United Airlines, while announcing a big Q1 loss, said Wednesday that it expected record revenue in the coming months, suggesting it had reached a pandemic turning point. “The demand environment is the strongest it’s been in my 30 years in the industry,” said the airline’s CE, Scott Kirby. “We’re now seeing clear evidence that the second quarter will be an historic inflection point for our business.” The airline reported a nearly $1.4b loss for the first three months of the year. But it said it expected to collect 17% more revenue on a per-seat, per-mile basis from April to June than it did in the same period in 2019. The company also said it expected a healthy profit in Q2, despite high fuel prices. United’s outlook, which it described as “bullish,” drove the airline’s shares up more than 7% in after-hours trading. The airline cited a handful of reasons for its rosy projection, including strong consumer demand, operating margins that are nearly back to 2019 levels, rapidly rebounding business travel and the carrier’s expectation of a similar upturn in international travel. United said it expected a profit not only in Q2 but for the full year. If United’s forecast for the next few months is borne out, the carrier would make up for its performance over the first three months of the year, when revenue was down about 21% and flight capacity was down about 19% from the same quarter in 2019.<br/>