United Airlines reports $124 million loss in a quarter marred by grounding of some Boeing planes $BA $UAL

- United Airlines reported a $124 million loss in the first quarter due to a three-week grounding of Boeing 737 Max 9s after an incident with an Alaska Airlines jetliner. - United expects to receive fewer new planes from Boeing this year than anticipated and has started leasing Airbus jets to fill its fleet. - Despite the loss, United saw strong demand for air travel within the United States and across the Atlantic. - The grounding of the Max 9 aircraft cost United $200 million, turning a potential profit into a loss for the quarter. - Alaska Airlines received $160 million in compensation from Boeing for the grounding. - United requested pilots to take unpaid time off and may extend this request into the fall. - United reported a loss of 15 cents per share, better than analysts' expectations of a 58 cent loss per share. - Revenue rose by almost 10% to $12.54 billion, beating Wall Street's forecast. - United forecasts earnings of $3.75 to $4.25 per share in the second quarter, higher than analysts' predictions of $3.73 per share.