Scott Kirby: "Woke airline policies need to end": Scott Kirby in drag pictures surface as United Airlines CEO comes under fire online over DEI video

"Woke airline policies need to end": Scott Kirby in drag pictures surface as United Airlines CEO comes under fire online over DEI video

By Amrita Das

Modified Jan 15, 2024 23:09 GMT

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby faces criticism online over DEI video. (Image via Instagram/@scottkirby)

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby has come under fire for newly surfaced photos where he appeared in drag. The pictures were posted on Libs of TikTok’s X feed on January 15. The group claimed United Airlines shifted their focus onto including and sponsoring drag shows into their business.

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Under the same thread, the group posted video footage of an interview with AXIOS, where Kirby was asked how the DEI program is executed in the company. To that, the 56-year-old CEO said they are aiming to have women and people of color as 50% of their employees. Kirby revealed only 19% of their pilots now comprise people of color or women. He added:

“And by the way, from all the data I have seen, that’s the highest of any airline in the country.”

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Scott Kirby also expressed his pride at the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion campaign at United Airlines. The video was met with criticism from the netizens. They complained the DEI programs in corporate companies are making way for inefficient people to get hired for jobs.

In the case of airlines, people wrote that hiring an unskilled pilot through DEI would pose potential threats to the safety of the passengers and other crew members onboard a flight. One user called this campaign 'woke' and said these policies should end.

Internet slams United Airlines and its CEO for DEI program and drag shows. (Image via X/@libsoftiktok)

Scott Kirby and United Airlines come under fire online over DEI footage

Scott Kirby's photos in drag surprised a lot of people as they flocked to Libs of TikTok's comment section and criticized it. One user opined even if Kirby wants to do drag, he should do it outside of the workplace and not host drag shows at the company.

Some made speculations about Kirby being hired under a DEI program himself. A few called for his termination while United Airlines was also slammed for hiring employees based on the diversity program.

Scott Kirby was previously the president of United Airlines from 2016 to 2020. He was responsible for the company’s marketing, sales, operations, network planning, revenue management, and alliances.

Kirby was also pivotal in bringing about a cultural transformation in United Airlines and executing its strategic growth plan. Scott Kirby was announced as the company’s CEO in December 2019 and his tenure began in May 2020.

About the author

Amrita is a trends writer at SK POP. She completed her post-graduation in English Language and Literature and has a rich writing experience in covering diverse topics such as blockchain technology, product reviews, travel guides, subtitles, and pop culture. However, her personal interest has always been in popular culture, which has aided her with injecting fresh insights to her stories.

Amrita emphasizes familiarizing herself with the topic at hand before approaching it solely from a writer’s perspective. She usually takes the longer route in sifting through all available information online, and makes use of primary sources and verified/official social media handles to check for consistency in details.

In case of discrepancies, she delves deeper into the primary and secondary sources for clarification, choosing to let go of a detail in case its accuracy cannot be established. She supports this approach by centering objectivity in her reportage, keeping her tone neutral at all times.

When not obsessing over a particular detail in her report, Amrita can be found reading fiction or exploring new shows or movies.

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Edited by Amrita Das