United Airlines Q3 net income falls 15.1% on 2.5% revenue gain; $1.5 billion buyback
United Airlines reported third-quarter 2024 results, with total operating revenue up 2.5% to $14.8 billion but net income down 15.1% to $965 million and diluted EPS down to $2.90 from $3.42. Adjusted diluted EPS of $3.33 beat the company's $2.75 to $3.25 guidance range, and the board authorized a share repurchase of up to $1.5 billion, the first since the program was suspended in 2020. Forward outlook is furnished separately in an Investor Update (Exhibit 99.2), which the filing excerpt does not detail.
Key points
- Total operating revenue of $14.8 billion, up 2.5% from third-quarter 2023; net income of $965 million, down 15.1%.
- Diluted EPS of $2.90 versus $3.42 a year earlier; adjusted diluted EPS of $3.33, above the $2.75 to $3.25 guidance given at the start of the quarter.
- New share repurchase program of up to $1.5 billion, subject to a $500 million limit through year-end 2024.
- Year-to-date operating cash flow of $7.2 billion and free cash flow of $3.4 billion; net leverage of 2.7x, with a target below 2x in the next few years.
The filing
Written by AI (Anthropic Claude, claude-haiku-5-5) on Nov 8, 2026, 1:30 AM ET, from the text of the filing and its press-release exhibits only. Written later: this filing was briefed after the fact, when past filings were added to the site, so the brief may be read with hindsight; the filing itself is the record of what was known on October 15, 2024.
Briefs are written by AI from the filing text (each brief's own page names the model) and can contain mistakes — open the filing before acting on anything. Impact (1-5) and tone are the model's reading of the filing for shareholders, not a price forecast. Not investment advice.