All the major employee groups have now reached agreements with Northwest, though some remain to be ratified by workers.

Two years later I ended up with Northwest, starting in 1979.

A merger with Northwest would be much more disruptive.

The Continental agent and her supervisor spent more than an hour trying to work out a new itinerary with Northwest.

"We were on hold with Northwest forever; your wife was so patient," said the agent.

This caused issues during and after the merger with Northwest, whose employees had a much higher rate of unionization.

The pending alliance with Northwest should incrementally add to earnings next year.

The move was limited to about 1,800 markets in which it competes directly with Northwest.

A combination with Northwest is therefore likely to lead to fewer grounded planes, if any.

But when asked if the move would help the manufacturer's relations with Northwest, she said, "I'm certain it doesn't hurt."