United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby is mum when it comes to his own money, even as he calls for a national wealth tax and says income inequality is a “danger” to society.
Kirby, who took home about $32.3 million in total compensation in fiscal year 2025, made the remarks when asked about declining public trust in corporate executives during an interview with The New York Times. His compensation includes salary, stock awards and performance incentives. That was about 334 times the airline’s median employee compensation of $96,670, according to United’s 2026 proxy statement.
“We should have a national wealth tax — it won’t work by state, because people will just move,” Kirby told the Times. “And I think we should have inheritance taxes that get close to 100 percent at some level. I would pay them.”
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“Wealth inequality has become a danger to our society, and we need to address that,” Kirby added.
Kirby did not specify how much wealth someone would need to have before facing his proposed near-total inheritance tax, or what rate he would support for a national wealth tax.
FOX Business reached out to United to ask how the company’s CEO can justify taking in $32.3 million in compensation while arguing that growing wealth inequality poses a threat to American society.
FOX Business also asked if Kirby plans to take a reduction in compensation to share the wealth with his employees. FOX Business did not receive a response to either question.
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Kirby’s comments prompted pushback on X, where some users threatened to take their business elsewhere.
“And just like that @united will never get another dime from me,” one user wrote.
WHEN AIRLINE PILOTS SAY THERE ARE SAFETY ISSUES, WE NEED POLICYMAKERS TO LISTEN AND ACT
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UAL | UNITED AIRLINES HOLDINGS INC. | 95.60 | -0.50 | -0.52% |
Another urged Kirby to focus on the basics of running an airline.
“@united your CEO is making me question flying your airline. Flight safety, price, timeliness. That should be his focus,” the user wrote. “How about we start with not charging $500 for basic 2 hour domestic routes?”
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Kirby also defended charging travelers more for certain seats during the same interview, after being asked about passengers without frequent-flier status paying to avoid middle seats.
“There are some customers who want to sit in a window seat or a better seat, and that costs money to deliver,” he told the Times.
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Fox News Digital’s Bradford Betz contributed to this report.
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