Archive · 9 Oct 2026
United CEO Scott Kirby Details His Sleep, Reading and Work Routine
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby shared how he organizes his days.
He usually sleeps for about eight and a half hours and gets up early.
He exercises and reads, and often has breakfast with his children.
He tries to keep meetings short and focused on solving problems.
He says he spends about three hours a day reading and walks more than 20,000 steps on average.
Lunch usually takes him only five minutes.
He tries to finish work around 5 p.m.
and spend the evening with his family.
Because his job involves travel, he takes at least three flights most weeks.
Scott Kirby says he gets about 8.5 hours of sleep, usually waking between 5 and 5:30 a.m. without an alarm.
His mornings can include exercise, reading news and breakfast with his children; he often takes them to school during the school year.
Kirby limits meetings to four hours daily, preferring two to two-and-a-half hours and discussions rather than slide presentations.
He says he spends about three hours a day reading, averages more than 20,000 steps daily and usually eats lunch in five minutes.
His schedule includes family time, an early bedtime and frequent travel, averaging at least three flights a week.
- Who
- United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby.
- What
- Kirby described his daily routine, including sleep, exercise, reading, meetings, family time and travel.
- When
- In an interview with Business Insider; the article does not specify the interview date.
- Where
- Kirby is based in Dallas and says his routine often takes him to Chicago and Washington, DC, as well as overseas.
- Why
- He says he aims to protect time for thinking, family, exercise and reading while managing his executive responsibilities.
- Sleep
- About 8.5 hours; he aims to go to bed around 9 p.m.
- Wake-up
- Typically between 5 a.m. and 5:30 a.m., without setting an alarm.
- Meetings
- A maximum of four hours a day; his preferred duration is 2 to 2.5 hours.
- Reading
- Around three hours a day; he says he reads about one and a half books a week.
- Walking
- More than 20,000 steps a day on average for four consecutive years.
- Travel
- At least three flights a week and around five overseas trips in a normal year.
- Workday and family
- He tries to finish work around 5 p.m. and typically has dinner with his family around 6 p.m.