United Airlines is the product of several massive mergers, the most significant of which was the 2010 takeover of Continental Airlines. This merger, which was finalized in 2012, created the world's largest airline at the time and is why modern United uses the "Globe" logo that originally belonged to Continental. Historically, United also grew by acquiring Capital Airlines in 1961, which helped it dominate the eastern U.S. markets. In the early 1990s, United significantly expanded its international footprint by purchasing the Pacific routes and the London Heathrow hub from Pan Am as that legendary carrier collapsed. While United didn't "take over" another major airline in the 2020s, it has entered into deep "Joint Business Agreements" with carriers like Lufthansa and Air Canada, which function similarly to mergers in terms of route coordination and revenue sharing. The 2010 Continental deal remains the defining moment of the modern United brand, merging two distinct corporate cultures into the global powerhouse we see today.