Free cash flow
United Airlines Holdings Free cash flow increased by 1371.1% to $3.13B in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 26.2%, from $2.48B to $3.13B. Over 2 years (FY 2021 to FY 2024), Free cash flow shows an upward trend with a 878.5% CAGR. This is a positive signal — higher values indicate stronger performance for this metric.
Analysis
How to read this metric
An increase suggests strong operational efficiency and the ability to self-fund future innovation or return capital to shareholders, while a decrease may indicate heavy capital expenditure cycles or declining operational profitability.
Detailed definition
Free cash flow represents the cash generated by a company after accounting for cash outflows to support operations and m...
Peer comparison
High-growth semiconductor and AI infrastructure peers typically prioritize reinvestment, so free cash flow margins are often compared against R&D intensity and capital expenditure requirements of industry rivals.
free_cash_flowHistorical Data
| Q2 '21 | Q3 '21 | Q4 '21 | Q1 '22 | Q2 '22 | Q3 '22 | Q1 '23 | Q2 '23 | Q3 '23 | Q4 '23 | Q1 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q3 '24 | Q4 '24 | Q1 '25 | Q2 '25 | Q3 '25 | Q1 '26 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $1.81B | -$1.05B | -$805.00M | $1.07B | $2.14B | -$587.00M | $1.30B | $2.38B | -$962.00M | -$2.98B | $1.48B | $1.71B | $88.00M | $549.00M | $2.48B | $930.00M | -$246.00M | $3.13B |
| QoQ Change | — | -158.0% | +23.5% | +233.4% | +99.3% | -127.4% | +321.3% | +83.1% | -140.4% | -209.4% | +149.8% | +15.5% | -94.9% | +523.9% | +351.2% | -62.5% | -126.5% | >999% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | +18.0% | +44.2% | +20.9% | +11.1% | -63.9% | — | +14.1% | -28.1% | +109.1% | +118.4% | +67.1% | -45.6% | -379.5% | +26.2% |
Free cash flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is United Airlines Holdings's free cash flow?
- United Airlines Holdings (UAL) reported free cash flow of $3.13B in Q1 2026.
- How has United Airlines Holdings's free cash flow changed year-over-year?
- United Airlines Holdings's free cash flow increased by 26.2% year-over-year, from $2.48B to $3.13B.
- What is the long-term trend for United Airlines Holdings's free cash flow?
- Over 2 years (2021 to 2024), United Airlines Holdings's free cash flow has grown at a 878.5% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from -$40.00M to $3.83B.
- What does free cash flow mean?
- The cash a company has left over after paying for its operating expenses and capital investments.