Check 10K filings from that period and you'll see that UAL domestic mainline ASM shrank by about 10% and feeder flying increased by around 10%, There might not have been more feeder airframes, but there was more feeder flying and it wasn't CAL, because our flying shrank by about 4% both mainline domestic and RJ. Also a pretty monumental economic crisis going on at that time.

A then furloughed UAL buddy told me in '07 there was realigning of flying as CAL entered the Star Alliance with UAL reducing its NYC presence. Anecdotally, I don't remember seeing any increase in flying to UAL hubs until after the actual merger. If it makes you feel any better the CAL EWR base was cut by around 30% in the fall of '08 and today is about 60% of its peak. I'm still not back to the relative seniority I had in my base almost five years ago.