United Airlines Financial Forecast Rises Despite Dragging Incident


Skift Take

Did customers book away from United Airlines after security officers called by the airline beat up a passenger in Chicago? Probably not, considering how well the airline performed financially in the second quarter.

Remember the experts and passenger-right advocates who claimed United Airlines might suffer financially after its employees in Chicago called airport security to forcibly remove a passenger from an overbooked flight? The United States is a vast and wealthy country with only four massive airlines and hundreds of millions of potential travelers. Some, of course, look for the best overall experience, and on customer-satisfaction metrics, United may not match its peers, though it promises it's trying to improve. But many more travelers look at only two metrics when deciding which airline to book — price, and schedule. And as long as United can offer convenient flights at competitive prices, it will continue to win business. United this week released strong preliminary estimates for its second qua