United Airlines Lost a Massive $1.8 Billion, Cut Thousands of Staff and Burned Through $25 Million a Day in the Third Quarter Posted byKate Duffy and Reuters October 15, 2020 Leave a comment on United Airlines Lost a Massive $1.8 Billion, Cut Thousands of Staff and Burned Through $25 Million a Day in the Third Quarter But CEO Scott Kirby added that by cost cutting and building up nearly $20 billion of liquidity, it was ready to prepare for an eventual recovery.