United CEO reveals Croatia Airlines as his favourite carrier

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby has named its Star Alliance partner Croatia Airlines as one of his favourite carriers, saying one of the group’s smallest members is consistently willing to help United test new technology. Speaking on the “Cheeky Pint” podcast, Mr Kirby noted that United and Lufthansa are the alliance’s two largest members before singling out the Croatian carrier. “One of my favourite airlines is Croatia [Airlines]. They’re small, around twenty aircraft, it’s a great country and the people are awesome. I like the CEO. It doesn’t drive a ton of economic value, but when we try to do new stuff, like if we want to do new technology stuff, they’re one of the smallest and they raise their hand every time. And so, I appreciate that”, Mr Kirby noted.

Croatia Airlines has repeatedly emphasised the value of its Star Alliance membership. Its outgoing CEO, Jasmin Bajić, recently noted, “All the work is done within the framework of Star Alliance. We joined twenty years ago and are the smallest airline member. But we have to reach and maintain certain standards to be part of the alliance, and I am proud that Croatia Airlines has done that for two decades. Compliance with these standards and the associated technology is really important to us and gives us a platform for success. It allows us to be competitive. And, of course, there are innovations at an alliance level which we can access and there is added value for our passengers in terms of connectivity and rewards”.

Mr Bajić also added, “This alliance enables us to provide substantial capacity to Star Alliance hubs, offering access to a wider array of destinations than our standalone operations could do. While overseas markets play a significant role in Croatia Airlines’ overall traffic, we prioritise efficient connections through our Star Alliance and codeshare partners”.

United began operating its own flights to Croatia in 2021, when it launched seasonal services between Newark and Dubrovnik. It expanded its Croatian network this summer with the addition of seasonal flights from Newark to Split. The two airlines have also had a codeshare agreement since 2013, with United placing its UA code on selected Croatia Airlines services, including Zagreb - Dubrovnik and flights linking Zagreb, Split and Dubrovnik with major European hubs. United will further expand in the region next year with the introduction of flights to Ljubljana.