With DEI Under Attack, United Airlines CEO Says United Will “Continue To Hire Based On Merit”

As President Trump seeks to quickly dismantle Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs from the federal government, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby is walking a fine line emphasizing merit-based hiring while maintaining the carrier’s progressive DEI policies.

United Airlines CEO Stresses Merit Without Adjusting DEI Policy

One of Mr. Trump’s first acts as 47th President was an executive order seeking to eliminate DEI initiatives at the federal level:

“[T]he American people have witnessed first-hand the disastrous consequences of illegal, pernicious discrimination that has prioritized how people were born instead of what they were capable of doing.”

As part of that change, Trump has ordered that job performance reviews for those in “critical safety positions” at the Department of Transportation (DOT) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) occur.

Kirby was asked during an investor call this week whether these efforts would further exacerbate Air Traffic Control staffing issues and also whether United is considering rescinding its own DEI policies.

His answer:

“So I will answer for United and let DOT answer for themselves. Although we’re positive — feel good about the DOT and administration and the impact that they will have on the air traffic control. I think there is a ton of upside there. But at United, we have always have today and we’ll continue to hire based on merit. But we are in the fortunate position that we’re a very high-quality employer, and we make efforts to cast a wide net for people coming into United. In fact, last year, we had over 600,000 applications for fewer than 10,000 positions. And because of that, we can be incredibly selective about who we pick. And while we do hire on merit, we can hire the absolute best of the best and have a naturally diverse workforce. So at United we can do — and the proof is in the results. We are performing better coming out of the COVID for the last few years than any other airline in the world. And our workforce having a diverse but also very best people is a huge part of the reason why we are the best airline in the world.”

(bolding mine)

Kirby’s walking a very fine line. He is trying to cozy up to the new administration (United donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund and Kirby and his wife attended a candlelight dinner with the President last Sunday), which he views as pro-business and less likely to enforce or implement new consumer protections. 

He wants Trump and incoming Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy to focus on improving the gridlocked Air Traffic Control system. Kirby even praised Trump personally for his knowledge and focus on the issue:

“And when I talk to the President, he knows a lot about airplanes. He knows a lot about the airspace. He is focused even at his level on fixing it. Incoming Secretary Duffy, I spoke to this weekend, also focused on fixing it. And I think that they will do the basic blocking and tackling, get the FAA the right resources, the right technology to run effectively.”

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At the same time, Kriby is not walking away from DEI…not at all. He points out that the question is never whether United is hiring an unqualified person, but rather which qualified person it should hire? Should skin color, orientation, or gender matter? Per Messr. Kirby, yes… because he believes that a more diverse workforce gives United a further comparative advantage in effectively catering to a very diverse nation and world. Kirby therefore argues diversity is good for the bottom line and that the question of merit is not relevant to DEI discussions since any new hire must be “merit qualified” to even be considered in the first place.

CONCLUSION

While federal DEI programs may be on the chopping block, don’t look for any change at United Airlines. While Kirby is quick to stress that United only hires based on merit, he stopped well short of abandoning the sort of DEI initiatives that have earned United scorn in the Trump camp.

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