United Airlines named an acting CEO on Monday night to replace its chief executive, who suffered a heart attack a month into the job.
The company said that general counsel Brett J. Hart had taken over for Oscar Muñoz, who went on medical leave.
United confirmed Thursday that Muñoz suffered a heart attack. The company said it was too soon to know how long he would need to recover.
Muñoz, 56, became CEO in early September after Jeff Smisek abruptly stepped down amid a federal investigation.
The announcement of an acting CEO came after four days of speculation about leadership at the airline.
The United Continental Holdings Inc. board turned to an insider as acting CEO. Hart joined United in 2010 after holding a similar position at Sara Lee. He previously was a law firm partner and a lawyer for the U.S. Treasury Department.
In a statement, Hart, 46, said he would move quickly to act on Muñoz’s plan to improve customer service and increase shareholder value.
Publicly traded companies must disclose when there is a change in CEOs, but there is no requirement to swiftly disclose a health setback of a top executive.
