United Airlines profit falls, but cargo skies are brighter

© Jorg Hackemann

Low-cost carriers took another scalp in the US, with United Airlines reporting a third-quarter profit decline of 34%, to $637m from $965m a year earlier. Citing cancelled flights during the Atlantic hurricane season, Reuters reports the country’s third-largest carrier had been hit by a pre-tax loss of $185m. For cargo though, the skies appear brighter. Higher international volumes saw third-quarter revenues climb nearly 15% year-on-year to $257m, while for the nine months to September the increase was almost 17% at $731m. Cargo ton miles, meanwhile, increased 19.4% in the first nine months.