United has taken much more aggressive steps to shore up their financial situation than virtually any other of the legacy carriers. They have parked 100 aircraft, sold assets and renegotiated others. At the expense of the 1437 furloughees and thousands of other terminated employees, the company is in stronger financial condition and better prepared to weather a protracted downturn. The condition a company was in 9 years ago has no bearing on its financial health today. United is in better financial shape than Continental.