United Continental Holdings Inc. boosted its profit outlook, bucking cuts by rivals and signaling that a strategic overhaul is helping it manage just fine through higher fuel bills.

Adjusted earnings will be as much as $8.75 a share this year, 25 cents higher than the previous forecast, United said in a statement Tuesday as it reported financial results. Delta Air Lines Inc. and American Airlines Group Inc. have both pared their profit projections, citing cost pressures from pricier jet fuel.

United’s rosier view suggests that it’s gaining financial traction from efforts to bolster flights at its hubs, improve the computer system for pricing airfares and install plusher business-class seats. The No. 3 U.S. airline also slightly trimmed its plans for expanding flights and seats this year, taking a half step back from an aggressive growth plan that spooked investors when it was announced in January.

“We believe that we are starting to see an inflection point for customer perception of United (especially relative to Delta),” Darryl Genovesi, an analyst at UBS Group AG, said in a note to clients before the earnings report.

United has also sought to improve its operations to reduce flight delays and cancellations, which helps to lure more corporate business. The carrier said its on-time departure rate in the April-June period was the best second-quarter performance since its 2010 merger.

The airline advanced 3.3 percent to $75 after the close of regular trading in New York. United gained 7.7 percent this year through Tuesday, the only increase on a Standard & Poor’s index of five major U.S. carriers, which slid 14 percent.

Earnings Beat

United’s second-quarter adjusted income rose to $3.23 a share, topping the $3.06 average of analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Sales climbed 7.7 percent to $10.8 billion.

Revenue for each seat flown a mile increased 3 percent in the second quarter, the Chicago-based carrier said, at the upper end of its prediction of between 1 percent and 3 percent. The figure, known as unit revenue, is closely followed by investors as a proxy for an airline’s pricing power. For the third quarter, United expects the measure to climb 4 percent to 6 percent.

The report suggests that United is enjoying firmer pricing than its rivals, especially on international itineraries where fares have been stronger than at home, said Susan Donofrio, an analyst with Macquarie Group Ltd. Routes to foreign destinations accounted for more than 49 percent of United’s capacity last year, compared with 39 percent for American and 38 percent for Delta, according to Macquarie.

“Their pricing does look pretty solid,” she said.

Fuel Surge

United’s average fuel cost in the second quarter jumped 39 percent from a year ago to $2.26 a gallon, and its jet-kerosene bill rose by more than $700 million. Spot prices for jet fuel in New York harbor were $2.09 per gallon on Tuesday, 43 percent higher than a year ago. In the third quarter, United expects to pay as much as $2.32 per gallon.

Last week, Delta lowered its 2018 profit range by $1 per share because of higher fuel bills. That followed a cut by American in April. American further spooked investors on July 11 with a financial outlook that suggested airfares are weaker than expected this summer.

The quarterly results include a special charge of $105 million to reflect a lower value for United’s Brazilian routes following the May ratification of an Open Skies agreement between the South American country and the U.S. Airlines now have unrestricted access between the two nations.