UAL just posted new guidance for 1Q 2013. They reported primarily that costs have gone up substantially, hence will be larger loss than earlier predicted.
press release is here: http://ir.unitedcontinentalholdings....&p=irol-IRHome
Highlights: 1Q ASM down (5%), CASM +11.4 to 12.4%, Load Factor +2.7%, PRASM (midpoint) +5.9%.
They expect PRASM to be 13.11 to 13.24 c/mi, and CASM to be 15.49-15.58 c/mi.
These are very bad numbers, costs are through the roof, and given the extremely easy comps in February/March 2012 (in Feb 2012 UA said that unique factors depressed PRASM by 6%, and PRASM was also depressed in March due to the shares change over).
Until they release the yield numbers we will not not know, but I am guessing that UALs yield is nearly flat. While this suggests the March 2013 PRASM will be around +6%, with a (5%) cut in ASM, and an easy March 2012 comp it does not look good. It looks to me like the same under-performance in revenue that we have seen since the summer vs DL/US/AA is continuing; i.e. high revenue passengers are not returning, at least not at this point.
press release is here: http://ir.unitedcontinentalholdings....&p=irol-IRHome
Highlights: 1Q ASM down (5%), CASM +11.4 to 12.4%, Load Factor +2.7%, PRASM (midpoint) +5.9%.
They expect PRASM to be 13.11 to 13.24 c/mi, and CASM to be 15.49-15.58 c/mi.
These are very bad numbers, costs are through the roof, and given the extremely easy comps in February/March 2012 (in Feb 2012 UA said that unique factors depressed PRASM by 6%, and PRASM was also depressed in March due to the shares change over).
Until they release the yield numbers we will not not know, but I am guessing that UALs yield is nearly flat. While this suggests the March 2013 PRASM will be around +6%, with a (5%) cut in ASM, and an easy March 2012 comp it does not look good. It looks to me like the same under-performance in revenue that we have seen since the summer vs DL/US/AA is continuing; i.e. high revenue passengers are not returning, at least not at this point.