Leases And Capacity Purchase Agreements (Future Minimum Lease Payments For Capital And Operating Leases) (Details) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2011		Dec. 31, 2010
Operating Leased Assets [Line Items]
2012, Capital Leases	$ 228	[1],[2],[3]
2013, Capital Leases	221	[1],[2],[3]
2014, Capital Leases	207	[1],[2],[3]
2015, Capital Leases	187	[1],[2],[3]
2016, Capital Leases	173	[1],[2],[3]
After 2016, Capital Leases	836	[1],[2],[3]
Minimum lease payments	1,852	[1],[2],[3]
Imputed interest	(799)	[1],[2]
Present value of minimum lease payments	1,053	[1],[2]
Current portion	(125)	[1],[2]	(252)
Long-term obligations under capital leases	928	[1],[2]	1,036
Aircraft Operating Leases [Member]
Operating Leased Assets [Line Items]
2012, Operating Leases	1,688	[1],[2]
2013, Operating Leases	1,597	[1],[2]
2014, Operating Leases	1,518	[1],[2]
2015, Operating Leases	1,243	[1],[2]
2016, Operating Leases	984	[1],[2]
After 2016, Operating Leases	2,391	[1],[2]
Total minimum operating lease payments	9,421	[1],[2]
Facility And Other Operating Leases [Member]
Operating Leased Assets [Line Items]
2012, Operating Leases	1,222	[1],[2]
2013, Operating Leases	998	[1],[2]
2014, Operating Leases	919	[1],[2]
2015, Operating Leases	795	[1],[2]
2016, Operating Leases	723	[1],[2]
After 2016, Operating Leases	5,738	[1],[2]
Total minimum operating lease payments	$ 10,395	[1],[2]

[1] The operating lease payments presented above include United's and Continental's future payments of $13 million and $165 million, respectively, related to nonoperating aircraft as of December 31, 2011. United and Continental have 12 and 25 nonoperating aircraft subject to leases, respectively. United's regional carrier, Express Jet, subleases aircraft from Continental; UAL operating lease payments exclude payments related to these aircraft.

[2] For UAL and Continental, the table above does not include projected sublease income of $106 million to be received through 2016 from other operators related to aircraft that are not operated on Continental's behalf. Continental expects such sublease income to be $25 million, $20 million, $20 million, $20 million and $21 million in each of the next five years, respectively.

[3] As of December 31, 2011, United's aircraft capital lease minimum payments relate to leases of 49 mainline and 38 regional aircraft and Continental's aircraft capital lease minimum payments relate to nonaircraft assets. United's and Continental's imputed interest rate ranges are 3.2% to 20.0% and 5.0% to 8.4%, respectively.