United's new CEO acknowledges airline's failures

NEW YORK -- Five years after United Airlines and Continental merged, the company's new CEO is declaring in a public letter that the combined company has failed to live up to fliers' expectations.

Just three weeks into the job, CEO Oscar Munoz acknowledged in full-page newspaper ads directed at United's passengers and employees that integrating the two airlines "hasn't always been smooth."

Since the merger, United has been plagued with chronic delays, computer outages and dissatisfied workers, who have a reputation for taking out their frustrations on fliers.

On Sept. 8, Chicago-based United named Munoz to replace Jeff Smisek who, along with two other senior executives, was ousted following an internal investigation into the airline's dealing with the public agency that operates its hub airport in Newark, New Jersey.