I once wrote that growing market share while reducing business locations is akin to changing wings on an airplane in midflight. Few industries may be as familiar with this challenge as the ever-consolidating airline industry, which is seeing fewer carriers, fewer hubs and fewer direct flights.
But United Airlines appears to have found one fresh path to market share growth: It is partnering with a bunch of other merchants, including Staples, UPS and Apple.com, to appeal to its small....