A United Airlines airplane takes off at Newark Liberty Airport.Gary Hershorn | Getty ImagesUnited Airlines Holdings on Tuesday raised its earnings forecast for the year, sending shares higher in after-hours trading.The Chicago-based carrier raised its forecast for full-year earnings to $11.25 to $12.25 a share, up from its previous forecast of $10.50 to $12.Shares were up 2% after United released the results.United’s third-quarter net income jumped nearly 23% to more than $1.02 billion from the year-earlier period, on revenue of $11.38 billion, an increase of 3.4% from a year ago, but below the nearly $11.42 billion analysts expected.Revenue per available seat mile, a key industry metric that measures how much an airline is earning for each seat it flies a mile, rose 1.7%, in line with United’s forecast over the summer.Earnings per share came in at $4.07 on an adjusted basis, compared with $3.97 a share Wall Street analysts estimated.United’s executives are scheduled to hold a call with analysts at 10:30 ET on Wednesday to discuss the results.This is breaking news. Please check back for updates.
