Defined Benefit (Pension) · DOL Form 5500 · 2022

United Airlines, Inc. Pension Plan

Data updated 2026-08-25

$3.2B
Total assets Very large vs avg
24,855
Participants Very large workforce
100th
Percentile by assets National rank
$127,172
Avg per participant Near avg balance/head
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Official DOL plan name: The Continental Retirement Plan · Sponsored by United Airlines, Inc. · Texas · Transportation & Warehousing

$3.2B in assets, 24,855 participants

United Airlines, Inc.'s The Continental Retirement Plan reported $3.2B in total assets and 24,855 participants in its 2022 DOL Form 5500 filing, ranking in the 100th percentile by assets among filed plans. Figures are as reported by the plan sponsor to the Department of Labor, not audited or endorsed by PlainRetire.

  • #3,848 in Transportation & Warehousing (3,876 peers)

Coverage in Texas

The Continental Retirement Plan covers 24,855 participants in Texas, 36x the typical Texas plan (state average ~688 per filing). Assets: $3.2B.

#3,848
in Transportation & Warehousing (3,876 peers)
+4.5%
assets growth YoY
32×
vs typical plan assets (national mean)

The Continental Retirement Plan's outsized position by total assets

The Continental Retirement Plan vs every filed plan by assets

End-of-year total assets · plan year 2022 · DOL Form 5500

$3,160,860,704 Highest reported value at or above every one of 139,123 filed plans

This plan $0 $2,050,000,000 every filed plan with reported assets, bucketed by value

Dashed line + filled bar = this entry, among filed plans.

Source U.S. Department of Labor Form 5500 filings (EBSA) · plan year 2022

The Continental Retirement Plan's mega-plan peer group by participant headcount

Plan-year 2022 Form 5500 filings with a reported participant count, partitioned by headcount band, not by assets. The Continental Retirement Plan is a mega filing (24,855 participants), the rightmost band on the breakdown.

DOL schedule card

Filing strip 742099724 · United Airlines, Inc. PY 2022 · Defined Benefit (Pension)

The Continental Retirement Plan · $3.2B · 24,855 · 100th

  • PART $3.2B
  • TYPE 24,855
  • NET 100th
  • BOOK Defined Benefit (Pension)
  • VS-ST near Highmark Retirement Plan
  • BOY ind #3848

Stamps derive from this plan's Form 5500 line items (assets, participants, type, EIN, cohort placement) - not a quality rating of the sponsor. Read with Transportation & Warehousing retirement plans → · Plans in Texas →

The Continental Retirement Plan in the asset neighbourhood

Entergy Corporation Retirement Plan for Non-Bargaining EmployeesEntergy Corporation Retireme…$3.2BDuke Energy Retirement Cash Balance PlanDuke Energy Retirement Cash …$3.2BThe Continental Retirement PlanThe Continental Retirement P…$3.2BHighmark Retirement Plan$3.2BEmerson Electric Company Retirement PlanEmerson Electric Company Ret…$3.1B
End-of-year total assets ($B) among The Continental Retirement Plan and nearest nationwide Defined Benefit (Pension) peers. Source: DOL Form 5500 plan year 2022.

Texas filing particulars

Total Assets (Beginning of Year)$3.0B
Net Assets (End of Year)$3.2B
Net Income$135M
Employer EIN742099724
Plan Effective Date1988-12-28
Filing StatusFILING RECEIVED

Sponsor Plan History (United Airlines, Inc.)

Sponsor-wide plan assets over time

All United Airlines, Inc. plans reported in each filing year

Latest sponsor-wide plan assets
$32.6B 22.353597613920844% vs 2022
2024 filing year
$26B$28B$30B$32B$34B 202220232024 $26.7B $32.6B ▲ +22.3%
Year Plans Participants Total Assets
2022 6 110,304 $26.7B
2023 6 114,586 $31.8B
2024 4 102,481 $32.6B

Nearby Defined Benefit (Pension) Plans in Texas

Peer Defined Benefit (Pension) plans, same state, same plan type, ranked by total assets.

The Continental Retirement Plan vs. nearby Defined Benefit (Pension) plans in Texas, assets vs. participants Scatter plot of 6 data points. 050000100000150000 01020304050 Total assets ($B) Participants The Continental Retirement Plan, Total assets ($B): 3.160860704 · Participants: 24855The Continental Retirement PlanAT&T Pension Benefit Plan, Total assets ($B): 40.998144 · Participants: 119463AT&T Pension Benefit PlanShell Pension Plan, Total assets ($B): 14.642588618 · Participants: 12912Shell Pension PlanExxonmobil Pension Plan, Total assets ($B): 11.599 · Participants: 23661Exxonmobil Pension PlanCaterpillar Inc. Retirement Income Plan, Total assets ($B): 9.541187279 · Participants: 12815Caterpillar Inc. Retirement Income PlanBp Retirement Accumulation Plan, Total assets ($B): 5.371602289 · Participants: 9156Bp Retirement Accumulation Plan
The Continental Retirement Plan vs. nearby Defined Benefit (Pension) plans in Texas, assets vs. participants

Scale composition for The Continental Retirement Plan

The Continental Retirement Plan reports $3.2B in end-of-year assets across 24,855 participants (0.026% of the $12.3T held by all Form 5500 filers in the national rollup , and 0.026% of 93,925,755 covered participants) - about $127,172 per participant (92% of the national average assets-per-participant) . Net income for plan year 2022 was $135M.

This plan identity (EIN 742099724, plan #010) has 2 Form 5500 filings on file from 2022 to 2023 , with end-of-year assets moving from $3.2B to $3.5B (+11.0%) while covered participants moved from 24,855 to 25,492 . Single-year sparse filers cannot show that trail.

Plan year Participants EOY assets Filing
2022 24,855 $3.2B This page
2023 · index core 25,492 $3.5B Open filing

The same sponsor also keeps 4 other index-core plans on PlainRetire:

The Continental Retirement Plan's out-of-state Defined Benefit (Pension) peers by assets and headcount

Outside Texas, the nearest Defined Benefit (Pension) by assets is Highmark Retirement Plan in PA ($3.2B); by covered participants it is Adjustable Plan of the National Retirement Fund in NY (25,052 participants). Same-state nearby plans are listed separately above.

Closest by plan assets

Nearest other-state filings by tot_assets_eoy ($3.2B here).

Similar participant headcount

Nearest other-state filings by covered participants (24,855 participants); asset peers above are excluded.

DOL Form 5500 plan year 2022. Asset totals can differ widely at the same headcount; neither axis is a quality rating.

Frequently Asked Questions

How did The Continental Retirement Plan assets move in 2022?
The Continental Retirement Plan edged up modestly - up 4.5% during 2022, from $3.0B to $3.2B. Reported net income was $135M.
How have United Airlines, Inc. plan assets changed over time?
Across 3 plan years on file (2022-2024), United Airlines, Inc.'s sponsor-wide assets grew 22.4%, from $26.7B to $32.6B.
Where does The Continental Retirement Plan rank by assets among Form 5500 filers?
The Continental Retirement Plan ranks in the 100th percentile by end-of-year assets among 139,126 plans that reported assets for plan year 2022 (among the largest 1% of all filed plans).
Which Defined Benefit (Pension) plans are similar in size to The Continental Retirement Plan?
Among Defined Benefit (Pension) plans in other states, the closest by assets is Highmark Retirement Plan in PA ($3.2B, 15,759 participants).
Which Defined Benefit (Pension) plans cover a similar participant headcount to The Continental Retirement Plan?
Among Defined Benefit (Pension) plans in other states, the closest by covered participants is Adjustable Plan of the National Retirement Fund in NY (25,052 participants, $125M in assets).