Quotes from Bethune just after the merger:
"He's a change agent," Bethune said of Smisek. "United has never seen this magnitude of change they're about to take on."
"I definitely recognize talent when I see it," Bethune said. "This guy had a bright eye."
“He’s very blunt and straightforward, which I admire,” said Bethune, who retired at the end of 2004. “He tells you the truth and tells it to your face.”
"It takes a while to build trust. And Jeff has started that long process," Bethune said.
"The good thing is, they finally have a guy they can trust. They just don't know it yet."
Also, this hilariously prescient quote from Smisek himself:
A U.S. standard on tarmac waiting times is a “very stupid rule,” he told analysts, and the day he looks to the government to help the industry “you should make sure I get fired.”
Done and done, sir!
