Originally Posted by EWR764

I am now hearing a very credible rumor (so credible, I hesitate to call it a rumor, but I didn't hear it personally, so...) that N641UA will be repaired on-site at IAH with Boeing AOG technicians assisting UA TechOps personnel.

Probably a few months before it's back in service, but the cost of repair is evidently outweighed by the totality of circumstances... not just value of the airframe, but the cash flow it will generate with another year or two of revenue flying without a direct replacement. Pretty cool that a 30+ year old airframe will undergo a major structural repair, and no question it will be stronger than before.