Quietly, Continental has become this incredibly organized, well-run globe-spanning carrier that's got a real brand.

It's almost kind of the worst scenario for the union. I would think that sometime in the next couple of weeks you might see some striking mechanics crossing the picket line to go back to work.

It is an economic analysis, but the problem is that there's also an ego factor at many airlines. That's when a CEO says something like we need to have a presence in the Denver-to-London market even if it loses money because everyone else has it. I can't tell you how many times I've seen that. It's one of the biggest mistakes an airline can make.

ESPN is an incredibly powerful brand, and I think that'll carry it.

We've seen strong and growing demand across the globe, spanning the gamut from developed countries to emerging economies in all major regions.

It's the end of a saga that devalues the Gerry Robinson brand - it was greedy of him to want such a huge salary. We'll wait and see how well Flynn gets to grip with things as this has cost him a lot of time.