SCOTT KIRBY

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby says the airline is prepared to address potential problems.

Some airlines say they will consider refunds or credits for passengers who don't want to fly now that the mask mandate has been dropped.

Airlines say they are offering options — including refunds in some cases — for people worried about flying now that other passengers aren’t required to wear face masks. Customers could find themselves at the mercy of workers at airline customer-service centers. Many people who will be flying in the next few weeks bought their tickets before a federal judge in Florida on Monday struck down the requirement to wear a mask in airports and during flights.

Boston has urged people to start wearing masks, and the Biden administration is weighing its next legal step in a court fight over the abrupt end of the national mask mandate on airplanes and mass transit.

A United spokesperson told Insider that customers with unique circumstances or concerns should call customer service to find their best option.

Remember all those thousands of passengers that airlines banned for not wearing face masks.

U.S. airlines say they have hit a turning point: After a lousy first quarter, they expect to be profitable as Americans return to travel in the biggest numbers since the start of the pandemic.

United Airlines says it lost $1.38 billion in the first quarter of 2022 but it expects to return to profitability in the current three-month period as post-pandemic travel ramps back up.

Consumer spending is shifting from pandemic-inspired goods back to services.

Employers from Macy's to United Airlines are having to adjust after skyrocketing omicron COVID cases have led large numbers of workers to call out sick.

United has started offering staff vaccines in airports again as the omicron wave sweeps through crews.

For big companies across the country, it's now up to them to decide whether to require employees to get vaccinated.

Delta's CEO says the operation has since stabilized.

In a memo to employees, United CEO Scott Kirby said the airline has 3,000 employees who are currently positive for Covid but that zero of its vaccinated employees are currently hospitalized.

In a memo to employees, United CEO Scott Kirby said the airline has 3,000 employees who are currently positive for Covid but that zero of its vaccinated employees are currently hospitalized.

United's CEO says none of its vaccinated employees who currently have Covid have been hospitalized.

Travelers push their luggage past baggage claim inside the United Airlines terminal at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) during the holiday season as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Omicron variant threatens to increase case numbers in Los Angeles, California, U.S. December 22, 2021. United Airlines is trimming its schedule to address a surge in sick calls among employees, CEO Scott Kirby told employees. United has about 3,000 workers out sick with Covid, he said, which is about 4% of its workforce. The pilots' union said sick calls among aviators was at a record. American Airlines said it would do the same this week as Covid rates climbed among regional carriers.

Unvaccinated employees at the nation's fourth-largest bank could lose their job by end of month, according to memo.

Discussions around aviation are increasingly focused on how new tech could cut its environmental footprint.

American Airlines CEO Doug Parker will retire next March and be replaced by the airline's current president, Robert Isom.

American Airlines CEO Doug Parker will retire in March and be replaced by its current president, Robert Isom, as the airline seeks to rebuild after massive losses caused by the pandemic. Parker, 60, has led Texas-based American since late 2013, when he engineered a merger with smaller US Airways. Isom, 58, has been the heir apparent since becoming American's president in 2016 after Scott Kirby was forced out and joined United Airlines, where he now serves as the CEO.

The U.S., U.K. and other nations have revived travel restrictions just as demand was recovering.

American and Southwest Airlines are reporting that they made profits in the third quarter, thanks to large amounts of government pandemic relief.

United CEO Scott Kirby says jet fuel prices generally rise as demand climbs.

United Airlines was the first major airline in the United States to announce a vaccine mandate for all its employees this summer.

The proportion of coronavirus infections and hospitalizations among vaccinated Pennsylvania residents has risen sharply in the past month, although the shots remain broadly protective.

President Joe Biden is championing COVID-19 vaccination requirements and is determined that the roughly 67 million unvaccinated American adults must get the shot even as he acknowledges that mandates weren't his “first instinct.”.

The airline says 99% of its U.S. workforce has either gotten the shots or applied for religious or medical exemptions, while fewer than 600 employees will be fired for refusing to comply.

United earlier this month said staff to whom it grants religious or medical exemptions to Covid vaccines will be placed on temporary unpaid leave.

The president stressed the United States' commitment to the United Nations during a meeting with Secretary-General António Guterres.

The following is a transcript of an interview with United AIrlines CEO Scott Kirby that aired on Sunday, September 19, 2021, on "Face the Nation."

Mayor Lori Lightfoot addressed some of the negative fallout she has received from police after the murder of Officer Ella French last weekend.

Southwest Airlines says it no longer expects to be profitable in its third quarter.

Citing "incredibly compelling" evidence that COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective, United CEO Scott Kirby announced the policy change on Friday. It will affect the carrier's 67,000 U.S. employees.

United is joining a growing number of large corporations that are requiring their workers to get the vaccine.

Connecticut has become the latest state to mandate that workers in nursing homes be vaccinated against COVID-19.

United Airlines will require U.S.-based employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by late October, and maybe sooner.

Airlines say the current rise in new cases of coronavirus aren't scaring away travelers.

Rising concern about the fast-spreading delta variant of COVID-19 is creating turbulence for the stocks of big travel companies, but airline executives say they don’t see any slowdown in ticket sales, maybe because a high percentage of their best customers are fully vaccinated. “We haven't seen any impact at all on bookings, which continue to just get stronger and stronger every week,” United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said Wednesday. Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said the same thing last week, although he added that variants were continuing to hobble international travel by delaying the opening of borders.

United Airlines shares rose sharply after the carrier issued an upbeat demand forecast.

The following is a transcript of an interview with United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby that aired on Sunday, July 11, 2021, on "Face the Nation."

Carrier follows Delta Air Lines in saying it won't employ those who haven't been immunized against COVID-19.

The new rule requires external candidates with job offers made after June 15 to confirm they have been fully vaccinated by their start date

Boom says its first commercial supersonic jet, the Overture, will fly at Mach 1.7 and cut some flight times in half.

Carrier's loyalty club members can enter sweepstakes designed to encourage national immunization effort.

Carrier's loyalty club members can enter sweepstakes designed to encourage national immunization effort.

Atlanta-based carrier says starting Monday, employees joining its ranks must be immunized against COVID-19.

United Airlines' shares have tumbled 8.5% after the company reported another big loss.

United expects to return to profitability even if long-haul international and business travel demand recover to levels 35% below 2019.

United Airlines is still losing money, and it's waiting for a turnaround in lucrative business and international travel to get it back to profitability.

United Airlines reported a fifth consecutive quarterly loss but said travel demand has rebounded recently.

Across the American airline industry, less than 6% of all pilots and flight engineers are women. Only about 10% of them are Black, Asian, Hispanic or Latino Americans.

United Airlines says it will train 5,000 pilots at its own academy in this decade, and it hopes that half of them will be women or people of color.

Delta Air Lines has canceled about 100 flights due to staff shortages while opening up some middle seats a month earlier than expected to carry more passengers.

United Airlines is confident enough in the travel recovery that it's going to hire new pilots.

Fans of Frontier Airlines can now buy a piece of the budget carrier.

United Airlines on Sunday flew to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport for the first time in more than five years as the carrier takes advantage of a lull in air travel to snag space at the once-congested airport. United's JFK service kicked off with a 7:30 a.m. PT flight from Los Angeles International Airport and a 9:30 a.m. PT flight from its San Francisco International Airport hub. The JFK-San Francisco flight departed at about 5:30 p.m. The airline will operate five flights a week from JFK to Los Angeles and five San Francisco flights a week, doubling that in May. United's New York-area service has been concentrated at its Newark Liberty International Airport hub and at New York's LaGuardia Airport.

(AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)Across the United States, air travel is recovering more quickly from the depths of the pandemic, and it is showing up in longer airport security lines and busier traffic on airline websites. "Our last three weeks have been the best three weeks since the pandemic hit, and each week has been better than the one prior,” American Airlines CEO Doug Parker said Monday. However, the airlines still have far to go before travel fully returns to pre-pandemic levels. Since the pandemic hit, air travel has picked up a few times — mostly around holidays — only to drop back down. The airline said people are booking leisure trips to beach and mountain destinations but business travel is still lagging.

But TSA screenings have topped 1 million every day since Thursday, the highest volumes in a year. It had estimated in January that it would lose $19 million a day during the first three months of the year. Airline CEOs noted that bookings aren't just picking up for the near term, but for the summer vacation season, generally the most lucrative for airlines. "I think that there's going to be more travel going forward, just period," he said at a JPMorgan industry conference. Southwest Airlines said revenue trends are improving as it slightly lowered its forecasts for cash burn in the first quarter.

Airline officials are talking to the Biden administration about support for incentives to use cleaner fuels for airplanes. United Airlines said CEO Scott Kirby asked administration officials to support incentives for sustainable aviation fuel and technology to remove carbon from the atmosphere. A United Nations aviation group has concluded that biofuels will remain a tiny source of aviation fuel for several years. Some environmentalists would prefer the Biden administration to impose tougher emissions standards on aircraft rather than create breaks for biofuels. “We stand ready to work in partnership with the Biden administration.”

United Airlines says it could be using small electric-powered aircraft to take customers to the airport within a few years. United said Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021, that it will buy up to 200 small aircraft capable of helicopter-style takeoffs and landings from startup Archer. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)CHICAGO – United Airlines said Wednesday it will buy up to 200 small electric air taxis to help customers in urban areas get to the airport. United estimated the air taxis could shuttle people from Hollywood to Los Angeles International Airport at about half the carbon emissions per passenger. Chicago-based United portrayed the move as part of a broader plan to invest in technology behind cleaner modes of air travel.

Archer Air Source: Archer AirUnited Airlines believes you may someday take a small electric aircraft to get to the airport. Archer Air Source: Archer AirTo go from concept to certified aircraft, Archer is raising $1.1 billion through a SPAC merger with Atlas Crest Investment Corp. Archer Air Source: Archer AirUnited estimates passengers making the 13-mile trip from Hollywood to Los Angeles International Airport in an Archer eVTOL aircraft could reduce CO2 emissions by 50%. In December, California-based Joby bought Uber Elevate with plans to have eVTOL aircraft entering service as soon as 2024. Archer Air Source: Archer Air

A healthcare worker wears personal protective equipment (PPE) during a United Airlines Covid-19 test pilot program at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey, U.S., on Monday, Nov. 16, 2020. United Airlines' CEO wants to make Covid-19 vaccines mandatory for employees and is encouraging other companies do the same. The United flight attendants' labor union, the Association of Flight Attendants, said its focus is on ensuring vaccine access for crew members. "Right now, Flight Attendants are in different tiers for access in each state," AFA spokeswoman Taylor Garland said in a statement. "We need a federal approach that prioritizes Flight Attendants as essential workers facilitating interstate commerce."

J.B. Pritzker’s coronavirus reopening plan, state public health officials said Friday. Among other loosened rules, gyms and fitness centers would be allowed to reopen with 50% capacity limits and other public health precautions in place. Parents in Joliet Public School District 86 this week were notified of the decision by the district’s board of inspectors. In Chicago, public health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady has predicted most people will get their vaccines from their health care provider, pharmacy or employer. J.B. Pritzker’s coronavirus reopening plan, state public health officials said Friday.

FILE - In this Oct. 15, 2020, file photo, a United Airlines airplane takes off over another United plane on the runway at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco. United also gave a slightly more pessimistic first-quarter outlook than rival Delta Air Lines did just last week. The January-through-March period is a slow time for air travel even in normal years, but United said first-quarter revenue will be down 65% to 70% from a year ago. That prediction was five points worse than Delta forecast and implied no real improvement over United’s fourth quarter. Except for around Thanksgiving and Christmas, U.S. air travel has stubbornly remained down more than 60% from a year earlier.

United Airlines – Shares of the major U.S. airline tumbled 6.4% after the company posted a $1.9 billion loss for the fourth quarter. SolarEdge – The smart energy technology company gained more than 5% after Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on the stock with an overweight rating. Fastly – Shares of the cloud computing services provider jumped more than 9% after Oppenheimer upgraded the stock to outperform from perform. Discover Financial — Shares of the financial services company lost 5% despite the company topping analyst expectations for quarterly results. Capri Holdings — Shares rose 1.5% on Thursday after Deutsche Bank upgraded the multinational fashion company to buy from hold.

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby joins fellow airline executives, union heads and politicians for a news conference to call on Congress to pass an extension of the Payroll Support Program to save thousands of travel jobs, outside the U.S. Capitol September 22, 2020 in Washington, DC. United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said Thursday that many more people need to receive coronavirus vaccines before travel demand returns, highlighting difficult months ahead for the industry. United's shares were down more than 5.5% in morning trading, more than any other stock in the S&P 500. The airline posted a $1.9 billion loss after the market closed on Wednesday, marking its fourth quarterly loss in a row. "Until we can put as a society coronavirus in the rearview mirror, it's going to continue to be a tough environment for aviation for everyone who's involved in travel, tourism and leisure," Kirby said in an interview on CNBC's "Squawk Box."

FILE - In this Oct. 15, 2020, file photo, a United Airlines airplane takes off over another United plane on the runway at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco. United lost $7.1 billion in 2020, an amount exceeded only in 2005, when bankruptcy-related costs pushed the company to a $21 billion loss. That was worse than the $6.62 per share loss predicted, on average, by 19 analysts in a FactSet survey. Revenue tumbled to $3.41 billion, nearly matching the $3.42 billion that was forecast by analysts. Shares of United Airlines Holdings Inc. rose 1% to $45.18 in regular trading before the financial results were released.

Empty ticketing counters are seen in Terminal 1 at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2020. United Airlines, which furloughed 13,000 employees this month, is expected to report a large third-quarter loss as the coronavirus pandemic continues to batter air travel. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Check out the companies making headlines after hours on Wednesday:United Airlines — Shares of United Airlines fell more than 1% after the company reported a bigger-than-expected loss for the third quarter. United's third-quarter revenue also missed analyst expectations. Alcoa — Alcoa shares dipped 4.2% even after the aluminum company posted better-than-expected third-quarter results. Fastly — Fastly plunged 28% after the cloud company reported disappointing preliminary results. The company said it expects third-quarter revenue to range between $70 million and $71 million.

United Airlines, which furloughed 13,000 employees this month, is expected to report a large third-quarter loss as the coronavirus pandemic continues to batter air travel. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)United Airlines financial hole grew deeper over the summer as a modest recovery in air travel slowed down, pushing the carrier to a loss of $1.84 billion in the typically strong third quarter. The results from United, and those issued a day earlier by Delta Air Lines, reinforced the damage that the pandemic is doing to a major industry. Seven months into the worst of the coronavirus impact in the U.S., air travel remains down 65% from a year ago. United, Delta and American rely on business and international travelers for much of their revenue.

United Airlines is planning to resume service at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport in 2021, possibly early in the year, according to people familiar with the matter. United serves the New York-area from its hub at Newark Liberty International Airport, where it dominates flights, and out of New York's LaGuardia Airport. He has since expressed a desire to return to JFK because moving those transcontinental flights allowed competitor American Airlines to win some lucrative corporate clients. JFK has been a key airport for carriers like Delta Air Lines, American and their international partners. United's potential return to JFK isn't the first strategy shift to emerge during the pandemic.

A pilot walks by United Airlines planes as they sit parked at gates at San Francisco International Airport on April 12, 2020 in San Francisco, California. United Airlines' pilots approved a plan to avoid furloughs until at least June 2021, the company said Monday, marking the latest cost-cutting deal between an airline and one of its biggest labor groups during the coronavirus pandemic. The Chicago-based carrier earlier this month said it planned to furlough 2,850 pilots, starting Oct. 1, when $25 billion in federal aid that protects airline sector jobs expires. It later reached a preliminary agreement with the pilots' union to reduce minimum hours, essentially spreading schedules out among pilots, and maintain pay rates, which was later approved by union members. The deal won 58% approval from United's roughly 12,000 pilots, will make deeper cuts to minimum hours of pilots who are more junior.

United's move will put pressure on American Airlines and Delta Air Lines to drop their change fees, also $200 on domestic travel. Delta and American said they are waiving change fees for travel affected by the virus through the year's end. Southwest Airlines does not charge change fees, a policy which its CEO says has helped it gain more business. United said that it eliminated change fees for people who buy a standard or premium economy ticket for U.S. travel. United also said that it will extend a broad waiver of change fees including for international travel through Dec. 31.

That pushed the combined loss of the nation's four biggest airlines to more than $10 billion in just three months. Between them, American and Southwest carried 15.4 million passengers from April through June. Earlier, Delta Air Lines reported a $5.7 billion loss that was worsened by writing down investments in global airline partners who have filed for bankruptcy protection, and United lost $1.6 billion. American, based in Fort Worth, Texas, reported a loss of $2.07 billion, compared with a year-ago profit of $662 million. Seattle-based Alaska Airlines said it lost $214 million compared with a $262 million profit a year earlier.

United Airlines says its face mask requirement now extends to ticket counters and airport lounges. United and all other major U.S. airlines already require passengers to wear masks during flights. United said it limits full flights by substituting larger planes 4,000 times in May and June, it said. Labor is the biggest single expense for most airlines, and United last week warned 36,000 employees that they could be furloughed in October. All of them require passengers other than small children to wear a mask during flights except while eating or drinking.

Travelers push their luggage at the departure terminal of the Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, July 1, 2020. Capri has 98% of its stores open in the Asia and EMEA regions. EgyptAir said around 2,000 passengers left the Cairo international airport on 14 international flights, the first regular flights since the coronavirus outbreak. International travelers have been able to fly into Greece since June 15, but only to Athens or Thessaloniki. United plans to fly 52% of its year-ago domestic schedule in August, but only 25% of its previous international flights.

Travelers wear mask as they wait at the American Airlines ticket counter in Terminal 3 at O'Hare International Airport Tuesday, June 16, 2020, in Chicago. Beginning June 16 at American Airlines and June 18 at United Airlines, all passengers and crew members will be required to wear masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

This is likely to involve the appointment of administrators.TRAVEL & LEISURE: American Airlines will start booking flights to full capacity starting next Wednesday. American said Friday that it will continue to notify customers of full flights and let them change flights at no cost. Since April, American has said it limits bookings to leave about half of middle seats open. Delta, Southwest, Alaska and JetBlue say they block middle seats or limit capacity. United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby has said social distancing is impossible on planes -- even with empty middle seats, people are less than six feet from each other.

(AP Photo/Matt Dunham)The outbreak of the coronavirus has dealt a shock to the global economy with unprecedented speed. Following are developments Friday related to national and global response, the work place and the spread of the virus. ________________________SUPPLY DEMANDED: The virus has upended supply chains and shut stores that would typically furnish goods and services. EARNINGS SEASON: The worst was expected this season and must Wall Street analysts believe the majority of companies at least dodged that. The Buckle, which closed all of its stores on March 18, reported a loss of $11.8 million, and sales slumped 42.7%.

United Airlines' new CEO, Scott Kirby, said Wednesday that the airline could work with labor unions to avoid furloughs this fall despite low demand because of the coronavirus pandemic. Airlines are doubly challenged by the pandemic and a surge in U.S. unemployment with job cuts across the country expected to continue. More than 80% of United's roughly 96,000 employees belonged to a labor union as of the end of last year, according to a company filing. "We look forward to working with Scott to get results that matter to the people of United Airlines and those who fly with us." United's shares were up more than 4% in afternoon trading Wednesday along with other airlines that were trading higher.

Shares of the Massachusetts-based biotech were under pressure in Wednesday's premarket, one day after dropping 10.4%. The stock, which surged nearly 20% on Monday, has rocketed over 250% higher this year. Lowe's shares surged in Wednesday's premarket trading after the home improvement chain reported strong earnings and revenue in the first quarter. Kamil Krzaczynski | ReutersScott Kirby takes the reins as CEO of United on Wednesday at a time when the coronavirus pandemic has decimated the airline industry. The two are in a statistical tie over who would do a better job handling coronavirus.

________________________ON AGAIN, OFF AGAIN: Ford temporarily halted production at two assembly plants Tuesday and Wednesday after three workers tested positive for the novel coronavirus. On Wednesday a worker at the pickup truck plant in Dearborn, Michigan, tested positive for COVID-19, Ford confirmed. On Tuesday, Ford temporarily closed its Chicago SUV factory twice after two workers tested positive. Lear confirmed that production was suspended after an employee told the company of a positive COVID-19 test. The UFCW, which represents 900,000 grocery workers, said the number of infections is likely far higher across the industry.

United Airlines president Scott Kirby speaking in Chicago, Illinois, June 5, 2019. Kirby, 52, United's president since August 2016 and a more than two-decade airline executive, slides into the top job on Wednesday. Known as an action-taker with a talent for growing airline networks to maximize revenue, Kirby is expected to focus on reducing cash burn and reducing costs. I think he is very lucky that United is highly unionized because it's going to require him to think things through. Shortly after leaving American, he was named United's president in August 2016.

FILE PHOTO: A United Airlines passenger aircraft arrives over the top of residential houses to land at Heathrow Airport in west London, Britain, March 13, 2020. Like other U.S. airlines, travel demand for Chicago-based United has cratered as most U.S. states have ordered residents to stay at home in order to contain spread of the coronavirus. The historically severe economic impact of this crisis means even when travel demand starts to inch back, it likely will not bounce back quickly, they said. Uniteds efforts to further cut payroll costs are similar to moves by peers Delta Air Lines Inc (DAL.N) and American Airlines Group Inc (AAL.O). United is among airlines eyeing a separate $25 billion federal loan package for U.S. passenger carriers given expected favorable terms, Reuters reported on Wednesday.