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Continental Airlines said on Monday it expects to join the Star Alliance on Oct. 27, allowing it to cooperate on scheduling and prices with global carriers including United.

The Star Alliance was created in 1997 with more than 20 member airlines offering a combined 17,000 daily departures to 160 countries.

Continental said members of its frequent-flier program, OnePass, will not need to make changes to their accounts and their mileage balances will not be affected during the switch.

source: Reuters

A Continental Express flight from Newark to Buffalo crashed into a house about five miles from Buffalo Niagara International Airport on Thursday night, killing 49 people.

The plane carried 44 passengers and a crew of 4, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The Erie County executive, Chris Collins, later said at a news conference that 49 people, including one on the ground, were killed.

source: iht.com

Continental Airlines Inc. said Tuesday it will discontinue its flights to London/Gatwick Airport from the New York area and Houston, and will add a third daily flight from its New York Hub at Newark Liberty International Airport to London’s Heathrow Airport on Oct. 25.

The launch of the Heathrow flight is subject to government and airport approval.

The move is an effort to satisfy customers’ preference for Heathrow over Gatwick and to face growing competition at the airport, the carrier said.

source: BusinessWeek

Continental Airlines said it is cutting 3,000 jobs and reducing capacity by 11 percent, citing record fuel costs that have pushed the industry into its worst crisis since 2001.

Continental will begin pulling back on flights in September, when departures on its mainline operations will drop about 16 percent below September 2007 levels. Fourth-quarter capacity will fall 11 percent. The company said it plans to offer details on flight and destination reductions and eliminations by the end of next week.

source: washingtonpost.com

In a joint letter written to Continental Airlines employees, company chairman Larry Kellner and president Jeff Smisek say that a merger with United Airlines or any other air carrier will not take place.

More than 45,000 Continental employees received the letter by e-mail Sunday following a meeting with the Continental Board of Directors. The board unanimously supported a management recommendation that the company not pursue a merger with another airline.

The two executives say that Continental still plans to consider potential alliances and membership in SkyTeam, but alternatives will also be considered in place of SkyTeam.

source: My Fox

Beginning in 2009, flights on Continental Airlines Inc. will be a little more entertaining.

The Houston airline has inked an agreement with LiveTV LLC that will allow Continental to broadcast 36 channels of live, satellite-based television programming provided by DirecTV at every seat during domestic flights on the airline’s next-generation aircraft.

source: Business Journal

Pilots’ union leaders at Continental Airlines say they’re taking steps to look out for workers’ interest in case the carrier merges with another airline.

Tom Donaldson, chairman of the Air Line Pilots Association at Continental, said Friday that his members would be happy if the Houston-based airline remains as it is, but can’t ignore speculation about mergers.

“‘We will not stand idly by and allow a change in the airline landscape without taking steps to protect the interests of our pilots,'” Donaldson said. “‘We’ve made huge concessions over the past number of years.'”

Donaldson said his union expected management to cooperate with it in any merger decisions.

source: USA Today

The Houston-based airline was named the best airline for North American travel by Business Traveller magazine’s 2007 Readers’ Choice Best in Business Travel Survey.

Continental also took the top spot for best flight attendants in North America and best in-flight services in North America.

source: Houston Business Journal

Airline passengers in Houston went high-tech Tuesday, boarding planes using cellphones and personal digital assistants, rather than paper boarding passes.

The three-month Continental Airlines test program at Houston’s Intercontinental Airport may expand nationwide if it’s successful, USA Today said. Passengers showed photo identification and codes sent to their cellphones or PDAs to board planes. The two-dimensional bar code contains passenger names and flight information. It is scanned by the Transportation Security Administration to verify authenticity.

source: United Press International

Continental Airlines announced that it has completed the installation of Audio/Video on Demand (AVOD) in the BusinessFirst cabins of its entire fleet of 41 Boeing 757 aircraft used primarily on transatlantic flights to/from its New York hub at Newark Liberty International Airport. AVOD systems will be installed in the economy cabins of these aircraft beginning summer 2007.