Originally Posted by
APC225
along with career expectations, longevity, and status and category.
"The second key issue implicating the career expectations equity is the dramatic imbalance between United's jumbo and widebody-focused pre-merger fleet and Continental's fleet, which contained only a small number of widebody craft. As of the snapshot date, United had a total of 111 widebody aircraft, 76 of which were the largest, “jumbo” aircraft – Boeing 747-400s or Boeing 777s – which are the largest aircraft in either carrier's fleets and command the highest rates and best routes. Continental had only 46 widebody aircraft, of which only 20 were jumbos. Continental had no 747-400s, uniformly acknowledged to be the most desirable aircraft, see Continental-People Express at 120 (Ross 1991) (noting the “mystique factor in B-747 flying”), in its fleet.“
After a decade of divergent profits and fleet trends, Continental and United operated nearly identical fleet sizes: 349 and 359 aircraft, respectively, when the corporate merger closed. In addition to the aircraft on hand, Continental had 75 aircraft on firm order (and had options for another 98 aircraft), many of which represented growth aircraft. Continental has taken delivery of numerous aircraft that it had on firm order prior to the merger, including B737-800s, B737-900ERs and North America’s first B787s. Although in early 2010 United ordered 25 B787s and 25 A350s—initially scheduled to be delivered between 2016 and 2019—its fleet was destined to remain static, at best, because the orders were “part of the Company’s international fleet replacement program which provides for retirement of its international Boeing 747s and 767s between 2016 and 2019.” United Air Lines, Inc., SEC Form 8-K (Mar. 11, 2010).