Oh Kirby....

I think the last I saw my virtual airline CEO, it was a feel-good session post merger when we were all brought in for sessions. It was when a virtual CEO said the NYC base was great, they liked it, and never saw a reason to close it.


2 months later, they announced a base closure with the minimum 90 day notice.


I’m a pilot. I don’t need any feel-good moments with the CEO. The CEO needs to do their job to run the airline successfully and make sure the paychecks clear. That’s pretty much my main ask.

I don’t care for optics. I do my job and go home. If the ops are melting, I *might?* pick up open time to help. Maybe. But I don’t expect or want the CEO throwing bags at an airport. They need to be in the HQs trying to fix what went wrong in the first place from a management side of things.
 
Cherokee_Cruiser said:
The CEO needs to do their job to run the airline successfully and make sure the paychecks clear. That’s pretty much my main ask.
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Making sure the paychecks clear actually isn't the job of the CEO. It falls under the CFO or maybe a VP of HR. 90% of a CEO's job is optics. Both internally to their teams and externally to the public. It sets the pace (and behavioral expectations) for the employee group, and it shows the public (and the markets) what they can expect from the company.

There was absolutely nothing Kirby could have done to solve the issue when he got back to Denver. He's got tons of people for that. And if he didn't, or the ones he had sucked at their jobs, him being there wasn't going to change that. However him being in Newark, showing some empathy to the passengers and employees would have very much softened the PR image issue, and probably would have gotten an extra percentage point or two of work out of the employees.
 
BobDDuck said:
Making sure the paychecks clear actually isn't the job of the CEO. It falls under the CFO or maybe a VP of HR. 90% of a CEO's job is optics. Both internally to their teams and externally to the public. It sets the pace (and behavioral expectations) for the employee group, and it shows the public (and the markets) what they can expect from the company.

There was absolutely nothing Kirby could have done to solve the issue when he got back to Denver. He's got tons of people for that. And if he didn't, or the ones he had sucked at their jobs, him being there wasn't going to change that. However him being in Newark, showing some empathy to the passengers and employees would have very much softened the PR image issue, and probably would have gotten an extra percentage point or two of work out of the employees.
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Meh, I guess.

Though if I was a United pilot I’d wish the CEO, CFO, and the management side in general quit screwing around and get a new TA done ASAP.
 
Cherokee_Cruiser said:
Meh, I guess.

Though if I was a United pilot I’d wish the CEO, CFO, and the management side in general quit screwing around and get a new TA done ASAP.
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It’s all about the Board of Directors. When they’re tired of the shenanigans and it tangibly affects the bottom line, they’ll direct the CEO to finish it.

Bruh, Corporate 101.
 
Cherokee_Cruiser said:
I think the last I saw my virtual airline CEO, it was a feel-good session post merger when we were all brought in for sessions. It was when a virtual CEO said the NYC base was great, they liked it, and never saw a reason to close it.


2 months later, they announced a base closure with the minimum 90 day notice.


I’m a pilot. I don’t need any feel-good moments with the CEO. The CEO needs to do their job to run the airline successfully and make sure the paychecks clear. That’s pretty much my main ask.

I don’t care for optics. I do my job and go home. If the ops are melting, I *might?* pick up open time to help. Maybe. But I don’t expect or want the CEO throwing bags at an airport. They need to be in the HQs trying to fix what went wrong in the first place from a management side of things.
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I know my own CEO fairly well and interact with him far more than a normal pilot should, but that’s not the job you’re describing.

Think if an airline had their version of a Steve Jobs. Steve didn’t write much code, Wozniak did as he was better at steering broad ideas, with the concurrence of the board, assembling leaders to build teams to get those things done and being the face of the company. Same thing like an airline CEO does.

There are some rarities like Richard Anderson who would fly every model of jet we ordered, in the simulator of course, even go through school at the factory. If there was an airplane incident, he wanted to see the scenario in the flight simulator THAT night if they had the data. But that’s hyper rare.
 
Cherokee_Cruiser said:
What did you expect him to do, go to the airport and throw bags and man a re-booking service line?

There’s people for that (or a lack there of). He’s the CEO. He has the entire company to run, not just EWR. I don’t have an issue with him jetting off to DEN to do CEO stuff.


Besides, it’s sEWeRk. Can’t blame him for ditching. ;)
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Cherokee_Cruiser said:
Meh. For United? That’s not leadership. That’s called optics. A CEO’s time and efficiency is zero if he’s in the Sewark throwing bags.

CEO paycuts? Also meh. What’s the other components of their pay? Stock options, stock ownership, bonuses, etc.
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You’re the one saying he’d be throwing bags. And you know that’s not what he’d be doing.

When a fortress international hub that probably operates dozens of widebody flights a night has those flights cancelling and running 6+ hrs late… stranding thousands and sending ripple effects through your network for days probably costing into the tens of millions, you don’t think big decisions are being made on the fly in real time?

Who do you want there? Maybe the actual CEO who (in this case) actually has significant operational experience? The guy who when he makes a call at midnight, the other end will pick up the phone?

No no…you want the ops guy whose turn it is to run the midnight shift this week and his intern…CEO has to get back to DEN to put the finishing touches on his Q2 earnings call welcoming statements while EWR burns in the rearview mirror.
 
Riddle me this, @Cherokee_Cruiser

What do you figure happened this day:

IMG_3044.jpeg


You don’t think the BOD blew up his mobile phone that night and tell him to get his crap together?
 
Baronman said:
You’re the one saying he’d be throwing bags. And you know that’s not what he’d be doing.

When a fortress international hub that probably operates dozens of widebody flights a night has those flights cancelling and running 6+ hrs late… stranding thousands and sending ripple effects through your network for days probably costing into the tens of millions, you don’t think big decisions are being made on the fly in real time?

Who do you want there? Maybe the actual CEO who (in this case) actually has significant operational experience? The guy who when he makes a call at midnight, the other end will pick up the phone?

No no…you want the ops guy whose turn it is to run the midnight shift this week and his intern…CEO has to get back to DEN to put the finishing touches on his Q2 earnings call welcoming statements while EWR burns in the rearview mirror.
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The CEO isn’t gonna change much at EWR airport either. Let’s get real. It’s good optics and maybe a morale boost.
 
SteveC said:
So you're saying that optics and morale are not part of the CEO's job?
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What I’m saying is, he wouldn’t have made much a difference in the operational meltdown. At the end of the day, he’d be just one more baggage handler on site moving bags. Optics and morale, sure.


But he’s just as well to go fly off to DEN to do CEO stuff there. I don’t see the problem. People seem too sensitive these days.
 
Cherokee_Cruiser said:
Just a blip in daily history. It recovered quickly.


Unlike, say, Dylan Mulvaney and Bud Light. Now THAT is a BOD meeting worth attending.
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Good grief I’m glad you’re not a financial advisor. But then you thought $3 million was never attainable in a 401k on a pilot salary too. Which is very telling about your financial prowess.
 
Cherokee_Cruiser said:
What I’m saying is, he wouldn’t have made much a difference in the operational meltdown. At the end of the day, he’d be just one more baggage handler on site moving bags. Optics and morale, sure.


But he’s just as well to go fly off to DEN to do CEO stuff there. I don’t see the problem. People seem too sensitive these days.
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This is obviously what Kirby was thinking. It's also the mentality that keeps a good company from being a great company.
 
///AMG said:
If I were an airline CEO (or any CEO), I'd have my own part 91 airplane toy. It would be an F-4. I'd dump gas sometimes, break the number other times, and I'd pay the fines. If you caught me on camera, I'd be smoking a cigar, probably in the airplane.
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Seriously... How awesome would it be to fly a corporate F4? Niiiice!
 
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