Ousted United Chief Will Lose Gym Pass, Keep $20M

Jeff Smisek gets a fat severance package amid scandal
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 11, 2015 8:52 AM CDT
Ousted United Chief Will Lose Gym Pass, Keep $20M
Former United chief Jeff Smisek is shown here.   (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

United Airlines CEO Jeff Smisek lost his job amid a corruption investigation this week, but a little scandal won't puncture his golden parachute. Because he resigned instead of getting fired, Smisek will collect cash and stock expected to total more than $20 million, reports the Los Angeles Times. (In fact, the severance could reach nearly $30 million, notes Bloomberg.) United's regulatory filing reveals that the company will no longer pay for Smisek's gym membership, so he'll have to settle for these perks instead: free first-class travel for life, free airport parking for life, and health insurance. Oh, and he'll keep his company car, notes the Washington Post.

"It's like a microcosm of all the anger toward elites," says the chief of the Business Travel Coalition, which advocates for travelers. "There's anger that the system seems rigged against the ordinary guy." (More United Airlines stories.)

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