United Airlines’ employees earned a total of $628 million in profit sharing last year when the airline earned $3.8 billion before tax.
During the fourth quarter of the year, its pre-tax earnings totalled $884 million.
"Our fourth quarter financial and operating performance capped an outstanding year for United Airlines," said CEO Oscar Munoz.
"In 2016, we put into action our plan to become the best airline in the world, and last year’s results demonstrate we are on our way to achieving that ambition.
"We will continue delivering on this commitment by investing in our employees, elevating our customer experience and driving strong and consistent returns for our shareholders."
The airline achieved its best full-year on-time performance in 2016 when it also had its lowest ever number of cancellations, delays and mishandled bags.
