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Commitments and Contingencies
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES    
Commitments. As of December 31, 2023, United had firm commitments to purchase aircraft from The Boeing Company ("Boeing") and Airbus S.A.S. ("Airbus") presented in the table below:
Contractual Aircraft DeliveriesExpected Aircraft Deliveries (b)
Aircraft TypeNumber of Firm
 Commitments (a)		20242025After 202520242025After 2025
787150 8 18 124 7 18 125 
737 MAX 843 43 — — 37 6 — 
737 MAX 934 34 — — 19 15 — 
737 MAX 10277 80 71 126 — (c)(c)
A321neo126 26 38 62 25 24 77 
A321XLR50 — 8 42 — 1 49 
A35045 — — 45 — — 45 
(a)United also has options and purchase rights for additional aircraft.
(b)Expected aircraft deliveries reflect adjustments communicated by Boeing and Airbus or estimated by United.
(c)Due to the delay in the certification of the 737 MAX 10 aircraft, we are unable to accurately forecast the expected delivery period.
The aircraft listed in the table above are scheduled for delivery through 2033. The amount and timing of the Company's future capital commitments could change to the extent that: (i) the Company and the aircraft manufacturers, with whom the Company has existing orders for new aircraft, agree to modify the contracts governing those orders; (ii) rights are exercised pursuant to the relevant agreements to cancel deliveries or modify the timing of deliveries; or (iii) the aircraft manufacturers are unable to deliver in accordance with the terms of those orders.
The table below summarizes United's firm commitments as of December 31, 2023, which include aircraft and related spare engines, aircraft improvements and non-aircraft capital commitments. Aircraft commitments are based on contractual scheduled aircraft deliveries without any adjustments communicated by Boeing and Airbus or estimated by United.
(in billions)
2024$12.1 
20257.9 
20266.0 
20274.5 
20286.1 
After 202823.5 
$60.1 
Legal and Environmental. The Company has certain contingencies resulting from litigation and claims incident to the ordinary course of business. As of December 31, 2023, management believes, after considering a number of factors, including (but not limited to) the information currently available, the views of legal counsel, the nature of contingencies to which the Company is subject and prior experience, that its defenses and assertions in pending legal proceedings have merit and the ultimate disposition of any pending matter will not materially affect the Company's financial position, results of operations or cash flows. The Company records liabilities for legal and environmental claims when it is probable that a loss has been incurred and the amount is reasonably estimable. These amounts are recorded based on the Company's assessments of the likelihood of their eventual disposition.
During 2022, the Company recorded charges of $94 million as a result of a number of recent decisions that appear to impact the Company's ability to successfully assert, in certain cases, that federal law preempts state and local laws that conflict with union contracts and/or federal requirements.
Guarantees and Indemnifications. In the normal course of business, the Company enters into numerous real estate leasing and aircraft financing arrangements that have various guarantees included in the contracts. These guarantees are primarily in the form of indemnities under which the Company typically indemnifies the lessors and any tax/financing parties against liabilities that arise out of or relate to the use, operation or maintenance of the leased premises or financed aircraft. Currently, the Company believes that any future payments required under these guarantees or indemnities would be immaterial, as most liabilities and related indemnities are covered by insurance (subject to deductibles). Additionally, certain real estate leases
include indemnities for any environmental liability that may arise out of or relate to the use of the leased premises.
As of December 31, 2023, United is the guarantor of approximately $1.9 billion in aggregate principal amount of tax-exempt special facilities revenue bonds and interest thereon. These bonds, issued by various airport municipalities, are payable solely from rentals paid under long-term agreements with the respective governing bodies. The leasing arrangements associated with these obligations are accounted for as operating leases recognized on the Company's consolidated balance sheet with the associated expense recorded on a straight-line basis over the expected lease term. The obligations associated with these tax-exempt special facilities revenue bonds are included in our lease commitments disclosed in Note 10 of this report. All of these bonds are due between 2024 and 2041.
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 similar increased cost provisions as described below for the Company's debt, and the Company would potentially be responsible for those costs under the guarantees.
As of December 31, 2023, United had $429 million of surety bonds securing various insurance related obligations with expiration dates through 2027.
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 and, in the case of loans with respect to which the interest rate is based on 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.
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.
Regional Capacity Purchase. As of December 31, 2023, United had 252 call options to purchase regional jet aircraft being operated by certain of its regional carriers with contract dates extending until 2037. These call options are exercisable upon wrongful termination or breach of contract, among other conditions.
Credit Card Processing Agreements. The Company has agreements with financial institutions that process customer credit card transactions for the sale of air travel and other services. Under certain of the Company's credit card processing agreements, the financial institutions in certain circumstances have the right to require that the Company maintain a reserve equal to a portion of advance ticket sales that has been processed by that financial institution, but for which the Company has not yet provided the air transportation. Such financial institutions may require additional cash or other collateral reserves to be established or additional withholding of payments related to receivables collected if the Company does not maintain certain minimum levels of unrestricted cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments (collectively, "Unrestricted Liquidity"). The Company's current level of Unrestricted Liquidity is substantially in excess of these minimum levels.
Labor Negotiations. As of December 31, 2023, United, including its subsidiaries, had approximately 103,300 employees. Approximately 83% of United's employees were represented by various U.S. labor organizations.
In January 2023, the Company's more than 8,000 technicians and related employees represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters ratified an extension to their labor contract with United. The agreement becomes amendable in
December 2024. On February 28, 2024, United and the IBT reached a tentative agreement for an extension to their labor contract. The agreement, if ratified, becomes amendable in December 2028. The tentative agreement provides competitive pay increases and improved several work rules.
In May 2023, nearly 30,000 fleet service, passenger service, storekeepers, maintenance instructors and fleet technical instructors and related employees represented by the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers ("IAM") ratified five agreements with United. The ratified agreements are effective through 2025. The Company recorded a one-time $48 million expense in conjunction with the ratification. On February 23, 2024, United and the IAM ratified agreements covering the security guards in California and central load planners. The ratified agreements are effective through 2025.
In September 2023, the Company's pilots represented by ALPA ratified an agreement with United. The agreement includes numerous work rule changes and pay rate increases during the four-year term. The agreement also included a provision for a one-time $765 million payment upon ratification which was paid by December 31, 2023.