United posts $473 million 3Q profit on federal pandemic aid
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By DAVID KOENIG
AP Airlines Writer
United Airlines is reporting a $473 million profit for the third quarter, which covers much of the peak summer travel season. United owes the profit to more than $1 billion in federal pandemic aid that helped the airline cover wages and benefits for employees. Airlines say bookings slowed when the delta variant led to more cases of COVID-19 toward the end of summer. But Chicago-based United says bookings have started to stabilize now that coronavirus cases are coming down. The airline predicts fourth-quarter revenue will be 25% to 30% lower than during the same period of 2019.