You are right about Munoz, but Tilton remained Chairman of the combined entity, and Smisek was President. I’m no fan of Smisek, but Continental was still a better airline to fly, even though it was better under Bethune. There is no getting around the fact that United acquired Continental, and the old United board had control of the combined entity. In any event, I’d rather fly Fronier, Spirit, or Jet Blue domestically than legacy airlines such as United or American.
Tilton remained Chairman, a figurehead, but CEO Smisek called the shots. BoDs are rubberstamps.