SNG: Nigeria: United Airlines delivers record 17% revenue growth in Q3

By Zawya06:29 (UTC), 29 October 2026 Updated

By Staff Writer

Mega international carrier, United Airlines, has reported pre-tax earnings of $1.3 billion, with a pre-tax margin of 7.3 percent in the third quarter of 2026. Adjusted pre-tax earnings1 were $1.1 billion, with an adjusted pre-tax margin1 of 6.2 percent.

Within the period, fuel expense was up $1.8 billion, compared to third-percent Commenting on the results, United CEO Scott Kirby said: “Our employees met the challenge of our ever-changing environment and our results prove the resilience of focusing on building a brand-loyal airline for customers.”

Compared to the third quarter of 2025, premium revenue was up 17 percent, revenue from basic economy was up 16 percent, loyalty revenue was up 17 percent and cargo revenue was up 23 percent.

Contracted business revenue was up 26 percent during the quarter compared to the third quarter of 2025, showing strong and resilient close-in demand across all industries. Economy cabin revenue grew for the third consecutive quarter, with unit revenue up 17 percent year-over-year.

United now offers Starlink on more than 640 aircraft, equipping approximately three more aircraft per day. United also offers more daily Starlink flights now than the entire U.S. industry, further increasing United’s competitive advantage. In September, more than 5.4 million United customers experienced Starlink. United expects it to be available fleet-wide by the end of 2027.

Explaining further, Kirby said, “We are winning new long-term, brand-loyal United customers because they are trying us for Starlink but staying with us for the industry-leading app, great service, on-board product and technology. These advantages will persist long after the fast, low-Earth orbit Wi-Fi we are offering today becomes the industry standard. By then, United will be leading on the next innovation as we seek to sustain our lead with customers.”