Skift Take

Continental and United did not learn much from the mistakes of Delta and Northwest. Its unequal contracts, incompatible systems, and divergent work cultures are signs of an arrogant, unwieldy management that can't rally the troops behind a common cause.

It was supposed to be a moment for celebration: United Airlines observing the delivery of its second Boeing 787 Dreamliner with a flight from Seattle to Chicago earlier this month for a select group of employees, while senior officers, including Jeffery A. Smisek, United’s hard-charging chief executive, served Champagne and took lunch orders.

But before the flight took off that morning, a computer glitch in one of the airline’s computer systems delayed 250 flights around the world for two hours.

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Tags: continental, united airlines

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