After sharply criticizing Boeing over the Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 incident and a series of production and delivery delays, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby has softened his tone.
CEO of United Airlines expresses his confidence in the new Boeing boss
Kirby met for lunch with Kelly Ortberg, Boeing’s new president and CEO. With 418 open orders, United is one of Boeing’s largest customers. Ortberg comes to Boeing from Rockwell Collins, also a commercial and military supplier, and has more than 30 years of aerospace experience.
In a post on LinkedIn, Kirby recalled the lunch:
I had lunch with Kelly Ortberg, Boeing’s newly appointed president and CEO, earlier this week and was not only encouraged by what I heard, but I left with renewed confidence that Boeing is on the right track and will recover faster than most expect.
His engineering background at Rockwell Collins combined with his instinct to be close to his frontline teams in Seattle make for a winning combination. It was clear from our conversation that he is 100% committed, understands the cultural changes needed to turn things around for the better, and listens to his employees and customers.
Boeing’s more than 170,000 employees have the expertise, drive and commitment to restore the company to being one of the world’s best and most important brands.
And Kelly is the right leader to lead them there.
This is quite a notable shift in language from Kirby’s warning that Boeing’s mistakes were “the straw that broke the camel’s back” for United and the 737 MAX 10 program.
> Learn more: CEO of United Airlines explains the future of the Boeing 737 MAX 10
I also notice that Ortberg and Kirby are very practical, detail-oriented, and sharp-witted men (a different role for a different time than that of the more folksy Oscar Munoz, former CEO of United, or former Boeing CEO David Calhoun).
Ortberg is on an apology tour and met with American Airlines CEO Robert Isom earlier this week. Unlike previous Boeing bosses, he has opted for a location in Seattle.
DIPLOMA
Kirby certainly wanted to give Boeing’s new CEO a chance, but hopefully his staunch support for Ortberg is more than a strategic peace offering. Let’s hope, for United’s sake and Boeing’s sake, that the town’s new sheriff is serious about restoring the credibility of the troubled Boeing corporation.
