The Airline Observer

The Airline Observer

Why United Won't Fly as Much Next Summer

The third quarter isn’t as strong as it once was, as demand moves to other periods. Also, United has big plans for loyalty, fewer plans for Latin America, and no plans for focus cities.

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Brian Sumers
Oct 20, 2025
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Dear readers,

For a guy who seems as if he blurts out whatever is on his mind, Scott Kirby is often on message. So if you’ve heard Kirby’s more compelling comments from the past two months, you already know the gist of what United executives discussed during their third quarter earnings call — how United will boost margins by attracting and retaining brand loyal customers, how ULCCs remain in trouble, and why United might want A350s for the airplane’s performance and range.2

So today, I’ll take a look at some of the newer topics executives brought up during Thursday’s call, including how United will revamp its summer schedule to cater to new demand trends, how it plans to market its loyalty program so customers understand its value, why United is taking a wait-and-see approach to focus cities, and why the carrier may prune flights to Latin America that don’t touch Houston.

Let’s get into it.

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