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    Cliff Notes

    Why Continental's flight to Chicago might put Bill White in the Governor'smansion

    Clifford Pugh
    May 3, 2010 | 11:34 pm
    • Photo by Jim
    • The new United plans looks a lot like the old Continental ones.
    • Could Bill White be the biggest beneficiary of the United/Continental merger?
      Photo by Richard Michael Pruitt

    Mayor Annise Parker and a gaggle of politicos, including Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and representatives for Senators John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchison, stood in front of TV cameras in the ceremonial room at Houston City Hall Monday afternoon trying to put on a brave face, much like Andy Roddick did when he lost to Roger Federer in last summer's Wimbledon final.

    Nobody was very happy, though. Houston's hometown airline is leaving town and the best thing several officials could say about it was, "We will be the largest hub for the largest airline in the world."

    Doesn't have much of a ring to it, does it?

    United's takeover of Continental Airlines didn't come as much of a surprise, but it still hurts. Parker and others tried their hardest to put the best spin on a disappointing situation. No one knows how many of Continental's 14,000 jobs in Houston will be lost, but the mayor said she is optimistic that a lot of operational and support positions will remain, although she conceded that a number of high-paying executive jobs are headed north.

    She also believes the merger will eventually create a lot of new jobs in Houston because Bush Intercontinental Airport has room for growth while Chicago's O'Hare Airport doesn't. The combined airline will fly to 370 destinations in 59 countries.

    "Our pride is nicked just a little bit because the headquarters will be in Chicago, but this is a business town and we understand business decisions," Parker said.

    While she may understand the decision, I, like a lot of others, don't. United's dominant role in the "merger" doesn't make much sense. Continental earns much higher mark from travelers, so you'd think that, at the very least, the Continental name would remain. At least United had the good sense to retain Continental CEO Jeff Smisek to run the airline and is keeping Continental's colors and logo font, although the result is a little unsettling.

    A mock-up of a plane with the new United logo looks exactly like the old Continental, but with a different name. It's like the evil twin who has assumed the identity of her sister in a 1940s movie.

    While a representative of Gov. Rick Perry touted the state's pro-business climate and such great selling points as no state income tax, no fuel tax, and a lower cost of living, he, like everyone else at the news conference, was at a loss for words to explain why, if Texas is such a hospitable place for business, did Continental decamp for Illinois?

    I suspect politics played a part in it. And, I'm not the only one. As a high-level Republican insider explained, there's a perception out there that Texas is losing its political clout.

    Although BAE Systems had manufactured Army trucks for nearly 20 years in Sealy, the Pentagon recently dropped production there and awarded a contract to a Wisconsin company located in the home district of U.S. Rep. David Obey, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. Few doubt that a substantial number of NASA jobs will be cut at the Johnson Space Center and end up in the battleground state of Florida.

    It's not much of a stretch to assume that United officials in Illinois, the home state of President Obama, believe they'll have an easier time in winning approval for the merger than if they had abandoned Chicago for Houston.

    You might think such sentiments would hurt Bill White in his quest to become the state's next governor, but the former Houston mayor might well find a blueprint for victory by tapping into the idea that Texas would be better off with a Democrat in the state's top job. If he can convince enough middle-of-the-road voters that the state is suffering economically by being so closely identified with the Republican party and can get some of its clout back by electing him, he stands a good chance of winning.

    Should that happen, White might be the greatest beneficiary of the United merger.

    unspecified
    news/city-life

    This Week's Hot Headlines

    Houston billionaire ranks among top U.S. landowners and more popular stories

    CultureMap Staff
    Jun 14, 2025 | 11:01 am
    HMNS Great Outdoors Gala 2022 Russell and Glenda Gordy and Red FJ Cruiser
    Photo by Jenny Antill
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    Editor's note: It's time to look back at the top Houston news of the week, including a look at one of America's top landowners. Plus, the sad closure of a pioneering steakhouse and a popular pizzeria makes plans for Houston. Get the details on our most popular stories below, then head here to plan your weekend.

    1. Houston oil-and-gas billionaire ranks among America's top 100 landowners. About one-fourth of the country’s mega-owners of private land have ties to Texas, either living here, owning land here, or both. The highest-ranked Houston-based landowner is oil-and-gas billionaire Russell Gordy.

    2. Houston's pioneering South American steakhouse will soon shutter in River Oaks. Sad news for inner loopers who are fans of plantain chips, wood-grilled steaks, and Houston’s best tres leches. The River Oaks location of South American steakhouse Churrascos will close Monday, June 16.

    3. Texas Monthly's BBQ Snob dishes on the magazine's new top 50 list. On this episode of “What’s Eric Eating,” Texas Monthly barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn joins CultureMap editor Eric Sandler to discuss the magazine’s new list of the 50 best barbecue joints in Texas.

    4. 'Famous' Bronx-based pizza chain fires up 3 Houston locations. A New York-based pizza chain has big plans for Houston. Called Singas Famous Pizza, the restaurant will soon open three locations in the area.

    Singas PizzaSingas Pizza is coming to Houston.Photo courtesy of Singas

    5. Texas slides down the list of best U.S. state economies for 2025. Texas' robust economy may be showing some cracks. Texas now ranks as the state with the eighth best economy, four spots lower than one year ago, according to a new report.

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