United Cargo

Reporter’s Notebook: On the tarmac at Dulles airport

DULLES, Va. — A reporter picks up interesting anecdotes that often don’t make it into regular articles. Here are some tidbits and observations from a behind-the-scenes press tour at Dulles International Airport (IAD), outside Washington last Monday. Dulles set a record with 25 million passengers last year. The airport authority is also moving ahead with $7 billion of expansion work over the next 15 years, with construction already underway on a 14-gate concourse scheduled to open in 2026 and...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/reporters-notebook-on-the-tarmac-at-dulles-airport

US airlines cut off cargo service ahead of major Northeast storm

Delta jets around a gate on a sunny day.

Delta Air Lines and United Airlines are restricting the pickup and delivery of cargo at airports in the Northeast as a major storm approaches that some forecasts say could dump more than 2 feet of snow in parts of the region.

Delta Cargo (NYSE: DAL) notified customers that it has embargoed all shipments at John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport in New York starting at 8 p.m. Friday through Saturday night. Warehouses will be closed at Boston Logan International Airport...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/us-airlines-cut-off-cargo-service-ahead-of-major-northeast-storm

In air cargo bull market, United flies dog food and mayo

A white United Airlines jet with blue tail is airborne, heading away from camera.

United Airlines generated $2.4 billion in cargo revenue last year, double the 2019 total, capped by a record fourth quarter of $727 million.

Revenue like that is possible during an airfreight bull run when shippers, desperate to avoid clogged ocean shipping routes and get urgent products to customers, are willing to charter cargo-only passenger aircraft to move products like mayonnaise, dog food and soap.

A week ago, United Airlines (NASDAQ: UAL) carried 6 tons of black soap in the belly of a...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/in-air-cargo-bull-market-united-flies-dog-food-and-mayo

United Airlines ditches cargo-only flights as passengers return

A large United Airlines jet gets loaded through its cargo door.

United Airlines has mostly phased out use of jets for dedicated cargo service, returning them to full-time passenger operation as long-haul travel demand rapidly snaps back from the COVID plunge, Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Nocella said Wednesday.

The temporary freighters were a big reason that United’s cargo revenue shot up 105% in the second quarter to $606 million and 89% in the first half of 2021. The flights made money even though the widebody aircraft deployed have less than half the...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/united-airlines-ditches-cargo-only-flights-as-passengers-return

Blowout cargo revenue helps United Airlines beat Q2 expectations

A white United Airlines jet with blue tail touches down on the runway.

United Airlines (NASDAQ: UAL) impressed a year ago when cargo sales jumped 36% during the early stages of the COVID pandemic. That was merely a warmup for the 2021 second quarter when the passenger carrier more than doubled cargo revenue to $606 million from the 2019 benchmark period.

For the first half of 2021, United Cargo pulled in $1.1 billion, an 89% increase from two years ago, according to financial results released after the market closed on Tuesday.

The 105% cargo growth helped assuage...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/blowout-cargo-revenue-helps-united-airlines-beat-q2-expectations

United Cargo’s March schedule dented by removal of Boeing 777s

A big United Airlines jet lifts off runway on sunny day at LAX airport.

United Cargo on Thursday published its March schedule that shows some reduced frequencies and travel lane suspensions due to the temporary removal of 24 Boeing 777-200 aircraft from the fleet as a safety precaution.

United Flight 328 from Denver to Honolulu was forced to make an emergency landing last Saturday after suffering a catastrophic failure in one of its two engines. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration ordered United — the only U.S. operator of the 777-200 with Pratt & Whitney...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/united-cargos-march-schedule-dented-by-removal-of-boeing-777s

United Airlines sacrifices cargo capacity to replace grounded 777s

A big United Airlines jet takes off with control tower behind it.

United Airlines (NASDAQ: UAL) said Monday evening that the temporary removal of two dozen Boeing 777-200 passenger jets from its fleet as a safety precaution after an engine failure over the weekend could reduce cargo capacity for business customers as soon as March.

The Chicago-based carrier said some large aircraft that had been supporting dedicated cargo operations during the pandemic will return to passenger service to replace the grounded 777s and that cargo schedules will be adjusted...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/united-airlines-sacrifices-cargo-capacity-to-replace-grounded-777-200s

United Airlines invades Delta’s backyard with Atlanta cargo route

Plastic wrapped pallets of cargo loaded in side door of white United jet, with blue tail.

United Airlines (NASDQ: UAL) has launched its first widebody passenger freighter service to Atlanta and Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, the busiest passenger airport in the world and home turf for rival Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL).

United Cargo’s schedule for January, updated last week, shows three weekly “ghost” flights — no passengers — from Frankfurt, Germany, to Atlanta with Boeing 787 aircraft. 

United has never offered the Frankfurt-Atlanta route pairing before, even as a...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/united-airlines-invades-deltas-backyard-with-atlanta-cargo-route

Airlines, logistics companies ramp up global vaccine deliveries

A ground crew pulls out a pallets from a big air shipping container.

The race to distribute the first COVID-19 vaccines is picking up pace around the world as the massive shipping campaign continues for a third day in the U.S.

Express carriers FedEx (NYSE: FDX) and UPS (NYSE: UPS) are making deliveries of Pfizer Inc.’s vaccine to 425 medical centers and other drop locations Tuesday following Friday’s emergency use authorization by the Food and Drug Administration. 

On Tuesday, United Airlines officially confirmed widespread reports that it was the first commercial...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/airlines-logistics-companies-ramp-up-global-vaccine-deliveries

Big 3 US airlines gear up to transport COVID-19 vaccines

A large cooler on wheels for medicine transport sits on tarmac beneath an airplane wing. Air transport is commonly used to ship medicines.

Major U.S. passenger airlines are rehearsing final plans, brushing up on procedures and lining up the right equipment and personnel to support the worldwide distribution of COVID-19 vaccines at a variety of required temperatures.

Moving medicines is not new for passenger airlines, but the scale, urgency and extreme temperature-handling requirements for upcoming coronavirus vaccines is posing challenges for everyone along the supply chain.

American Airlines (NASDQ: AAL) on Monday said it has been...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/big-3-us-airlines-gear-up-to-transport-covid-19-vaccines

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