A Continental Airlines plane passes a United Airlines plane parked May 2 at a gate at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. Shareholders of United and Continental airlines voted Friday to approve a combination of their companies that would create the world’s biggest airline and could have far-reaching effects on where they fly and how much they charge passengers.

The biggest airline in the world will have the United name, Continental’s globe logo and potentially far-reaching effects on air travel.

Shareholders who approved combining the two companies Friday hope the new airline attracts more top-dollar corporate travelers with its larger network while reducing costs. Some industry watchers say the deal will lead to higher fares, but United and Continental say there’s enough competition from low-cost airlines to keep prices from rising.

The vote for the deal topped 98 percent at both companies, which expect the $3 billion stock swap to close in the next two weeks after loose ends are tied up. Regulators in the U.S. and Europe have already signaled approval.

With the voting over, the real work begins. Passengers won’t notice changes immediately, but behind the scenes the airlines will be combining two separate groups of highly unionized workers, merging reservations systems and putting new paint jobs on the planes. The companies expect it will be at least a year before federal authorities approve their request to fly as one airline.

The UAL acquisition of Continental will combine United’s strength in the Midwest, the West Coast and across the Pacific with Continental’s presence in Texas, the East Coast and routes to Europe and Latin America. Measured by traffic — the number of miles flown by paying customers — the new United will leapfrog Delta, Air France-KLM and American Airlines to become the world’s biggest airline.

Shareholders of United parent UAL Corp. will own 55 percent of the new company, to be called United Continental Holdings Inc. and based in United’s hometown of Chicago. It will be led by Continental Airlines Inc. CEO Jeff Smisek. Smisek hinted Friday at layoffs, saying there will be overlapping jobs when the two combine, but he did not give any numbers.

United and Continental overlap on few routes, but Rick Seaney, CEO of FareCompare.com, said he still expects the deal to affect how passengers fly and how much they pay. “Losing a major competitor is likely to make prices rise — all things equal on the economy and fuel prices,” he said.

United and Continental say they compete with low-cost carriers on about three-fourths of their U.S. routes, helping to keep fares down.

Kevin Mitchell, president of the Business Travel Coalition, said most of his corporate clients that he’s talked to assume prices will rise. But he said many think fare increases will be offset by new or better discounts for big travel customers.

Several dozen passengers have sued over the United-Continental combination, claiming it will lead to fewer flights and higher fares. A federal judge in San Francisco was scheduled to hear closing arguments Friday on a request to block the deal. The plaintiffs claim the new airline would have a monopoly over nonstop flights on several routes within the U.S.