Â鶹´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Shares of United Airlines plunge on sour outlook for 4Q profit because of rising fuel prices

Share

Shares of United Airlines tumbled more than 7 per cent on Wednesday morning and took the rest of the industry down with them after the carrier gave a gloomy outlook for fourth-quarter profit, which will be reduced by rising jet fuel prices.

In addition, United's revenue could be disappointing the longer that flights to Israel are suspended for the Israel-Hamas war.

United reported after the market closed Tuesday that it earned $1.14 billion in the third quarter, beating Wall Street expectations for profit and revenue.

Investors, however, focused immediately on the airline's prediction that fourth-quarter earnings would be between $1.50 and $1.80 per share, well below analysts' forecast of $2.09 per share.

United said whether profit is at the high or low end of that range will depend on whether flights to Tel Aviv resume next month or remain shuttered through year end.

"Given the projections that this will be a long war, we are looking at the lower end of the forecast range and assuming no service until at least year-end," Cowen analyst Helane Becker wrote in a note to clients.

Becker called United's fourth-quarter outlook "bleak and worse than our estimates."

United was flying to Tel Aviv from San Francisco, Washington, and Newark, New Jersey -- more service to Israel than offered by Delta Air Lines or American Airlines. All three suspended their service shortly after Hamas militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Two and a half years after losing her best friend and first love to suicide, Brooke Ford shared her story of grief and resilience at the CMHA Windsor-Essex Suicide Awareness Walk.

An Ottawa driver has been charged with stunt driving after being caught going 154 km/h on Highway 417, according to the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).

opinion

opinion How to make the most out of your TFSA

The Tax-Free Savings Account can be a powerful savings tool and investment vehicle. Financial contributor Christopher Liew explains how they work and how to take full advantage of them so you can reach your financial goals faster.

Local Spotlight

A tale about a taxicab hauling gold and sinking through the ice on Larder Lake, Ont., in December 1937 has captivated a man from that town for decades.

When a group of B.C. filmmakers set out on a small fishing boat near Powell River last week, they hoped to capture some video for a documentary on humpback whales. What happened next blew their minds.

A pizza chain in Edmonton claims to have the world's largest deliverable pizza.

Sarah McLachlan is returning to her hometown of Halifax in November.

Wayne MacKay is still playing basketball twice at Mount Allison University at 87 years old.

A man from a small rural Alberta town is making music that makes people laugh.

An Indigenous artist has a buyer-beware warning ahead of Sept. 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

Police are looking to the public for help after thieves broke into a Lethbridge ice creamery, stealing from the store.

An ordinary day on the job delivering mail in East Elmwood quickly turned dramatic for Canada Post letter carrier Jared Plourde. A woman on his route was calling out in distress.

Stay Connected