UAL, parent of United Airlines, on Tuesday posted a fourth-quarter loss after foul weather hurt operations at its two largest domestic hubs.

The airline said its quarterly loss amounted to USD$61 million, compared with USD$16.9 billion a year earlier while the company was in bankruptcy.

UAL said its domestic performance was hurt by severe snowstorms in Chicago and Denver, its two largest hubs.

The company, which emerged from bankruptcy in February 2006, posted revenue of USD$4.59 billion, compared with USD$4.39 billion a year earlier.

The airline, battered along with the rest of the industry by high fuel costs, said it paid 2.3 percent less for fuel in the fourth quarter than it did a year earlier.

UAL said it ended the quarter with a cash position of USD$5 billion, including USD$847 million in restricted cash.

Shares of UAL gained 63 percent in the fourth quarter, outpacing the Amex airline index, which gained 23 percent in the same time period.