SINGAPORE, 17 July 2026: United Airlines reported this week a second-quarter profit that exceeded expectations and is near the top end of guidance.
United delivered pre-tax earnings of USD1.0 billion, with a pre-tax margin of 5.8%. Adjusted pre-tax earnings were USD843 million, with an adjusted pre-tax margin of 4.8%.
“Our results show why we have been investing in customer improvements throughout every cabin and winning brand-loyal customers,” said United CEO Scott Kirby. “United is built to thrive in every environment, and when oil prices spiked in March, we quickly and decisively acted to adjust our schedules, while simultaneously doubling down on our customer investments. Our brand-loyal customers value their travel on United, whether they are in Polaris or in economy. Our network expansions, investment in Starlink, and innovations such as Relax Row are giving customers new reasons to choose United.”
Based on oil prices as of 14 July, United expects nearly USD6 billion in added fuel expense for the full year 2026 compared to the expectation at the start of the year.
In the second quarter, fuel expense was up USD2.3 billion, or 84% year-over-year, and the company recovered approximately half of this increase. In the third quarter, the company expects to recover approximately 80% to 90% of the increase, and 100% by the fourth quarter. Yields were up 12% during the quarter, showing strong demand for United’s product.
Diverse revenue streams all contributed to this quarter’s success and United’s ongoing resilience: Premium revenue was up 16% compared to the second quarter of 2025, basic economy revenue was up 11%, loyalty revenue was up 11%, and cargo revenue was up 23%. Close-in demand remained robust, with contracted business revenue up 27% in the quarter. The economy cabin continues to recover with unit revenue up 12%, marking two consecutive quarters of positive growth.
United is investing in customers throughout the aircraft, including the United Relax Row across a row of United economy-class seats. During the quarter, United installed Starlink on its first widebody aircraft, and Starlink is now installed on 450 United mainline and United Express aircraft.
United remains on track to bring Starlink to its entire fleet by the end of 2027 — ahead of its major US competitors. Starlink is free for MileagePlus members.
United’s first “Born to Explore” Airbus A321XLR is expected to enter domestic service this fall and will be connecting the US to international destinations by early next year.
Key Highlights
Flew the largest domestic schedule in company history, serving 240 airports in the US and Canada.
Took delivery of United’s first A321XLR aircraft, the first narrowbody featuring United’s Elevated interior, including updated United Polaris and United Premium Plus seats, screens with Bluetooth connectivity at every seat, and a self-serve snack bar.
Increased MileagePlus credit and debit cardholder benefits, allowing cardholders to earn even more miles, get redemption discounts of at least 10% on every United award flight they book, and have special access to additional inventory of lowest-priced award tickets.
Customer Experience
Launched 27 new routes in the US and Canada, including nine new domestic routes from Chicago-O’Hare.
Began service from New York/Newark to four new transatlantic destinations: Bari, Italy; Split, Croatia; Santiago de Compostela, Spain; and Glasgow, Scotland, and launched service between Washington/Dulles and Reykjavik, Iceland.
Began offering United customers the brand new 787-9 with an elevated interior on flights between San Francisco and Singapore and London. The new premium-configured aircraft features 99 premium seats in total, including 8 United Polaris Studio suites and 56 United Polaris seats.
United announced plans to launch service later this year to five new destinations: Caracas, Venezuela; Cartagena, Colombia; Sapporo, Japan; St Croix, US Virgin Islands; and Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Mexico.
Announced four new routes to existing destinations, including Chicago to Tokyo-Narita; Washington/Dulles to Los Cabos, Mexico; Denver to Providenciales, Turks and Caicos; and Houston to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
(Source: United)
