Originally Posted by
fw90
United moved 105,829,000 passengers (mainline) in 2024
if you divide out their profit per passenger ticket sold it’s about $43.
Now solely on revenue excluding the “other operating revenue” etc it’s much lower at $10 per passenger ticket. So $33 per ticket profit is add ons. (Kinda seems like the ultimate ULCC)
buried somewhere in some filings is the amounts that chase and whoever else paid United but I don’t have time to find them. I’d guess it’s a lot more than 50%
people pay 200+ annually now just to hold one of the United cards.
Without the credit card mentality there would be a much different market.
If those tickets went away, United Delta etc would just sell those seats to someone else. Most likely the same people who are taking those trips. Instead of using credit card miles they would have to buy tickets.
Ceteris Paribus applies here. You can't just take away revenue anymore more than saying "Without First Class The Big 3 would not make a profit". There would be other seats there and they would create revenue as well.