In an interesting week of news on the financial stability of the domestic airline industry. United Airlines has cleared out most of the major issues it was facing.

United Airlines’ three-year bankruptcy neared an end Wednesday as the final objections to its reorganization plan fell, one by one, during a marathon court hearing.

The airline won approval for an incentive plan that will award stock to top executives and managers. It also settled a long-running dispute with flight attendants over a retirement plan. And lingering issues with retirees, government attorneys and airplane leaseholders were resolved.

Bankruptcy Judge Eugene Wedoff said he would announce Friday whether he would approve the agreement, though no outstanding objections to it appear to be left.

Meanwhile, Delta Air Lines CEO Gerald Grinstein has said that Delta has completed 70 percent of its reorganization plan and is on plan to leave bankruptcy in 2007.

“My aspiration would be to come out in the spring or summer of ‘07,” CEO Gerald Grinstein said Wednesday in an interview at Delta headquarters.

Grinstein said 2006 will be a “critical year” for the carrier, which continues to lose money amid high fuel costs and brutal competition. “In ‘06 we have got to stabilize the company,” he said. via AJCGrinstein also went on to say that Delta will not be merging with Northwest Airlines as had been speculated on.