UNITED CONTINENTAL POST LOSS DUE TO MERGER COSTS

United Continental Holdings has posted a fourth-quarter loss four months into the merger of United Airlines and Continental Airlines. However the newly merger airlines saw strong revenue gains on international routes and in its first- and business- class cabins. UAL reported fourth-quarter 2010 net income of $160 million or $0.44 diluted earnings per share excluding $485 million of special items consisting primarily of merger-related costs and other special charges, an improvement of $347 million compared to the pro forma results year-over-year. UAL reported pro forma full-year 2010 net income of $1.6 billion excluding $765 million of special items, resulting in