di Leonard Berberi
In the middle of a global crisis, the carrier is challenging Delta’s supremacy, fighting American Airlines on multiple fronts, and pouring billions into a premium product overhaul
In the middle of a global crisis, United Airlines is gunning for Delta Air Lines’ crown. It’s pushing to dethrone its rival in Los Angeles, competing aggressively on transatlantic routes to Italy, squeezing American Airlines into a corner in Chicago — while quietly floating the idea of a mega-merger — and gearing up to return to New York’s JFK airport, initially with a handful of West Coast flights, via a commercial partnership with JetBlue. All while investing billions in its onboard product, from redesigned business-class cabins to upgraded seats in the back of the plane, absorbing 250 new aircraft over the next two years, and slicing its premium fare tiers ever thinner to squeeze out every last dollar of revenue.
Where exactly does United Airlines want to end up? Analysts and rival chief executives have been asking that question for months — and asking it louder than ever lately. Especially after United CEO Scott Kirby reportedly suggested a merger with American Airlines at a White House
