United CEO says carrier poised to pass Delta profit margins

United will eventually surpass profit margins at rival Delta because of its hubs and product improvements, Chief Executive Scott Kirby said, noting his “immense respect” for the competitor’s management and operations. United “really is the flag carrier of the United States,” he said Wednesday at the Skift Aviation virtual forum, noting the size of the carrier’s wide-body international fleet relative to Delta’s or that of American Airlines. United’s hubs in business centers like Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington offer greater revenue and margin potential than other carriers, Kirby said, noting that the carrier has “never” reached its profit potential. Business traffic bookings to and from Europe are higher than domestic business-travel activity, reflecting the Nov. 8 reopening of the US to vaccinated Europeans. United’s nonstop route to Accra, Ghana, from Washington’s Dulles International Airport saw the airline’s highest passenger loads and profitability over the summer, Kirby said. The carrier began that route in May.<br/>