Traveller reference · UA
United Airlines
Star Alliance · IATA UA · the widest long-haul network of the US carriers
Travelaidnow is an independent travel agency and is not United Airlines, nor affiliated with or endorsed by it.
This page is a general reference written by our team. Baggage allowances, fees and policies are set by the airline and change without notice, so confirm anything that affects your trip with United Airlines directly before you travel.
Official site: united.comUnited has the broadest international route map of the three large US carriers, with Pacific flying out of San Francisco, transatlantic depth at Newark and Washington Dulles, and Houston covering much of Latin America. If your trip is long-haul from the United States, United frequently has a non-stop where the others need a connection.
Its cabin naming rewards a moment's attention. Economy Plus is extra legroom in economy, Premium Plus is a separate premium economy cabin, and Polaris is the long-haul business product. Three names, three quite different tickets, and they are easy to confuse when scanning results.
United Airlines at a glance
- IATA code
- UA
- ICAO code
- UAL
- Based in
- United States
- Alliance
- Star Alliance
- Type
- Full-service
- Frequent flyer
- MileagePlus
How United Airlines baggage works
United structures allowance by fare tier, cabin and MileagePlus status. Basic Economy is the most restrictive tier and its limitations reach well beyond baggage into seating and changes.
Transatlantic and transpacific tickets are generally counted in pieces with a per-bag weight ceiling; domestic tickets typically include a carry-on and personal item with checked bags priced separately. Segments operated by regional partners under the United Express banner can differ, particularly on smaller aircraft where cabin bags are gate-checked as a matter of course.
Confirm the allowance attached to your own booking on united.com, especially where a United Express or Star Alliance partner flies part of the itinerary.
Check-in
Online check-in typically opens 24 hours before departure through united.com or the app.
Airport and bag-drop cutoffs vary by airport and are earlier for international departures. On United Express regional aircraft, expect full-size cabin bags to be tagged at the gate regardless of when you checked in.
Boarding
United boards in numbered groups, with pre-boarding and premium cabins first, then status tiers and cardholders, and Basic Economy in the final group.
Overhead space is the practical constraint. A late group on a full flight often means gate-checking a full-size carry-on, so keep medication, documents and electronics in the personal item that stays with you.
Before you fly United Airlines
Economy Plus, Premium Plus and Polaris are three different products
The first is legroom in economy, the second a separate premium economy cabin, the third the long-haul business cabin. Confirm which one a fare actually includes before paying the difference.
Newark and Dulles behave differently
Both are transatlantic gateways, but connection times and terminal layouts are not comparable. Check the terminals on your specific itinerary rather than assuming a hub is a hub.
Star Alliance status transfers
Status with Lufthansa, Air Canada, Singapore Airlines or another Star Alliance member generally brings priority and baggage benefits on United. Add the number when booking rather than at the airport.
How often United Airlines runs late
United Airlines files its operational performance with the US Department of Transportation every month. These are those filings, not our estimates. The airline accountability index puts these figures next to every other reporting carrier, and publishes the underlying table as a file if you want to check the arithmetic.
United Airlines — domestic US operation
- Arrived over 15 min late
- 19.9%of 74,200 flights
- Cancelled
- 0.4%
- Average delay
- 14.1min
Of every filed minute of delay on United Airlines domestic flights, 62.1% was coded as carrier delay or late-arriving aircraft and 3.9% as extreme weather. The commitments US airlines make to rebook you and cover meals turn on whether a delay was within their control, which is why the split is worth reading — though which side your own flight fell on is not something a monthly total can answer.
- Carrier delay — 24.4%
Filed against the carrier's own operation — crew, maintenance, fuelling, baggage. - Late-arriving aircraft — 37.7%
Filed because the inbound aircraft was late. What delayed it is not recorded. - Air traffic system — 34.1%
Volume, routing and airport capacity, attributed to the national airspace system. - Weather — 3.9%
Extreme weather recorded as the cause.
That first figure is two filed categories added together: carrier delay, and late-arriving aircraft. BTS reports them separately and the sum is ours. It is not a finding of fault — the late-arriving code records that the inbound aircraft was late, not what delayed it, so some of it began as weather or traffic flow earlier in the day. Both components are listed above so you can reject the sum.
These are monthly aggregate filing codes. They cannot establish what caused your individual flight, whether it was within the carrier's control, or whether compensation is owed.
Its least reliable routes this month
Routes with at least 300 flights in the month. Thinner routes are excluded because a handful of bad days on a weekly service produces a dramatic percentage that means nothing.
Figures cover May 2026, a single reporting month, from the US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics On-Time Performance database. Retrieved 2026-07-28. Reporting under 14 CFR part 234 covers domestic US scheduled service only, so no international route appears — including anything to or from Mexico.
If your United Airlines flight is delayed or cancelled
As a US carrier, United Airlines is covered by 14 CFR part 260, which is a refund rule rather than a compensation one: past a significant delay you may have your money back, but US law owes you nothing for the disruption itself. The threshold is 3 hours on a domestic itinerary and 6 on an international one, and the right survives only while you decline a voucher or rebooking.
Check what United Airlines owes youOther Star Alliance carriers we cover
Alliance partners share bookings, and often lounges and status benefits, so a Star Alliance itinerary may involve more than one of these.
Planning a trip rather than researching a carrier?
Our route and airport guides cover the journey itself — when demand peaks, which airports work, and how long the connection really takes.
FAQ
United Airlines — common questions
General guidance only. United Airlines sets these policies and can change them, so confirm anything that affects your trip at united.com.
What is the difference between United Economy Plus and Premium Plus?
Economy Plus is a standard economy seat with additional legroom, in the same cabin as the rest of economy. Premium Plus is a separate premium economy cabin on long-haul aircraft, with a wider seat, more recline and a different service and baggage allowance. The names are similar and the products are not.
When does United check-in open?
Usually 24 hours before departure through united.com or the app. Airport cutoffs are set per airport and are earlier for international flights, with bag drop closing before the desk. Check both for your departure point rather than assuming they are standard across the network.
What is United Polaris?
Polaris is United's long-haul international business class, covering the lie-flat seat, bedding and the dedicated lounges at some hubs. It applies to intercontinental flying rather than to domestic first class, which is a separate and simpler product despite both being at the front of the aircraft.