By Sara Loca
Do you remember the days when you could carry a nail file and toothpaste on an airplane without threatening national security? Airlines have changed drastically over the past few years, and yesterday the industry transformed again: United Airlines purchased Continental.
Combining the airlines means combining the websites, which is expected to result in a huge spike in the commercial airlines’ website traffic share (11.67% total share). “Uninental” will soon be competing with Delta and Southwest for web dominance, and with 90 million Americans conducting travel research online, that’s a pretty important competition.
As with any purchase, there are concerns. Employee opposition isn’t new to mergers, but has a long history with United Airlines’ chairman Mr. Glenn F. Tilton. In 2002, employees went as far as wearing orange “Glenn Must Go” bracelets. There is also concern that the brands are too different and will struggle to find a unified identity.
Certain consumers are outright disapproving of this venture, including Matt Gross, "The Frugal Traveler" blogger for The New York Times.There is no doubt the airline industry has more changes to come, but are all of these changes encouraging or discouraging airline travel?