United & Continental to merge

Yesterday, the aviation industry was stunned when it was announced that an all-stock merger between United Airlines and Continental Airlines was agreed upon, which would make it the world's largest airline.  The $3 billion merger (which took only three weeks to complete) would result in 10 domestic hubs that serve over 144 million passengers to 370 cities in 59 countries.  The United name will remain, with the new headquarters based in Chicago, but the Continental logo, livery, and colors will still be kept along with Continental's presence in Houston.  Management would be roughly split between the two.  But the deal still faces some potential hurdles.  First, it must pass stringent anti-trust rules, and second, the employee unions from both airlines must agree to the deal.  If everything goes through, the merger could result in more than $2 billion of additional revenue and cost savings.  But for us consumers, this will most likely result in higher fares, with less routes to choose from and more fees.  This is because consolidation would allow both airlines to cut routes and thus reduce seating capacity, which translates to increased fares.  I just hope nothing happens to my hard-earned Continental frequent-flyer miles.

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Proposed names for the new airline: Uninental?  Or how about Continited?