Continental Airlines: Pioneer In Low Fares
Based in Houston, Texas, Continental Airlines has hubs at Houston Intercontinental near Houston, Texas, at Newark, New Jersey, and at Cleveland, Ohio. Continental is the fourth largest airline in the USA, flying to destinations in North America, Mexico, Central and South America, Europe, Australia, Micronesia, and Australia. This airline offers over 6,000 departures every day to hundreds of domestic and international destinations, and employees nearly 83,000 workers.
Frequent fliers will want to know that Continental is a member of the SkyTeam Alliance, currently partnering with Delta, Northwest, Air France, Aeromexico, KLM, and Alitalia. In October 2009, however, Continental plans to discontinue its travel membership in SkyTeam in order to joint Star Alliance. Joining Star Alliance will permit Continental to work more closely with United Airlines, with which it has been in merger talks since 2006. For the immediate future, however, Continental plans to focus on its upcoming membership in the Star Alliance.
The airline offers a frequent flyer program called OnePass, which also operates on flights with Copa Airlines and Aero Republica. Members can also earn OnePass miles via Amtrak due to Continental’s partnership with the rail company. In addition, Continental also offers frequent flyer benefits to the airlines in the Star Alliance.
Continental was founded in 1931 in El Paso, Texas as Varney Speed Lines. It offered service to and from El Paso and destinations in New Mexico and Colorado and also to Las Vegas. As the early carrier expanded its routes, it changed its name to Continental in 1937.
Continental is a pioneer in the lower fare moment, introducing its first coach fares in 1962. It has been flying to Europe since 1985.
Continental Airlines was also the first American airline to hire an African-American pilot, in 1963, as well as the first U.S. carrier successfully to fly through bankruptcy.
Continental recently achieved yet another first with the first biofuel-powered flight by any commercial airline in the U.S. The fuel for the flight was a fuel oil blend extracted from jatrophra seeds and algae. Continental plans to continue working with biofuels, as part of its comprehensive effort to reduce its carbon footprint. Every passenger on Continental gets an opportunity to buy carbon offsets for as little as two dollars a ticket, the money used to restore deforested areas. The United States Environmental Protection Agency has honored Continental for its continuing efforts at greener transportation.
Every Continental jet is made by Boeing—737, 757, 767, or 777. Continental plans to add the Boeing Dreamliner 787 to its fleet in the next several years. Boeing has had an exclusive agreement with Continental to build its aircraft since 1990, although the European Commission found that the contract was void when Boeing acquired rival McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Continental continues, however, to get all its jets from Boeing.
Like every other airline, Continental has struggled with its finances. It reported losing millions of dollars in 2008 due to fuel costs and funding needs for retired pilots.
