specification: FinOps Framework
specificationVersion: '1.0'
schema: https://www.finops.org/framework/
provider: United Airlines
providerId: united-airlines
created: '2026-05-04'
# Provenance stamped 2026-08-11: this artifact was written by the API Evangelist
# bulk sweep dated 2026-05-04, not harvested from the provider. See roadmap#35.
method: generated
modified: '2026-05-05'
reconciled: false
tags:
  - Airlines
  - Travel
  - NDC
  - FinOps
  - FOCUS
  - B2B
description: United Airlines does not expose a metered API billing model. API/content access is bundled
  with NDC, GDS, and corporate distribution agreements; FinOps maps to ticketing and distribution
  spend rather than per-call billing.
sources:
  - https://www.united.com
notes: No public usage-based API billing exists. This artifact captures the contractual surface only.
alignedWith:
  framework: FinOps Foundation Framework
  frameworkUrl: https://www.finops.org/framework/
  dataSpec: FOCUS
  dataSpecVersion: '1.3'
  dataSpecUrl: https://focus.finops.org/focus-specification/v1-3/
publisherName: United Airlines, Inc.
serviceCategory: Travel
billingModel:
  pricingCategory: Contract
  billingFrequency: Per-Invoice
  billingCurrency: USD
  chargeCategories:
    - Purchase
focusColumns:
  ServiceName: United Airlines
  ServiceCategory: Travel
  ProviderName: United Airlines
  PublisherName: United Airlines, Inc.
  InvoiceIssuerName: United Airlines, Inc.
  BillingCurrency: USD
  ChargeCategory: Purchase
meters:
  - name: distribution_agreement
    description: NDC / GDS / direct distribution agreement covering API and content access.
    unit: varies
    aggregation: sum
principles:
  - name: Visibility
    description: API consumption is not separately metered. Track query volume against the negotiated
      partner SLA rather than dollar-per-call.
  - name: Allocation
    description: Allocate United integration cost to the travel-procurement or distribution function;
      ticket cost is the dominant downstream financial line.
  - name: Optimization
    description: Optimize at the contract level - NDC vs GDS routing, corporate-rate consolidation,
      caching availability calls - rather than per-API-call.
  - name: Accountability
    description: Assign ownership to the team that holds the United distribution contract; review
      partner usage reports against contracted volumes.
maintainers:
  - FN: Kin Lane
    email: kin@apievangelist.com