Continental Airlines facts for kids
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| Founded | May 1934 (as Varney Speed Lines) |
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| Commenced operations | July 8, 1937 |
| Ceased operations | March 3, 2012 (merged into United Airlines) |
| AOC # | CALA014A |
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| Frequent-flyer program | OnePass |
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| Parent company |
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| Headquarters |
List of headquarters
El Paso, Texas (1934–1937)
Denver, Colorado (1937–1963) Los Angeles, California (1963–1982) Houston, Texas (1982–2012) |
| Key people | |
Continental Airlines, often called Continental, was a big American airline. It started in 1934 and later had its main office in Houston, Texas. Continental worked with many other airlines through partnerships.
At first, Continental was a smaller airline in the United States. It was known for offering great service on popular routes. But in 1978, new rules for airlines changed everything. This made it harder for Continental to keep doing business the same way.
In 1981, another airline called Texas International Airlines bought a big part of Continental. The two companies joined together in 1982. They moved their main office to Houston. Continental grew to be one of the largest airlines in the country. It faced some tough times but became very successful.
Continental and United Airlines decided to merge in 2010. This was a huge deal worth $8.5 billion. Continental's owners received shares in United stock. After the merger, the new company was called United Continental Holdings. Both airlines kept flying separately at first. They had one leadership team based in Chicago. The full merger was finished on March 3, 2012. The new airline kept the United name. However, it used Continental's flight rules and airplane paint design. In 2019, the parent company changed its name to United Airlines Holdings.
Contents
What Was Continental Airlines Like?
How Did Continental Look?
A famous designer named Saul Bass created Continental's "Jet Stream" logo in the late 1960s. Later, in the 1990s, a design company called Lippincott made the "globe" logo. Before the merger, Continental's planes were white. They had a blue and gold globe logo and a gray underside. After the merger, the new United Airlines used Continental's airplane design and logo.
Catchy Slogans of Continental
A slogan is a short, memorable phrase used in advertising. Continental Airlines had many slogans over the years:
- Work Hard. Fly Right. (1998–2012)
- More Airline for Your Money (mid-1990s)
- One Airline Can Make a Difference (early 1990s)
- The Proud Bird with the Golden Tail (1967–1981)
Where Was Continental's Main Office?
Continental Airlines moved its main office several times. On October 31, 1937, it moved to Stapleton International Airport in Denver, Colorado. The airline's leader, Robert F. Six, wanted the office in a big city. He believed a large city would have more potential customers.
In 1962, Continental announced plans to move its headquarters to Los Angeles. This move happened in July 1963. The new office was a $2.3 million building near Los Angeles International Airport. This move showed Continental's focus on the western U.S. and the Pacific region.
On July 1, 1983, the airline moved its main office again. This time it went to the America Tower in Houston. It stayed there until 1998. The president of Continental said they moved because Houston became their biggest hub. A hub is a central airport where many flights connect.
In 1997, Continental decided to bring all its Houston offices together. They moved into Continental Center I and Continental Center II in Downtown Houston. This move brought about 3,200 employees to the new location. The Mayor of Houston was very happy about this move.
After the merger with United Airlines in 2010, the main office moved to Chicago. Continental had leased a lot of space in Continental Center I in Houston. Many employees moved to Chicago or changed jobs.
How Continental Helped the Environment
Continental Airlines worked to reduce its impact on the environment.
- The airline spent over $12 billion to buy 270 new planes. These planes used less fuel. This helped reduce greenhouse gases and noise.
- Continental was one of the first airlines to add "winglets" to its planes. Winglets are small fins on the end of wings. They help planes use 3-5% less fuel.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognized Continental in 2008. This was for using a special coating on its planes. This coating was better for the environment than older methods. It also made working conditions safer for maintenance staff.
Continental Airlines also tested planes that used biofuel. Biofuel is fuel made from plants. On January 7, 2009, Continental worked with GE Aviation on a test flight. This made them the first U.S. airline to test biofuels. One engine of a Boeing 737-800 ran on a mix of jet fuel, algae oil, and jatropha oil. Jatropha is a plant that produces oil. The biofuel engine used less fuel and produced more power. This was a big step for the environment.
Continental Airlines was praised by NASA and Fortune magazine for its environmental efforts.
Awards Continental Won
Continental Airlines received many awards for its service and operations:
- No. 1 Most Admired Global Airline; Fortune Magazine (2004–2009)
- No. 1 Most Admired U.S. Airline; Fortune Magazine (2006–2007, 2010)
- No. 1 Greenest U.S. Airline; Greenopia (2009)
- Best Airline Based in North America; OAG Airline of the Year Awards (2003–2009)
- Airline of the Year; OAG (2004–2005)
- Best Value for the Money (International); Zagat Airline Survey (2009)
Where Did Continental Fly?
Continental, along with its partners Continental Express and Continental Connection, had over 2,400 flights every day. They flew across the Americas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. In summer 2008, Continental served 130 places in the U.S. and 132 international places.
Continental used a "hub-and-spoke" system. This means most flights went through main airports called hubs. Their main hubs were in Cleveland, Houston, Newark, and Guam.
For almost 40 years, Continental had a very large hub in Denver, Colorado. But in 1995, they decided to close it. This was a surprise to Denver. Other airlines like Frontier Airlines and Southwest Airlines quickly grew to fill the gap.
For its first 40 years, Continental only flew within the U.S. Later, it started flying to more places in Mexico than any other U.S. airline.
Continental began flying across the Atlantic Ocean in April 1985. Its first flight was from Houston to London-Gatwick. For a long time, Continental could not fly to London Heathrow Airport. This was due to an old agreement. But in March 2008, new rules allowed more airlines to fly to Heathrow. Continental then started new nonstop flights to London-Heathrow from Houston and Newark. By the time of its merger, Continental had seven daily flights to London-Heathrow.
During the Vietnam War, Continental flew many military charters. This helped them build a presence in the Pacific region. This led to the Air Micronesia operation. They started flying to Japan in the 1970s. By 2007, they added flights to Hong Kong and Beijing. In 2009, Shanghai was added.
Continental flew to more places in Germany, India, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, and the United Kingdom than any other U.S. airline. It was also the only U.S. airline that flew to the Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, and Norway.
Who Did Continental Work With?
Continental owned a small part of ExpressJet Airlines. ExpressJet flew under the name "Continental Express". Other airlines like Chautauqua Airlines, Cape Air, Colgan Air, CommutAir, and Silver Airways also flew flights that connected to Continental's under the "Continental Connection" name. Continental did not own these companies.
Continental also had "codeshare agreements" with other airlines. This means they sold tickets on each other's flights. Here are some airlines Continental worked with:
- Aeromar
- Avianca
- Copa Airlines
- EVA Air
- Hawaiian Airlines
- United Airlines (their merger partner)
- US Airways
- Amtrak (for train service from Newark Airport)
Continental's Airplanes
Continental's fleet (all its airplanes) was made up only of Boeing planes. They had four main types: 737, 757, 767, and 777. They also planned to get the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Continental's planes were used a lot each day, more than most other airlines.
When Continental merged on October 1, 2010, its fleet had an average age of 9.5 years.
Images for kids
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Walter T. Varney, founder of predecessors of United Airlines and Continental Airlines, 1921
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Robert F. Six, chairman-CEO, Continental Airlines, 1936–1981
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Boeing 707 at Los Angeles, 1967
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Boeing 737-200 with 1968–1991 "meatball" logo and livery designed by Saul Bass
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Boeing 727-224 at Chicago O'Hare Airport in 1978
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Continental Boeing 747 at Los Angeles in 1987
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Continental DC-10 at Narita Airport, Japan
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The America Tower in Neartown Houston, Continental's headquarters from 1983 to 1998
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Continental's reemergence from its second bankruptcy was signaled by its taking on the naming rights to the arena in the Meadowlands Sports Complex, which is located near its New Jersey hub, in 1996. It held these rights until 2007.
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A Continental Douglas DC-10. The type was retired in 2001.
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Boeing 757-200 in 1991–2011 livery
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A Continental Airlines Boeing 767-200ER upon push-back at Berlin Tegel Airport, 2010
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Boeing 777-200ER "Peter Max" (the colorful aircraft) at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas (2006). Downtown Houston is visible in the background. The livery was removed in the winter of 2007–2008
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Continental operated from Terminal C at Newark Liberty International Airport
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To commemorate Continental's 75th Anniversary, a Boeing 737-900ER aircraft registered N75436 was painted with Continental's 1947 "Blue Skyways" livery when it was delivered in June 2009. United Airlines continues to fly this retro livery on a different Boeing 737-900ER, registered N75435.
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Continental Airlines 737-900 after takeoff
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The same Boeing 737-900 (N71411) at McCarran International Airport. The new livery after the merger retains the Continental theme, but with the Continental replaced by United.
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Post-merger former United "tulip" and Continental "globe" aircraft at O'Hare International Airport.
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Previous generation 777 BusinessFirst seats, Replaced in 2010
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In-flight meal in BusinessFirst
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Domestic First Class dinner
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767-400ER economy cabin
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DirecTV on board a Continental 737-800
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Continental's OnePass logo
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See also
In Spanish: Continental Airlines para niños
- Air transportation in the United States
- List of airlines of the United States
- List of defunct airlines of the United States
- United Airlines
