United Vacations and Continental Airlines Vacations will merge their operations under the United Vacations name effective Saturday, Sept. 17. The combination of the vacation packaging operations of United Airlines and Continental Airlines will precede the final merging of the two carriers set to take place next year. Both of the airline private label vacation packaging brands are operated by MLT Vacations in Edina, Minn., which also operates Delta Vacations.

According to MLT executives, very little will change from the standpoint of travel agents and customers, except for a widening and integration of the product components. Contact information for the separate brands was already consolidated through a common phone number (800-727-1111) and a common website (www.worldagentdirect.com), and that contact information will stay the same. But agents booking the new combined United Vacations will now have access to all of flights operated by Continental.

“Travel agents will still be able to rely on us for one-stop shopping and we will still be able to provide them with the lowest available air fare,” said Alison Buckneberg, public relations specialist for MLT. “They will still get the same service, but United Vacations customers will now see the Continental flights as well. Disney will now be an option for folks who previously booked Continental Airlines Vacations. It wasn’t previously offered on Continental.”

MLT Vacations previously integrated the Northwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines vacation packaging brands when those airlines merged. “We have done this before with Northwest and Delta, so we’re pros with this,” said Buckneberg, MLT Vacations will continue to work closely with United and Continental as they continue their integration to ensure that all package vacation customers receive uninterrupted service. A series of FAQs on the integration is posted on www.worldagentdirect.com. For more information on United Vacations, call 800-727-1111 or visit www.worldagentdirect.com.