Pandemic? What pandemic? United Airlines has spent the past three years on a charge to reinvent itself. In doing so, the carrier has taken some of the biggest bets in its 97-year history, as Chris Sloan details
United Airlines has shaken up the industry in the last three years – despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the airline has ordered nearly 700 new aircraft for delivery over the next decade. This order book – the largest of any airline in the world – is shattering records for the carrier, the United States, and the overall industry. This year, United Airlines is accepting two new aircraft each week, while this is set to jump to one airliner almost every two days in 2024 and beyond. But there is much more at play than just gigantic, headline-grabbing deals. To truly comprehend the why behind the magnitude of this new metal, some backstory is in order.
