United Airlines, Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
United Airlines Pilot Retirement Account Plan
Chicago, ILTransportation & Warehousing17,052 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$43,454Employer $ per active participant
$17,712Employee $ saved per active participant
0.18%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$16.8BNet plan assets, end of year
$839,128Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity48.9 / 5098th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost5.2 / 2521th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving14.3 / 1596th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score75 / 100 · Grade A
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Transportation & Warehousing plans with 10,000+ active participants (46 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 98th |
| Lower admin cost | 21th |
| Employee saving | 96th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 30% |
Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $1,087,719 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- United Airlines put in about $43,454 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($1,415). Contribute at least enough to collect the full match. Skipping it leaves part of your pay on the table.
- The filing shows total dollars, not the match formula. Ask HR for the Summary Plan Description so you know the exact match and vesting schedule.
- Direct plan expenses (0.18% of assets) are well above similar-size plans (0.09%). Check your annual fee disclosure, choose low-cost index funds if you can, and think about whether savings beyond the match belong in an IRA.
- The plan auto-enrolls employees. Check your default contribution rate. Defaults are often lower than what it takes to get the full match.
- Changing jobs? You can usually leave the money in the plan, move it to your new employer's plan, or roll it into an IRA. Don't cash out: you'd owe taxes and possibly a 10% penalty.
The raw numbers from the filing
| Employer contributions | $740,948,382 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $302,021,558 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $87,411,768 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $27,670,183 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $27,417,197 |
| Benefits paid out | $1,044,254,612 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $14.3B / $16.8B |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 16,659 / 17,444 |
| Participants with account balances | 20,025 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Mitchell & Titus |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| O'hagan Group Inc | $3,524,996 reported compensation |
| United Wealth Management LLC | $1,510,049 reported compensation |
| Parsons Capital Mgmt LLC | $1,244,124 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20260429165613NAL0006006931001, received 2026-04-29, EIN 74-2099724, plan #202, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.
Other 401(k) plans filed under this employer's EIN
AUnited Airlines Flight Attendant 401(k) PlanBContinental Micronesia, Inc. 401(k) Savings PlanBUnited Airlines 401(k) Savings Plan
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