United Airlines advertising spend, FY2025

United Airlines (UAL) reported $250M of advertising expense for the fiscal year ended Dec 31, 2025. That is 0.4% of revenue of $59.1B. Up 6.4% from FY2024.

Ad spend, FY2025
$250M
year ended Dec 31, 2025
Change vs prior year
+6.4%
vs FY2024
Share of revenue
0.4%
of $59.1B revenue
Rank by ad spend
#194
of 336 companies

Key facts

  • Ad spend is 1.2x its FY2015 level ($201M), slower than revenue (1.6x).
  • FY2025 is the highest year on file, going back to FY2009.
  • Largest increase +104.5% in FY2010; largest cut -59.0% in FY2020.
  • Ad spend has risen 5 years in a row.
  • Ad spend is 0.4% of revenue, down from 0.6% in FY2020.
  • United Airlines spends more on advertising than 42% of the 336 US-listed companies tracked. Its ad-to-revenue ratio is below the median of 5.2%.

Ad spend by fiscal year

$0 $100M $200M $300M FY2009 (ended 2009-12-31): $44M FY2010 (ended 2010-12-31): $90M 2010 FY2011 (ended 2011-12-31): $142M FY2012 (ended 2012-12-31): $154M FY2013 (ended 2013-12-31): $178M 2013 FY2014 (ended 2014-12-31): $179M FY2015 (ended 2015-12-31): $201M FY2016 (ended 2016-12-31): $220M 2016 FY2017 (ended 2017-12-31): $217M FY2018 (ended 2018-12-31): $211M FY2019 (ended 2019-12-31): $212M 2019 FY2020 (ended 2020-12-31): $87M FY2021 (ended 2021-12-31): $99M FY2022 (ended 2022-12-31): $165M 2022 FY2023 (ended 2023-12-31): $221M FY2024 (ended 2024-12-31): $235M FY2025 (ended 2025-12-31): $250M 2025 $250M

Ad spend as % of revenue

0.0% 0.2% 0.4% 0.6% 0.8% FY2009 (ended 2009-12-31): 0.3% FY2010 (ended 2010-12-31): 0.4% 2010 FY2011 (ended 2011-12-31): 0.4% FY2012 (ended 2012-12-31): 0.4% FY2013 (ended 2013-12-31): 0.5% 2013 FY2014 (ended 2014-12-31): 0.5% FY2015 (ended 2015-12-31): 0.5% FY2016 (ended 2016-12-31): 0.6% 2016 FY2017 (ended 2017-12-31): 0.6% FY2018 (ended 2018-12-31): 0.5% FY2019 (ended 2019-12-31): 0.5% 2019 FY2020 (ended 2020-12-31): 0.6% FY2021 (ended 2021-12-31): 0.4% FY2022 (ended 2022-12-31): 0.4% 2022 FY2023 (ended 2023-12-31): 0.4% FY2024 (ended 2024-12-31): 0.4% FY2025 (ended 2025-12-31): 0.4% 2025 0.4%

History

Download CSV
Fiscal year Period end Ad spend YoY Revenue Ad / revenue Tag Filing
FY2025 Dec 31, 2025 $250M +6.4% $59.1B 0.4% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Feb 12, 2026
FY2024 Dec 31, 2024 $235M +6.3% $57.1B 0.4% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Feb 12, 2026
FY2023 Dec 31, 2023 $221M +33.9% $53.7B 0.4% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Feb 12, 2026
FY2022 Dec 31, 2022 $165M +66.7% $45B 0.4% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Feb 27, 2025
FY2021 Dec 31, 2021 $99M +13.8% $24.6B 0.4% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Feb 29, 2024
FY2020 Dec 31, 2020 $87M -59.0% $15.4B 0.6% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Feb 16, 2023
FY2019 Dec 31, 2019 $212M +0.5% $43.3B 0.5% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Feb 18, 2022
FY2018 Dec 31, 2018 $211M -2.8% $41.3B 0.5% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Mar 1, 2021
FY2017 Dec 31, 2017 $217M -1.4% $37.8B 0.6% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Feb 25, 2020
FY2016 Dec 31, 2016 $220M +9.5% $36.6B 0.6% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Feb 28, 2019
FY2015 Dec 31, 2015 $201M +12.3% $37.9B 0.5% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Feb 22, 2018
FY2014 Dec 31, 2014 $179M +0.6% $38.9B 0.5% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Feb 23, 2017
FY2013 Dec 31, 2013 $178M +15.6% $38.3B 0.5% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Feb 18, 2016
FY2012 Dec 31, 2012 $154M +8.5% $37.2B 0.4% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Feb 20, 2015
FY2011 Dec 31, 2011 $142M +57.8% $37.1B 0.4% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Feb 20, 2014
FY2010 Dec 31, 2010 $90M +104.5% $23.3B 0.4% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Feb 25, 2013
FY2009 Dec 31, 2009 $44M n/a $16.3B 0.3% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Feb 22, 2012

What the figure is

Advertising costs as disclosed in the annual report (XBRL tag AdvertisingExpense).

Compared with similar spenders

The 6 companies closest to United Airlines in latest-year ad spend.

Rank Company Ad spend Ad / revenue YoY Fiscal year
189 Remitly Global $255M 15.6% +13.2% FY2025
190 Bath & Body Works $255M 3.5% +5.4% FY2026
191 Optimum Communications $253M 2.9% -3.9% FY2025
192 S&P Global $252M 1.6% +10.0% FY2025
193 American Eagle Outfitters $251M 4.5% +21.8% FY2026
194 United Airlines $250M 0.4% +6.4% FY2025
195 Oddity Tech $246M 30.3% +49.5% FY2025

Full ranking of 336 companies · Biggest increases #164 · Lowest ad-to-revenue #8 · Up 5+ years in a row #49

Questions

How much does United Airlines spend on advertising?

United Airlines spent $250M on advertising in fiscal 2025, the year ended Dec 31, 2025, according to its 10-K filed Feb 12, 2026.

What percentage of revenue does United Airlines spend on advertising?

0.4% of revenue in fiscal 2025 ($250M of $59.1B). The median across the 336 companies tracked is 5.2%.

Is United Airlines spending more on advertising?

Yes. Ad spend rose 6.4% in fiscal 2025 from fiscal 2024. It has risen 5 years in a row.

How does United Airlines rank by advertising spend?

#194 of 336 US-listed companies with $100M or more in ad spend, ranked on each company's latest fiscal year.

What does United Airlines's advertising figure include?

Advertising costs as disclosed in the annual report (XBRL tag AdvertisingExpense).

Source

Filing
10-K for FY2025, filed Feb 12, 2026
Accession number
0000100517-26-000023
Company
United Airlines Holdings, Inc., CIK 100517, SIC 4512 (Air Transportation, Scheduled)
Data
SEC EDGAR XBRL company facts, retrieved Nov 4, 2026. Methodology.
Cite
United Airlines advertising spend, FY2009-FY2025. Aleksei Trudov, io.trudov.com, from SEC EDGAR XBRL company facts (latest: 10-K filed Feb 12, 2026), retrieved Nov 4, 2026. https://io.trudov.com/company/united-airlines-holdings/advertising-spend/
Download
CSV, all years · CSV, all 336 companies