The world’s largest airline carrier battled higher fuel costs but was able to keep its planes over eighty percent full, giving it the boost needed to surpass analyst expectations. The company said that its integration after the 2010 merger of Continental and United is going smoothly, and that the firm is “well positioned to meet our integration milestones and synergy goals in 2012.”
The Surprise: The biggest surprise on our list, United Continental blew away the consensus by 150%, earning $0.30 per share versus an expected $0.12.