United Airlines: Wrap of 2024, The Year of 'Eras' and 'Rawdogging'

Nearly 175 million people have flown with United in 2024.  Here’s what they’re watching, eating, drinking and more, when travelling

2024 was a big year for travel, with United flying nearly 175M people – a record number for the airline in one year. We saw travel trends like traveling to the Era’s Tour and “rawdogging” in the news, but what else were travelers up to at 30,000 feet?  

As the world’s biggest airline, United has a unique insight into what the every day person is interested in watching, eating and more when traveling, so we pulled together some of the top trends we saw on United flights in 2024: 

• Travelers were in their Eras era. On average, United saw a 25% boost in demand for flights as fans filled one blank (calendar) space at a time traveling around for the biggest concert tour of the year.  

• United was well prepared to fly travelers swiftly and safely (no bad blood here!) for some of the biggest demand increases during summer tour dates in Europe, including Milan and Munich (both up 40% vs. last year). 

• Other travelers were in their rawdogging era. On average, travelers spent 60 minutes watching the flight map versus other seatback entertainment options like movies, TV shows or games.  

• The most-watched TV show onboard this year was…Bluey! And that includes adult and kid passengers. Top popular shows also included classics like Friends, The Office, Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Big Bang Theory. 

• The Coca-Cola versus Diet Coke debate remains strong, as the most consumed sodas onboard ranked as 1. Coca-Cola 2. Diet Coke and 3. Seagram’s Ginger Ale. 

• The Barbenehimer showdown made its way to the skies: The most watched movie onboard this year was Barbie… followed closely by Oppenheimer. Other popular films include Anyone But You, The Beekepper and Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One. 

• Vodka and sparkling wine reign supreme, as passengers opted for Tito’s Handmade Vodka as their go-to alcoholic beverage and sparkling wine was the most popular wine varietal across every cabin.   

• Savory beat sweet when it came to onboard snacks, with the most popular snacks being the complimentary Summer Harvest Savory Snack Mix and for-purchase Tapas Snackbox and Pringles.  

• While some speculated Millennials only book flights on their computers, United saw that approximately 1/3 of Millennials do book their United flights on United.com though another 1/3 of Millennials book their United flights on the United app. And overall, more than 8 million customers booked through the United App this year – a 15% increase compared to last year. 

What’s to come in 2025? If United’s new 2025 summer destinations, like Greenland, Mongolia and Senegal, are any indication, there are some unforgettable experiences on the horizon.