarks, Kirby insisted that only two “brand-loyal” full-service airlines will remain dominant, naming United and Delta, and implicitly excluding American.

“everyone else … is sort of competing for spill traffic.”

During a recent appearance on the “Airline Confidential” podcast, Kirby stated that he expects the industry to consolidate into major, revenue-diverse, full-service carriers. According to him, “everyone else … is sort of competing for spill traffic.”

Kirby suggested that many other airlines, including American, are running unprofitable parts of their network.

He argued that because American is not part of this “brand-loyalty” group, it may soon be forced to cut unprofitable routes or face serious financial strain. “I can find at every single one of them [airlines], a double-digit percentage of their route network that loses money,” he said during United's Q2 earnings call in July 2025, as reported by The Street.

Kirby has also taken aim at low-cost and ultra-low-cost airlines in his previous public interviews. He has labelled the “budget airline model” as “dead,” criticizing the hidden-fee structure and arguing that such carriers lack the brand loyalty needed to survive long term.

United's aggressive business expansion

Kirby's remarks come as United aggressively started expanding at key hubs earlier this year, especially Chicago O'Hare (ORD). According to Aviation A27, United is increasing its daily departures at ORD as it captures more local and connecting market share.

He has reportedly told United pilots that American could eventually be squeezed out of Chicago, suggesting what he views as a long-term strategic edge.

CEO Robert Isom vs CEO Scott Kirby

Kirby was asked to depart American in 2016 because of conflicts in the executive suite. As president, Robert Isom replaced him. Kirby was then appointed president of United and later promoted to CEO, where he oversaw a change that has caused United to overtake American and challenge Delta as the industry leader.

After Kirby departed from American, he has repeatedly made comments about United being a premier airline and saying American is not.

In Q1, American Airlines CEO Robert Isom finally replied to his comments and said, “I worked for Scott and with Scott for a long time,” said Isom. “I’ve seen him be right on a lot of stuff. He’s a brilliant man. I’ve seen him wrong on a lot of stuff. In this case, he’s dead wrong.”

He further added, “Scott says this kind of stuff I’m sure, because he would like nothing better than to not have American Airlines as a competitor. We’re a premium product competitor.”

In earlier CEO exchanges, Isom also accused United of painting an overly rosy picture of its strength, while insisting American’s growth, particularly in its Sunbelt hubs, is real and sustainable.

Kirby's argument is based on the idea of “brand-loyal airlines.” The carriers that command repeat customers who prefer their brand over competitors are in his stage. He believes that in a cost-pressured and competitive market, only airlines with a strong customer base and diversified revenue will survive and thrive.