continental airlines
United Airlines completes Economy Plus upgrade on international 757-200 flights
United Airlines today announced it is now offering Economy Plus seating on all long-haul international Boeing 757-200 flights.
United launch MileagePlus Headliners a frequent flyer auction program
United Continental today launched MileagePlus Headliners, an all-new auction program that enables United and Continental frequent flyers.
United and Continental staff and customers donate $2.5 million and 63 million miles
United Continental Holdings today announced that customers and employees generously donated more than $2.5 million to the American Red Cross efforts to aid those affected by the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan on March 11. In addition, Mileage Plus and OnePass members donated more than 63 million of their frequent flyer miles to charities through the airlines’ programs. Read more
Continental Airlines begins new service between Houston and Tuxtla Guiterrez, Chipapas, Mexico
Continental Airlines today began twice-weekly flights between its Houston hub at Bush Intercontinental Airport and Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, Mexico, the airline’s 30th Mexican destination. Continental serves more destinations in Mexico from the U.S. than any other airline. Read more
Iberia signs Airbus engine maintenance contract with Cathay Pacific
Iberia Maintenance and Cathay Pacific have signed a contract under which the Spanish company will repair and maintain of the Asian carrier’s 49 CFM56-5C4 engines on 11 Airbus A340-300.
The work will be carried out at Iberia’s engine workshop, a 52,500 m2 facility near the Madrid-Barajas airport.
Iberia conducts all types of maintenance services on its own engines and those of other airlines. These services include dismantling, cleaning, inspection, and repair of components, and reassembly and follow-up.
The volume of engine work carried out by Iberia Maintenance has increased by 15% in recent years, with gains both in the number of engines serviced –183 in the year to date– and customers, which now number more than 30. The increased workload has occasioned an expansion of staff and productive improvements.
Iberia’s facilities include a testing bench for engines of up to 100,000 lb. of thrust for to verify performance after servicing.
Like Iberia, Cathay Pacific is a member of the oneworld airline alliance. The flag carrier of Hong Kong was founded in 1946, and it serves 116 destinations in 35 nations of Asia, the Pacific, Europe, North America, and Africa. The airline auditing firm Skytrax named it the airline of the year in 2009 for the quality of its customer service.
Iberia Maintenance is the maintenance unit of Iberia Airline of Spain, and it boasts modern and well-equipped installations near Madrid-Barajas airport, where it maintains the airframes and engines of the Iberia fleet, and also serves more than third-party 100 clients around the world, including British Airways, Continental Airlines, Atlasjet, SAS, DHL, Meridiana, Air Finlandia, and now, Cathay Pacific. Its Spanish clients include Iberworld, Air Europa, Spanair, and Vueling.
Iberia Maintenance is the world’s ninth-largest aircraft maintenance operator, excluding OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) and posted sales of some 732.5 million euros in 2009.
Continental Airlines celebrates 25 years flying to the UK
Continental Airlines today celebrates the 25th anniversary of its first flight from the United Kingdom. The inaugural flight from London Gatwick to Houston on the 29th April 1985 began a quarter of a century of growth in the UK, as the airline expanded its operations to seven airports and up to 14 daily flights – 12 to its New York hub, Newark Liberty International Airport, and two to Houston.
Continental has become the only trans-Atlantic carrier with a significant presence in the UK regions, while the Open Skies treaty in March 2008 gave the carrier access to London Heathrow for the first time, and heralded the start of a significant expansion into that market. Indeed, by October 31, 2010 when Continental begins a fifth daily service to New York, the airline will have seven daily trans-Atlantic flights from Heathrow (two to Houston).
Continental was also the first-ever airline to offer scheduled non-stop trans-Atlantic flights from Edinburgh, Bristol and Belfast, and has now operated services to New York from Glasgow for almost 12 years, from Birmingham for almost 13 years and from Manchester for almost 15 years. For many of the UK cities that the airline serves, it offers the only direct route to New York.
Bob Schumacher, Senior Director – UK & Ireland, said: “Although we’re an American carrier, the UK is one of our most important markets. The last 25 years have seen us grow from being a small player at London Gatwick to operating trans-Atlantic flights from more UK airports than any other airline and now being a major operator at Heathrow. People often talk about the ‘special relationship’ between the UK and the US and the Continental success story here is strong evidence of this bond. We look forward to another successful 25 years and helping many more people fly between the two countries for business and leisure.”
Continental Airlines’ UK milestones
o April 1985 – Inaugural flight from London Gatwick to Houston
o June 1987 – Inaugural flight from London Gatwick to New York
o 1992 – Introduction of BusinessFirst on UK services
o July 1995 – Inaugural flight from Manchester to New York
o July 1997 – Inaugural flight from Birmingham to New York
o July 1998 – Inaugural flight from Glasgow to New York
o January 1999 – Introduction of Boeing 777 on London Gatwick-New York route
o June 2004 – Inaugural flight from Edinburgh to New York
o May 2005 – Inaugural flight from Bristol to New York
o May 2005 – Inaugural flight from Belfast to New York
o March 2008 – Inaugural flights from London Heathrow to New York and Houston
o October 2009 – Continental joins Star Alliance, the world’s largest and most comprehensive airline alliance
o November 2009 – Aircraft featuring new BusinessFirst flat-bed seat start serving the UK
