FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2012
Location: MCO
Programs: AA, B6, DL, EK, EY, QR, SQ, UA, Amex Plat, Marriott Tit, HHonors Gold
Posts: 12,809
This was a very interesting, well thought out, and well written article. I flew Continental and United a few times in the 90s and 2000s and the merged airline one time since then, but have always been a loyal AA and DL (up until last year) flier.
With a few CO flights in the mid to late 2000s I noticed a huge difference in the quality of the airline between early 2008 and 2010. From about the time CO left Skyteam for *A it began a downward spiral and by the time it merged with UA was a shadow of the industry leading airline it had been.
Like many have said, UA on the other had was almost irrelevant after 9/11. There was no innovation, investment in product, or expansion into new markets and the whole demeanor of the airline seemed stagnant and unconcerned. From what I can see, the only three things United brought into this merger were a Pacific network, international First class, and the United name. I'm still left unsure of why CO went into this merger at all.