As a consumer, this is almost my worst nightmare

Funny, I had the same feeling for Delta before they "merged" with Northwest.

A couple of friends who were Continental pilots felt like they got a sour deal after the merger.

 

Worked out OK for one of the Continental pilots tho; he hired on with the Saudi royal family and flew their 747's for a few years before retiring.

 

So what’s the thought that they shouldn’t have done an ocean crossing after this happened?

 

Depends if there was an actual Over G and/or over speed of the flaps. If there was an over G, crew would not necessarily know that but it would be reported to Maintenance via datalink. Same for a flap over speed, except the crew should have noticed that. Returning to Maui probably not due to the weather and short runway, maybe some thought to divert to HNL instead of doing an ocean crossing.

Again, I still don’t have all the details….

 

My mom had a cousin that worked for Continental for decades. When United took over, the job became a horrible work place.