United Airlines pledges more cost cuts after pandemic-driven quarterly loss

New York

UNITED Airlines Holdings Inc said on Wednesday it aims to cut about US$2 billion of annual costs through 2023 as it charts a recovery from the coronavirus pandemic that drove its fourth straight quarterly loss.

Airlines are counting on Covid-19 vaccines to boost travel demand later this year but warn that the strength of a rebound will largely depend on the pace of vaccine rollouts, particularly as coronavirus cases keep rising.

Chicago-based United said 2021 would be a "transition year that's focused on preparing for a recovery." Its shares fell 2 per cent in after-hours trading.

The company burned an average of US$33 million per day in the fourth quarter, including about US$10 million of severance and debt payments, even as it continued to slash costs.

United furloughed thousands of employees last October when an initial round of payroll aid for airlines expired. It brought back those workers following a fresh US$15 billion in payroll aid for the sector but warned the recall could be "temporary" as travel demand remains depressed.

United is set to receive about US$2.6 billion in payroll support through March and said it expects to offer employees options like voluntary leaves to reduce furloughs after that time.

Rival Delta Air Lines, which last week labelled 2021 a year of recovery, expects to halt its daily cash burn rate of about US$12 million in the spring and does not expect any furloughs.

United has the greatest exposure of major US airlines to international travel, the sector hardest hit by the pandemic and the one likely to be the slowest to recover.

US President Joe Biden, plans to maintain a ban on travellers from Europe and Brazil that his predecessor, Donald Trump, had signed an order to lift beginning on Jan 26.

United's adjusted net loss was US$2.1 billion, or a loss of US$7 per share, in the fourth quarter ended Dec 31, compared with a profit of US$676 million a year earlier. That missed analysts' estimates for a loss of US$6.60 per share, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.

Total operating revenue fell 69 per cent to US$3.4 billion, in line with forecasts. In the current quarter, United said it expects revenue to fall by 65-70 per cent from a year ago and its flight capacity to shrink by at least 51 per cent.

The airline had US$19.7 billion of liquidity as of Dec 31 and expects to have a similar amount at the end of March, it said.

However, its cost reduction plan positions it to exceed its 2019 adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) margin - a key metric of profitability - in 2023, or sooner if demand returns more quickly, it said.

United will hold an investor call on Thursday, with focus on summer booking trends. But since US airlines have dropped fees for changing or cancelling flights, it has become more difficult to predict revenue based on bookings.

American Airlines and Southwest Airlines are due to report quarterly results on Jan 28. REUTERS