However, the airline’s chief will not attend the inauguration, which will be held indoors due to freezing weather in Washington DC.
It is worth noting that in addition to United Airlines, other major US aviation companies, including Boeing and Delta Air Lines, have each donated $1 million to Trump's inaugural fund.
When Donald Trump was reelected for a second term, business leaders speculated about the implications of the new administration.
The United CEO has been vocal about the air traffic controller shortage, urging it to be a top priority for Trump's second term.
In an interview with NPR, Kirby said in December 2024:
The United States is currently experiencing ATC staff shortages due to multiple reasons, including retirements and an aging workforce, training delays, increased air traffic demand, as well as budget constraints.
Some chief executives of US airlines appear to hold an optimistic outlook on the upcoming Donald Trump presidency. In November 2024, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian stated that the new administration's approach to regulation could be a "breath of fresh air."
During his election campaign, President-elect Donald Trump shared his views on bureaucracy and regulations, emphasizing the need for deregulation in certain areas.
Indeed, he expressed plans to review and reverse some regulatory actions implemented by the Biden administration.
The aviation sector is among the most heavily regulated industries worldwide. As a result, significant changes in terms of scrutiny and oversight are unlikely to be seen.
However, the US Department of Transportation, led by Secretary Pete Buttigieg, has implemented several rules aimed at protecting consumers, some of which have faced resistance from the airline industry.
With the upcoming change of administration, airline executives anticipate a somewhat more relaxed regulatory environment regarding consumer protection in the future.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian shared this perspective as he and other company executives prepared to meet with Wall Street analysts at an investor event on November 20, 2024, according to a report by NBC News.
Bastian noted that Trump had pledged "to take a fresh look at the regulatory environment, the bureaucracy within government, and the overreach our industry has experienced over the past four years."
Meanwhile, Southwest Airlines CEO Robert Jordan echoed a similar sentiment, stating that "the new administration could be a bit more business-friendly,” AP News reported. Jordan added:
"We are hopeful for a DOT (Department of Transportation) that is perhaps a little less aggressive in terms of regulating or rule-making."
During Trump's first term, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) took a less aggressive stance on challenging airline mergers and consolidations compared to the stricter approach of the Biden administration. In 2024, a federal judge blocked the proposed merger between Spirit Airlines and JetBlue Airways.
