# United Cargo (IATA UA · ICAO UAL · AWB 016)

> United Cargo is the freight division of United Airlines, Inc., headquartered in Chicago (IATA code UA, ICAO UAL, AWB prefix 016). The carrier operates no freighter aircraft of its own and instead markets the belly capacity of the United Airlines and United Express passenger fleet. The parent company is United Airlines Holdings, Inc. of Chicago. For forwarders this means dense frequencies within the United States and across the Atlantic and Pacific, but no main-deck capacity for outsize freight. Temperature-controlled and life-saving shipments move under the TempControl and LifeGuard products.

## Quick facts

| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Legal | United Airlines, Inc. |
| IATA | `UA` |
| ICAO | `UAL` |
| AWB prefix | `016` |
| Country | US |
| Group | United Airlines Holdings, Inc. |
| Tracking | https://www.unitedcargo.com/en/us/track/index.html |

## Overview

United Cargo is the freight division of United Airlines, Inc., headquartered at 233 South Wacker Drive in Chicago, Illinois. The company is incorporated in Delaware and belongs to United Airlines Holdings, Inc. United Cargo is not a separate airline but the freight brand and sales organisation of the passenger carrier; the operator of the aircraft is United Airlines, Inc. itself. United operates no dedicated freighters. Capacity comes exclusively from the belly holds of the passenger fleet, which the carrier describes on its fleet page (as of September 2026) as more than 800 mainline aircraft and 600 regional airliners. On regional aircraft only QuickPak and LifeGuard shipments under 100 lbs are accepted.

The 2025 annual report names the hubs as Chicago O'Hare (ORD), Denver (DEN), Houston Intercontinental (IAH), Los Angeles (LAX), Newark Liberty (EWR), San Francisco (SFO), Washington Dulles (IAD) and Guam (GUM). From there United Cargo serves, according to company statements, Asia and Australia, Europe, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East. During the Covid pandemic United flew more than 17,000 cargo-only flights on passenger aircraft, according to then cargo president Jan Krems; that programme ended with the return of passenger traffic.

For forwarders: the IATA code is UA, the ICAO designator UAL, and the AWB prefix is 016. Air waybills run to eleven digits as 016-XXXXXXXX. The product range comprises GEN as standard freight, EXP as the express tier without weight restriction, QuickPak for small shipments, TempControl for temperature-controlled goods, LifeGuard for life-saving shipments, UAPremium for critical shipments over 100 lbs, TrustUA for funeral shipments and UASecure for valuables. Special handling is offered for flowers, perishables, dangerous goods and seafood. The electronic air waybill is available for all international shipments except those to or from the United States and Brazil and certain stations in China. Booking and shipment tracking run through unitedcargo.com.

## Hubs

- ORD
- DEN
- IAH
- LAX
- EWR
- SFO
- IAD
- GUM

## Sources

- [United Cargo - unitedcargo.com](https://www.unitedcargo.com/en/us)

- [IATA - Current Airline Members, United Airlines](https://www.iata.org/en/about/members/airline-list/united-airlines/65/)

- [United Airlines Holdings, Inc. - Form 10-K FY2025 (SEC)](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/100517/000010051726000023/ual-20251231.htm)

- [CHAMP Cargosystems - Traxon cargoHUB Airline Connectivity (Stand Juli 2026)](https://www.champ.aero/hubfs/Brochures/Traxon%20cargoHUB%20Airline%20Connectivity.pdf)

- [U.S. Census Bureau - Air Carrier Codes (sorted by 3-char abbreviation)](https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/schedules/ac/ac3.txt)

- [United Cargo - Leadership Update vom 14.08.2026](https://www.unitedcargo.com/en/us/2026-08-14-united-cargo-leadership-update)

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