internal
Scott Kirby
Chief Executive Officer
Executive
6 yr
13 reports
United Airlines Holdings, Inc. ·UAL
No COO layer: operations power concentrated in EVP roles
Transportation · Fortune #75 · Functional structure · 103K employees · Chicago, IL
View as of:
8
CEO span
↓ tighter than peers (avg 10)
3.4
Avg span
moderate
3
Max depth
flat for 103K emp
5.5 yr
Avg tenure
stable vs FY2024
75%
Internal hires
↑ above industry avg
Consolidated financials FY2025 · period end 2025-12-31 · 10-K
Revenue
$59.1B
Operating income
$4.7B
Net income
$3.4B
Total assets
$76.4B
Employees
87K
Shares out
323M
Sourced from United Airlines Holdings, Inc. DEF 14A · filed 2026-04-07 ↗ View on SEC
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United Airlines Holdings, Inc. organizational chart
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United Airlines runs a functional org without a standalone COO, leaving Scott Kirby with an unusually broad set of direct reports. This page maps United’s executive structure, key departments, recent leadership changes, and how its model compares with major airline peers.
What to model
Use the chart to test org decisions, not just view reporting lines
Start with the public baseline, then use the scenario views and source-backed changes to ask what happens when leadership, span, or team ownership shifts.
Latest signal Operations leadership model changed role as EVP Operations
Ongoing operation without a standalone COO role reaffirmed in 2025–2026 leadership disclosures.
Source · See change logScenario views in the chart
- Add Chief Operating Officer Introduce a COO role to consolidate operations and reduce CEO span.
- Move Technology under Operations Shift technology leadership to report through Operations for tighter execution.
Atlas work this supports
- Connect Workday or UKG Get these analytics for YOUR org — tenure, span of control, headcount, automatically from your HRIS.
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- Plan a Reorg Use this as a starting point. Model scenarios, compare structures, present options to your board.
The people
Who's running this
8 executives identified as Named Executive Officers in the most recent SEC proxy. Bar length scales with tenure.
internal
Torbjorn Enqvist
Executive Vice President, Operations
Operations
4 yr
1 reports
internal
Michael Leskinen
Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer
Finance
3 yr
2 reports
internal
Andrew Nocella
Executive Vice President & Chief Commercial Officer
Commercial
5 yr
2 reports
Linda Jojo
Executive Vice President & Chief Digital Officer
Technology
9 yr
1 reports
internal
Brett Hart
Executive Vice President & Chief Legal Officer
Legal
9 yr
0 reports
internal
Kate Gebo
Executive Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officer
Human Resources
6 yr
0 reports
Josh Earnest
Senior Vice President, Communications & Government Affairs
Communications
2 yr
0 reports
The pay
Executive compensation
From the most recent DEF 14A Summary Compensation Table. 1 named executive officers disclosed. Bar length scales with total compensation.
Scott Kirby $20.7M
- Base salary
- $1.20M
- Stock awards
- $8.25M
- Non-equity incentive
- $3.00M
- Fiscal year
- FY2025
- Source
- SEC DEF 14A ↗
The businesses
How United Airlines Holdings, Inc. divides the work
4 divisions report into the group CEO. Tile size scales with estimated headcount.
Flight & Ground Operations
60K employees
EVP Operations (Torbjorn Enqvist)
Oversees flight operations, maintenance, airports and safety across the global network.
Commercial & Network
5K employees
EVP & CCO (Andrew Nocella)
Manages pricing, network planning, alliances, loyalty and sales.
Finance
2K employees
EVP & CFO (Michael Leskinen)
Responsible for financial reporting, treasury, fleet financing and capital allocation.
Technology & Digital
3K employees
EVP & CDO (Linda Jojo)
Leads digital platforms, IT infrastructure and customer technology.
The thesis
Why this org is unusual
United’s most distinctive feature is the absence of a standalone COO, with operational authority split across EVP roles.
Operations, commercial planning, technology, and people functions all report directly to the CEO, creating a broad CEO span but preserving functional depth.
The structure emphasizes tight coordination between network planning, fleet, and digital platforms under Scott Kirby’s direct oversight. This reflects United’s United Next strategy, where execution speed and cross-functional alignment are prioritized over an additional management layer.
Compared with peers, United’s functional model concentrates accountability at the EVP level and reduces hierarchy, but increases reliance on a strong CEO and experienced executive bench.
- No dedicated COO
- High internal promotion rate
- Broad CEO span of control
The comparison
How United Airlines Holdings, Inc. stacks up
Relative to Delta and American, United operates with a leaner top structure. Delta retains a powerful COO role, while American uses multiple presidents and COOs for operations. United’s choice places it closer to Southwest’s historically flatter model, though at far greater scale. This approach can accelerate …
C-suite size
United Airlines Holdings, Inc.
8
Reporting depth
United Airlines Holdings, Inc.
3 levels
4 levels
4 levels
4 levels
4 levels
Avg C-suite tenure
United Airlines Holdings, Inc.
6 yr
6 yr
6 yr
Has COO / Has CAIO
United Airlines Holdings, Inc. — no COO — no CAIO
Current signals
What changed recently
United continues to operate without a COO, reaffirming EVP-led operations under the CEO.
Leadership Timeline
Year-over-year executive structure based on SEC proxy and annual filings.
FY2025
DEF 14A filed 2026-04-07
- CEO
- Scott Kirby
- CEO span
- 8
- C-suite
- 5
- Avg tenure
- 5.5 yr
Structure remained functional without a COO.
Named executive officers (5)
- Scott Kirby - CEO since 2020
- Brett Hart - Chief Legal Officer since 2013
- Michael Leskinen - CFO since 2023
- Torbjorn Enqvist - EVP Operations since 2022
- Andrew Nocella - Chief Commercial Officer since 2020
FY2024
DEF 14A filed 2025-04-10
- CEO
- Scott Kirby
- CEO span
- 8
- C-suite
- 5
- Avg tenure
- 5.2 yr
Continued EVP-centric operating model.
Named executive officers (5)
- Scott Kirby - CEO since 2020
- Brett Hart - Chief Legal Officer since 2013
- Michael Leskinen - CFO since 2023
- Torbjorn Enqvist - EVP Operations since 2022
- Andrew Nocella - Chief Commercial Officer since 2020
Year-over-year changes
No major leadership turnover; structure and CEO span remained stable.
- CEO span: 8 → 8
- C-suite size: 5 → 5
- Avg tenure: 5.2 → 5.5 yr
- reorg Operations model - EVP Operations (DEF 14A, 2026-04-07)
The board
Board of directors
5 directors. 4 of 5 independent (80%). Source: most recent DEF 14A.
Edward M. Philip
Chair Independent
Board Chair, United Airlines Holdings
Also on: BRP Inc.
Michele J. Hooper
Independent
CEO, The Directors Council
Also on: UnitedHealth Group
Barney Harford
Independent
Former COO, Uber
Walter Isaacson
Independent
Advisory Partner, Perella Weinberg
Scott Kirby
Inside
CEO, United Airlines Holdings
Also on: CVS Health
The board, organized
Board committees
2 standing committees. Audit and Compensation must be 100% independent under SEC rules; the rest vary.
Audit Committee
100% independent
- Michele J. Hooper Chair
- Barney Harford
Finance Committee
67% independent
- Edward M. Philip Chair
- Barney Harford
- Scott Kirby
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the CEO of United Airlines Holdings?
Scott Kirby has served as CEO since May 2020.
What type of organizational structure does United Airlines use?
United uses a functional structure with major functions reporting directly to the CEO.
How many direct reports does United Airlines's CEO have?
Scott Kirby has eight direct executive reports.
How has United Airlines's leadership changed recently?
Recent disclosures reaffirm the absence of a COO and continued EVP-led operations.
Does United Airlines have a COO?
No. United does not currently have a standalone Chief Operating Officer role.
Sources
- 2026 Proxy Statement
- Company Newsroom, 2023
- SEC EDGAR: United Airlines Holdings, Inc. DEF 14A Proxy Statement
- SEC EDGAR: United Airlines Holdings, Inc. 10-K Annual Report
Reference
Cite this page
If you reference this page in research, analysis, or news writing, use one of the formats below. Citation includes the SEC filing source where applicable.
APA 7th
Creately. (2026). United Airlines Holdings, Inc. organizational structure. Creately. Retrieved , from https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/united-airlines/MLA 9th
"United Airlines Holdings, Inc. Organizational Structure." Creately, April 1, 2026, https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/united-airlines/. Accessed .Chicago 17
Creately. "United Airlines Holdings, Inc. Organizational Structure." Last modified April 1, 2026. https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/united-airlines/.Original SEC source View on SEC ↗
United Airlines Holdings, Inc.. DEF 14A. Filed 2026-04-07. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/100517/000110465926040467/tmb-20260519xdef14a.htmPermanent URL: https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/united-airlines/ · last updated 2026-04-01