Hurricanes help push down United's Q3 profit by one-third

United Airlines' Q3 profit fell by one-third as the carrier was rocked by hurricanes that hit its hub in Houston and other airports. A key revenue measure indicated that United is also paying for a brutal fare war with budget Spirit Airlines, a fight that is expected to drag down average prices again in Q4. The Q3 profit still beat Wall Street expectations. United said Wednesday it canceled 8,300 flights in the quarter. The bulk of the cancellations came after Hurricane Harvey forced the closure of Houston's largest airport, a major United hub. That was followed by Irma and Maria, which disrupted flights in Florida and the Caribbean. The airline said it flew 46 relief flights after the storms. The hurricanes accounted for one-third of the reduction in United's pretax income, or about $185m. United plans to increase passenger-carrying capacity by 3.5% in Q4, compared with a year earlier, which would be at the high end of an earlier forecast. Over the summer, investors grew worried that US airlines were growing too fast, pushing fares down. That led to a drop in airline shares, although the stocks have partly recovered recently. Analysts are expected to question United executives about weak pricing power and the airline's growth plans when the company holds a conference call for investors on Thursday. CEO Oscar Munoz said that despite the challenges, the airline was continuing to "set the stage for United's long-term success."<br/>