United Airlines Eyes Blockbuster 2022 With Plans to Be Larger Than Pre-Pandemic
Skift Take
United has big aspirations for 2022 as the travel recovery continues to accelerate in the U.S. But very real concerns about the Delta variant and the broader recovery outside of the airline's control could set those plans back.
United Airlines may do what few thought was possible just a year-and-a-half ago as the coronavirus pandemic brought global air travel to a near standstill. Barring an unforeseen reversal of the recovery — like maybe the rapidly spreading Delta variant — the Chicago-based carrier is gearing up to fly more next year than it did in 2019 in what is a significant vote of confidence in the travel recovery.
"We expect 2022 capacity to be higher than in 2019," United Chief Financial Officer Gerry Laderman said during the airline's second quarter earnings call on Wednesday.
That outlook is possible based on a number of factors, including United's decision to retire few aircraft during the crisis that allows it to recover faster than many of its competitors and what it sees as a coming inflection point in the business travel recovery this fall.
And that's not to say the United of 2022 will look like the United of 2019; there will likely be more domestic, European and Latin American flying and less across the Pacific than before. Executives named Florida as one market where it plans to retain some of its pandemic growth to capture more of the seemingly insatiable leisure demand to the state. But when it comes to broad recovery measures, it does not matter where the airline flies — only whether it flies more or less than it did two years ago.
United joins Delta Air Lines in seeing a potential full recovery in 2022. The latter Atlanta-based carrier could fly 7 percent more passenger capacity next year if demand permits, executives said ear
