by Donald Wood
Last updated: 8:30 AM ET, Sat March 7, 2026
Despite travel demand remaining high, United Airlines CEO
Scott Kirby announced on Friday that the carrier would likely take a
“meaningful” hit in its first-quarter financial results due to surging fuel
prices driven by the ongoing war in Iran.
According to Reuters.com,
airplane fuel prices have increased around 15 percent over the last week,
compounding the issues already associated with the ongoing conflict in the Middle
East, including an estimated 20,000+ flight cancellations.
Kirby acknowledged earlier in the week during a speech that
the fuel impact could carry into the second quarter as well if the war
continues.
Following the United CEO’s comments, shares of the airline
fell 4.5 percent on Friday. The comments also affected other carriers serving
the domestic market in the United States, including American Airlines, Delta
Air Lines, and Southwest Airlines, which all reported drops of between three
and five percent.
In related news, United unveiled a report
card earlier this week that said more than 27 million passengers are
expected to travel during the upcoming spring break travel period, which runs
from mid-to-late March.
The airline said it would average around 4,900 flights per
day during this period, with the top five U.S. destinations being Orlando, Las
Vegas, Honolulu, Phoenix, and Fort Lauderdale. In fact, the airline said that
52 percent of spring break travelers are flying to the beach.
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