Fmr. United Airlines CEO on pilots' unpaid leave: The root of the issue continues to be Boeing

Oscar Munoz, former United Airlines CEO and chairman, joins 'Squawk Box' to discuss news of United Airlines asking its pilots to take unpaid time off next month due to late-arriving aircraft from Boeing, who should be at blame, who should lead Boeing after CEO Dave Calhoun steps down, and more.

[@mysho6317]

If the Producer goes through all the effort & $$$ to schedule a Guest who makes time in their busy schedules, LET THEM TALK. Host questions should be one sentence, open ended. DON'T interrupt or talk over the GUEST. We want to hear the Guest NOT the host who was NOT the United CEO.🙄

[@KasraKasra-wu3ol]

Why you invite a guest if you don’t let him talk ?!

[@trave7644]

Because he is mouth-piece for United.

[@pto44]

The media are making too much out of the COLA issue. As Oscar said, it is short term until the planes are delivered and Boeing is the bottleneck. The alternative for United is to run short-staffed and cancel flights. The interviewers were trying to get Oscar to say something provocative and he didn't take the bait. He's also right about the type of leader Boeing needs. Engineers are not great leaders, but the new CEO should know how to incorporate the engineers' concerns into the business plan. He's also probably right that there are some good candidates but they have no interest in taking on this role.

[@SKS8080]

What u except from MSNBC. They cherry pick.

[@carocarochan]

The CEO and the Board must be prosecuted.

[@fransezomer]

THey probably get a US$ 60M bonus instead

[@nickolliver3021]

so the board and CEO of united should be prosecuted for bad maintenance?

[@johnnybartlett928]

Seriously Becky, you are usually better than most, but let the guest talk. He is the subject matter expert. What he has to say in response to your questions is why we are listening.

[@aahmed29]

This is United’s fault, not Boeing’s. CNBC and this former CEO is a shame.

[@SKS8080]

United maintaince is part of the story that’s not being talked about

[@MatthewMS.]

May God 🙏 have mercy on the soul of whomever accepts the role of next CEO of Boeing 😬

[@13jeffandtrish]

What you talking about there are several sociopaths CEO's just waiting to get that job

[@gyzfr6]

BS, United retired airplanes when they could have kept them. And the desert has aircraft ready to be reactivated.

[@hughofIreland]

What aircraft did United retire?

[@davidlowe8597]

Boeing should be like "If you are going to blame me for your problems you can build your own jets"

[@bp900]

Why, it's their fault. You must not like taking accountability

[@dotsmassacre]

So, I mean, United is maybe using the only tool it contractually has to ensure continuity. I would wager.

[@GOLDVIOLINbowofdeath]

Whoever put so many corporate eggs in the Boeing basket should have their pay cut to $1. Just because Sully hates Airbus doesn’t mean it was a good call to go with Boeing. Sully is an overrated ego trip

[@lt_dreams96]

Wait. Why would sully hate airbus? Is it because its not a domestic company?

[@kcav1255]

Presenter needs to cool it with cutting off the guest and not letting him finish a sentence. Very unprofessional. We don't want to hear your canned "challenge" questions. Let the person finish explaining

[@SuperPerfectMan]

When you realise mid interview you signed an agreement to not talk bad about the company. Sure some might want flexibility but to insinuate that people want unpaid leave from work weekly is silly nobody has those margins in America ..

[@SuperPerfectMan]

Yeah bring in a women like gender is the solution ?

[@timpropilot]

Oscar is great as a leader.

[@dknowles60]

Yea he was going to Be the Next CEO Of CSX

[@mikethompson3534]

I disagree he’s such a 2 faced person

[@HenryMPHone]

Will the CEO and upper management forgo their bonus or stocks?

[@eives2]

Becky was not getting it and Oscar did a terrible job explaining it to her. It’s a “voluntary” leave of absence. Senior Pilots will take those leaves so Junior Pilots still have opportunities for flight hours. Many Senior Pilots will be very happy to have the time off and they likely will still continue to get their subsidized Medical. They have Contracts outlining those benefits.

[@dotsmassacre]

I appreciate the scale of crisis that is being presented by production cap limitations at Boeing for narrow body production but, in the case of United, and this is an anecdote for comparison, when you walk out of the bathroom with your fly undone, is that the fault of the pants manufacturer... if you lose a wheel, or have a fuel line cap that isn't fastened, or run over a green strip pothole taking a shortcut on the taxi way, etc? I don't think any of those incidents can be directly linked to narrow body delivery... not even anecdotally. But it can be said that preflight, has been slowly deregulated over the past 20 years because of gate time turnaround... and I mean, maybe in the case of United... that is more at issue here... because I mean, it's entirely possible and I'm speculating, that unions don't want their pilots getting out of the cockpit between dead legs... and maybe they ought to occasionally... because it is the responsibility of the captain, to ensure that the equipment they are operating, is up to the job... so, I mean, some of these younger folks might not even have received the necessary competency training to be able to perform the classic visual inspect... so, I mean, umm and ahh all you want but that plane that lost a wheel for instance, most assuredly did not come out of the factory like that and it wasn't even a narrow body... so... a lot of hyperbole seems to be being thrown around...

[@manpreetbansal8412]

CEO is always right because being aggressive into profit, thin line it’s important for investors. They don’t care much about pilots. They’re just a number they can be furloughed and retrained.

[@UAL320]

2:55…..interesting that there would be that perceived pressure from NBC. It’s whatever your contract says, I guess. In this case pilots are protected by a collective bargaining agreement.

[@xplayman]

I don't think she's implying that there was pressure from NBC but it is only natural to be in that position as an employee and wonder what the future will be. You start asking how much worse can it be and will your role survive the other end of it after an inevitable restructure caused by key events like COVID or undelivered aircraft.

[@Agent77X]

It called collateral damage, pilots get no money!

[@dknowles60]

they may still have benafits they have Unions. people on leave get called back a head of the Laid off Pilots

[@spat6922]

Can’t pilot go to another company where there is requirements. I heard airline industry is short staffed on pilots

[@Starfish2145]

Because corporate entities only care about one thing. They care about their shareholders stock price.

[@JoseMartinez-dc4dn]

He was a great CEO, not sure what happened and why the board choose a new leader, why he left and what’s up with the new leadership.

[@SKS8080]

Mostly because of his heart issue. He had a massive heart attack shortly after being the CEO.

[@mikethompson3534]

Because he was responsible for a paying passenger getting beat up and dragged off the airplane

[@MatthewMS.]

Becky is #1

[@jamesboland1499]

She just doesn't get it, maybe a quick layoff would be a better alternative? Talk about privilege....we can lay you off or pay you to wait😢.

[@dknowles60]

what is so bad they may still may still have health care

[@dknowles60]

that Cnbc lady needs to shut up and lrt Oscar talk, Oscar is very good. he was going to be the Next CEO of CXS Rail road But United fell apart

[@darylp9306]

Well it's all self inflicted Boeing. All self inflicted! Who else to blame but you?

[@andyseib8753]

What a tool he's just a public relations for the executives doesn't care about the employees

[@daveh5204]

Why is it so many Talking heads don’t know what they are talking about…

[@tylerdurden4006]

Weird to blame others for your not providing enough work for your own workers...

[@jbar_85]

Sounds like they’re broke.

[@daneculp4731]

BOEING Pilot was forced to make a return to the airport after a foul smell from a broken toilet filled the entire cabin. United Airlines flight 59, scheduled to reach San Francisco, circled over the North Sea before getting back to the Frankfurt airport.

[@bgregg55]

How curious United would trot out the "former CEO". How many of their execs at corporate are taking unpaid leave?

[@averageperson2659]

He was the CEO when a passenger got dragged off the plane by force

[@mikethompson3534]

@@averageperson2659yes that passenger got beaten up and humiliated by Oscar

[@RichardKing-sx6xc]

😅😆🤣😂

[@SadDays-21]

This female host just wasted 10 minutes of everyone's life whining and whining! What does she want? To get a raise to compensate for her loss during the pandemic? Everyone chipped in during the pandemic! Just ask her to get another job if she is so unhappy about her salary. I don't see what is so amazing about her that she cannot be replaced immediately. It's highly unprofessional to waste everyone's time to just listen to her whining.

[@SadDays-21]

And I don't see her spending (or probably wasting in her mind) a single second of her time advocating for the flight attendants and other lower-paid crew who also have to take these time-off offers. No, for her, it's just about the highest-paid pilots!