United Airlines CEO cautions against long closure


CEO of United Airline Scott Kirby speaks during the Semafor 2025 World Economy Summit at Conrad Washington on April 24, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Alex Wong | Getty Images

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said the federal government shutdown could hurt bookings if it continues.

Despite the funding impasse, essential federal employees including Transportation Security Administration officers and air traffic controllers are required to work without pay. The shutdown started Oct. 1 as Congress failed to pass a funding bill.

Speaking on an earnings call on Thursday, Kirby said the shutdown so far hasn’t impacted the carrier’s business.

“I think that at least for the first couple of weeks, people thought it was going to get resolved, so they just kind of continued business as usual,” he said. “But as time goes on, as people read headlines and say, ‘it’s not going to get resolved soon.’ People start to lose confidence in the government and the government’s ability to resolve this. And that’s going to start to impact bookings.”

Kirby said there isn’t an exact cutoff for when the airline could start to see an impact, but added “every day that goes by, the risk to the U.S. economy grows. So I hope we will avoid an unforced error here.”

Read more CNBC airline news

Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian last week made a similar warning about how a prolonged shutdown could affect air travel but emphasized that the airline’s operation hadn’t been affected.

The shutdown has raised concerns about already thin-staffing among air traffic controllers, the Federal Aviation Administration said. Insufficient staffing at some FAA facilities last week disrupted flights at airports, including in Nashville, Tennessee, and Burbank, California.

Members of the union that represents U.S. air traffic controllers handed out leaflets outside of LaGuardia Airport in New York, as well as in Washington, D.C., and Chicago on Tuesday to urge the public to ask lawmakers to end the shutdown.

A more-than-monthlong shutdown starting in late 2018 ended hours after a shortage of air traffic controllers snarled air travel in the New York area.


Related Posts

White House launches direct to consumer drug site

President Donald Trump makes an announcement from the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, Nov. 6, 2025. Jonathan Ernst | Reuters President Donald Trump on Thursday announced the…

Bob’s Discount Furniture (BOBS) to start trading on NYSE after IPO

Shares of Bob’s Discount Furniture opened flat on the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday after the company priced its initial public offering at $17 per share. That price was…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You Missed

Virat Kohli tips his hat to Smriti Mandhana after RCB win WPL for second time: ‘Keep the flag flying high’

  • By admin
  • February 6, 2026
  • 1 views
Virat Kohli tips his hat to Smriti Mandhana after RCB win WPL for second time: ‘Keep the flag flying high’

‘We’ll go with party decision’: VS Achuthanandan’s family puts ball in CPM court on accepting Padma Vibhushan | India News

  • By admin
  • February 6, 2026
  • 0 views
‘We’ll go with party decision’: VS Achuthanandan’s family puts ball in CPM court on accepting Padma Vibhushan | India News

Suniel Shetty slams rumours about son Ahan Shetty’s high entourage costs: ‘Don’t spread lies to hide your weaknesses’

  • By admin
  • February 6, 2026
  • 2 views
Suniel Shetty slams rumours about son Ahan Shetty’s high entourage costs: ‘Don’t spread lies to hide your weaknesses’

‘I have no clue about this’: Anurag Kashyap on being named in Epstein files, says it’s ‘some random email’ | Bollywood News

  • By admin
  • February 6, 2026
  • 3 views
‘I have no clue about this’: Anurag Kashyap on being named in Epstein files, says it’s ‘some random email’ | Bollywood News

Exposure to burns may have shaped human evolution, study suggests | Technology News

  • By admin
  • February 6, 2026
  • 1 views
Exposure to burns may have shaped human evolution, study suggests | Technology News

RBI MPC Meet 2026 LIVE: RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra-led MPC to announce repo rate decision today

  • By admin
  • February 6, 2026
  • 2 views
RBI MPC Meet 2026 LIVE: RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra-led MPC to announce repo rate decision today