United Airlines shares fall 2.12% after earnings miss

United Airlines Holdings posted third-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings of $2.54 a share after Tuesday’s close, below the $2.59 analyst consensus, Benzinga reported Oct. 20, citing Benzinga Pro data.

United shares fell 2.12% to $95.70 in Tuesday extended trading after revenue of $17.875 billion missed the $17.888 billion consensus. The revenue shortfall was $13 million, or less than 0.1% of consensus, according to Atlas360 calculations.

United reported adjusted pre-tax earnings of $1.1 billion for the quarter and an adjusted pre-tax margin of 6.2%, meaning pre-tax profit as a share of revenue. The source material did not provide year-earlier figures for those two measures.

Fuel expense increased by $1.8 billion from the third quarter of 2025. Higher fuel costs are closely watched by airline investors because they can compress margins even when demand indicators improve.

“Our employees met the challenge of our ever-changing environment and our results prove the resilience of focusing on building a brand-loyal airline for customers,” United Chief Executive Scott Kirby said.

United said several revenue categories grew from the third quarter of 2025. Premium revenue rose 17%, Basic Economy revenue increased 16%, loyalty revenue gained 17% and cargo revenue climbed 23%.

The economy cabin grew for a third consecutive quarter, with unit revenue up 17% year over year. Unit revenue is an airline measure of sales generated relative to capacity.

Source: news article, Benzinga, Oct. 20, 2026