Continental Airlines and United Airlines shareholders overwhelmingly voted to merge Friday, paving the way for the creation off the world's biggest airline More than 98 percent of both companies' voters supported the deal, which was cleared by the US authorities late last month, Continental and United said in separate statements. "We are grateful for our stockholders' strong vote of confidence in this merger," Continental CEO Jeff Smisek said. "In approving the transaction, our stockholders recognised the value of bringing together Continental and United to create a platform for increased profitability and sustainable long-term value." United CEO Glenn Tilton said: "There is much work ahead as we bring these two companies together, pulling the best from both of our companies, and building on the work we have each done to strengthen our airlines." Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2010