Business Insider30 Sept 2026Elle Hardy

I’m the CEO of United Airlines and the least stressed person you've ever met. Here's my daily routine.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Scott Kirby, the 59-year-old CEO of United Airlines, who is based in Dallas. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I went to the Air Force Academy, but I realized I couldn't be a fighter pilot because I had an inner-ear issue that kept me from flying level with my eyes closed. Instead, I worked at the Pentagon and earned my graduate degree in operations research.

I wanted to do something in math, but I didn't want to live in a big city — I'm a country boy — so I moved back to Texas and joined a technology subsidiary of American Airlines.

I later moved to America West, beginning a career that eventually took me to American Airlines.

I came to United as president almost 10 years ago and became CEO in 2020.

Read the full story at Business Insider

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I’m the CEO of United Airlines and the least stressed person you've ever met. Here's my daily routine.

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