I was thinking more along the lines of what happened to TWA, PanAm, PSA and Eastern Airlines.

I know that PanAm and Eastern got into major trouble with and because the unions. I can't quite remember what happened to PSA or TWA.

There's some precedent for that in the logo of a company that UA / CO have some shared history with:

http://www.decalsplanet.com/img_b/vi...ticker-905.jpg

+

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/92/24...b75e444d_m.jpg

=

http://www.scz.org/user/image/Sponso...oeingLogo2.jpg

! LON at 40% off is via ANA and VS; I know that trick. Where does 100K in F fit in? Never knew of that.

So if you have a free Amex card?? a long time with no fee why would you get rid if it? If you don't have a substantial balance each month it will help you credit score.

BBQ...yum. Have a great time.

I look forward to your food review: which is better: Austin or Kansas City for BBQ.

It will certainly be sad to lose the CO brand. I've seen it circling above Teh Pit since the meatball days. My first flight was on Texas International Airlines; I rode the meatball in the days of Frank Lorenzo; I even took some flights aboard Continental Lite. Witnessed the resurrection under Bethune, and sampled a fair number of the rapidly expanding TATL route structure in the 2000s.

However, things change. I'm pretty pleased at what the merger brings to the table. The CO/UA tie-up makes the most sense of any airline merger I have seen proposed or consummated in the past ~30 years. The complimentary route network is a huge plus. The expanded route network and reach will be huge. A widebody shortage will be a thing of the past. The new entity will have better pricing/priority power when making new aircraft orders.

I look forward to having excellent options to Europe, S. America, Mexico, Central America, Asia, and Australia/Oceania, all of which will be SWU eligible. I look forward to expanded long-haul service from IAH (I suspect SCL, MAD, and MUC will definitely be in the cards with the expanded 767 fleet, and perhaps HKG will also get the nod). LAX/SFO-GUM nonstop will probably happen, making Co Mike's Oceania network that much easier to reach. With domestic hubs in SFO, LAX, DEN, IAH, ORD, EWR, IAD, I suspect that intriguing routing options will be available on domestic itineraries (I left CLE off intentionally, as I think it is toast). The new entity's Hawaii footprint will be massive compared to CO. I also suspect that post-merger BD earnings in F will be 300/600, rather than 200/400 on CO flights (as it stands now).

Two big :rolleyes: that I foresee are the possibility of :-:Net Blocking, and adoption of UA's RTW redemption rates.

! Charge card gets paid off every month and is currently $95 per year. When it was Gold, it was $150 IIRC. I used to get the Plat pre-approval banner ad, but I could never justify that fee, as I'd never use the bennies enough to break even.

! My first flight was on Eastern (in F, at a few weeks old, no less) and I too remember the meatball and the disaster that was CO Lite. I think my EWR-ORY trip was aboard a CO 757.

Ouch thought it was the free card. Try and negoitate the rate when you go to cancel.

With respect to livery, I think the very best we can hope for is for the United tulip to change from white to gold on the tails of New UA, to incorporate the "golden" aspects of the CO brand. But even under such a best case scenario, that (and the CO BF flat bed seats that have already been installed on the 777/757 fleets - the 767 fleet will likely never get the CO bed, opting for the UA bed instead) would be about all that would visibly remain of Continental Airlines 12-18 months after the merger closed.

Make no mistake - while the full slate of people running the show and policies in effect for the merged airline will be up in the air until closing time (despite any pre-closure comments/rumors to the contrary), the fundamental end result of the merger integration will be United, albeit roughly doubled in size.

Thanks all for the UA CC tips! ^

My fear with the merger is ticket prices. We're reducing the number of carriers and taking two airlines that competed with each other in certain markets and combining them.

I took my annual pix of my house looks great this week so I can put it on the market. Nice to get complements from people at work driving by. Just sad that I will be living on severance at this time next year and I've been here 30 years. Still have a bit of work to make some of the interior rooms match the exterior:(

You are so right:(

Those ceiling are freakishly tall. I don't remember there being any heat issues in the winter but then again I was just happy to get out of the cold and get to bed when I stayed there when the Hampton Inn was full (usualy the case)

TXT me if anything happens tomorrow provided I get my proposal out the door at a decent time.

The UA forum provided me a pleasant surprise today. Apparently there is an ugliest UA plane photo contest thread.