Wednesday, United CFO Jake Brace stated that the airline could ground up to 100 airplanes that are not encumbered by creditors, including 50 737 aircraft and at least 13 other narrow-body (single aisle) aircraft. This would equate to a decline of almost 20% in United’s fleet size, which currently numbers 460 aircraft.

The grounding would be an attempt to offset rising oil costs by reducing capacity and eliminating as many empty seats as possible on certain routes. Currently, United is planning a 1% reduction in capacity for the next year, however Brace says those predictions were made when oil was near $75 per barrel and that any increases in oil prices would cause the airline to re-evaluate its capacity.
While all of the planned capacity reductions are on the domestic side, United intends to offset by increasing its more lucrative international markets. International seats typically sell for prices in the thousands of dollars, creating a higher profit margin for the airline.

In addition to the 460 aircraft United operates, the company also controls 290 regional aircraft flown by outside contractors. It is unknown if these contractors would replace grounded airplanes with smaller aircraft, or if reduction in partner flying would be implemented.