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United Airlines (UAL) 2Q 2026 earnings
CNBC • • general
Key Points:
- United Airlines reported second-quarter earnings per share of $1.99, beating Wall Street estimates of $1.88, with revenue of $17.67 billion slightly above expectations.
- The airline faces significant pressure from rising fuel costs, with second-quarter fuel expenses up 84% year-over-year to $2.3 billion, and fuel prices potentially adding nearly $6 billion in costs for 2024.
- United forecast third-quarter adjusted earnings per share between $2.50 and $3.50, below analysts' expectations of $3.60, and raised its full-year adjusted EPS forecast to $9 to $11 from $7 to $11.
- Despite higher fares, demand remains strong, and United expanded its flying capacity by 3.5% in Q2, with a 16% revenue increase and 12.1% growth in unit revenue, the highest since early 2023.
- The airline may further reduce capacity plans due to volatile fuel prices and is updating its forecasts to reflect recent fuel cost increases, which have already impacted third-quarter earnings by $1.12 per share.
