Nov. 17, 2010 at 2:01 p.m.
Filed under:
Airlines,
Earnings
By Reuters
U.S. airlines are projected to post $4 billion in profits for 2010, the chairman of the newly formed United Continental Holdings said Wednesday.
Speaking to an industry group in Washington, D.C., Glenn Tilton said the United Continental balance sheet needs a ”tremendous amount of deleveraging” and that it may be time to focus on making balance sheets more resilient.
The carrier has about $9 billion in cash. Get the full story »
By Reuters
United-Continental CEO Jeff Smisek, center, talks with two employees on Sept. 23, 2010, in Houston. (Tribune)
Airline company United Continental Holdings Inc., formed Friday in the merger of UAL and Continental Airlines, said Chief Executive Jeff Smisek would receive an annual salary of $975,000.
Smisek, who had been CEO of Continental, may also receive 150 percent of his salary as an annual bonus. Pay details were disclosed by the company in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing Friday.
UAL and Continental merged to create the world’s largest carrier by traffic. Get the full story »
Oct. 1, 2010 at 11:36 a.m.
Filed under:
Airlines,
Airplanes,
Airports,
M&A,
Updated
By Emily Bryson York
Continental Airlines CEO Jeff Smisek walks through Terminal C of Houston Intercontinental Airport to catch a flight to Chicago on Sept. 23, 2010. (Tribune)
United Airlines closed its merger with Continental Airlines Friday to create the world’s largest airline, called United Airlines. The stock begins trading this morning under the symbol UAL. The holding company formed from the all-stock merger will be called United Continental Holdings Inc.
The two airlines will begin marketing as one company in the spring. In the meantime, travelers will see United employees at United kiosks and Continental employees at Continental kiosks, depending on which carrier is handling the flight.
The company is working to combine frequent flyer programs. In a call with reporters, Smisek underscored, “your miles are safe.” Get the full story »
Sep. 30, 2010 at 1:28 p.m.
Filed under:
Airlines,
Chicago executives,
Personnel moves
By Ameet Sachdev and Julie Johnsson | The merger between United and Continental airlines is scheduled to become official on Friday, and there is an unexpected hole in the senior management team.
Tom Sabatino, who was supposed to be the top lawyer inside the combined United-Continental airlines, has resigned, the Tribune has confirmed. Get the full story »
Sep. 13, 2010 at 4:47 p.m.
Filed under:
Airlines,
Economy,
Jobs/employment,
M&A
By Julie Johnsson
United and Continental Airlines agreed on Monday to maintain a hub in Cleveland for at least five more years, as Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray ended his antitrust investigation of the mega-merger.
The announcement clears one of the last remaining roadblocks to the tie-up, which will create the world’s largest carrier. The Justice Department, which had been expected to provide the closest scrutiny of the deal, concluded its antitrust probe last month.
United and Continental shareholders will vote on Friday to formally approve the financial union of the two airlines. The deal is slated to close on Oct. 1, when Continental CEO Jeff Smisek will become chief executive of the new United. Get the full story »
Aug. 27, 2010 at 6:05 p.m.
Filed under:
Airlines,
Airplanes,
Airports,
Labor,
Litigation,
M&A,
Transportation,
Travel,
Unions,
Updated
By Julie Johnsson
Passengers at the United and Continental kiosks at O'Hare International Airport, May 3, 2010. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
The Justice Department approved the proposed merger of United and Continental airlines Friday, closing an unexpectedly speedy four-month investigation that paves the way for the mega-deal to close by Oct. 1.
To win the blessing of federal antitrust regulators, United and Continental agreed to lease slots for 18 round-trip flights to Southwest Airlines at Newark Liberty International Airport, beginning in March 2011.
Justice officials said the slot transfer was struck in “response to the department’s principal concerns” regarding the merger, which critics have warned will speed consolidation and eventually leave the three largest U.S. carriers with a lion’s share of the market. Get the full story »
July 27, 2010 at 9:03 a.m.
Filed under:
Airlines,
International,
M&A
By Julie Johnsson
The proposed merger of United Airlines and Continental Airlines cleared its first regulatory hurdle on Tuesday, as the European Union said it would approve the deal. But the merger, which would create the largest airline in the world, must still pass muster with U.S. antitrust officials. The mega-deal is expected to face far more rigorous scrutiny from the U.S. Department of Justice, which isn’t expected to wrap up its probe until later this year.
European officials, in a review of the transaction that began on June 21, quickly determined that it wouldn’t adversely affect competition, given the relatively light overlap between United and Continental on trans-Atlantic routes.
However, the EU continues to separately investigate a proposed joint venture that would allow United, Continental, Air Canada and Germany’s Lufthansa AG to closely coordinate north Atlantic flights, as well as share revenues.
July 7, 2010 at 2:11 p.m.
Filed under:
Chicago executives,
Government,
Trade
By Julie Johnsson
Illinois companies are well-represented on the council of business leaders President Barack Obama has created to devise a strategy to double America’s exports of goods and services in the next five years to help spur job growth.
Obama unveiled the trade initiative in his State of the Union address this year, saying he sought to open overseas markets through trade agreements and to ensure that U.S. companies compete on equal terms with their foreign counterparts. Get the full story »
July 7, 2010 at 8:59 a.m.
Filed under:
Government,
International,
Trade
By Dow Jones Newswires
President Barack Obama is scheduled to unveil a report Wednesday showing the U.S. is on track to double exports in the next five years and name the chief executives of United Parcel Services Inc., Walt Disney Co., Pfizer Inc. and other firms to a presidential advisory board on trade issues.
Other large, publicly trade companies that will be represented on the council include Metlife Inc., UAL Corp., Dow Chemical Co. , Ford Motor Co. , Verizon Communications Inc. and Archer Daniels Midland Co. Get the full story »