United’s three busiest-ever operational days cap highly profitable year

United Airlines capped a highly profitable year of operations with its three busiest-ever passenger-flying days coming in December, at the height of the North American winter travel season. Reporting higher year-on-year revenue across its premium, corporate and economy segments for the October-December period, Chicago-based United said on 21 January that it also set company records for profit and passengers flown in the fourth quarter. “United had a unique strategy coming out of Covid and our people have delivered for customers, leading to a structurally and permanently changed industry,” says Scott Kirby, United’s CE. “2024 was a strong year across the board.” Indeed, the company appears to be firing on all cylinders, with almost all of its operating statistics – including passenger load factor, capacity and revenue passenger miles (RPMs) – trending positively compared with the same period of last year. United’s fourth-quarter performance continues the trend of the “Big Two” – Delta Air Lines and United – raking in profits while fellow major US carriers American Airlines and Southwest Airlines lag behind. United calls itself “the leading global airline”, though it did not overtake Delta in profitability last year. The Star Alliance carrier reports full-year profits of $3.1b, up 64% from the $2.6b it made in 2023.<br/>