United is currently strengthening its management team under Oscar Munoz, the chief executive, as the company is under pressure to address lagging financial and operational performances. United also recently appointed Andrew Levy as chief financial officer and Julia Haywood as chief commercial officer.
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Kirby will report directly to Munoz and have have responsibility for operations, marketing, sales, revenue management, and network planning, the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Some may view this as negative for Spirit with a view that Kirby will bring the same aggression on pricing to a new seat at United, potentially creating more weakness in the pricing environment,” Credit Suisse analyst Julie Yates said. “However, others may argue it could be a positive catalyst if American eases aggressive pricing behavior that many were led to believe was a function of Mr. Kirby’s strategy.”
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