United Airlines

United Airlines, Inc. is a major airline in the United States headquartered in Chicago, Illinois that operates an extensive domestic and international route network across the United States and six continents with more destinations than any airline. Regional service operated by independent carriers under the brand name United Express feeds its eight hubs and the Star Alliance, of which United was one of the five founding airlines, extends its network throughout the world.
United was formed by the amalgamation of several airlines beginning in the late 1920s, the oldest of these being Varney Air Lines, created in 1926 by Walter Varney who later co-founded the predecessor to Continental Airlines. United has ranked among the largest airlines in the world since its founding, often as a result of mergers and acquisitions.
As part of its hub-and-spoke transport model, United currently operates eight hubs:
United Airlines is a member of the Star Alliance that has 25 member airlines that operate a combined fleet of over 5,000 aircraft, with more than 19,000 flights, serving more than 1,300 airports with access to over 1,000 lounges in 195 countries.
United has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:
United Polaris is the airline's international business class product. The Polaris seat converts into a 6-foot-6-inch (1.98 m) flatbed and has multiple storage areas, multiple charging ports, lumbar support, and improved dining and amenities.
Polaris seats can be found on all Boeing 757-200s, 767s, 777-300ERs, 787s, and internationally configured 777-200ERs. On the 757s, Polaris is configured in a 2-2 seat configuration, so window passengers do not have direct aisle access. On widebody aircraft, the cabins are configured to provide aisle access to every passenger, with 767s featuring a 1-1-1 seat configuration while 777s and 787s have a 1-2-1 seat configuration.
Polaris passengers can check in at separate counters and use priority security screening lanes where available. In-flight services include pre-departure beverages, table linens and multi-course meals. Passengers are also given priority with boarding and baggage handling and access to the United Polaris Lounge, United Club or partner airline lounges.
United First is the highest class of service on domestically configured aircraft. When such aircraft are used on international services this cabin is branded as United Business. Seats on narrowbody aircraft have a 38-inch (97 cm) seat pitch, while domestically configured Boeing 777-200ERs feature fully-flat-bed seats that alternate facing forward and backwards in 2-4-2 configuration. Passengers receive priority boarding and baggage handling, free alcoholic beverages, complimentary meals on longer flights and may use separate check-in desks.
In 2015, United introduced its new domestic first-class seat design. The new leather seats feature cradling headrests, granite cocktail tables, and a tablet stand. These seats debuted on Airbus A320 family aircraft and were eventually rolled out on all domestic aircraft.
In 2019, it was announced that United was increasing first and business class seats "by 1,600" across all their aircraft in their fleet, in part by introducing the Bombardier CRJ550, a premium-heavy 50-seat regional jet, for which United is the launch customer of.
Premium Plus is United's international premium economy product. Premium Plus seats can be found on all internationally configured widebody aircraft, with a 2-2-2 seat configuration on Boeing 767s, 2-3-2 on 787s, and 2-4-2 on 777s. Premium Plus is also available on premium transcontinental and selected Hawaii flights operated with internationally configured widebody aircraft.
Compared to United Economy or Economy Plus, Premium Plus offers more comfort and amenities. Premium Plus recliner seats are wider, have more legroom, and are equipped with leg rests and footrests. Upgraded dining is served on china dinnerware with free alcoholic beverages. Passengers are provided with a more luxurious blanket and pillow, along with an amenity kit (on international flights). The first aircraft with these seats were flying in mid-2018, and the full service launched in 2019. During the interim period, these seats were sold as part of Economy Plus.
United Economy is available on all aircraft, offering a seat pitch of 31 inches (79 cm) and a recline of 2 to 5 inches (5.1 to 12.7 cm). Many aircraft, including the Airbus A321, Boeing 737 MAX, Boeing 767, Boeing 787, Boeing 757-200, and most Boeing 777 models, feature personal touchscreen televisions at each seat. On some aircraft, including the Airbus A319, A320, Boeing 737, Boeing 757-300, and domestically configured Boeing 777-200, entertainment is available via streaming to personal devices through the onboard WiFi system. Certain Boeing 737 aircraft also include DirecTV screens for live TV and movies. Under the United NEXT initiative, all mainline aircraft will feature personal touchscreens at every seat by the end of 2025.
Food and beverage offerings vary by flight type and duration. For domestic and short-haul international flights (routes to/from the Caribbean and parts of Latin America), passengers can purchase larger snacks or fresh meals, depending on the flight length. Complimentary meals are provided on long-haul international flights. All flights offer free beverages and snacks. Alcoholic beverages are available for purchase, with complimentary beer and wine available on long-haul international routes. On flights with meal service, passengers are served a snack and beverage shortly after takeoff, followed by a main course and dessert. Longer international flights also include a pre-arrival meal, typically a light breakfast or a sandwich.
Economy Plus seats are located in the front few rows and exit rows of the economy cabin on all aircraft and have 2 inches (5.1 cm) more recline and at least 5 to 6 inches (13 to 15 cm) of additional pitch, totaling 4 to 7 inches (10 to 18 cm) of recline and 35 to 37 inches (89 to 94 cm) of pitch. In-flight services and amenities are the same as the standard United Economy.
Economy Plus is complimentary for all MileagePlus Premier members. Premier 1K, Platinum and Gold members may select an Economy Plus seat during booking, while Silver members can select an Economy Plus seat at check-in.
Basic Economy is available on select routes. Intended to be United's lowest fare, Basic Economy fares provide most of the same inflight services and amenities as the standard United Economy. With Basic Economy, passengers do not get to select their seat assignment and are typically placed in the rear of the aircraft. Carry-on luggage is not allowed; however, passengers may bring a smaller personal item that can be placed under the seat in front of them.
Passengers booking in Basic Economy cannot use some MileagePlus and Premier member benefits, such as complimentary upgrades.
MileagePlus is the frequent flyer program for United Airlines. Published MileagePlus Premier tiers are Premier Silver, Premier Gold, Premier Platinum, and Premier 1K. Unpublished tiers include United Global Services and Chairman's Circle.
As United is a Star Alliance member, customers reaching certain qualifications are entitled to certain benefits which may be used across the entirety of the Star Alliance network. Premier Silver customers are given Star Alliance Silver status, while Premier Gold customers and higher are given Star Alliance Gold status.
United Club is the airline lounge associated with United Airlines and United Express carriers. The United Club replaced the former United Red Carpet Club and Continental Airlines Presidents Club prior to United Airlines' merger with Continental.
Polaris lounges are lounges available exclusively to long-haul travelers in United's Polaris business class cabin, as well as passengers in first and business class on Star Alliance carriers. Amenities include à la carte dining, shower facilities, and sleeping pods.
United Airlines, Inc. is a publicly traded company under its parent holding company, United Airlines Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation listed on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol UAL. As of January 2025, it has a market capitalization exceeding $35 billion. United's operating revenues and operating expenses comprise nearly 100% of the holding company's revenues and operating expenses. United's operating revenues and expenses account for nearly all of the holding company's financial activity.
Headquartered in the Willis Tower in Chicago, United ranked No. 83 on the 2025 Fortune 500 list of the largest U.S. corporations by total revenue. Through United Airlines Holdings, the company also holds a 9.9% stake in Mesa Airlines, a regional carrier operating under the United Express brand.
The key trends for United Airlines are (as of the end of the calendar year):
United Airlines headquarters are located at the Willis Tower, 233 South Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois.
In 2007, United had moved its headquarters from Elk Grove Township, a suburb of Chicago, to 77 West Wacker Drive in the Chicago Loop after receiving US$5.5 million in incentives from the City of Chicago.
Then in 2010, United accepted the City of Chicago's offer of US$35 million in incentives, including a US$10 million grant, for United to move its remaining 2,500 employees out of Elk Grove Township to the Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower) in the Chicago Loop. On May 31, 2012, United opened its operations center, which occupied twelve floors there. In 2019 United renewed its lease at Willis Tower, originally ending in 2028 and now set to expire in 2033, and plans to construct a roof deck and a 30,000 sq ft (2,800 m) dining hall on the fourth floor.
The former headquarters campus at Elk Grove Township was gradually annexed into the Village of Mount Prospect, and serves as an IT operations facility, with a new 172,000 sq ft (16,000 m) data center constructed in 2013.
United maintains a large presence in downtown Houston, having leased 225,000 sq ft (20,900 m) of space (seven floors) for occupancy in 2017.
United has training facilities for its flight crews in Denver and Houston, a major aircraft maintenance center in San Francisco, and call centers in Houston and Chicago.
The pre-merger United logo, commonly nicknamed the "tulip", was developed in the early 1970s by the designer Saul Bass as part of a new brand image. The logo represented the airline's monogram as well as a modernized version of the airline's shield logo which had been adopted in the 1930s, but fell out of use by the late 1960s. The ribbon-like rendering has also been said to symbolize the motion of flight. In 2010, United announced they would be merging with Continental Airlines and as a result, the combined airline would keep the United name but discontinue using the tulip logo and use the Continental Airlines "globe" identity and livery instead, designed in 1991 by the Lippincott company.
United's earliest slogan, "The Main Line Airway", emphasized its signature New York-Chicago-San Francisco route, and was replaced in 1965 with "Fly the Friendly Skies", which was in use until 1996 in its first iteration. The "It's time to fly" slogan was created in 2004. After the merger of United and Continental in October 2010, the slogan changed to "Let's fly together" until September 2013, when United announced a return of the "Fly the Friendly Skies" slogan in an ad campaign to start the following day. The resurrected slogan would be accompanied by the 1924 George Gershwin song "Rhapsody in Blue" as its theme song, and a voiceover provided by Matt Damon.
United had licensed its theme song, "Rhapsody in Blue", from Gershwin's estate for US$500,000 (equivalent to $2,762,865 in 2024) in 1976. "Rhapsody" would have entered the public domain in 2000, but the Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998 extended its copyright another 20 years until January 1, 2020, when it officially entered on the Public Domain. United announced that it would continue to use "Rhapsody in Blue" as its theme song following the merger with Continental.
Because over 98 percent of United's greenhouse gas emissions are from jet fuel, its environmental strategy has focused on operational fuel efficiency initiatives and investments in sustainably produced, low-carbon alternative fuels.
On August 23, 2011, United announced a conversion to paperless flight decks with 11,000 iPads for its pilots. Each iPad, which weighs less than 1.5 pounds (0.68 kg), will replace approximately 38 pounds (17 kg) of paper operating manuals, navigation charts, reference handbooks, flight checklists, logbooks, and weather information. The green benefits include reductions in paper use, printing, and fuel consumption. This shift not only streamlines the flight process but also significantly enhances operational efficiency and safety by ensuring pilots have the most up-to-date information readily available.
On November 7, 2011, United flew the world's first commercial aviation flight on a microbially-derived biofuel. The aircraft was fueled with 40 percent Solajet, which is Solazyme's algae-derived renewable jet fuel, and 60 percent petroleum-derived jet fuel. This flight was operated by the Eco-Skies Boeing 737-800 aircraft from IAH to ORD.
On January 15, 2013, Aviation Partners Boeing (APB), a joint venture between Aviation Partners Inc. and Boeing, announced that United had agreed to replace the Blended Winglets on its Boeing 737NG aircraft with APB's Split Scimitar Winglet (SSW), significantly reducing drag. Once the SSWs are installed, it is estimated that APB's winglet technology will save United more than $250 million annually in fuel costs.
On June 30, 2015, United invested US$30 million in Fulcrum BioEnergy, an alternative fuel company. Fulcrum's alternative fuel is produced through a clean and efficient thermochemical process and reduces lifecycle carbon emissions by more than 80 percent. As part of its investment, United will work with Fulcrum to develop up to five alternative fuel refineries near its U.S. hubs. These refineries will produce up to 180 million U.S. gallons (680 million liters) of sustainable aviation alternative fuel per year, and United will have the opportunity to purchase at least 90 million U.S. gallons (340 million liters) per year for a minimum of 10 years, making it the largest aviation alternative fuel commitment to date.
On March 11, 2016, United became the first airline in the world to fly on commercial-scale quantities of such fuels on a continuous basis, which were procured from AltAir Fuels. This fuel was produced from sustainable feedstocks such as non-edible natural oils and agricultural wastes and is expected to provide a greater than 60 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions on a lifecycle basis when compared to traditional jet fuel. United has agreed to purchase up to 15 million U.S. gallons (57 million liters) of sustainable alternative fuel from AltAir Fuels for use in Los Angeles over a three-year period.
In 2016, United began partnering with Clean the World to repurpose items from the airline's international premium class amenity kits and donate the hygiene products to those in critical need. Clean the World provides hygiene education and soap to promote handwashing, which helps prevent hygiene-related deaths. During the first year of this partnership, United expected to divert 60,000 pounds (27,200 kg) of material that otherwise would have gone to landfills.
In 2017 United started a partnership with Audubon International to protect raptors—including hawks, ospreys and owls—in and around New York-area airports and resettle the birds-of-prey at suitable golf course habitats where the species are more likely to thrive.
United Airlines was the first airline to see a successful unionization of flight attendants when the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA) was founded in 1945 by five United Airlines flight attendants. The AFA has represented flight attendants from United Airlines since. Their contract became amendable in August of 2021 and 99.9% of the flight attendants who voted were in favor of authorizing a strike on August 28, 2024.
United Airlines maintenance technicians are represented by the International International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Their contract became amendable on December 5, 2024.
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) District 141 represents approximately 34,000 Fleet Service, Passenger Service, Reservations, Stockroom, Central Load Planner, Maintenance Instructor, Fleet Technical Instructor, Emergency Procedures Instructor and Security Officer workers. Their contract becomes amendable on May 1, 2025.
With over 17,500 members the United Airlines pilots are the largest pilot group in the world and represented by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA). ALPA was founded by United Air Lines Captain David L. Behncke and 23 other key figures in Chicago, Illinois, on July 27, 1931. In the 1930s, flying was a perilous occupation; thus, from the time of its formation to today, one of ALPA's main goals is to improve air safety. The United pilots' current contract becomes amendable on September 30, 2027.
Source: United Airlines Accidents and Incidents History at Aviation Safety Network.
United Airlines Flight 976 was a regularly scheduled flight from Ministro Pistarini International Airport, Buenos Aires to John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York City on October 19, 1995. Prior to takeoff, an investment banker became disruptive after consuming two glasses of champagne, began threatening crew members and attempted to pour his own drinks, against airline and federal regulations. After takeoff, the banker was served two more glasses of red wine, after which the crew refused to serve him more alcohol due to his apparent intoxication. When his requests for more alcohol were denied, he pushed over a female flight attendant, climbed onto a service trolley, took off his pants and defecated, used linen napkins as toilet paper, wiped his hands on various service counters and tracked feces throughout the aircraft, after which he entered a lavatory and locked himself in. A request to divert to Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, was denied due to the security risks created by the presence of the President of Portugal Mário Soares, Argentinian foreign minister Guido di Tella and their security details on the flight. The disruptive passenger was arrested by the FBI after landing in New York and charged with interfering with a flight crew and threatening a flight attendant. He later pleaded guilty to the latter charge and was fined $5,000 (having previously agreed to reimburse the airline for its cleanup costs and all the other passengers their airfare, which amounted to nearly $50,000) and given two years' probation. The incident was later dubbed the worst ever case of air rage.
In 2013, after pressure from PETA, United announced that it would no longer transport monkeys to laboratories. United was the last North American passenger airline to transport these animals to laboratories. United flies more animals and has longer flight stage length than any other US airline, and accounted for one third of animal deaths of US airlines between 2012 and 2017.
Effective March 20, 2018, the PetSafe program was suspended with no new reservations for cargo transport of pets accepted. This came after United announced plans to mark pet carriers in the passenger cabin with bright tags and legislation was introduced in the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate banning the placement of pets in overhead compartments. This was in response to a dog death after a passenger placed it in the overhead compartment following flight attendant instructions, but the flight attendant denied knowing that the luggage contained a dog.
United awarded airline miles as "bug bounties" to hackers who could identify gaps in the carrier's web security. Two hackers have each been rewarded with 1 million miles of air travel as of July 15, 2015. This cybersecurity program was announced a few weeks after the company experienced two software glitches. The first incident delayed 150 United flights on June 2 due to a problem with its flight dispatching system. Six days later, United's reservation system delayed flights by not allowing passengers to check-in. In addition to the "bug bounty" program, United said it tests systems internally and engages cybersecurity firms.
In July 2019, security researcher Sam Jadali exposed a catastrophic data leak known as DataSpii, involving clickstream data provider DDMR and marketing intelligence company Nacho Analytics (NA). NA granted its members access to real-time data, including the ability to observe United Airlines passengers checking into their flights through the United website. The Washington Post highlighted how DataSpii resulted in the dissemination United passenger information including last names and flight confirmation numbers. The disseminated data also enabled the viewing of United customers' current geographic locations as they checked into their flights via the United website. DataSpii harvested data from millions of Chrome and Firefox users through compromised browser extensions, exploiting United's method of embedding personally identifiable information (PII) directly within the URLs. Jadali's investigation revealed that DDMR facilitated rapid dissemination of this data to additional third parties, often within minutes of acquisition, endangering the privacy of the sensitive data collected.
On the evening of April 9, 2017, a passenger was forcibly removed by law enforcement from United Airlines flight 3411 at Chicago-O'Hare, bound for Louisville. United announced that it needed four seats for airline staff on the sold-out flight. When no passengers volunteered after being offered vouchers worth $800, United staff selected four passengers to leave. Three of them did so, but the fourth, a doctor named David Dao, declined as he said that he had patients to treat the following morning. He was pulled from his seat by Chicago Department of Aviation security officers and dragged by his arms down the aisle. Dao sustained a concussion, broken teeth and a broken nose among other injuries. The incident was captured on smartphone cameras and posted on social media, triggering angry public backlash. Afterwards, United's then-chief executive officer, Oscar Munoz, described Dao as "disruptive and belligerent", apologized for "re-accommodating" the paying customers, and defended and praised staff for "following established procedures". He was widely criticized as "tone-deaf". Munoz later issued a second statement calling what happened a "truly horrific event" and accepting "full responsibility" for it. After a lawsuit, Dao reached an undisclosed settlement with United and airport police. In the aftermath, United's board of directors decided that Munoz would not become its chairman and that executive compensation would be tied to customer satisfaction. Following this incident, passenger complaints increased by 70 percent.
In February 2021, United Airlines was fined $49 million by the United States Department of Justice on charges of fraud on postal service contracts for transportation of international mail. According to investigators, between 2012 and 2015 United submitted delivery scan data to make it appear that United and its partner airlines complied with International Commercial Air requirements with accurate delivery times when in fact they were automated delivery scans with aspirational delivery time. Some employees within United worked to hide this fact from the United States Postal Service.