Originally Posted by globetrekker84
Pardon my ignorance, but how would an earlier arrival slot allow UA to do an LAX-FRA?

It's because flights to Europe tend to arrive in the morning and leave in the early afternoon (to go back to the US). When airlines have one flight between a city pair (US-Europe), it fairly consistently arrives in the morning and the return leaves in the afternoon (for connections, business travelers, and hotel timings). 3:00 PM arrival and 5:25 PM departure don't qualify for this.