United Airlines CEO says he intends to expand presence at JFK

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said he intends to expand the airline's presence at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and grow its international route network. In an interview with CNBC Top News, he said the carrier could return to JFK through a partnership with JetBlue Airways no earlier than next year.

According to Kirby, United is exploring various ways to strengthen its position at the busy airport. In particular, the company could potentially purchase slots from carriers that do not operate profitable flights from JFK.

United is also preparing to announce a number of new international routes. Previously, the airline added Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia and Bilbao in Spain, among other destinations, to its network.

Competition and potential mergers

Kirby has led United since May 2020. He joined the company as president in August 2016, almost immediately after leaving American Airlines, where he also served as president. According to CNBC, United is now the second most profitable U.S. airline after Delta Air Lines.

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Over the past year, Kirby has floated the idea of major mergers with Delta or American. According to people familiar with the matter, he approached Delta but was turned down; the airline did not comment on the information. American Airlines publicly rejected United's merger proposal in the spring. Kirby said he is not interested in acquiring a smaller carrier such as JetBlue and stressed that any deal would require the partner's consent.

The United chief also named South America and the southeastern United States as areas where the company seeks growth but where it is difficult to create new hubs. In his view, Miami International Airport is best suited for serving routes to South America, where American had more than 60% of passenger boardings in fiscal year 2025.

Artificial intelligence and punctuality

Kirby believes that artificial intelligence tools for employees and passengers can simplify travel and improve the reliability of operations. In particular, he wants passengers to receive clear English-language explanations of flight delays.

At the same time, United trailed Delta and Alaska Airlines in on-time flight arrivals in the first half of the year, according to U.S. Department of Transportation data. Kirby said his goal is to prevent any new involuntary furloughs of airline employees in the future.