come on now you really think it’s that simple? Next to Emirates we are one of the largest global carriers in the world. Our reach is immense but we require connections to make it work. There is a reason why Lufthansa flys A380s to our hubs while we fly 787s. They have FRA and MUC. We have LAX/SFO/DEN/IAH/ORD/EWR/IAD. We fly the same amount of passengers as LH but from more places.

IAH has a robust INTL portfolio but it’s because those people are going to IAH. No one is going to go out of their way to go to IAH on United to fly somewhere. United’s network doesn’t require that….Continentals did.