The Continental- United merger reaches another milestone Wednesday with federal approval to operate as one airline, the union representing Continental pilots said Tuesday.
A Continental spokeswoman would not confirm when the Federal Aviation Administration was expected to grant the single-operating certificate.
But passengers are unlikely to notice any immediate significant changes once the FAA issues its single-operating certificate, the paperwork that allows the two airlines to operate under a single set of policies and procedures.
Issuance of the certificate does mark another key step in the merger, which became official nearly 14 months ago, between Houston-based Continental Airlines and Chicago-based United Airlines.
Because unions representing various work groups - including the pilots - have not reached joint agreements with the merged carrier, the Continental arm of the Air Line Pilots Association downplayed the significance of the change.
"The key to merging the airlines operationally, and to reaping the full benefit of the merger, is reaching agreement on a new joint contract with the pilots," ALPA spokeswoman Amy Flanagan said in a statement. "Only after reaching such an agreement can the pilots' seniority lists be combined. It is only then, after these two steps are completed, that the two airlines can begin to operate as a single airline."
ALPA, however, sent an email to pilots alerting them to the change in radio call signs and telling them to prepare for a "week with the potential for distractions and threats to safety." It noted that dispatch processes will be different and warned of potential confusion over flight numbers or even missed calls from air-traffic controllers.
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