United Airlines’ Scott Kirby became CEO during the pandemic. Here’s what it taught him about effective leadership

In 2019, 4.5b passengers took an international flight, according to the CDC. By 2021, that number had dropped by nearly two-thirds to 1.8b as the pandemic wreaked havoc on the travel industry. United Airlines was no exception. The company experienced one of the worst fiscal years in its nearly 100-year history in 2020, with a $1.9b loss in the last three months of that year. Weathering a global health crisis would be challenging for any CEO, but all the more for a newly minted CE like the airline’s Scott Kirby. His saving grace, he says? He was confident that the travel industry would come back in full force despite naysayers. While other airlines were cutting their airplane fleet, United announced in June 2021 the purchase of 270 new Boeing and Airbus jets in preparation for a post-COVID resurgence. With the addition of these planes at the time, the airline expected to create 25,000 new jobs, generate more than $30b in traveler spending, and “contribute an estimated $50b annually towards the U.S. economy by 2026,” according to the company’s press release from this announcement. A pandemic-era CEO, Kirby assumed United Airlines’ corner office in May 2020 after a nearly four-year stint as its president. Though a trying time to take on his first-ever CEO position, Kirby says the pandemic gave him the window to both flex and develop new muscles. “It’s not just about dealing with the issue, but finding the opportunity in adversity because there’s always opportunity,” he says. He also used the experience to implement new leadership strategies around communication, collaboration, and decision-making that are still in operation post-pandemic.<br/>