Continental Airlines' First Aircraft With Flat-Bed BusinessFirst Seats Takes to the Skies
November 02 2009 - 11:39AM
PR Newswire (US)
Aircraft arrived at New York/Newark Sunday from Hong Kong HOUSTON,
Nov. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Continental Airlines' (NYSE: CAL)
first aircraft with new flat-bed BusinessFirst seats took to the
skies Sunday, operating as flight CO98 from Hong Kong to New
York/Newark. The aircraft, a Boeing 777 used on long-haul
international routes, is the first aircraft type in Continental's
fleet to receive the new seats. The company will also install the
flat-bed seats on its Boeing 757-200 and 767-400 aircraft, and on
its Boeing 787 fleet as the aircraft are delivered to Continental.
"We began designing this seat three years ago, involving our
customers and numerous other experts to get it just right and I
couldn't be more pleased with the end result," said Larry Kellner,
chairman and chief executive officer of Continental Airlines. "This
is a great seat and I am excited to see more of them on flights
throughout our system." Flat-Bed Seat Reclines 180-Degrees
Continental's new BusinessFirst seats allow customers to lie
completely flat, reclining 180-degrees and providing 6 1/2 feet (2
meters) of sleeping space in the fully extended position.
Electronic controls enable customers to easily move the seat to an
infinite number of adjustments, including lumbar support and fully
extended sleep positions. Laptop power, headset and USB plugs are
conveniently tucked above the customer's shoulder and iPod
connectivity is also available at the seat. The seats feature
15.4-inch video monitors. Perfecting Design Since Fall 2006
Continental's product marketing team began researching new seat
options in the fall of 2006 when planning BusinessFirst service for
the new 787 Dreamliner aircraft. The airline visited with numerous
seat manufacturers worldwide before selecting BE Aerospace, which
created five different design concepts. Concurrently, Continental
sought feedback from a focus group of BusinessFirst frequent flyers
that identified and prioritized key needs of global travelers and
worked closely with the airline's project team and the seat
manufacturer to help create the new seat. The important features
requested by the focus group were to install a wider seat that
could lie completely flat and be easy to operate. Continental
currently operates the Boeing 777 on routes between Newark and
Beijing, Shanghai, Delhi, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, London/Heathrow,
Mumbai, Paris, Rome, Tel Aviv and Tokyo, and between Houston and
London/Heathrow, Amsterdam and Tokyo. Continental uses the Boeing
767-400 on routes between Newark and Brussels, Paris, Frankfurt,
Geneva and Honolulu; between Houston and Frankfurt, Paris, Rio de
Janeiro and Honolulu; and between Guam and Honolulu and Narita.
BusinessFirst on the Boeing 757 is currently offered on routes
between Newark and Amsterdam, Barcelona, Belfast, Berlin,
Birmingham, Bristol, Copenhagen, Dublin, Edinburgh, Glasgow,
Hamburg, Lisbon, London/Heathrow, Madrid, Manchester, Oslo, Paris,
Shannon and Stockholm. Continental Airlines is the world's fifth
largest airline. Continental, together with Continental Express and
Continental Connection, has more than 2,400 daily departures
throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia, serving 130 domestic and
132 international destinations. Continental is a member of Star
Alliance, which provides access to more than 900 additional points
in 169 countries via 24 other member airlines. With more than
41,000 employees, Continental has hubs serving New York, Houston,
Cleveland and Guam, and together with its regional partners,
carries approximately 63 million passengers per year. Celebrating
its 75th anniversary this year, Continental consistently earns
awards and critical acclaim for both its operation and its
corporate culture. For the sixth consecutive year, FORTUNE magazine
named Continental the No. 1 World's Most Admired Airline on its
2009 list of World's Most Admired Companies. For more company
information, go to continental.com. DATASOURCE: Continental
Airlines CONTACT: Corporate Communications of Continental Airlines,
+1-713-324-5080, Web Site: http://www.continental.com/
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