Ownership and structure United Airlines, Inc. is a
publicly traded company under its parent
holding company,
United Airlines Holdings, Inc., a
Delaware corporation listed on
Nasdaq under the ticker symbol . , it has a
market capitalization exceeding $35 billion. United's operating revenues and operating expenses account for nearly 100% of the holding company's revenues and operating expenses. United ranked No. 83 on the 2025
Fortune 500 list of the largest U.S. corporations by total revenue. Through United Airlines Holdings, the company also holds a 9.9% stake in
Mesa Airlines, a regional carrier operating under the United Express brand.
Business trends The key trends for United Airlines are (as of the end of the calendar year):
Headquarters and other facilities The headquarters of United Airlines is located in the
Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower) in Chicago, the building's largest tenant. In 2007, United moved approximately 350 executives and administrative staff from its
Elk Grove campus, in suburban Chicago, to a new headquarters at
77 West Wacker Drive (which was renamed the United Building) in downtown Chicago. The relocation was completed in 2007 after the airline received $5.5 million in city incentives. Following its 2010 merger with
Continental Airlines, United announced plans to consolidate its corporate offices in downtown Chicago. The company accepted a $35 million incentive package from the City of Chicago to relocate approximately 2,500 remaining suburban employees to the Willis Tower. In 2019, United renewed its lease at Willis Tower through 2033. The former Elk Grove campus was gradually annexed into
Mount Prospect. While most corporate functions were relocated to Chicago, the site continued to house information technology operations, including a data center completed in 2013. As of 2021, approximately 100 employees remained at the Mount Prospect facility to operate the data center. In December 2021, the remaining campus buildings were sold to
CloudHQ, which subsequently redeveloped portions of the site into data center facilities. United also maintains a significant corporate presence in downtown Houston, leasing of office space in the
609 Main at Texas tower since 2017. At the time of the lease, the airline had approximately 1,600 employees based in Houston. United's Houston operations largely reflect its 2010 merger with Houston-based Continental Airlines.
Corporate identity Brand image The pre-merger United logo, commonly nicknamed the "tulip", was developed in the early 1970s by the designer
Saul Bass as part of a new brand image. which had been adopted in the 1930s, but fell out of use by the late 1960s. The ribbon-like rendering has also been said to symbolize the motion of flight. In 2010, United announced they would be merging with
Continental Airlines and as a result, the combined airline would keep the United name but discontinue using the tulip logo and use the Continental Airlines "
globe" identity and livery instead, designed in 1991 by the
Lippincott company. The "It's time to fly" slogan was created in 2004. After the merger of United and Continental in October 2010, the slogan changed to "Let's fly together" until September 2013, The resurrected slogan would be accompanied by the 1924
George Gershwin song "
Rhapsody in Blue" as its theme song, and a voiceover provided by
Matt Damon. "Rhapsody" would have entered the
public domain in 2000, but the
Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998 extended its copyright another 20 years until January 1, 2020, when it officially entered the public domain. United announced that it would continue to use "Rhapsody in Blue" as its theme song following the merger with Continental.
Environmental initiatives Because over 98 percent of United's
greenhouse gas emissions are from jet fuel, its environmental strategy has focused on operational fuel efficiency initiatives and investments in sustainably produced,
low-carbon alternative fuels. On August 23, 2011, United announced a conversion to paperless flight decks with 11,000
iPads for its pilots. Each iPad, which weighs less than , will replace approximately of paper operating manuals, navigation charts, reference handbooks, flight checklists, logbooks, and weather information. The green benefits include reductions in paper use, printing, and fuel consumption. This shift not only streamlines the flight process but also significantly enhances operational efficiency and safety by ensuring pilots have the most up-to-date information readily available. On November 7, 2011, United flew the world's first commercial aviation flight on a microbially derived biofuel. The aircraft was fueled with 40 percent Solajet, which is
Solazyme's algae-derived renewable jet fuel, and 60 percent petroleum-derived jet fuel. This flight was operated by the Eco-Skies Boeing 737-800 aircraft from IAH to ORD. On January 15, 2013, Aviation Partners Boeing (APB), a joint venture between
Aviation Partners Inc. and Boeing, announced that United had agreed to replace the
Blended Winglets on its Boeing 737NG aircraft with APB's Split Scimitar Winglet (SSW), significantly reducing drag. Once the SSWs are installed, it is estimated that APB's winglet technology will save United more than $250 million annually in fuel costs. On June 30, 2015, United invested US$30 million in Fulcrum BioEnergy, an alternative fuel company. Fulcrum's alternative fuel is produced through a clean and efficient thermochemical process and reduces lifecycle carbon emissions by more than 80 percent. As part of its investment, United will work with Fulcrum to develop up to five alternative fuel refineries near its U.S. hubs. These refineries will produce up to of sustainable aviation alternative fuel per year, and United will have the opportunity to purchase at least per year for a minimum of 10 years, making it the largest aviation alternative fuel commitment to date. On March 11, 2016, United became the first airline in the world to fly on commercial-scale quantities of such fuels on a continuous basis, which were procured from AltAir Fuels. This fuel was produced from sustainable feedstocks such as non-edible natural oils and agricultural wastes and is expected to provide a greater than 60 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions on a lifecycle basis when compared to traditional jet fuel. United has agreed to purchase up to of sustainable alternative fuel from AltAir Fuels for use in
Los Angeles over a three-year period. In 2016, United began partnering with
Clean the World to repurpose items from the airline's international premium class amenity kits and donate the hygiene products to those in critical need. Clean the World provides hygiene education and soap to promote handwashing, which helps prevent hygiene-related deaths. During the first year of this partnership, United expected to divert of material that otherwise would have gone to landfills. In 2017, United started a partnership with
Audubon International to protect raptors—including hawks, ospreys and owls—in and around New York-area airports and resettle the birds-of-prey at suitable golf course habitats where the species are more likely to thrive. In 2022, United expanded its use of
sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) overseas, to
Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport. It was the first US airline to purchase sustainable jet fuel overseas. United began the use of sustainable fuel at
San Francisco International Airport and
London Heathrow in 2023, and at
Chicago O'Hare and
Los Angeles International Airport in 2024.
Employee relations United Airlines was the first airline to see a successful unionization of flight attendants when the
Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA) was founded in 1945 by five United Airlines flight attendants. The AFA has represented flight attendants from United Airlines since. Their contract became amendable in August 2021 and 99.9% of the flight attendants who voted were in favor of authorizing a strike on August 28, 2024. United Airlines maintenance technicians are represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Their contract became amendable on December 5, 2024. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) District 141 represents approximately 34,000 Fleet Service, Passenger Service, Reservations, Stockroom, Central Load Planner, Maintenance Instructor, Fleet Technical Instructor, Emergency Procedures Instructor and Security Officer workers. Their contract became amendable on May 1, 2025. With over 18,000 members, the United Airlines pilots are the largest pilot group in the world and represented by the
Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA). ALPA was founded by United Air Lines Captain David L. Behncke and 23 other key figures in Chicago, Illinois, on July 27, 1931. In the 1930s, flying was a perilous occupation; thus, from the time of its formation to today, one of ALPA's main goals has been to improve air safety. The United pilots' current contract will become amendable on September 30, 2027.
United Aviate Academy United Aviate Academy is a flight training school owned and operated by United Airlines, located at
Phoenix Goodyear Airport in
Goodyear, Arizona. It opened in 2022 as the primary training facility for the United Aviate pilot development program. Students train under
Federal Aviation Administration Part 141 standards, progressing through private, instrument, and commercial pilot certificates. Graduates may transition into the broader Aviate pathway toward employment as United first officers. The academy was established in part to address projected pilot shortages and to expand access to pilot careers. == Accidents and incidents ==