United Airlines: "We are officially the largest airline in the world"
United Airlines now claims to be the world’s largest airline.
United Airlines CEO Kirby Claims United Now Largest Airline In The World.
In a video message to employees reviewed by Live and Let’s Fly, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby proudly proclaimed that United Airlines is now the largest airline in the world:
“In the first quarter, we’ve now passed both American and Delta to be the largest airline in the world. And while that’s a really important milestone, what’s even more important is to talk about how we got that to that milestone and what it means for us in the future.”
There are different ways to measure which carrier is largest, but United is using available seat miles (ASM), which refers to how many seat miles are actually available for purchase. Seat miles are calculated by multiplying the number of miles that a given airplane will be flying (based on the published schedule) by the number of seats available for a given flight.
Kirby points to a crucial moment in February 2020 which marked a turning point for United:
“Our modern history really begins on February 29th, 2020, when COVID first shows up in Northern Italy. And we were the only airline, and really amongst the only people to realize quickly how serious the COVID crisis was likely to become. And because of that, we were able to take steps quickly and ahead of everyone else to not only survive COVID but also importantly to prepare for the future. And because we were clear-sighted about it we always believed the travel demand would fully recover and everyone out flying today can see that, in fact, has happened.”
But while other carriers used the pandemic to shrink and cut, Kirby says United used the time to invest in what today has made it the largest airline in the world (with a lot more growth to come):
“While we were going to be on the sidelines for a couple years, it gave us the chance instead of pulling back like most of our competitors to actually invest in the future. And we built more gates in Denver. More gates in Newark. New baggage system in Houston. More simulators in Denver. A brand new flight training Center in Houston. 49% more club space. New technology. We really took the two years that COVID was impacting us as a chance to invest and prepare for the future. And of course that was culminated with the largest aircraft order in the history of aviation which now leads to us being in a position where we are uniquely positioned to grow and grow faster than any airline in the world.”
Kirby concludes his video by hoping for a day when the airline is so strong that furloughs will never be a threat during economic recessions and admonishes his employees to provide excellent service to passengers so United will not only be the largest, but the “best” airline in the world.
Conclusion
United Airlines has claimed the mantle of world’s largest airline, based on available seat miles. With 500 new aircraft on order, this was not an unexpected announcement.
But a word to the wise: quality, not quantity. I’ve sincerely enjoyed great food and great service on my last few United flights, but there is still a ways to go. As my preferred carrier, the quantity is great in terms of the broad schedule, but it is always quality that will ultimately secure meaningful loyalty. It’s good to be big, but it’s better to be great.
Matthew Klint is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.
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