United Airlines has confirmed that its general counsel Brett Hart will take on the role of acting CEO.
Oscar Munoz, who became the airline’s president and CEO in September, was admitted to hospital five days ago after suffering a heart attack.
The airline said it ‘too soon to know the course of treatment and timing of recovery’ of Munoz.
It said Hart would continue the agenda set by Munoz, designed to rebuild the company’s morale after years of strained labour relations.
It said he will work closely with Henry L. Meyer III, non-executive chairman of the board, and United’s ‘experienced executive team’.
“Brett has taken on increasing responsibility beyond general counsel over the last few years in the operations and customer facing areas of the company,” said Meyer.
“I am confident in his ability to continue to implement the company’s strategy and Oscar’s mission of bringing United’s people together around the shared purpose of becoming the best airline for our customers and employees.
Hart added: “Oscar’s agenda is focused on customer service, teamwork and innovation and I, along with the executive team, will continue to move quickly to implement it.
“We believe strongly that we can continue to make steady progress on increasing shareholder value by working together to deliver a great product to our customers.”
