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Continental Airlines: The Low-Fare, Green-Fuel Pioneer

Continental Airlines is based in Houston, Texas, with hubs in Newark, New Jersey and Cleveland, Ohio as well.  Continental Airlines is the fourth largest airline in the United States and flies to destinations in the United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe and Asia. Continental offers more than 6,000 daily departures, serving hundreds of national and international destinations.  The airline employees almost 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 Airlines was founded in 1931 as Varney Speed Lines.  The company name was changed to Continental Airlines in 1937.  The airline was originally based in El Paso, Texas and offered service to New Mexico, Colorado and Las Vegas, Nevada.

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 was the first American airline to hire an African-American pilot, in 1963, as well as the first U.S. carrier to survive bankruptcy.

The company recently announced another first with the demonstration of the biofuel-powered flight by any commercial airline in the U.S. The fuel was a special blend extracted from algae and jatrophra seeds. The company intends to continue working with biofuels, as part of a comprehensive effort to reduce air travel’s environmental footprint. Continental offers its passengers the opportunity to buy carbon offsets, the money used to replant deforested areas, for just two dollars per ticket. The US Environmental Protection Agency has recognized Continental for its continuing efforts at green 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.

Continental has struggled financially over the past few years, like most United States airlines.  The airline reported losing millions of dollars in 2008 due to increased fuel costs and airline pilot retirement expenses.

McDonnell Douglas MD-11 from World Airways at Ringway/Manchester Intl Airport by Simon Lowe