United or Continental? If you had to repaint a bunch of airlines and airport hangars, which brand would you pick if the two airlines become one?
Various reports say a United-Continental merger may actually happen and that board meetings are imminent as the two airlines haggle over price and numerous other issues.
Is anyone else besides me scatching their heads over reports that United would be the brand to survive if the two airlines converge?
According to reports, Continental's stock would be exchange for United shares, Continental CEO Jeff Smisek would retain his title at the merged airline and United CEO Glenn Tilton would become its chairman.
And United would be the surviving brand.
We all know about United Breaks Guitars, which is only a miniscule element of United's brand-reputation problems.
United Airlines earns a 2.0 rating from its employees on Glassdoor.com while Continental garners a 3.9 rating.
The deal would kill an airline brand -- Continental -- with a fairly decent reputation, and create a much-larger airline with a widely acknowledged tarnished brand -- United Airlines -- leading the way.
Go figure.
Of course, the deal may never be and then the brand issue would be moot.