United Airlines News

Optimism is in the air among United, British Airways, and other airlines. Rightfully so.

Good morning from Skift. It's Friday, January 21, in New York City. Here's what you need to know about the business of travel today.

United Airlines had expected to fly more this year than it did in 2019, but the spread of the Omicron variant caused a huge slump in first-quarter demand, a hole United doesn't expect to climb out of no matter how strong the rest of the year is.

Airlines may be waving goodbye to the Omicron variant but they are just beginning to feel the fallout from the pandemic. U.S. carriers face a worsening shortage of pilots to fly small, regional jets, which is hampering their recovery and sending more travelers into the hands of budget competitors.

At long last, the Denver City Council approved expansion of the airport's Great Hall. But the project comes at a price — it's at least $1 billion over budget and will be completed seven years behind schedule.

Nearly a year in, United Airlines' experiment using buses to connect its Denver hub with several nearby communities appears off to a slow start. But that may not matter — yet — with the backing of CEO Scott Kirby.

The pilot shortage United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby warned about is here. The airline is cancelling 14 routes to smaller cities from Washington, D.C. in the spring because it can't find enough pilots to operate those flights.

About four out of every ten passengers boarded worldwide have their trips touched by tech from the vendor PROS. The company's recent win in selling more enterprise software to United, along with this year's new products, acquisitions, and R&D spending, may catch the eye.

Airlines on both sides of the Atlantic are expecting strong demand for travel between North America and Europe next summer. With Asia largely shuttered and its recovery expected to be a year behind, airlines are scrambling to add flights across the North Atlantic.

Hydrogen-electric engine developer ZeroAvia is the latest to benefit from United Airlines Ventures' largesse. It's the carrier's latest bet on a new technology in an effort to be among the first airlines to go carbon neutral.