Continental Airlines

Continental Airlines, Inc. is a United States certificated air carrier. Based in Houston, Texas, it is the fourth-largest airline in the U.S. based on revenue passenger miles. Since 1998, Continental's marketing slogan has been "Work Hard, Fly Right."

Continental operates flights to destinations throughout the U.S., Canada, Latin America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific regions. It has more than 3,000 daily departures, serving 151 domestic and 120 international destinations and has 42,200 employees (as of March 2007). Principal operations are from its three hubs at Newark Liberty International Airport (in Newark, New Jersey), George Bush Intercontinental Airport (in Houston, Texas), and Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (in Cleveland, Ohio). Continental Micronesia, a wholly owned subsidiary, operates routes around Micronesia from its hub at Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport on Guam and connects the Micronesian region with destinations in East Asia, Southeast Asia, Honolulu and Cairns, Australia.

Continental Airlines is a minority owner of ExpressJet Airlines, which operates under the trade name Continental Express but is a separately managed and publicly-traded company. Cape Air, Colgan Air, CommutAir, and Gulfstream International Airlines feed Continental's flights under the Continental Connection identity, as does Chautauqua Airlines under the Continental Express identity, although Continental does not have any ownership interests in these companies.

Since September 2004, Continental has been a member of the SkyTeam Alliance, in which it participates with Northwest Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Air France, Aeromexico, Alitalia and KLM; In addition to extensive code share arrangements with SkyTeam partner airlines, the airline also code-shares with Amtrak rail services to some cities in the northeastern United States, with US Helicopter which fly from Newark Liberty International Airport to Manhattan, and with SNCF French Rail to destinations in France. In 2008, Continental announced that it will leave SkyTeam and join Star Alliance.

History

Early history

Continental Airlines began service in 1934 as Varney Speed Lines (named after one of its initial owners, Walter T. Varney) operating out of El Paso and extending through Las Vegas, Albuquerque, and Santa Fe to Pueblo (Colorado). The airline started with the Lockheed Vega, a single engine plane that carried four passengers. The airline later flew other Lockheed planes, including the Lockheed L-9 Orion, the Lockheed Electra Junior, and the Lockheed Lodestar. It was renamed Continental on 1 July 1937 after a new owner Robert Six had taken a forty percent ownership with Varney's co-founder Louis Mueller. Six relocated the airline's headquarters to Stapleton Airport in Denver in October, 1937. Robert F. Six was one of the patriarchs of U.S. aviation and had a reputation as a risk-taking executive who presided over the airline largely forged in his image for more than 40 years.

During World War II Continental's Denver maintenance facilities became a conversion center where the airline converted B-17s, B-29s and P-51s for the United States Army Air Force. Profits from military transportation and aircraft conversion enabled Continental to contemplate expansion and acquisition of new aircraft types which became available following the war. Among those types were the DC-3, and Convair 240. Some of the DC-3's were acquired as surplus planes after WW-II. The Convair was the first airplane operated by Continental that was pressurized.

The airline's early route network was limited to the southwestern United States. In 1953, Continental merged with Pioneer Airlines, gaining access to 16 additional cities in Texas and New Mexico which integrated well with the carrier's initial El Paso-Albuquerque-Denver route.

Growth

By the end of the 1950s, Continental Airlines had seen a broad expansion of its routes. In 1957 it flew for the first time from Chicago to Los Angeles (both nonstop, and via Denver); and from Denver to Kansas City. Continental Airlines introduced turboprop service with the Vickers Viscount 800 Series, on the new medium length routes. Continental was also an early operator of the Boeing 707, taking delivery of its first of four 707s in 1959. Six, not being satisfied with jet service alone, introduced dramatic service innovations with Continental's 707 operations which were described as, "...nothing short of luxurious" by the Los Angeles Times, and, "...clearly, the finest in the airline industry" by the Chicago Tribune.

Prior to the arrival of the Boeing 707 jets, Continental acquired DC-7s to operate its non-stop route from Los Angeles to Chicago.

Beginning in the early 1960s Continental added routes from Los Angeles to Houston (nonstop) and with services via Phoenix, Tucson, El Paso, Midland/Odessa, Austin, and San Antonio); and from Denver and to Seattle, Portland, New Orleans, and Houston (both nonstop, and with services via Wichita and Tulsa/Oklahoma City). In 1963 the company's headquarters moved from Denver to Los Angeles.

During the late 1960s, Continental replaced the Viscounts with DC-9s from Douglas Aircraft. The company also disposed of its piston powered airplanes, one of the first airlines to do so. The DC-3 was the final piston-powered airplane equipment operated by Continental, in the United States. A DC-6 was operated in the early part of the Air Micronesia operation.

Throughout the Vietnam War Continental provided extensive cargo and troop transportation for United States Army and Marine forces to Asian and the Pacific bases. As a result of Continental's experience in Pacific operations, the carrier formed subsidiary Air Micronesia, picking up island hopping routes between Saipan/Guam and Honolulu, which Continental operated with Boeing 727 aircraft (still operating, as Continental Micronesia). In 1968 a new aircraft livery was launched, the orange and gold cheatlines adorned with a black global circle on the jet's tails. The marketing slogan adopted in the late 1960s and used through the early 70s was, "The Proud Bird with the Golden Tail."

1969 saw the introduction of service from Los Angeles to Honolulu/Hilo; and in 1970, Continental's first Boeing 747s arrived. McDonnell-Douglas DC-10s were added to the fleet in 1971. Continental began its service from the Pacific Northwest to San Jose, Hollywood/Burbank, and Ontario, CA. In the late 1970s, Continental even flirted with the idea of merging with TWA's ancestor, Western Airlines and their similar fleet of DC-10 "wide-body Spaceships", however this was not proceeded with as expansion was to take Continental down a much different path.

Quality was the watchword in every detail of the carrier's operation; and in one anecdotal indication of Six's passion for premium customer service, every page of the airline's Customer Service Manual was inscribed with these words: "Nothing in this manual supersedes common sense." Bob Six relentlessly prowled the Continental system, as well as competitors' flights, to assure tight quality standards and to search for ideas that could be adopted to Continental's network.

At Six's insistence, Continental (with Pan Am) was a launch airline for the Boeing 747 aircraft. Its upper-deck first class lounge won awards worldwide for the most refined cabin interior among all airlines, as did meal services developed by Continental's Cordon Bleu-trained executive chef, Lucien DeKeyser. Continentals 747 services from Chicago and Denver to Los Angeles and Honolulu set the standard for service in the western U.S. When asked by one Denver customer service agent in 1974 why he flew Continental wherever he could, Hollywood legend Henry Fonda remarked, "This operation is class; strictly class!"

First African-American pilot

In 1963, Continental hired the first African-American pilot to work for any major carrier in the United States, Marlon Green, after a United States Supreme Court decision allowed a Colorado anti-discrimination law to be applied to his case against Continental.

Acquisition by Texas Air Corporation

In 1981 Texas Air Corporation, an airline holding company controlled by U.S. aviation entrepreneur and raider Frank Lorenzo, acquired Continental after a contentious battle with Continental's management who were determined to resist Lorenzo. Continental's labor unions also resisted, fearing what they termed as, "Lorenzo's deregulation tactics." During this struggle, Continental Airlines President, A. L. Feldman, committed suicide, on August 9, 1981, in his office. In the end, Texas Air Corp. prevailed. Frank Lorenzo became Continental's new Chairman and CEO. Texas International Airlines (TI), another Lorenzo holding, was merged into Continental Airlines in June 1982. TI ceased to exist and the "new Continental" relocated its headquarters to Texas Air's base in Houston, Texas. The merger resulted in a large expansion of Continental's hub at Houston Intercontinental Airport and its extensive routes to Mexico. Airline unions fought Continental at every step. In the Federal courts, they unsuccessfully sued to stop the company's reorganization. They were successful in working to persuade Congress to pass a new bankruptcy law preventing bankrupt companies from terminating contracts as Continental had successfully done. The law was too late to affect Continental and the cost cutting and changes that had rescued it from liquidation.

First bankruptcy

Frank Lorenzo took Continental into Chapter 11 bankruptcy in September 1983 after unsuccessfully attempting to negotiate a lower pay rate with labor unions. Following bankruptcy, Continental was freed of its contractual obligations and imposed a series of new labor agreement on its union workers, sharply reducing the airline's labor costs at the cost of employee morale. This move made Continental vastly more competitive with the new airline startups then emerging and thriving in the southwestern U.S.

Much of the airline was liquidated and the company was rebranded as a low-cost carrier. Continental was also forced to abandon its hub in Los Angeles although it maintained its Denver and South Pacific routes. A more streamlined, leaner Continental emerged only a few days after the bankruptcy filing, a fact which gave Continental the distinction of being the first airline to fly through bankruptcy.

Rapid growth through consolidation

In June 1985, Continental rebounded as signaled by the start of flights from Houston to London.

In October 1985, Texas Air Corp. made an offer for a Denver-based regional carrier, Frontier Airlines, opening a bidding war with People Express, which was headed by Lorenzo's former TI associate Don Burr. PeopleExpress paid a substantial premium for Frontier's high-cost operation. The acquisition, funded by debt, did not seem rational to industry observers from either the route integration or the operating philosophy points of view, but was in the opinion of most industry analysts rather an attempt by Burr to best his former boss, Frank Lorenzo.

On August 24, 1986, Frontier filed for bankruptcy and ceased operations. With PeopleExpress haemorraging cash, Texas Air acquired PeopleExpress on September 15, 1986, at the same time gaining Frontier, which reinforced Continental's Denver hub. The PeopleExpress hub at Newark allowed Continental to expand its east coast services for the first time in its history; and the carrier soon became the third-largest airline in the U.S.. Continental emerged from bankruptcy in 1986 with improved asset and cash flow positions and a more competitive route structure with routes radiating to every large U.S. city from major hubs at Denver and Houston.

On February 1, 1987, People Express, New York Air, and several commuter carriers were merged into Continental Airlines to create the sixth largest airline in the world. 1987 also saw the creation of the OnePass frequent flier program (jointly with Eastern Airlines), and in 1988 Continental formed its first strategic partnership (and the first international airline alliance of its kind) with SAS.

Second bankruptcy

In 1990, Frank Lorenzo retired after 18 years at the helm of Texas International and later Texas Air and Continental Airlines, selling the majority of his Jet Capital Corporation to Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS). According to William F. Buckley, in his September 17, 1990 article on National Review, the sale to SAS was conditioned on Lorenzo leaving the company. Shortly after Lorenzo left, the airline filed for its second bankruptcy in a decade. There were a number of circumstances behind the second bankruptcy, most importantly: Lorenzo had dedicated himself almost full time to Eastern Air Lines acquisition and labor relations issues; the 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and the resultant Gulf War had prompted a dramatic increase in the price of jet fuel; and People Express had also been highly leveraged at the time of its merger with Continental, having purchased Frontier Airlines just two years before. In addition to Lorenzo embarking on deals which saddled the airline with other carriers' debts, he also began consolidating the different airlines into one system. That resulted in a fleet comprising numerous aircraft types, evident in the array of liveries in the Continental fleet for years to come.

In the late 1980s, following a dramatic reduction of service by United Airlines and an unsuccessful attempt by USAir to build-up point-to-point service, Continental moved into Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and established what would become its third-largest system hub. Continental quickly gained nearly all of the gates in the airport's C concourse (once dominated by United), and later expanded that concourse in addition to constructing a new Concourse D.

In 1993 Air Canada, along with Air Partners and Texas Pacific Group, aided Continental in coming out of chapter 11 once again by investing $450 million in the airline. Under the leadership of former Boeing executive Gordon Bethune, who became President in October 1994, Continental ordered new aircraft in an effort to convert to an all-Boeing fleet. The airline's Denver hub - its historic operational base and headquarters for, in effect, almost 50 years - was reduced to spoke status (with service only to Houston, Newark, and Cleveland) in a further efficiency measure in 1995. Bethune also launched a 'Go-Forward Plan', designed to fix other problems with the airline. His experiences were chronicled in his 1999 book From Worst to First.

Current operations

Continental embarked on a program to expand its international operations. In 1998 it launched flights to Ireland and Scotland, and in October 1998 the airline received its first Boeing 777 aircraft, allowing non-stop flights from Newark and Houston to Tokyo, Japan, and from Newark to Tel Aviv, Israel. Continental in the same year launched partnerships with Northwest Airlines, Copa, Avant Airlines, Transbrasil, and Cape Air, and Continental and America West Airlines became the first two US airlines to launch interline electronic ticketing.

On March 1, 2001, Continental launched a non-stop flight from Newark to Hong Kong, flying over the North Pole, which was the first non-stop long-haul flight service for any airline with flying duration of 16 hours. The SARS outbreak in Asia caused service to be suspended until August 1, 2003. The launch in 2001 started a brief battle between Continental, United Airlines and Cathay Pacific over non-stop flights between Hong Kong and New York.

In 2005, Continental expanded service from Newark to Beijing after being awarded the China route. During the same year, five new European destinations including Stockholm in Sweden, Belfast and Bristol in the United Kingdom, and Hamburg and Berlin in Germany. 2005 was a year in which coverage in Asia was also expanded; Continental introduced a nonstop daily flight from Newark to New Delhi, India. With the success of this Newark-New Delhi route, Continental elected to open a second gateway in India. With the announcement of daily nonstop service to Mumbai, Continental will offer the most nonstop flights from the United States to India by any carrier. Continental also began new non-stop service to Cologne, Germany in 2006 and to Athens, Greece in 2007.

By May 2006, Continental passenger traffic surpassed that of Northwest Airlines, and Continental became the fourth-largest U.S. carrier, the first change in the top-five rankings since 2001.

The Wall Street Journal revealed on December 12, 2006 that Continental was in merger discussions with United Airlines. Of issue would be Continental's golden share held by Northwest Airlines, dating from a stakeholding relationship during the late 1990s, and the divestiture of Continental's Guamanian hub. A deal was not "certain or imminent," with the talks being in a preliminary state.

Recognizing operational capacity limits at Newark, Continental has begun further utilizing its Cleveland hub by developing more international services at Cleveland, altering its role from that of a reliever hub. On September 14, 2007, Continental announced a two-year expansion of its Cleveland hub, including new service from Cleveland to Paris commencing May 22, 2008. Additional international routes are expected to follow, pending the completion of a newly-expanded Federal Inspection Services station in Continental's primary concourse in Cleveland.

Domestically, the expansion will proceed in two phases. The first phase involves twelve new destinations to be served from Cleveland primarily on regional jets, with the new service in place by May 2008. Later, in 2009, up to 20 new destinations will be added, primarily on mainline aircraft. Continental states that the expansion will be complete in time for the summer 2009 travel season, and will result in up to 700 new jobs at its Cleveland hub. Nevertheless, the Economic crisis of 2008 not only ended those plans but also caused the Cleveland hub to decrease in size.

In May 2008, Continental Airlines sold its remaining 4.38 million shares of Copa for $35.75 a share, for net proceeds of approximately $149.8 million.

Continental said on June 5 2008 that it will cut 3,000 jobs and that the chief executive and president will decrease their salaries for the remainder of the year.

The airline also said it would reduce capacity and trim 67 mainline aircraft from its fleet by the end of 2009, retiring all of its 737-300s and all but 35 of its 737-500s.

On June 19, 2008, Continental Airlines announced that they would be leaving the SkyTeam Alliance and joining the Star Alliance in order to cooperate more with United Airlines. Continental notes that it will be business-as-usual until further notice. Continental had been in discussions with United Airlines earlier in 2008 to merge with them completely, but Continental pulled out of those discussions.

On August 19, 2008 The USA Today reported that Continental will furlough between 140 to 180 pilots. The article also mentioned that more than 2,500 jobs have already been eliminated, mostly by voluntary early out programs. Continental said in June that it would reduce U.S. capacity by 11% after the peak summer travel season ended.

Awards

• No. 1 Most Admired Global Airline; FORTUNE magazine (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008)
• No. 1 Most Admired U.S. Airline; FORTUNE magazine (2006)
• "Airline of the Year" by OAG (2004, 2005)
• Best Executive/Business Class; OAG Airline of the Year Awards (2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006)
• Best Airline Based in North America; OAG Airline of the Year Awards (2004, 2005, and 2006)
• Best Trans-Atlantic and Trans-Pacific Business Class among U.S. airlines; Condé Nast Traveler (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006)
• Best Airline for Travel in North America, Best Flight Attendants in the US, and Best Inflight Service in the US by reader survey in the UK's Business Traveller magazine (December 2006)
• Continental was also named "World's Most Admired Airline." by Yahoo!
• Award for Highest-Ranked Network Airline by J.D. Power and Associates

Destinations

Continental, together with Continental Express and Continental Connection, has more than 3,100 daily departures throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. As of midsummer 2008, it is serving 145 domestic and 138 international destinations with more than 550 additional points served via SkyTeam alliance airlines.

Continental Airlines operates primarily a hub-and-spoke route network with North American hubs in Cleveland, Houston, and Newark, and a mid-Pacific hub in Guam. Continental operates most of its flights from its hubs, with a few exceptions (most notably Seattle-Anchorage and Los Angeles-Honolulu). Some airlines using the Continental Connection name also operate flights not involving hubs, such as Gulfstream International Airlines, which operates intra-Florida and Florida-Bahamas services.

Continental has served Australia in the past with Douglas DC-10 and Boeing 747 service from Hawaii; Continental withdrew from much of the Australian market, leaving Boeing 737-800 services between Cairns and Guam. Continental also operated a large hub in Denver and closed the hub in 1995 shortly after Stapleton International Airport was replaced with the current Denver International Airport.

Briefly during the mid-1990s, Continental operated a hub at Piedmont Triad International Airport (Greensboro, High Point and Winston-Salem), primarily as the base of its short-lived Continental Lite experiment. The airline dismantled the Greensboro-High Point-Winston Salem hub by 1995 following the termination of Continental Lite.

Continental was initially a domestic airline. It has served Mexican destinations for many years. During the Vietnam War, it began a presence in the Pacific region that formed the basis of the current Micronesian operation. Service to Japan was initiated in the 1970s from Guam and Saipan, and by the late 1980s, nonstop service between Seattle and Tokyo was briefly offered with 747 equipment, soon to be replaced with a direct Honolulu-Tokyo (Narita) flight. Through the 1990s, Continental maintained a minimal presence in the long-haul transpacific market, until the delivery of 777s in 1998 which saw the addition of nonstop Tokyo service from Houston and Newark. By 2007, Hong Kong and Beijing were added to the network, with Shanghai to follow in 2009, all from its Newark hub.

It entered the transatlantic market in April, 1985, with the introduction of the Houston-London Gatwick flight. Long restricted from Heathrow due to the provisions of the Bermuda II agreement, Continental has focused its London operation on Gatwick, where in 2007 as many as six flights a day were offered to Newark, Houston, and Cleveland.

In March 2008, a new Open Skies Agreement with the EU takes effect, invalidating Bermuda II restrictions limiting the number of carriers and cities in the US that can serve Heathrow. In November 2007, Continental announced that new, nonstop, twice-daily service from its hubs at Houston-George Bush Intercontinental and Newark-Liberty to London-Heathrow will be offered beginning March 29, 2008. The services will replace select existing frequencies to Gatwick and will be offered with a combination of Boeing 777-200ER and 767-200 equipment culled from other flights around the network.

Continental flies to the most scheduled destinations of any of the big 6 US airline in India, Japan, Mexico, and the United Kingdom, and is the only US airline to fly to the Federated States of Micronesia, Indonesia, Marshall Islands, Norway and Palau. It has the most scheduled international destinations of any U.S.-based airline if Continental Express destinations are included. Continental began service from Newark to Mumbai, India on October 1, 2007 making it Continental's second Indian destination.

On September 24, 2007 the Department of Transportation tentatively awarded Continental permission to begin daily direct service between Newark and Shanghai on March 25, 2009. The transpacific segment of the route is planned to be operated with a Boeing 777-200ER aircraft, while the flight will originate and terminate in Cleveland with a change of equipment at Newark.

Continental is considering routes from its hub in Houston to Dubai, Rome, Milan, and Madrid to start when it starts receiving 787s in 2009.

Continental announced on June 12, 2008, that it plans to end service to 15 cities worldwide as part of its efforts to cut costs due to the oil price increases since 2003. The airline will close its gates and ticket counters in each of those airports. Service the following cities will be discontinued completely: Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia; Cali, Colombia; Cologne, Germany; Guayaquil, Ecuador; Monclova, Mexico; Santiago, Dominican Republic; Oakland, California; Palm Springs, California; Reno, Nevada; Sarasota, Florida; Tallahassee, Florida; Green Bay, Wisconsin; Chattanooga, Tennessee; Toledo, Ohio and Montgomery, Alabama.

Service to other destinations will also be slashed or eliminated from each of Continental's hubs in Newark, Houston, Cleveland and Guam. Travelers from Houston and Cleveland will be hardest hit by the planned cuts. Continental previously planned to expand the Cleveland hub.

Fleet

Continental's all-Boeing fleet has an average age of 10.2 years as of April 2008.

It consists of the following aircraft:

Continental Airlines Fleet

Aircraft	Total	Passengers (First*/Economy)	Routes	Notes
Boeing 737-300	47	124 (12/112)	Domestic short-medium haul US, Mexico, Canada	Exit from service: 24 in 2008, 23 in 2009 Will be retired by end of 2009
Boeing 737-500	55	114 (8/106)	Domestic short-medium haul	Exit from service: 13 in 2008, 7 in 2009 Will retrofit 35 with winglets
Boeing 737-700	36 (37 orders)	124 (12/112)	Domestic and Caribbean short-medium haul	No deliveries in 2008 or 2009 All configured with winglets Installing DirecTV Installing Wi-Fi service offered by LiveTV
Boeing 737-800	113 (4 orders)	152 (20/132) 155 (14/141) 157 (16/141) 160 (16/144)	Domestic and Central America short-medium haul Continental Micronesia US, Mexico, Canada, Caribbean	Deliveries: 4 in 2008 All configured with winglets Installing DirecTV Installing Wi-Fi service offered by LiveTV
Boeing 737-900	14	167 (18/149) 169 (20/149)	Domestic short-medium haul	Will install 2 additional First Class seats To be configured with winglets Installing DirecTV Installing Wi-Fi service offered by LiveTV
Boeing 737-900ER	14 (20 orders)	173 (20/153)	Domestic medium-long haul	Deliveries: 6 in 2008, 14 in 2009 Installing DirecTV Installing Wi-Fi service offered by LiveTV
Boeing 757-200	41	175 (16/159)	Domestic/international medium-long haul and Caribbean	Configured with BusinessFirst seats Installing AVOD in economy throughout fleet
Boeing 757-300	17	216 (24/192)	Domestic medium-long haul, Caribbean	Installing DirecTV Installing Wi-Fi service offered by LiveTV Largest operator of the Boeing 757-300
Boeing 767-200ER	10	174 (25/149)	International medium-long haul Europe, South America, Asia US Domestic (i.e. EWR-IAH)
Boeing 767-400ER	16	235 (35/200) 256 (20/236)	International medium-long haul Continental Micronesia, Mainland Hawaii, Europe, South America, Asia	One of only two operators of the Boeing 767-400ER
Boeing 777-200ER	20 (8 orders)	283 (48/235) 285 (50/235)	International long haul	Deliveries: 2009-2012 Two additional BusinessFirst seats and AVOD being added to fleet through late 2009
Boeing 787-8	(8 orders)			Entry into service: 2010
Boeing 787-9	(17 orders)			Entry into service: Late 2011/Early 2012

^{*First Class is offered on Domestic Flights. BusinessFirst is offered on Transatlantic/Transpacific Flights.}

Continental Airlines was one of three carriers (with American Airlines and Delta Air Lines) to sign an exclusivity agreement with Boeing in the late 1990s. When Boeing acquired McDonnell Douglas, the European Union forced Boeing to void the contracts. Both parties have been adhering to the terms under a gentlemen's agreement.

Continental was one of the first major airlines to fly the Boeing 757 on transatlantic routes. There have been some instances of range limitations on west-bound transatlantic flights due to strong headwinds resulting in a fuel stop which does not appear on the timetable, but these stops are not common. The use of the 757 with its smaller seating capacity has allowed for "thin" routes (routes with less passenger traffic) to be economically viable. It has allowed non-stop service from smaller cities, such as Bristol, England, to the New York area. Previously, customers from the Bristol area had to go to London to cross the Atlantic.

Former fleet

• Airbus A300
• Boeing 707
• Boeing 727
• Boeing 747
• Convair 240
• Douglas DC-3
• Douglas DC-6
• Douglas DC-7
• Douglas DC-9
• Douglas DC-10
• Lockheed Lodestar
• Lockheed Vega
• McDonnell Douglas MD80
• Vickers Viscount
• Boeing 737-100
• Boeing 737-200

Cabin

Continental Airlines, along with all United States SkyTeam carriers, has a two-class layout, First/BusinessFirst and Economy Class, for aircraft in the mainline fleets.

BusinessFirst

BusinessFirst is the equivalent of business class on Continental Airlines' international flights. It is currently available on Boeing 757-200, 767-200, 767-400, and 777-200 aircraft. On Boeing 757-200, 767-200, and 767-400 aircraft, seats have 55 inches of pitch and 156 degrees of recline. Boeing 757-200s feature Audio-Video-On-Demand (AVOD), which is planned to be added on the Boeing 767 family aircraft in the future which currently have personal TVs. On Boeing 777-200 aircraft, seats have 55 inches of pitch and 170 degrees of recline. They also have personal TVs, but are gradually being upgraded to AVOD. Passengers aboard this class receive free meals and refreshments, including alcoholic beverages. All seats are equipped with lumbar support, a footrest, an adjustable headrest, and in-seat power. On Boeing 777-200 aircraft, seats are also equipped with a moveable reading light and more storage for personal items.

Continental recently announced their next-generation lie-flat BusinessFirst seat. The new seats will first be rolled out on the carrier's Boeing 777-200 fleet starting in second half of 2009, followed by their Boeing 757-200s. All future new-build Boeing 777s and 787s entering Continental's fleet will also be delivered with the new seats. The new seat, designed by BE Aerospace, will offer true lie-flat sleeping surfaces, universal power outlets, USB and iPod connectors, and large LCD screens (15.4" for 777 and 787, 10.4" for 757). There are no current plans to retrofit this seat to the Boeing 767 fleet, although Continental executives have stated that they continue looking for alternatives and hope to be able to offer an improved BusinessFirst seat on those aircraft at some point in the future.

Domestic First Class

Domestic First Class is offered on domestic flights. It is available on all Boeing 737 family aircraft, as well as Boeing 757-300 aircraft. Seats range from 20.75 to 21 inches wide, and have between 37 and 38 inches of pitch. Passengers aboard this class receive free meals, refreshments, and alcoholic beverages. Passengers can watch movies on overhead TV screens located throughout the cabin. Beginning in 2009, Continental plans to add LiveTV television and Wi-Fi services to all next-generation Boeing 737s and Boeing 757-300s which will be free of charge to First Class customers.

International Economy Class

Economy Class is available on all international flights. Seats range from 17.2 to 17.9 inches wide, and have between 31 and 32 inches of pitch. Passengers aboard this class receive free meals, snacks, and non-alcoholic refreshments; alcoholic beverages can be purchased for five United States dollars per drink or one Continental Currency coupon per drink.

Passengers aboard Boeing 757-200 aircraft can watch movies on overhead television screens located throughout the cabins. Continental plans to add new, ergonomic seats which will feature AVOD in every seat back. As of May 2008, 21 planes out of 41 have been fitted with the new seats and seat back televisions in Economy class. Boeing 767 and 777 family aircraft are equipped with a personal television located in every seat back. Continental plans to add AVOD to all Boeing 777-200 aircraft by 2009. Passengers seated in rows 7-16 (B757-200), rows 19-23 (B767-200), rows 16-23 (B767-400), rows 17-23 (B777-200) have a power-port located below their seats. On select Boeing 777-200 aircraft, all seats are equipped with power-ports that do not require special power adapters or cables; ordinary US, Japanese, and European mains plugs will work.

Domestic Economy Class

Economy Class is available on all domestic flights. Seats are 17.2 inches wide, and have between 31 and 32 inches of pitch. Passengers aboard this class receive free meals, snacks, and non-alcoholic refreshments. Continental Airlines is one of the few US airlines that still serves meals at traditional meal times free of charge. Alcoholic beverages may be purchased for $5 or one coupon per drink. Passengers on select Boeing 737-300 and all Boeing 737-700, 800, 900, 900ER, and 757-300 aircraft can watch movies on overhead television screens located throughout the cabin and headsets for these are $1 each. Beginning in January 2009, Continental plans to add LiveTV television and Wi-Fi services to all next-generation Boeing 737s and Boeing 757-300s which will cost $6.00 to use for Economy Class customers. It will take 18 months to fully install this service aboard all 250+ aircraft that will receive the service.

OnePass

Established in 1987, OnePass is the frequent flyer program for Continental Airlines, Copa Airlines and AeroRepública. OnePass offers regular travelers the privilege to obtain free tickets, First Class upgrades on flights, discounted membership for its airport lounge (President's Club), and other types of rewards. Customers accumulate miles from flight segments they fly or through Continental Airlines partners. OnePass elite tiers are Silver, Gold, and Platinum Elite which have benefits such as free upgrades, mileage bonus, priority check-in, priority boarding, and much more. Continental previously had a frequent flyer program prior to OnePass, which was started not long after American Airlines started its frequent flyer program in 1981 and when most large United States airlines followed, but this was merged with Eastern Airlines' frequent flyer program in 1987 to form OnePass. The name "OnePass" refers to the ability to accumulate miles on two major airlines, namely Continental and Eastern, in one frequent flyer program.

In addition to its Continental Express, Continental Connection, and SkyTeam alliance partnerships, Continental has frequent flyer partnerships with the following airlines:

Alaska Airlines American Eagle (only within California) Cape Air Emirates Airline EVA Air	Hawaiian Airlines Horizon Air Island Air Kingfisher Airlines Qantas US Helicopter Virgin Atlantic

OnePass members may also earn miles through partner car rental companies and hotels. Because of their partnership with Amtrak, miles may also be earned on certain Amtrak trains as well.

Presidents Club

The Presidents Club is the membership airport lounge program of Continental Airlines and Copa Airlines. The clubs all have open bars, but have also started a premium bar service where higher end wines can be purchased by the glass. Continental was the first airline to offer free wi-fi in their lounge. There are 26 clubs throughout the world and members have full reciprocal privileges at over 40 additional locations including lounges operated by selected SkyTeam partners including Delta Air Lines, Aeroméxico, Alitalia, and Northwest Airlines. Presidents club members also have access to Alaska Airlines lounges and Amtrak Acela clubs. The Presidents Club offers lifetime memberships, something that as of November 2008 costs non-elite OnePass members $5,500. BusinessFirst customers flying an international itinerary as well as International Business Class customers are allowed access to the clubs. BusinessFirst customers may bring up to two guests and Presidents Club members may bring two guests or their immediate family (spouse and children under 21 years of age). American Express Platinum and Black card members are granted access to Presidents Clubs if they are flying on a Continental operated flight that day under a Continental flight number.

Locations

The Presidents Club locations are listed below:

Atlanta Austin Boston Chicago O'Hare (Shared with Northwest Airlines) Cleveland Dallas/Fort Worth Denver Fort Lauderdale	Guam Honolulu Houston (5) London Heathrow (SkyTeam Lounge - opens Spring 2009) Los Angeles Las Vegas New York La Guardia Newark (3)	Panama City, Panama (Shared with Copa Airlines) San Antonio San Francisco Santo Domingo Shared With Copa Airlines Seattle/Tacoma Washington Reagan

Continental Currency

At airport kiosks Continental Airlines allows customers to buy "Continental Currency," a prepaid credit for audio headsets and alcoholic beverages on flights.

Continental allows customers to buy "Continental Currency" in the following quantities:

• 1 coupon for $5USD
• 2 for $10
• 3 for $13 (airline advertises this as a $2 discount)
• 6 for $25 (airline advertises this as a $5 discount)

Codeshare agreements

Continental Airlines has codeshare agreements with the following airlines as of May 2008:
(This list does not include SkyTeam airlines)

• AeroRepública
• Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air
• American Eagle (services within California only)
• Cape Air, and the Continental Connection agreement, 'Continental Connection operated by Cape Air in Micronesia and Southern Florida.
• Emirates Airline
• EVA Airways
• Hawaiian Airlines
• Island Air
• US Helicopter
• Virgin Atlantic Airways

Continental Connection codeshares

''Continental Connection has a codeshare with American Eagle (the American Airlines and AMR Corporation equivalent of Continental Express), yet not with American Airlines. Also, American Eagle does not operate as Continental Connection, it codeshares specifically with Continental Connection, not Continental Airlines. The operators of Continental Connection are:

• CommutAir operates mostly from Continental's Cleveland hub.
• Colgan Air operates out of Houston, Newark, and Cleveland. Colgan, as a subsidiary of Pinnacle Airlines (which currently flies as the largest operator of Northwest Airlink flights), operates Bombardier Q400 aircraft out of Newark and Cleveland and Saab 340B aircraft out of Houston as 'Continental Connection'.
• Cape Air operates (Continental also has a codeshare with the mainstream Cape Air) in Southern Florida and from Guam to Saipan, Saipan to Rota and Rota to Guam.
• Gulfstream International Airlines operates in the Bahamas, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando, Tampa, and West Palm Beach, Jacksonville, Fort Walton, Tallahassee, Fort Myers, Key West, and Sarasota.

Environmental Record

Continental Airlines has made efforts to minimize their negative effects on the environment. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Design for the Environment Program recognized Continental Airlines in 2008 for their use of a non-chromium surface pretreatment that is environmentally friendly on their airplanes. Continental Airlines is the first airlines to integrate this technology within their airplanes. The product, PreKote, helps eliminate toxins and hazardous chemicals that are usually used in the pretreatment phase before repainting airplanes. This technology provides employees with improved safety conditions, while also reducing wastewater. In addition to this recent award by the EPA, Continental Airlines has previously been awarded by the EPA, and they have also been recognized by NASA and Fortune Magazine for their positive environmental conditions. Continental Airlines has also made other efforts to reduce their environmental impact. The company’s employees have made efforts to focus their operational procedures and 12 billions dollars worth of investment funds into acquiring 270 fuel-efficient airplanes and other related equipment. These efforts have helped to decrease their greenhouse gas emissions and fuel consumption by 35% per mainline revenue passenger mile over the past 10 years. In addition to these projects, Continental Airlines has also begun a program that provides their passengers with the opportunity to offset their carbon dioxide emissions during flight for two additional dollars. This is the cost helps pay for planting trees. In addition to this, passengers can also contribute 50 dollars or more, which funds renewable-energy projects like wind or solar power and also works to plant algae in oceans or trees in forests.

Continental Airlines is planning to fly tests with a biofuelled aircraft. In 2009, the airline plans to partner with GE Aviation to conduct a demonstration flight. This makes Continental Airlines the first major United States carrier that has releasing plans to conduct tests using biofuels.

Incidents and accidents

The following are major incidents and accidents that occurred on Continental Airlines mainline aircraft.

Continental Airlines Reported Incidents

Flight	Date	Aircraft	Location	Description	Casualties
Fatal	Serious	Minor/Uninjured	Ground
11	May 22, 1962	Boeing 707-100	Unionville, MO	A passenger looking to claim money from life insurance planted a bomb on the aircraft which departed Chicago-O’Hare destined for Kansas City Municipal Airport. The bomb exploded, the tail broke off, and the plane crashed on a farm near Unionville, Missouri. All 45 on board died. The aircraft had previously been subject to an attempted hijack to Cuba, although the hijackers were captured in El Paso, TX.	45
290	January 29, 1963	Vickers Viscount	Kansas City, MO	Flight 290 was flying from Midland, TX to Kansas City when it crashed on approach. The plane crashed near the south end of the runway and burst into flames.	8
N/A	April 13, 1973	NA-265 Sabreliner	Montrose, CO	The thrust reverser of the aircraft was deployed in flight shortly after takeoff. The Sabreliner descended from 1000 feet and struck the ground.	2
603	March 1, 1978	McDonnell Douglas DC-10	Los Angeles, CA	Flight 603 was scheduled to fly to Honolulu, HI from Los Angeles. The DC-10 overran the runway during an aborted takeoff as a result of a tire explosion resulting in a fire engulfing the aircraft. The aircraft was declared a total loss.	2	31	167
1713	November 15, 1987	McDonnell Douglas DC-9	Denver, CO	Flight 1713 bound for Boise, Idaho crashed on take-off during a snowstorm.	28	28	26
55	July 25, 2000	McDonnell Douglas DC-10	Paris, France	Flight 55 contributed to the crash of Air France Concorde Flight 4590 in Paris. The Continental jet dropped a strip of titanium alloy from its thrust reverser on the runway. When AF4590 departed, Concorde's left main landing gear tires struck the strip of metal and were punctured. The tires exploded as Concorde began its takeoff roll. The tire rubber fragments penetrated Concorde's wing fuel tanks, starting fires in engines 1 and 2, leading to the crash which killed all aboard. According to the official report on the accident, the strip of metal installed on the Continental jet was made from a different alloy than had been approved by the US Federal Aviation Administration or the engine manufacturer. This led French authorities to begin a criminal investigation into Continental Airlines.			113

Minor incidents

• On July 1, 1965 Continental Airlines Flight 12 ran off the runway at Kansas City Downtown Airport landing in heavy rain. All 66 on board survived.
• On February 19, 1996, Continental Airlines Flight 1943, a Douglas DC-9-32 aircraft flying from Washington, DC to Houston, made a wheels up landing in Houston Intercontinental Airport. There were no fatalities. The cause of the accident was flightcrew’s failure to perform the landing checklist and confirm that the landing gear was extended.
• On May 11, 1997, Continental Airlines Flight 1760, a Boeing 737-500 en route from Houston to Corpus Christi, mistakenly landed at Navy Landing Airfield Cabaniss, a Naval auxiliary field five miles southeast of Corpus Christi International Airport. Passengers waited three hours on board the aircraft while buses were brought in to transport them from the World War II era airfield to the correct airport. The NTSB report cited inadequate in-flight planning and decision and the failure to use navigational aids as the cause of the incident, in which no one was injured.
• On August 2, 1997, aboard a Continental Airlines Boeing 757-200 in Lima, Peru, a passenger in a wheelchair was left at the top of the air stairs while an agent was bringing the wheelchair for loading. The passenger was reportedly instructed to remain in place. The passenger continued to walk and passed through an open door on the right side of the plane used for catering and fell to the tarmac resulting in death The incident, not a result of an aircraft crash, initiated an FAA investigation and report because it involved a passenger death.
• On April 25, 2000, a Continental Airlines DC-10 suffered an uncontained engine failure when 2 of its 3 engines burst through the fan casing. The breach also ruptured the primary hydraulic lines, and blew the tires. The aircraft landed 34 minutes after takeoff on one engine.
• In a mishap on June 14, 2000, a Continental Airlines MD-80's engines were undergoing a test run, at gate C115 at Newark International Airport, which inadvertently caused it to crash into the gate area with six people aboard, all staff members. Nobody was hurt, but the gate area was damaged. The plane was scheduled to be operated as Continental Airlines Flight 481 to be flown between Newark and Detroit.
• On 2 March 2005, a Continental Airlines Boeing 777-200ER aircraft, with 14 crew and 198 passengers on board, scraped the tail region on take off from Newark Liberty International Airport. The aircraft landed back uneventfully. The rear pressure bulkhead was found to have been damaged (ref: Flight International, July 2005).
• On January 16, 2006, a contract mechanic working for Continental Airlines was sucked into the engine of a Boeing 737-500 and killed. The incident took place at El Paso International Airport.
• On October 28, 2006, Continental Flight 1883, a Boeing 757-200 aircraft carrying 160 passengers, landed on a narrow unoccupied taxiway parallel to runway 29 at Newark Liberty International Airport. No one was injured and both pilots were temporarily removed from flying status duties pending an investigation and have since been reinstated. Potentially confusing runway lighting and pilot error were cited in the investigation.
• On January 20, 2007, Continental Flight 1838, a Boeing 757, departed George Bush Intercontinental Airport at 11:30 a.m. with 210 passengers. The aircraft bound for Puerto Vallarta, Mexico was forced to divert to McAllen, TX after the captain, who was on his initial operating experience, became incapacitated while in flight. The check captain, who was acting as first officer, executed a safe landing in McAllen where the captain was pronounced dead.
• On June 13, 2007, passengers aboard Continental Flight 71 from Amsterdam to Newark endured harsh conditions when raw sewage spilled from one of the lavatories on the aircraft, resulting from a passenger flushing a latex glove. The plane landed at Shannon Airport in Ireland, where an overnight repair attempt was made and took off from Shannon as Continental Flight 1970. The problem resurfaced while the plane was flying over the Atlantic Ocean, and passengers were exposed to overflowed human waste for the remainder of the trip.
• On March 7, 2008 a Continental Boeing 737-300 from Houston slid off the runway into the grass shortly after landing in Columbus, OH. There were no injuries. The accident was caused by poor visibility, due to a major winter storm bringing over a foot of snow to the Columbus area.

See also

References

• Continental Airlines, Customer Service Manual, 1970 edition.
• Vietor, Richard H. K. "Contrived Competition: Airline Regulation and Deregulation, 1925-1988," The Business History Review, Vol. 64, No. 1, Government and Business (Spring, 1990), pp. 61-108

External links

• Continental Airlines official website
• Continental inflight magazine
• Continental Airlines Cargo
• Continental Airlines industry consolidation website
• Mechanic sucked into jet engine CNN