LAGOS – United Airlines has reported full-year and fourth-quarter 2024 financial results, showing the company’s full-year pre-tax earnings of $4.2 billion.

A statement by its media consultant in Africa, said that the airline within the financial year periods, also had a pre-tax margin of 7.3 per cent; adjusted pre-tax earnings1 of $4.6 billion, with an adjusted pre-tax margin of 8.1 per cent.

The statement added that the company also achieved full-year diluted earnings per share of $9.45; adjusted diluted earnings per share1 of $10.61, at the better end of the 2024 guidance provided at the start of the year of $9.00 to $11.00.

The airline emphasised that in 2024, United continued strong execution on its United Next plan.

The company’s investments have set United apart and customers continue to show more preference for the United brand with strong demand for all products: in the quarter premium revenue was up 10 per cent, corporate revenue was up 7 per cent and revenue from Basic Economy was up 20 per cent year-over-year.

The report added that other revenue streams like loyalty and cargo had robust growth in the quarter with revenues up 12 per cent and 30 per cent year-over-year, respectively.

Looking ahead to 2025 United sees robust demand trends in the first quarter with domestic RASM expected to turn solidly positive year-over-year, as well as continued improvement in international RASM.

For the full year, the company operated the most flights and carried the most customers in its history.

United finished first in on-time performance at all seven of its U.S. hubs as a result of significant investments in its people, airports and technology, resulting in year-over-year improvement in customer satisfaction.

“United had a unique strategy coming out of COVID and our people have delivered for customers leading to a structurally and permanently changed industry,” said United Airlines Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Scott Kirby.

“2024 was a strong year across the board for United as we’ve become the leading global airline and we enter 2025 with demand trends continuing to accelerate which puts us on the path to double-digit pre-tax margins,” he added. 

United Airline also set the company record for most customers carried in a year at nearly 174 million system wide and an average of 4,340 daily flights, operating 145 more mainline flights per day compared to 2023.

Announced an industry-leading agreement with SpaceX to bring Starlink’s Wi-Fi service to more than 1,000 of the airline’s mainline and regional aircraft, providing MileagePlus members free, fast, reliable internet connectivity on some passenger flights as soon as Spring 2025.

Besides, United announced the largest international expansion in the airline’s history, bringing service to nine new international destinations for Summer 2025, eight of which were not served by any other U.S. carrier: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia; Nuuk, Greenland; Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Palermo, Italy; Bilbao, Spain; Faro, Portugal; Madeira Island, Portugal; Puerto Escondido, Mexico; and Dakar, Senegal.

It also surpassed 300 new and retrofit aircraft in 2024 featuring United’s signature interior with bigger bins, seatback screens at every seat and bluetooth connectivity, resulting in a 4.5 point improvement in customer satisfaction with inflight entertainment.

United continued to invest in its employees and facilities in 2024, with the opening of an expanded Flight Training Center at the Denver hub and work beginning for a new state-of-the-art Inflight Training Center near the airline’s Washington, D.C. hub.

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