<\/p>\n
United Airlines passengers who don’t want to be stuck in the middle seat may have to pay for the privilege, and CEO Scott Kirby says better seats cost money to deliver.<\/p>\n
Kirby, for his part, isn’t losing sleep over it. Despite running one of the nation’s largest carriers and amassing an estimated net worth of at least $85 million, according to Guru Focus, United’s CEO recently told Business Insider that he is “the least stressed person you’ve ever met.”<\/p>\n
Kirby says he manages to stay stress-free by waking up naturally without an alarm, logging 8.5 hours of sleep, capping daily meetings at four hours, walking 20,000 steps a day, and protecting daily time with his family. Instead of trying to look busy, he spends hours walking, reading, and focusing on thinking.<\/p>\n
“My job is not to work hard. My job is to think hard,” Kirby told The New York Times.<\/p>\n
And when Kirby thinks about airline economics, everyday flyers might not like his conclusions.<\/p>\n
United CEO says a better seat ‘costs money to deliver‘<\/p>\n
Flying can be stressful for many travelers, and some prefer to skip the middle seat to make their flight more comfortable and enjoyable. When flying with United without frequent-flyer status, travelers may have to pay an extra $70 to make that happen, according to Kirby’s interview with The New York Times.<\/p>\n
Kirby defends the strategy by arguing that United has to charge for the extras some customers want. Not every flyer cares about the middle seat; some just want to get to their destination at the cheapest airfare possible.<\/p>\n
Read more: Delta CEO says what a lot of flyers didn’t want to hear about airfares<\/p>\n
“There are some customers who want to sit in a window seat or a better seat, and that costs money to deliver,” Kirby told The New York Times.<\/p>\n
The CEO added that the company has already made a number of improvements in premium cabins, but that most of the investments actually apply to every flyer on the plane.<\/p>\n
“We’re going to have fast, free Starlink. Seat-back entertainment for every customer,” he said.<\/p>\n
United CEO says a better seat “costs money to deliver.”<\/p>\n
PATRICK T. FALLON \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n
The math behind the middle seat: 2 aviation commentators say Kirby has a point<\/p>\n
While it may seem unfair to pay extra for a seat that’s already there, Kirby’s logic reflects basic consumer economics: comfort on an airplane is a limited commodity, not an entitlement.<\/p>\n
Every aircraft has fixed real estate. If a traveler wants extra elbow room, easy aisle access, or a window view, that preference carries real market value. <\/p>\n
Unbundling those choices helps ensure that budget-conscious flyers, who just want to get from Point A to Point B as cheaply as possible, aren’t forced to subsidize the comfort of everyone else.<\/p>\n
Ben Schlappig, who covers airline economics at One Mile at a Time, echoed this dynamic, pointing out that public outrage overlooks how razor-thin airline margins actually are. <\/p>\n
According to Schlappig, another way to look at Kirby’s policy is that passengers simply pay less when they accept a middle seat.<\/p>\n
He added that major U.S. carriers already fly the vast majority of economy travelers at a direct loss, relying instead on premium-cabin bookings and lucrative credit card loyalty programs to stay afloat. <\/p>\n
More Airlines:<\/p>\n
Another low-cost airline files for bankruptcy protection<\/p>\n
JetBlue, Southwest Airlines, and Allegiant make pricing move<\/p>\n
Southwest Airlines kills routes to multiple markets<\/p>\n
“Many people act as if we’re all entitled to $99 transcon fares while also expecting an amazing experience. That’s just not realistic,” Schlappig wrote.<\/p>\n
Matthew Klint, an aviation writer who runs Live and Let’s Fly, shared a similar defense of Kirby’s commercial logic. While Klint noted that an ordinary window or aisle seat doesn’t physically cost more to bolt into the aircraft floor, he acknowledged that Kirby is fundamentally right on market reality: passengers should expect to pay more for a superior product.<\/p>\n
Klint pointed out that airlines are capital-intensive businesses with rising overhead, arguing that carriers must price based on what consumers actually value to remain financially healthy and fund cabin investments. <\/p>\n
Charging extra for desirable seats, in his view, is simply transparent segmentation rather than corporate greed.<\/p>\n
Still, for travelers already squeezed by baggage and other add-on fees, paying extra for a seat that comes with the plane can feel like one more charge on top of the fare.<\/p>\n
Is the $70 worth it? What travelers can do<\/p>\n
Compare the total price, not just the base fare. A cheaper ticket plus a seat fee can end up costing more than a slightly pricier fare with seat selection included.<\/p>\n
Decide early. According to Thrifty Traveler, seat availability on United tends to shrink and prices tend to rise as departure approaches, so waiting rarely pays off.<\/p>\n
If you skip paying, check in as soon as check-in opens. Basic Economy seats are assigned at that point.<\/p>\n
Weigh the flight itself. On a short hop, a middle seat may be a fair trade for a lower fare; on a long or overnight flight, many travelers will find the extra money easier to justify.<\/p>\n
Kirby also has strong views on wealth and inheritance<\/p>\n
Kirby’s pragmatic, unsentimental approach to running United was forged through setbacks.<\/p>\n
When an inner-ear issue destroyed his early dream of becoming an Air Force fighter pilot, he pivoted to operations research at the Pentagon. Decades later, after being abruptly ousted as president of American Airlines in 2016, he rebounded by joining rival United, eventually becoming CEO and one of the highest-paid airline chiefs in the country.<\/p>\n
Kirby earned around $32.2 million in compensation in 2025, according to One Mile at a Time.<\/p>\n
For an executive who has achieved so much on his own, Kirby has a strikingly progressive perspective on money and society. <\/p>\n
Speaking to The New York Times, he warned that “wealth inequality has become a danger to our society, and we need to address that.” He also believes that we should have “inheritance taxes that get close to 100 percent at some level.”<\/p>\n
For travelers, the takeaway from Kirby’s answer is simple: Comfort has a price, and it’s up to each flyer to decide whether it’s worth paying.<\/p>\n
Related: TSA quietly scales back major PreCheck benefit<\/p>\n
#Uniteds #CEO #defends #charging #travelers #extra #seat<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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