United Airlines (UAL) 2Q 2026 earnings

United AirlinesThe carrier said Wednesday that its second-quarter results came in above Wall Street forecasts, but billions of dollars in additional fuel costs continue to weigh on earnings.

Here’s what United Airlines reported for the quarter ending June 30 compared to Wall Street’s expectations, based on estimates compiled by LSEG:

• Earnings per share: $1.99 vs expected $1.88
• Revenues: 17.61 billion dollars is expected against the expectation of 17.67 billion dollars

United expects third-quarter adjusted earnings per share to be between $2.50 and $3.50, while analysts are forecasting $3.60 per share. The company forecast full-year adjusted earnings per share of $9 to $11; That was at the upper end of the adjusted range of $7 to $11 per share it had forecast in April, when it lowered its January forecast after the United States and Israel attacked Iran in late February.

Jet fuel prices at major U.S. airports rose 34% from July alone through Tuesday, according to Argus data published by industry group Airlines for America, amid a spiraling conflict between the U.S. and Iran that has waxed and waned. Jet fuel is the biggest cost for airlines after labor.

United said higher fuel prices could add about $6 billion to its expenses this year compared with expectations in early 2026, with second-quarter fuel costs rising 84% from last year to $2.3 billion. These predictions were made based on Tuesday’s fuel prices. It said it would cover 90% of high costs this quarter and all of them in the fourth quarter.

Rival Delta Airlines He also noted that most of these higher costs are reflected in the flyers. Demand remains strong despite higher prices, airlines said.

United said it updated its forecast to include the latest fuel prices because costs vary so much. Since the beginning of July, fuel prices have increased adjusted earnings by $1.12 per share in the third quarter, it said.

The carrier may further reduce capacity plans this year due to rising fuel costs, a filing said.

United recorded 3.5 percent growth in the second quarter. Its revenue increased 16% from the previous year to $17.67 billion; Total unit revenue increased by 12.1% in the second quarter compared to last year. This was the highest unit revenue growth since the beginning of 2023, according to FactSet.

The airline reported higher revenue for premium, corporate and plain basic economy tickets, as well as increased unit revenue for both domestic and international travel.

Net income fell more than 17% to $805 million, or $2.46 per share. Adjusting for one-time items, United reported $649 million, or $1.99 per share, on an adjusted basis.

United executives will hold an earnings call at 10:30 a.m. ET on Thursday.