United Airlines, the primary subsidiary of the UAL Corporation, is a major airline of the United States headquartered in unincorporated Elk Grove Township, Illinois, near Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, the airline's largest traffic hub, with 650 daily departures. Starting in early 2007, United Airlines will move its headquarters to downtown Chicago.
As of July 31, 2006, United was the world's second-largest airline in terms of revenue-passenger-kilometers (behind American Airlines), third-largest in terms of total operating revenues (behind Air France-KLM, American Airlines), and fourth-largest airline in terms of total passengers transported (behind American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines). United has roughly 56,000 employees and operates approximately 460 aircraft.
On February 1, 2006, United emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection under which it had operated since December 9, 2002, the largest and longest airline bankruptcy case in history.
