United Airlines has said it expects to lose money in the January to March quarter due to the grounding of Boeing 737 Max 9 jets by the FAA. The FAA grounded 171 Max 9s after an emergency exit door blew out on an Alaska Airlines flight in January. United has 79 of the Max 9 aircraft, the most of any carrier, followed by Alaska Airlines. United expects its grounded planes to remain out of service for all of January. The airline reported steady pre-tax profits of $3.4 billion for 2023 and is expected to provide updates on the ongoing safety inspections during an analyst and investor call.
