CHICAGO, July 5, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- United Airlines reached another significant milestone in the company's ongoing commitment to providing customers with on-time and reliable service, achieving a company-best for percentage of mainline and regional flights arriving at or before their scheduled arrival time from July 1 through July 4.

This performance – 72.2 percent for the holiday period – represents a 20.4 percent increase over 2015 and a 48.7 percent increase over 2014.

"We are getting more customers to meetings, beaches and family gatherings on time than ever before in our combined company history," said Greg Hart, United's executive vice president and chief operations officer. "Our operational momentum has never been stronger thanks to the focus and dedication of our employees across the entire airline."

United's recent achievement caps off the best six-month stretch of on-time performance in the five-year combined company's history. Key highlights include:

• A nearly 23 percent increase in mainline flights arriving at or before their scheduled arrival times for the first half of the year as compared to the same time period in 2015.
• Finishing first or second in on-time arrivals among the four largest U.S. network carriers each month for the first six months of the year.
• A 27 percent increase in mainline flights departing on time for the first half of the year as compared to the same time period in 2015.

United launched several operational initiatives last year to improve reliability, including making scheduling adjustments, increasing its focus on teamwork and utilizing innovative technology in the airline's state-of-the-art Network Operations Center. As United reported last month, the airline expects approximately $300 million of value by 2018 from running a more reliable airline.

About United

United Airlines and United Express operate an average of 5,000 flights a day to 336 airports across six continents. In 2015, United and United Express operated more than 1.5 million flights carrying more than 140 million customers. United is proud to have the world's most comprehensive route network, including U.S. mainland hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. United operates more than 715 mainline aircraft, and this year, the airline anticipates taking delivery of 21 new Boeing aircraft, including 737 NGs, 787s and 777s. The airline is a founding member of Star Alliance, which provides service to 192 countries via 28 member airlines. Approximately 86,000 United employees reside in every U.S. state and in countries around the world. For more information, visit united.com, follow @United on Twitter or connect on Facebook. The common stock of United's parent, United Continental Holdings, Inc., is traded on the NYSE under the symbol UAL.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130404/MM89155LOGO

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/united-airlines-celebrates-company-best-fourth-of-july-holiday-on-time-performance-300294114.html

SOURCE United Airlines