UAL Teams Up With Travelport to Fast-Track Modern Airline Retailing

United Airlines UAL and Travelport, a global technology company that powers bookings for many travel suppliers, are forging a forward-looking partnership that shifts airline distribution into a more collaborative, technology-driven era. The company is actively opening its New Distribution Capability (NDC) technology roadmap to Travelport and co-developing new capabilities, reinforcing its ambition to lead in modern airline retailing. This move breaks from the traditional airline–GDS (Global Distribution System) model and enables faster innovation, richer content, and greater transparency for travel agencies and corporate buyers.

Travelport, in turn, is strengthening its Travelport+ platform and Deem online booking tool by integrating UAL’s NDC-enabled extras. The company will actively deliver features such as pooled travel credits, direct MileagePlus enrollment and flexible payment options for ancillary services. These enhancements will improve passenger convenience while empowering agencies with more efficient tools to manage corporate travel.

Together, the two companies are accelerating the industry’s shift toward next-generation airline retailing. UAL will roll out new capabilities in phases starting in early 2026 and deploy dedicated support teams to drive smoother adoption. By prioritizing speed, co-innovation and real-world usability, UAL and Travelport aim to set a new benchmark for airline–technology partnerships.

UAL Share Price Performance

Driven by such innovative efforts, shares of UAL have gained 7.5% over the past year, outperforming the 6.9% growth of its Zacks Transportation - Airline industry.  

UAL’s Zacks Rank

United Airlines currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Stocks to Consider

Investors interested in the Zacks Transportation sector may consider Expeditors International of Washington EXPD and SkyWest SKYW.

EXPD currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

EXPD has an expected earnings growth rate of 3.5% for the current year.  The company has an encouraging earnings surprise history. Its earnings outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, delivering an average beat of 13.94%.

SKYW currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

SkyWest has an anticipated earnings growth rate of 33% for the current year.  The company has an encouraging earnings surprise history. Its earnings outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, delivering an average beat of 21.24%.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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