United Airlines has flown a long way since its 1926 beginnings as Varney Air Lines, a mail service carrier. After a storied history that includes a three-billion U.S. dollar merger with Continental Airlines in 2010, United now ranks as the
, behind Delta Air Lines. The Chicago-based carrier also ties with the Atlanta-based airline as the
, with both holding 21 percent of domestic traffic. United designates eight airports as its main hubs, including Chicago O’Hare International Airport, Denver International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, and Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport. Among these,
Charting new revenue heights
United was successful in beating the pandemic doldrums as early as 2022, when its operating revenue surpassed that of 2019. By 2024,
revenues had risen further to a record-breaking 57 billion U.S. dollars. The United States and Canada represented the
airline’s most profitable region, followed by transatlantic operations. United also ranked second in the U.S. for baggage fee revenues, behind American Airlines.
Going head-to-head with Delta in brand value and punctuality
In terms of
market capitalization, United ranked third globally – after Delta and Ryanair – as of April 2025, with a valuation of 22.3 billion U.S. dollars. In terms of brand value, the carrier ranked second worldwide, trailing only Delta. Three of the world’s 10 busiest airports in 2024 – Denver International, Chicago O’Hare, and Los Angeles International Airport – were United hubs. Operationally, the
airline also stood out for its punctuality, achieving nearly 81 percent on-time performance, the second-best in North America after, yet again, Delta’s 83 percent.
Trailing behind legacy peers in customer satisfaction
Although the
U.S. airline customer satisfaction index fell in 2025 compared with the previous year, most carriers still achieved high scores. United Airlines received a score of 73, tying with American Airlines as the sixth highest among carriers that year – below its full-service counterparts and ahead only of low-cost competitors Spirit Airlines and Frontier Airlines. The airline also
recorded about six complaints per 100,000 domestic passengers, significantly fewer than Frontier Airlines, which reported approximately 20 complaints per 100,000 – the highest rate among U.S. carriers.
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