United Continental Holdings swings heavily to the red in the 1Q

United Continental Holdings, Inc. (Chicago) today reported a first-quarter 2012 net loss of $286 million or $0.87 loss per share, excluding $162 million of net special charges consisting primarily of integration-related costs. Including special charges, UAL reported a first-quarter 2012 net loss of $448 million or $1.36 loss per share.

  • UAL first-quarter consolidated passenger revenue increased 5.5 percent year-over-year. First-quarter consolidated passenger revenue per available seat mile (PRASM) increased 5.2 percent compared to the same period in 2011.
  • First-quarter consolidated fuel expense increased 20.8 percent, or $557 million, year-over-year.
  • Consolidated unit costs (CASM) holding fuel rate and profit sharing constant and excluding special charges and third-party business expense for first-quarter 2012 increased 0.6 percent year-over-year. First quarter consolidated CASM increased 8.3 percent year-over-year.
  • UAL ended the first quarter with $7.8 billion in unrestricted liquidity.

Notable First-Quarter 2012 Accomplishments:

  • United recorded U.S. Department of Transportation domestic on-time arrival rate of 80.1 percent and a system completion factor of 99.1 percent for the quarter. For international flights, United recorded an on-time arrival rate of 74.2 percent. The on-time arrival rates are based on flights arriving within 14 minutes of scheduled arrival time.
  • The company achieved a tentative agreement with United flight attendants, which they subsequently ratified. Passenger service employees chose to be represented by a union, and the company and the union will now begin joint negotiations. The company and its pilots’ master executive councils agreed to an extension of the transition and process agreement originally reached prior to the completion of the merger.
  • UAL raised $892 million of debt through the issuance of enhanced equipment trust certificates at an average interest rate of 4.37 percent, the lowest average rate in history for this type of security. The debt is being used to finance the acquisition of four new Boeing 787-8 and 14 new Boeing 787-900 ER aircraft and to refinance the debt relating to three Boeing 787-900 ER aircraft currently in the company’s fleet.
  • United announced new service from its Newark hub to Istanbul, Turkey and from Chicago to Sarasota, Fla. and from Denver to Fairbanks, Alaska. The company also announced service from San Francisco to Washington Reagan; and from Washington Dulles to Honolulu.
  • The company paid $265 million in 2011 profit-sharing to co-workers, who also earned cash incentive payments for on-time performance totaling more than $8 million during the quarter.
  • FORTUNE magazine named United Airlines the most admired airline on its annual airline-industry list of the World’s Most Admired Companies.
  • United and Chase launched the premium MileagePlus Club co-brand card in March, building on the strong performance from the MileagePlus Explorer card launched last July. The company also introduced the MileagePlus Gift Card Exchange, a program that enables members to convert the remaining value of unused or partially used retail gift cards into award miles.
  • United has Economy Plus Seating on 75 percent of its entire mainline fleet, including on all long-haul international Boeing 757-200 aircraft.
  • The company inducted three Next Generation Boeing 737-900 ER narrowbody aircraft into its fleet and continued to retire older, less-efficient models including three Boeing 737-500 aircraft.
  • The company continued to install flat-bed seats in first and business class on its international fleet, and now has the new seats on 144 aircraft, more than any other U.S. carrier.
  • United broke ground on the first phase of a three-phase redevelopment project at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport.

Copyright Photo: Luimer Cordero.

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