United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (UAL) FY 2023 MD&A

ITEM 7.    MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS.

Management's discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations is provided as a supplement to and should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Form 10-K and the description of our business and reportable segments in Part I, Item 1. Business of this Form 10-K to enhance the understanding of our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

This section generally discusses 2023 and 2022 items and year-to-year comparisons between 2023 and 2022. Discussions of 2021 items and year-to-year comparisons between 2022 and 2021 are not included in this Form 10-K and can be found in "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in Part II, Item 7 of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 filed with the SEC on February 16, 2023 (the "2022 Annual Report").

Executive Summary

Overview

United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (together with its consolidated subsidiaries, "UAL" or the "Company") is a holding company and its wholly-owned subsidiary is United Airlines, Inc. (together with its consolidated subsidiaries, "United").

As UAL consolidates United for financial statement purposes, disclosures that relate to activities of United also apply to UAL, unless otherwise noted. United's operating revenues and operating expenses comprise nearly 100% of UAL's revenues and operating expenses. In addition, United comprises approximately the entire balance of UAL's assets, liabilities and operating cash flows. When appropriate, UAL and United are named specifically for their individual contractual obligations and related

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disclosures and any significant differences between the operations and results of UAL and United are separately disclosed and explained. We sometimes use the words "we," "our," "us," and the "Company" in this report for disclosures that relate to all of UAL and United.

Our current expectations described below are forward-looking statements and our actual results and timing may vary materially based on various factors that include, but are not limited to, those discussed below under "Strategy," "Economic and Market Factors," "Governmental Actions," "Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" and in Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors, of this Form 10-K. The results presented in this report are not necessarily indicative of future operating results.

Strategy

Our shared purpose is "Connecting People. Uniting the World." We have the most comprehensive route network among North American carriers, including U.S. mainland hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

Our United Next plan is our fundamental strategic evolution for driving future growth that we believe will have a transformational effect on the customer experience and earnings power of our business. As part of our United Next plan, in September 2023, United exercised options to purchase 50 Boeing 787-9 aircraft scheduled for delivery between 2028 and 2031 and was granted options to purchase up to an additional 50 Boeing 787 aircraft. In addition, United exercised purchase rights to purchase 60 A321neo aircraft scheduled for delivery between 2028 and 2030 and was granted purchase rights to purchase up to an additional 40 A321neo aircraft. We now expect to take delivery of over 700 new narrow and widebody aircraft by the end of 2033.

Our groundbreaking United Next strategy is expected to increase United's average gauge in North America, to increase the total number of available seats per departure and to significantly lower carbon emissions per seat. United is in the process of retrofitting its mainline, narrow-body planes with its signature interior that includes seat-back entertainment in every seat, larger overhead bins for every passenger's carry-on bag and the industry's fastest available in-flight Wi-Fi, as well as a bright look-and-feel with LED lighting. The carrier's international widebodies will feature the United Polaris® business class seat as well as United Premium Plus® seating. The Company plans to replace older, smaller mainline jets and at least 200 single-class regional jets with larger aircraft, which we expect will lead to fuel efficiency benefits compared to older planes, including an expected 17-25% lower carbon emissions per seat compared to older planes. We believe that United Next will allow us to differentiate our network and segment our products with a greater premium offering while also maintaining fare competitiveness with low-cost carriers.

The Company will be squarely focused on delivering on four strategic pillars:

•United Next: Along with the items mentioned above, additional elements of the United Next plan include hiring over 50,000 new employees, expanding our leading global network to underserved countries and making significant technology changes designed to improve the customer experience and drive operational efficiency.

•Operational excellence: The most important factor for customer satisfaction is on-time flights. We face some unique challenges in this respect because we operate hubs in the most congested and constrained airports in the country. That backdrop means that United needs to be a leader at using technology to overcome these challenges. We believe that we have been working strategically to overcome operational challenges, but we continue to innovate in order to make advancements in this area.

•Pre-tax margin: We believe that best-in-class margin performance will enable us to provide the cash flow needed to support our planned investments in growth.

•Customer service: We believe that excellent customer service is part of de-commoditizing air travel. Our people are our greatest asset and they are by far the most important part of our product. Aspects of the customer experience such as a great route network, new aircraft, and great Wi-Fi are necessary, but not sufficient, conditions for a great airline brand. Ultimately our people provide customers with the service they expect.

Economic and Market Factors

The airline industry is highly competitive, marked by significant competition with respect to routes, fares, schedules (both timing and frequency), services, products, customer service and frequent flyer programs. We, like other companies in our industry, have been subject to these and other industry-specific competitive dynamics. In addition, our operations, supply chain, partners and suppliers have been subject to various global macroeconomic factors. We expect to continue to remain vulnerable to a number of industry-specific and global macroeconomic factors that may cause our actual results of operations to differ from our historical results of operations or current expectations. The economic and market factors and trends that we currently

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believe are or will be most impactful to our results of operations and financial condition include the following: the execution risks associated with our United Next plan, especially relating to the growth in the scale of our operations as a result of the plan; the impact on the Company of significant operational challenges by third parties on which we rely; rising inflationary pressures; labor market and supply chain constraints and related costs affecting us and our partners; volatile fuel prices; aircraft delivery delays; increasing maintenance expenses; high interest rates; and changes in general economic conditions in the markets in which the Company operates, including an economic downturn leading to a decrease in demand for air travel or fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates that may impact international travel demand. We continue to monitor the potential favorable or unfavorable impacts of these and other factors on our business, operations, financial condition, future results of operations, liquidity and financial flexibility, which are dependent on future developments, including as a result of those factors discussed in Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors, of this Form 10-K. Our future results of operations may be subject to volatility and our growth plans may be delayed, particularly in the short term, due to the impact of the above factors and trends.

Governmental Actions

We operate in complex, highly regulated environments in the U.S., the European Union, the United Kingdom and other regions around the world. Compliance with laws, regulations, administrative practices and other restrictions or legal requirements in the countries in which we do business is onerous and expensive. In addition, changes to existing legal requirements or the implementation of new legal requirements and any failure to comply with such legal requirements could negatively impact our business, operations, financial condition, future results of operations, liquidity and financial flexibility by increasing the Company's costs, limiting the Company's ability to offer a product, service or feature to customers, impacting customer demand for the Company's products and services and requiring changes to the Company's supply chain and its business. Legal requirements that we currently believe are or will be most impactful to our results of operations and financial condition include the following: the closure of our flying airspace and termination of other operations due to regional conflicts, including the suspension of our overflying in Russian airspace as a result of the Russia-Ukraine military conflict and to Tel Aviv as a result of the Israeli-Hamas military conflict, as well as any escalation of the broader economic consequences of these conflicts beyond their current scope; delays in aircraft certification (especially relating to the 737 MAX 10 aircraft); increased FAA oversight of the aircraft production process; and any legal requirement that would result in a reshaping of the benefits that we provide to our consumers through the co-branded credit cards issued by our partner. Changes in existing applicable legal requirements or new applicable legal requirements as well as the related interpretations and enforcement practices regarding them, create uncertainty about how such laws and regulations will be understood and applied. As a result, the impact of changing and new legal requirements generally cannot be reasonably predicted and those requirements may ultimately require extensive system and operational changes, be difficult to implement, increase our operating costs and require significant capital expenditures.

Results of Operations

Select financial data and operating statistics are provided in the tables below:

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Operating Revenue. The table below illustrates the year-over-year percentage change in the Company's operating revenues for the years ended December 31 (in millions, except percentage changes):

The table below presents passenger revenue and select operating data of the Company, broken out by geographic region, expressed as year-over-year changes:

Passenger revenue increased $9.0 billion, or 22.5%, in 2023 as compared to 2022, primarily due to a 17.5% increase in capacity, strength in yield, and a 0.5 point increase in passenger load factor.

Cargo revenue decreased $676 million, or 31.1%, in 2023 as compared to 2022, primarily due to lower yields as a result of increased market capacity and rate pressures.

Other operating revenue increased $424 million, or 15.4%, in 2023 as compared to 2022, primarily due to an increase in mileage revenue from non-airline partners, including credit card spending and new credit card member acquisitions with the co-branded credit card partner, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as well as increases in the purchases of United Club memberships and one-time lounge passes as compared to the year-ago period.

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Operating Expense. The table below includes data related to the Company's operating expense for the years ended December 31 (in millions, except percentage changes):

Salaries and related costs increased $3.3 billion, or 29.0%, in 2023 as compared to 2022, primarily due to an approximately 11% increase in headcount from increased flight activity, pay rate increases related to a new collective bargaining agreement with employees represented by ALPA, annual wage rate increases across employee groups and an increase of $548 million in profit sharing expense due to both an increase in pre-tax income and a change in the profit sharing formula as a result of the new collective bargaining agreement with employees represented by ALPA.

Aircraft fuel expense decreased $462 million, or 3.5%, in 2023 as compared to 2022, primarily due to a lower average price per gallon of fuel, partially offset by increased consumption from higher flight activity. The table below presents the significant changes in aircraft fuel cost per gallon for the years ended December 31 (in millions, except percentage changes and per gallon data):

Landing fees and other rent increased $500 million, or 19.4%, in 2023 as compared to 2022, primarily due to increased rates and increased flight activity driving higher landed weight volume and a higher number of enplaned passengers as well as expansion in airport rental space at certain hubs.

Aircraft maintenance materials and outside repairs increased $583 million, or 27.1%, in 2023 as compared to 2022, primarily due to increased flight activity and increased volumes of both engine overhauls and airframe heavy maintenance checks.

Depreciation expense increased $215 million, or 8.8%, in 2023 as compared to 2022, primarily due to new aircraft inducted into service.

Regional capacity purchase costs increased $101 million, or 4.4%, in 2023 as compared to 2022, despite an approximately 13% reduction in regional capacity, primarily due to rate increases under various capacity purchase agreements with regional carriers.

Distribution expenses increased $442 million, or 28.8%, in 2023 as compared to 2022, primarily due to higher credit card fees, travel agency commissions and global distribution fees driven by the overall increase in passenger revenue. Also, starting in the fourth quarter of 2023, the Company reclassified certain commissions totaling $80 million from contra-revenue to distribution expense as an immaterial reclassification correction.

The table below presents special charges recorded by the Company during the years ended December 31 (in millions):

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See Note 13 to the financial statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this report for additional information.

Other operating expenses increased $1.4 billion, or 21.6%, in 2023 as compared to 2022, primarily as a direct result of the increase in flight activity and the impacts of inflationary pressures. Other operating expenses include expenditures related to ground handling, passenger services, food and beverage offerings, navigation fees, personnel-related costs and information technology projects and services.

Nonoperating Income (Expense). The following table illustrates the year-over-year dollar and percentage changes in the Company's nonoperating income (expense) for the years ended December 31 (in millions, except percentage changes):

Interest expense increased $178 million, or 10.0%, in 2023 as compared to 2022, primarily due to higher interest rates on variable rate debt and new debt issuances in the current period, partially offset by reduced interest expense on the prepayment of $1.0 billion of the outstanding principal amount under a 2021 term loan facility in the second quarter of 2023.

Interest income increased $529 million in 2023 as compared to 2022, primarily due to higher interest rates on the Company's cash balances and U.S. government and agency notes. See Note 8 to the financial statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this report for additional information.

Interest capitalized increased $77 million in 2023 as compared to 2022, primarily due to increased capitalization associated with aircraft purchases and increased interest rates.

Unrealized gains on investments, net was $27 million in 2023 as compared to $20 million in 2022, primarily due to the change in the market value of the Company's investments in equity securities. See Notes 8 and 13 to the financial statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this report for additional information.

Miscellaneous, net changed by $88 million in 2023 as compared to the year-ago period, primarily due to lower foreign exchange losses and lower net cost from the pensions and postretirement benefit plans.

Income Taxes. See Note 6 to the financial statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this report for information related to income taxes.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

As of December 31, 2023, the Company had $14.4 billion in unrestricted cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments as compared to approximately $16.4 billion as of December 31, 2022. We believe that our existing cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments, together with cash generated from operations, will be sufficient to satisfy our anticipated liquidity needs for the next twelve months and we expect to meet our long-term liquidity needs with our anticipated access to the capital markets and projected cash from operations. We regularly assess our anticipated working capital needs, debt and leverage levels, debt maturities, capital expenditure requirements (including in connection with our capital commitments for our firm order aircraft) and future investments or acquisitions in order to maximize shareholder return, efficiently finance our ongoing operations and maintain flexibility for future strategic transactions. We also regularly evaluate our liquidity and capital structure to ensure financial risks, adequate liquidity access and cost of capital are efficiently managed.

The Revolving Credit and Guaranty Agreement, under the Term Loan Credit and Guaranty Agreement, provides revolving loan commitments of up to $1.75 billion until April 21, 2025, subject to certain customary conditions. No borrowings were outstanding under this facility at December 31, 2023. On February 15, 2024, the Company amended its 2021 revolving credit

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facility to increase its borrowing capacity by $1.115 billion. Also, on February 22, 2024, the Company refinanced its 2021 term loans by paying down $1.37 billion of its outstanding balance and lowering the margin applied to these term loans by 1.00%. See Note 9 to the financial statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this report for additional information on these financing transactions.

We have a significant amount of fixed obligations, including debt, leases of aircraft, airport and other facilities, and pension funding obligations. As of December 31, 2023, the Company had approximately $36.7 billion of debt, finance lease, operating lease and other financial liabilities, including $4.8 billion that will become due in the next 12 months. In addition, we have substantial noncancelable commitments for capital expenditures, including the acquisition of certain new aircraft and related spare engines. Our debt agreements contain customary terms and conditions as well as various affirmative, negative and financial covenants that, among other things, restrict the ability of the Company and its subsidiaries to incur additional indebtedness and pay dividends or repurchase stock. As of December 31, 2023, UAL and United were in compliance with their respective debt covenants. As of December 31, 2023, a substantial portion of the Company's assets, principally aircraft and certain related assets, its loyalty program, route authorities and airport slots, was pledged under various loan and other agreements. See Note 9 to the financial statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this report for additional information on aircraft financing and other debt instruments.

For 2024, the Company expects approximately $8 billion of adjusted capital expenditures. Adjusted capital expenditures is a financial measure not calculated in accordance of generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP"). It is calculated as capital expenditures, net of flight equipment purchase deposit returns, plus property and equipment acquired through the issuance of debt, finance leases, and other financial liabilities. We are not providing a target for or a reconciliation to capital expenditures, net of flight equipment purchase deposit returns, the most directly comparable GAAP measure, because we are not able to predict non-cash capital expenditures without unreasonable efforts, and therefore we also are not able to determine the probable significance of such items. We believe that adjusting capital expenditures for assets acquired through the issuance of debt, finance leases and other financial liabilities is useful to investors in order to appropriately reflect the total amounts spent on capital expenditures. The Company's estimate for aircraft expenditures reflects its current assumptions regarding delayed aircraft deliveries. See Note 12 to the financial statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this report for additional information on commitments, including aircraft expenditures reflecting contractual delivery dates without adjustment for expected delays. The Company has backstop financing commitments available from certain of its aircraft manufacturers for a limited number of its future aircraft deliveries, subject to certain customary conditions.

The following table summarizes our cash flow for the years ended December 31 (in millions):

See the Statements of Consolidated Cash Flows included in Part II, Item 8 of this report for additional information.

Operating Activities. Cash flows provided by operating activities for 2023 were $0.8 billion higher than 2022 primarily due to an approximately $1.9 billion increase in operating income as improvements in the demand for air travel continued partially offset by a decrease in various working capital items.

Investing Activities. Cash flows used in investing activities decreased $7.7 billion in 2023 as compared to the year-ago period mainly related to approximately $10.2 billion due to lower purchase and higher sales activity in short-term and other investments, partially offset by a $2.4 billion increase in capital expenditures. Capital expenditures were primarily attributable to the purchase of aircraft, aircraft improvements and advance deposits for future aircraft purchases.

Financing Activities. Significant financing events in 2023 were as follows:

Debt, Finance Lease and Other Financial Liability Principal Payments. During 2023, the Company made $4.2 billion of principal payments on debt, finance leases, and other financial liabilities. The payments in 2023 included a prepayment of $1.0 billion of the outstanding principal amount under a 2021 term loan facility.

Debt Issuances. In 2023, the Company and Wilmington Trust, National Association, as subordination agent and pass through trustee (the "Trustee") under a certain pass through trust newly formed by the Company, entered into the Note Purchase Agreement, dated as of June 20, 2023 (the "Note Purchase Agreement"). The Note Purchase Agreement provides for the

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issuance by the Company of equipment notes (the "Equipment Notes") in the aggregate principal amount of $1.3 billion to finance 39 Boeing aircraft delivered new to the Company from August 2022 to May 2023. Pursuant to the Note Purchase Agreement, the Trustee purchased Equipment Notes issued under a trust indenture and mortgage (each, an "Indenture" and, collectively, the "Indentures") with respect to each aircraft entered into by the Company and Wilmington Trust, National Association, as mortgagee. Each Indenture provides for the issuance of Equipment Notes in a single series, Series A, bearing interest at the rate of 5.80% per annum. The Equipment Notes were purchased by the Trustee, using the proceeds from the sale of Pass Through Certificates, Series 2023-1A, issued by a pass through trust newly-formed by the Company to facilitate the financing of the aircraft. The interest on the Equipment Notes is payable semi-annually on each January 15 and July 15, beginning on January 15, 2024. The principal payments on the Equipment Notes are scheduled on January 15 and July 15 of each year, beginning on July 15, 2024. The final payments on the Equipment Notes will be due on January 15, 2036.

Also, during 2023, United borrowed $1.1 billion for aircraft financings.

See Note 9 and Note 10 to the financial statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this report for additional information on aircraft financing.

Significant financing events in 2022 were as follows:

Debt, Finance Lease and Other Financial Liability Principal Payments. During 2022, the Company made $4.0 billion of principal payments on debt, finance leases, and other financial liabilities.

Debt Issuances. During 2022, United borrowed $0.8 billion for aircraft financings.

For additional information regarding these Liquidity and Capital Resource matters, see Notes 9, 10 and 12 to the financial statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this report. For information regarding non-cash investing and financing activities, see the Company's statements of consolidated cash flows. For a discussion of the Company's sources and uses of cash in 2022 as compared to 2021, see "Liquidity and Capital Resources" in Part II, Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in the 2022 Annual Report.

Credit Ratings. As of the filing date of this report, UAL and United had the following corporate credit ratings:

These credit ratings are below investment grade levels; however, the Company has been able to secure financing with investment grade credit ratings for certain EETCs, term loans and secured bond financings. Downgrades from these rating levels, among other things, could restrict the availability, or increase the cost, of future financing for the Company as well as affect the fair market value of existing debt. A rating reflects only the view of a rating agency and is not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold securities. Ratings can be revised upward or downward at any time by a rating agency if such rating agency decides that circumstances warrant such a change.

Other Liquidity Matters

Below is a summary of additional liquidity matters. See the indicated notes to our consolidated financial statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this report for additional details related to these and other matters affecting our liquidity and commitments.

The Company's business is capital intensive, requiring significant amounts of capital to fund the acquisition of assets, particularly aircraft. In the past, the Company has funded the acquisition of aircraft with cash, by using EETC financing, by entering into finance or operating leases, or through other financings. The Company also often enters into long-term lease commitments with airports to ensure access to terminal, cargo, maintenance and other required facilities.

The table below provides a summary of the Company's current and long-term material cash requirements as of December 31, 2023 (in billions):

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(a)Long-term debt presented in the Company's financial statements is net of $277 million of debt discount, premiums and debt issuance costs which are being amortized over the debt terms. Cash requirements do not include the debt discount, premiums and debt issuance costs.

(b)Future interest payments on variable rate debt were computed using the rates as of December 31, 2023.

(c)Represents future payments under fixed rate operating lease obligations. See Note 10 to the financial statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this report for information on variable rate and short-term operating leases.

(d)Represents future payments under leases that have not yet commenced and are not included in the consolidated balance sheet. See Note 10 to the financial statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this report for information on these leases.

(e)Represents our estimates of future minimum noncancelable commitments under our CPAs and does not include the portion of the underlying obligations for aircraft and facility rent that is disclosed as part of operating lease obligations. Amounts also exclude a portion of United's finance lease obligations recorded for certain of its CPAs. See Note 10 to the financial statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this report for the significant assumptions used to estimate the payments.

(f)Amounts represent postretirement benefit payments through 2033. Benefit payments approximate plan contributions as plans are substantially unfunded.

(g)Represents an estimate of the minimum funding requirements as determined by government regulations for United's U.S. pension plans. Amounts are subject to change based on numerous assumptions, including the performance of assets in the plans and bond rates.

(h)Represents contractual commitments for firm order aircraft, spare engines and other capital purchase commitments. See Note 12 to the financial statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this report for a discussion of our purchase commitments.

In addition to the material cash requirements discussed above, the Company has made certain guarantees that could have a material future effect on the Company's cash requirements:

Letters of Credit and Surety Bonds. As of December 31, 2023, United had approximately $518 million of letters of credit and surety bonds securing various obligations with expiration dates through 2033. Certain of these amounts are cash collateralized and reported within Restricted cash on our statement of financial position. See Note 12 to the financial statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this report for more information related to these letters of credit and surety bonds.

Guarantee of Debt of Others. As of December 31, 2023, United is the guarantor of $77 million of aircraft mortgage debt issued by one of United's regional carriers. The aircraft mortgage debt is subject to increased cost provisions and the Company would potentially be responsible for those costs under the guarantees. The increased cost provisions in the $77 million of aircraft mortgage debt are similar to those in certain of the Company's debt agreements. See discussion under Increased Cost Provisions, below, for additional information on increased cost provisions related to the Company's debt.

Fuel Consortia. United participates in numerous fuel consortia with other air carriers at major airports to reduce the costs of fuel distribution and storage. Interline agreements govern the rights and responsibilities of the consortia members and provide for the allocation of the overall costs to operate the consortia based on usage. The consortia (and in limited cases, the participating carriers) have entered into long-term agreements to lease certain airport fuel storage and distribution facilities that are typically financed through various debt obligations. In general, each consortium lease agreement requires the consortium to make lease payments in amounts sufficient to pay the maturing principal and interest payments on these debt obligations. As of December 31, 2023, approximately $2.5 billion principal amount of such loans was secured by significant fuel facility leases in which United participates, as to which United and each of the signatory airlines has provided indirect guarantees of the debt. As of December 31, 2023, the Company's contingent exposure was approximately $447 million principal amount of such obligations based on its recent consortia participation. The Company's contingent exposure could increase if the participation of other air carriers decreases. The guarantees will expire when these obligations are paid in full, which ranges from 2027 to 2056. The Company concluded it was not necessary to record a liability for these indirect guarantees.

Increased Cost Provisions. In United's financing transactions that include loans in which United is the borrower, United typically agrees to reimburse lenders for any reduced returns with respect to the loans due to any change in capital requirements

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and, in the case of loans with respect to which the interest rate is based on the Secured Overnight Financing Rate ("SOFR"), for certain other increased costs that the lenders incur in carrying these loans as a result of any change in law, subject, in most cases, to obligations of the lenders to take certain limited steps to mitigate the requirement for, or the amount of, such increased costs. The Company elected to apply the guidance in Accounting Standards Codification 848, Reference Rate Reform, to contracts and transactions that transitioned from the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) to SOFR. The application of this guidance did not have any material impact on the Company's financial statements. At December 31, 2023, the Company had $11.3 billion of floating rate debt with remaining terms of up to approximately 12 years that are subject to these increased cost provisions. In several financing transactions involving loans or leases from non-U.S. entities, with remaining terms of up to approximately 12 years and an aggregate balance of $8.1 billion, the Company bears the risk of any change in tax laws that would subject loan or lease payments thereunder to non-U.S. entities to withholding taxes, subject to customary exclusions.

Critical Accounting Policies

Critical accounting policies are defined as those that are affected by significant judgments and uncertainties which potentially could result in materially different accounting under different assumptions and conditions. The Company has prepared the financial statements in conformity with GAAP, which requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts in the financial statements. Actual results could differ from those estimates under different assumptions or conditions. The Company has identified the following critical accounting policies that impact the preparation of the financial statements.

Revenue Recognition. Passenger revenue is recognized when transportation is provided. Passenger tickets and related ancillary services sold by the Company for flights are purchased primarily via credit card transactions, with payments collected by the Company in advance of the performance of related services. The Company initially records ticket sales in its Advance ticket sales liability, deferring revenue recognition until the travel occurs. For travel that has more than one flight segment, the Company deems each segment as a separate performance obligation and recognizes revenue for each segment as travel occurs. Tickets sold by other airlines where the Company provides the transportation are recognized as passenger revenue at the estimated value to be billed to the other airline when travel is provided. Differences between amounts billed and the actual amounts may be rejected and rebilled or written off if the amount recorded was different from the original estimate. When necessary, the Company records a reserve against its billings and payables with other airlines based on historical experience.

The Company sells certain tickets with connecting flights with one or more segments operated by its other airline partners. For segments operated by its other airline partners, the Company has determined that it is acting as an agent on behalf of the other airlines as they are responsible for their portion of the contract (i.e. transportation of the passenger). The Company, as the agent, recognizes revenue within Other operating revenue at the time of the travel for the net amount representing commission to be retained by the Company for any segments flown by other airlines.

Advance ticket sales represent the Company's liability to provide air transportation in the future. All tickets sold at any given point in time have travel dates through the next 12 months. The Company defers amounts related to future travel in its Advance ticket sales liability account.

The Company estimates the value of Advance ticket sales that will expire unused ("breakage") and recognizes revenue and any changes in estimates in proportion to the usage of the related tickets. To determine breakage, the Company uses its historical experience with expired tickets and certificates and other facts, such as recent aging trends, program changes and modifications that could affect the ultimate expiration patterns.

Frequent Flyer Accounting. United's MileagePlus loyalty program builds customer loyalty by offering awards, benefits and services to program participants. Members in this program earn miles for travel on United, United Express, Star Alliance members and certain other airlines that participate in the program. Members can also earn miles by purchasing goods and services from our network of non-airline partners. We have contracts to sell miles to these partners with the terms extending from one to six years. These partners include domestic and international credit card issuers, retail merchants, hotels, car rental companies and our participating airline partners. Miles can be redeemed for free (other than taxes and government-imposed fees), discounted or upgraded air travel and non-travel awards.

Co-Brand Agreement. United has a contract (the "Co-Brand Agreement") to sell MileagePlus miles to its co-branded credit card partner Chase. Chase awards miles to MileagePlus members based on their credit card activity. United identified the following significant separately identifiable performance obligations in the Co-Brand Agreement:

•MileagePlus miles awarded – United has a performance obligation to provide MileagePlus cardholders with miles to be used for air travel and non-travel award redemptions. The Company records Passenger revenue related to the travel awards when the transportation is provided and records Other revenue related to the non-travel awards when the goods

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or services are delivered. The Company records the cost associated with non-travel awards in Other operating revenue, as an agent.

•Marketing – United has a performance obligation to provide Chase access to United's customer list and the use of United's brand. Marketing revenue is recorded to Other operating revenue as miles are delivered to Chase.

•Advertising – United has a performance obligation to provide advertising in support of the MileagePlus card in various customer contact points such as United's website, email promotions, direct mail campaigns, airport advertising and in-flight advertising. Advertising revenue is recorded to Other operating revenue as miles are delivered to Chase.

•Other travel-related benefits – United's performance obligations are comprised of various items such as waived bag fees, seat upgrades and lounge passes. Lounge passes are recorded to Other operating revenue as customers use the lounge passes. Bag fees and seat upgrades are recorded to Passenger revenue at the time of the associated travel.

We account for all the payments received under the Co-Brand Agreement by allocating them to the separately identifiable performance obligations. The fair value of the separately identifiable performance obligations is determined using management's estimated selling price of each component. The objective of using the estimated selling price based methodology is to determine the price at which we would transact a sale if the product or service were sold on a stand-alone basis. Accordingly, we determine our best estimate of selling price by considering multiple inputs and methods including, but not limited to, discounted cash flows, brand value, volume discounts, published selling prices, number of miles awarded and number of miles redeemed. The Company estimated the selling prices and volumes over the term of the Co-Brand Agreement, at the inception of the contract, in order to determine the allocation of proceeds to each of the components to be delivered. We also evaluate volumes on an annual basis, which may result in a change in the allocation of the estimated consideration from the Co-Brand Agreement on a prospective basis.

Indefinite-lived intangible assets. The Company has indefinite-lived intangible assets, including goodwill. Goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets are not amortized but are reviewed for impairment on an annual basis as of October 1, or more frequently if events or circumstances indicate that the asset may be impaired. When there is a triggering event, the Company typically determines fair value using either market or variation of the income approach valuation techniques. These measurements include the following key assumptions: (1) forecasted revenues, expenses, margin and cash flows, (2) terminal period growth rate, (3) an estimated weighted average cost of capital, (4) asset-specific risk factor and (5) a tax rate. These assumptions are consistent with those that hypothetical market participants would use. Because we are required to make estimates and assumptions when evaluating goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment, actual results may differ materially from these estimates. Actual results will be influenced by the competitive environment, fuel costs and other expenses, and potentially other unforeseen events or circumstances that could have a material impact on future results. We recognize an impairment when the fair value of an intangible asset is less than its carrying value.

Every year, the Company evaluates its indefinite-lived intangible assets for possible impairments. For the Company's China route authority, the Company performed a quantitative assessment which involved determining the fair value of the asset and comparing that amount to the asset's carrying value. For all other intangible assets, the Company performed a qualitative assessment of whether it was more likely than not that an impairment had occurred. To determine the fair value of the China route authority, the Company used a discounted cash flow method. Key inputs into the models included forecasted revenues, fuel costs, other operating costs, margin and an overall discount rate. These assumptions are inherently uncertain as they relate to future events and circumstances.

See Notes 1 and 13 to the financial statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this report for additional information.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This report contains certain "forward-looking statements," within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including in Part II, Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and elsewhere, relating to, among other things, goals, plans and projections regarding the Company's financial position, results of operations, market position, capacity, fleet, product development, ESG-related strategy initiatives and business strategy. Such forward-looking statements are based on historical performance and current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections about the Company's future financial results, goals, plans, commitments, strategies and objectives and involve inherent risks, assumptions and uncertainties, known or unknown, including internal or external factors that could delay, divert or change any of them, that are difficult to predict, may be beyond the Company's control and could cause the Company's future financial results, goals, plans, commitments, strategies and objectives to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, the statements. Words such as "should," "could," "would," "will," "may," "expects," "plans," "intends," "anticipates," "indicates," "remains," "believes," "estimates," "projects," "forecast," "guidance," "outlook," "goals," "targets," "pledge," "confident," "optimistic," "dedicated," "positioned," and other words and terms of similar meaning and expression are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not

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all forward-looking statements contain such terms. All statements, other than those that relate solely to historical facts, are forward-looking statements.

Additionally, forward-looking statements include conditional statements and statements that identify uncertainties or trends, discuss the possible future effects of known trends or uncertainties, or that indicate that the future effects of known trends or uncertainties cannot be predicted, guaranteed or assured. All forward-looking statements in this report are based upon information available to us on the date of this report. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise, except as required by applicable law or regulation.

Our actual results could differ materially from these forward-looking statements due to numerous factors including, without limitation, the following: execution risks associated with our strategic operating plan; changes in our network strategy or other factors outside our control resulting in less economic aircraft orders, costs related to modification or termination of aircraft orders or entry into less favorable aircraft orders, as well as any inability to accept or integrate new aircraft into our fleet as planned, including as a result of any mandatory groundings of aircraft; any failure to effectively manage, and receive anticipated benefits and returns from, acquisitions, divestitures, investments, joint ventures and other portfolio actions, as well as related costs or other issues, or related exposures to unknown liabilities or other issues or underperformance as compared to our expectations; adverse publicity, harm to our brand, reduced travel demand, potential tort liability and operational restrictions as a result of an accident, catastrophe or incident involving us, our regional carriers, our codeshare partners or another airline; the highly competitive nature of the global airline industry and susceptibility of the industry to price discounting and changes in capacity, including as a result of alliances, joint business arrangements or other consolidations; our reliance on a limited number of suppliers to source a majority of our aircraft, engines and certain parts, and the impact of any failure to obtain timely deliveries, additional equipment or support from any of these suppliers; disruptions to our regional network and United Express flights provided by third-party regional carriers; unfavorable economic and political conditions in the United States and globally; reliance on third-party service providers and the impact of any significant failure of these parties to perform as expected, or interruptions in our relationships with these providers or their provision of services; extended interruptions or disruptions in service at major airports where we operate and space, facility and infrastructure constraints at our hubs or other airports; geopolitical conflict, terrorist attacks or security events (including the suspension of our overflying in Russian airspace as a result of the Russia-Ukraine military conflict and to Tel Aviv as a result of the Israeli-Hamas military conflict and an escalation of the broader economic consequences of the conflicts beyond their current scope); any damage to our reputation or brand image; our reliance on technology and automated systems to operate our business and the impact of any significant failure or disruption of, or failure to effectively integrate and implement, these technologies or systems; increasing privacy, data security and cybersecurity obligations or a significant data breach; increased use of social media platforms by us, our employees and others; the impacts of union disputes, employee strikes or slowdowns, and other labor-related disruptions or regulatory compliance costs on our operations or financial performance; any failure to attract, train or retain skilled personnel, including our senior management team or other key employees; the monetary and operational costs of compliance with extensive government regulation of the airline industry; current or future litigation and regulatory actions, or failure to comply with the terms of any settlement, order or agreement relating to these actions; costs, liabilities and risks associated with environmental regulation and climate change, and any failure to achieve or demonstrate progress towards our climate goals; high and/or volatile fuel prices or significant disruptions in the supply of aircraft fuel; the impacts of our significant amount of financial leverage from fixed obligations and the impacts of insufficient liquidity on our financial condition and business; failure to comply with financial and other covenants governing our debt, including our MileagePlus® financing agreements; limitations on our ability to use our net operating loss carryforwards and certain other tax attributes to offset future taxable income for U.S. federal income tax purposes; our failure to realize the full value of our intangible assets or our long-lived assets, causing us to record impairments; fluctuations in the price of our common stock; the impacts of seasonality and other factors associated with the airline industry; increases in insurance costs or inadequate insurance coverage and other risks and uncertainties set forth under Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors, of this Form 10-K, and under "Economic and Market Factors" and "Governmental Actions" in Part II, Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, of this report, as well as other risks and uncertainties set forth from time to time in the reports we file with the SEC.

The foregoing list sets forth many, but not all, of the factors that could impact our ability to achieve results described in any forward-looking statements. Investors should understand that it is not possible to predict or identify all such factors and should not consider this list to be a complete statement of all potential risks and uncertainties. It is routine for our internal projections and expectations to change as the year or each quarter in the year progresses, and therefore it should be clearly understood that the internal projections, beliefs and assumptions upon which we base our expectations may change. For instance, we regularly monitor future demand and booking trends and adjust capacity, as needed. As such, our actual flown capacity may differ materially from currently published flight schedules or current estimations.

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