I don't believe in karma , but if there was ever a set up for an epic tragedy, this is it.

(Reuters) — United Continental Holdings Inc. may combine the flight operations of its merger partners on Friday, a federal judge ruled, over the objections of United pilots who said they lacked proper training in the company's new procedures.

U.S. District Judge Sterling Johnson on Thursday denied United pilots' request for a temporary restraining order to block the flight integration. The pilots' argument, that the training shortfall would endanger the public, was "too speculative" to justify pushing back the deadline, he said.

United and Continental, which merged last year, planned to begin operating flights under a unified set of procedures Friday, as it seeks approval from the Federal Aviation Administration for a single operation certificate as soon as November.

The United chapter of the Air Lines Pilots Association filed suit in Brooklyn on Monday asking the court for a delay until the union could negotiate its members' concerns before a labor arbitration board.

A United spokeswoman said the airline would continue to proceed with its training procedures, which had been developed in consultation with the FAA.

A spokesman for the APLA could not immediately be reached for comment.

The case is Air Line Pilots Association v. United Airlines Inc., in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, no. 11-4661.