Carrier saw 19% drop in revenue in first quarter with “no meaningful signs of recovery” >>
by: Harvey Chipkin
United Airlines has a plan involving taking “extremely painful” actions in terms of its employees in the event of no demand growth for the rest of the year, according to Scott Kirby, the carrier’s president, on a first quarter earnings call. Kirby will replace Oscar Munoz as CEO this month. The carrier’s passenger revenue dropped 19% year-over-year to $7.1 billion and, said Kirby, “there are no signs of meaningful recovery.” As a result, United is preparing for the possibility that net revenue stays near zero for the rest of this year and into 2021. "We aren't projecting that and certainly hope it's better than that, but we are planning for the possibility," Kirby said. United reported a net loss of $1.7 billion for the quarter, compared with a net income of $292 million in the first quarter of 2019. It was United's first quarterly loss since the first quarter of 2014. After Sept. 30, when federal aid no longer prohibits furloughing employees, United has a “plan on the shelf” to reduce cash burn to $20 million per day if there is no demand recovery. Those cuts will have to come largely from United’s payroll, said Kirby.
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