United echoes Delta in trimming UK flights for winter

As Delta Air Lines announced last week, United Airlines officials said Tuesday they plan to reduce winter capacity to the United Kingdom from Washington Dulles and Newark. United will achieve the reductions both by reducing the number of flights and by using smaller planes.

The trimming at both airlines followed the Brexit vote last month for Britain to leave the European Union, which hurt that country’s currency and reduced the demand for foreign travel. Delta and United executives each said summer trans-Atlantic travel remains strong, but that winter would suffer.

United’s chief revenue officer, Jim Compton, told reporters Tuesday on a call to discuss the carrier’s second-quarter earnings that winter flights from Dulles to Manchester would be reduced and flights from Dulles to Heathrow would have smaller planes.

In addition, United plans to reduce flights from Newark to Birmingham from six to four times per week, Compton said.

“We’ve made some adjustments to our winter schedule, from Dulles to Manchester, and we’ve actually downgauged Dulles to Heathrow, in terms of getting capacity in line with demand,” Compton said.  “We do expect some impact from that.”

United’s acting chief financial officer, Gerry Laderman, said the airline is reducing its overall capacity 0.25% for the year. The expectation is now for the airline to grow 1% to 1.5% for the year, which is a reduction of a full point from initial estimates, he said.

Delta 2Q earnings up 4% on lower fuel costs

Delta earlier announced it plans to cut capacity to the United Kingdom 2% to 45 this winter because the steep drop in the British pound could discourage mostly leisure travel to destinations such as Florida, Las Vegas and New York.

The 12% loss of value in the pound after the Brexit vote already cost Delta about $40 million in currency exchange, according to Delta President Glen Hauenstein.