United and Continental announced "a transition and process agreement" with both carriers' pilot groups ahead of a proposed merger

. United CFO Kathryn Mikells said the announcement represents "a good start" on work toward a final joint pilot deal. The companies plan to close the merger transaction by year-end. "We have established about 30 functional integration teams," Mikells said. "The focus of every team is to build an integration plan that allows for quick implementation post-close." She added that the regulatory process is "proceeding well"; that authorities in Canada "indicated that they don't intend to perform a review of the merger at this time"; and that all required filings have been submitted to the European Commission and other foreign jurisdictions.