The use of the 757 with its smaller seating capacity allowed for "thin" routes (routes with less passenger traffic) to be economically viable. The airline alerted federal authorities around 10:30 that morning that Flight 61 was being flown by the first officer and relief pilot. During the Vietnam War Continental provided extensive cargo and troop transportation for United States Army and Marine Corps forces to Asian and the Pacific bases. [7] "Air Mike", as it was known, initially operated with Boeing 727-100 aircraft with open-ocean survival gear, doppler radar, and a large complement of spare parts (including tires). Learn about Continental Airlines culture, salaries, benefits, work-life balance, management, job security, and more. Continental Airlines is a national regular airline that was founded in 1934 in United States. This decision again proved prescient, since the publicity associated with Continental's splashy 747 service Chicago-Denver-Los Angeles-Honolulu had stimulated increased market share and increased traffic for all carriers. The origin of Continental Airlines dates to the 1934 formation of Varney Speed Lines which operated airmail and passenger services in the American Southwest. Most flights had at least two meal services. The service initiated a brief dispute between Continental, United Airlines and Cathay Pacific over rights to non-stop flights between Hong Kong and New York. A Vickers Viscount was damaged beyond economic repair when the propellers struck the runway shortly after take-off. The service was free to first-class passengers and was available for a charge of US$6 in the coach cabin. Continental Airlines ceased operations on March 3, 2012 and got merged with United Airlines. Continental had been a principal shareholder in Copa. Flight attendants at United Continental Holdings , formed from the merger of United and Continental airlines, have selected the Association of Flight … [68], In June 2009, Continental Airlines took delivery of another new Boeing 737-900ER, which was painted with a retro livery to commemorate the airline's 75th anniversary. Airlines ditch free snacks, "Continental Airlines Installs New Audio/Video on Demand Entertainment Systems on International Routes – Business News", Continental to offer live TV and email on domestic flights, "Continental OnePass is Now United MileagePlus – Questions From Current Account Holders", "Don't Get Suckered by the Dying Continental OnePass Card! During the Vietnam War, Continental's extensive military charter operations established a presence in the Pacific region that formed the basis for the Air Micronesia operation. Following bankruptcy, Continental was freed of its contractual obligations and imposed a series of new labor agreements on its union workers, sharply reducing the airline's labor costs. On March 1, 2001, Continental launched a non-stop service from Newark to Hong Kong, operating over the North circumpolar route. These customers received access to Continental's Presidents Club and affiliated Star Alliance lounges on day-of-departure. [69] In July 2009 Continental began to offer DirecTV, giving customers the choice of 95 channels of live television programming, more channels than any other carrier. Certainly, we demand that if we pay for it, it be a better quality experience, but beyond that… google_ad_width = 160;
[96], On October 31, 1937, Continental moved its headquarters to Stapleton Airport in Denver, Colorado. google_ad_slot = "6416241264";
Continental was experiencing significant financial challenges both before and after Texas Air's takeover, and management showed how Continental could not compete and survive with its cost structure. [22][23][24] American planned massive, rapid growth through new hires at starting pay 50 percent lower than existing contracts and equitable with low-cost, startup carriers and well below Continental's pay rates. Six was introduced to Louis Mueller (who would serve as Chairman of the Board of Continental until February 28, 1966). 1 Greenest U.S. United retains a number of these flight routes, mostly based out of Newark, including Newark-Hamburg, Newark-Dublin, and Newark-Berlin. Flight 1943 landed wheels up on runway 27 at the Houston Intercontinental Airport, Houston, Texas. After a merger with United Airlines, it ceased operations under its own name in 2012. These interchange routes continued for many years until Continental was able to secure routes of its own between each city. I will never forget my first flight from Dallas to Houston on Continental Airlines. Boeing 767 family aircraft were equipped with a personal television located in every seat back, using a tape system. Take a look at the specially selected flight offers we have created from the most frequently searched flights for Continental Airlines by our users. Continental's CEO, Larry Kellner, commented "This is a good step forward, an opportunity to really make a difference to the environment" citing jatropha's 50–60% lower CO2 emissions as opposed to Jet-A1 in its lifecycle. Continental Airlines Flight 1883 was a Boeing 757 that mistakenly landed on a taxiway at Newark Liberty International Airport on the evening of October 28, 2006. Continental Airlines Flights . [159] Meals in Economy Class were served on most flights to and from Asia and Europe. Continental Airlines was found criminally responsible for the disaster to Concorde (. 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. [70] Continental also launched Virtual Expert technology on their website at continental.com, offering customers 24-hour support on the Web for all their travel needs. He and his team viewed the company as stuck in the pre-deregulation era and in need of serious changes to be competitive. The DC-10s served large markets (Los Angeles to Chicago, Denver, Houston and Honolulu; and from Denver to Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle and Houston). As an upshot of all this, Six bought into the airline with US$90,000 and became general manager on July 5, 1936. A deal was not "certain or imminent", with the talks being of a preliminary nature. The operators of Continental Connection were: Continental's all-Boeing fleet consisted of four types (737, 757, 767, and 777) in ten variants, with two variants of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner scheduled to enter service in 2011. See more ideas about continental airlines, airlines, vintage airlines. The livery, which was originally used on aircraft beginning in 1947 and is called The Blue Skyway, was selected by Continental employees. On flights within North America and to or from the Caribbean and Latin America, the airline offered "Specialty Beverages" for purchase in economy class. [59], In May 2008, Continental Airlines sold its remaining 4.38 million share investment in Panamanian flag carrier Copa for $35.75 a share, netting proceeds of $149.8 million. The last Continental Airlines flight taking off was "Continental Flight 1267", flying from Phoenix to Cleveland, and arriving into Cleveland as "United Flight 1267". [17][18] In three letters left to his children, Feldman said he had been depressed since the death of his wife the previous year. It began its operations in 1934 under the name Varney Speed Lines. On October 1, 2010, UAL Corporation and Continental Airlines completed the planned merger and changed the name to United Continental Holdings. (Aviation Week June 22, 1959: "Continental's current re-equipment program — involving a total cost of $64 million for the Boeings, Viscounts and DC-7Bs — was launched in 1955 when the carrier's net worth amounted to $5.5 million. August of 1973, our family took a vacation to Hawaii. In March 2008, an Open Skies Agreement between the U.S. and the European Union became effective, invalidating Bermuda II restrictions that had limited the number of carriers and cities in the U.S. that could serve London-Heathrow. The service was based primarily at Continental's existing hub in Cleveland as well as a new hub established in Greensboro, North Carolina. [55] The Wall Street Journal reported on December 12, 2007 that Continental was in merger discussions with United Airlines. The shareholders of both airlines approved the deal on September 17, 2010. [67] In March 2009, Continental became the first U.S. carrier to inaugurate scheduled service between New York and Shanghai, China, with daily non-stop flights from the airline's hub at Newark Liberty International Airport. In October 1985, Texas Air Corp. made an offer for a Denver-based regional carrier, Frontier Airlines, opening a bidding war with PeopleExpress, which was headed by Lorenzo's former Texas International associate Don Burr. Continental Airlines fleet consists of 339 aircrafts with 28 Boeing B 737 900ER,16 Boeing 767/400ER,17 Boeing B757 300,12 Boeing B737 900,117 Boeing B737 800,20 Boeing 777-200ER,10 Boeing 767-200ER,41 Boeing B757 200 c2,36 Boeing B737 700,34 Boeing B737 500,8 Boeing B737 300 C1 . A wheels-up landing was made in a wheat field. Continental Flight 1883 was a Boeing 757-224, registration N17105, on a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Orlando, Florida to Newark, New Jersey, with 148 passengers and 6 crew on board, which mistakenly landed on a taxiway at Newark Liberty International Airport, on the evening of October 28, 2006. 600JeffersonHoustonTX.JPG. Bob Six commented on more than one occasion that, "the reason we bought Pioneer was to get Harding." As part our commitment to scholarly and academic excellence, all articles receive editorial review. Continental started out as one of the smaller carriers in the United States, known for its limited operations under the regulated era that provided very fine, almost fancy, service against the larger majors in important point-to-point markets, the largest of which was Chicago/Los Angeles. Continental first entered the transatlantic market in April 1985, with the introduction of a Houston-London-Gatwick service. On flights from Los Angeles and Orange County to Honolulu/Kahului with Boeing 737 equipment, domestic First Class seats were substituted. [167], Continental Airlines began offering 95 channels of live DirecTV television to all passengers on its domestic fleet beginning in January 2009. 1 Most Admired Global Airline, a title it earned again in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008. The South Pacific service began May 1, 1979. google_ad_client = "ca-pub-2707004110972434";
The airline commenced operations with the Lockheed Vega, a single-engine plane that carried four passengers. It developed the "progressive maintenance" program, which enabled Continental to fly its 707 fleet seven days a week, achieving greater aircraft utilization than any other jet operator in the industry. Continental's Denver to Kansas City route would interchange onto St. Louis with Braniff Airways and United's routes from Seattle and Portland to Denver would interchange with Continental's routes onto Wichita and Tulsa. Harding Lawrence implemented several innovative changes at Continental as well as a flamboyant advertising campaign during his ten years as Six's protege. Pioneer's Executive Vice President Harding Luther Lawrence arrived at Continental as a result of the merger. Continental Airlines ceased operations on March 3, 2012 and got merged with United Airlines. Continental Airlines Flight 1713 was a commercial airline flight that crashed while taking off in a snowstorm from Stapleton International Airport in Denver, Colorado on November 15, 1987. [54] By May 2006, the carrier's passenger traffic surpassed that of Northwest Airlines, and Continental became the fourth-largest U.S. [7][11] 1960s saw international routes awarded to Continental (to New Zealand and Australia) in the Transpacific Case, but they were cancelled by the Nixon Administration. It made the 5 hour flight go by way too quickly. Some affiliated airlines used the Continental Connection name also operate flights not involving hubs, such as Gulfstream International Airlines, which operated intra-Florida and Florida-Bahamas services. When Boeing acquired McDonnell Douglas, the European Union forced Boeing to void the contracts. The companies were merged in 1982, moved to Houston, and grew into one of the country's largest carriers despite facing financial and labor issues, eventually becoming one of the more successful airlines in the United States. In 1963 the company headquarters moved from Denver to Los Angeles. Other routes with special meal service available in first class include Los Angeles to/from Honolulu, Los Angeles to/from Maui, Orange County to/from Honolulu, and Orange County to/from Maui. ", "ASN Aircraft accident Lockheed 18-01-01 Lodestar NC25636 Albuquerque, NM", "ASN Aircraft accident Convair CV-340-35 N90853 Midland, TX", "ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 707-124 N70775 Unionville, MO", "ASN Aircraft accident Vickers 812 Viscount N242V Kansas City, MO", "Midair collision, Continental Air Lines, Inc., Flight 712, Boeing 707-320C, N47330, Floyd Flying Service, Cessna 150J, N61011, Compton, California August 4, 1971", "ASN Aircraft accident North American NA-265 Sabreliner 60 N743R Montrose, CO", "ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727-224 N88777 Denver-Stapleton International Airport, CO (DEN)", "E.R.A.U. Flight 46, on a flight from Midland, Texas, to Kansas City, Missouri, suffered vibration just after takeoff and went into a dive; the flight crew managed to make a wheels-up landing in an open field. [86] Continental's air operator's certificate (AOC) was retained, while those of United and Continental Micronesia were surrendered. [82], On May 2, 2010, the Boards of Directors at Continental and United Airlines approved a stock-swap deal that would combine them into the world's largest airline in revenue passenger miles. In June 1979 Continental linked Denver with Washington, D.C., Las Vegas, San Francisco and San Jose and also began Houston-Tampa service. He later pioneered a number of other low or discount fares which made air travel available to many who could not previously afford it. CONTINENTAL AIRLINES FLIGHT 1943 DOUGLAS DC-9 N10556 HOUSTON, TEXAS FEBRUARY 19, 1996. Continental Airlines is the first carrier in the world to utilize this technology on their aircraft. The company traced its With Continental's experience in Pacific operations, the carrier formed subsidiary Air Micronesia in May 1968, inaugurating island hopping routes between Yap/Saipan/Guam, Majuro, Rota, Truk, Ponape (Pohnpei) and Honolulu. Reproduction Date:
