08:36 AM EDT, 09/12/2025 (MT Newswires) -- United Airlines (UAL) Chief Executive Scott Kirby said he expects Spirit Aviation's (FLYY) Spirit Airlines to go out of business and that he views the discount airline model as dead, CNBC reported.

Speaking at an industry conference Thursday, Kirby said "you can't have a business model predicated on screw the customer," according to the CNBC report.

Asked why he believed Spirit would shut down, Kirby replied: "Because I'm good at math," the report said.

Spirit filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in August for the second time in a year.

United and Spirit did not immediately respond to requests for comment from MT Newswires.

(Market Chatter news is derived from conversations with market professionals globally. This information is believed to be from reliable sources but may include rumor and speculation. Accuracy is not guaranteed.)