Continental completes flat-bed deployment

    Continental has completed the introduction of  business class flat beds on all flights to Heathrow, the airline has announced.

    “This is a very exciting development for Continental and for our BusinessFirst customers using Heathrow, who are now assured of a flat bed seat whenever they choose to fly with us to New York or Houston,” said Bob Schumacher, the airline’s Senior Director U.K. & Ireland. 
    The BusinessFirst Flat Bed Seat, reclining 180 degrees and providing 6 feet 6 inches/1.98 metres of sleeping space in the fully extended position on the Boeing 777 (6 feet 4 inches/1.93 metres on the Boeing 757-200), is one of the widest business-class seats in the air, measuring up to 27 inches/68.5 cm when the adjustable armrest is positioned flush with the seat cushion on the 777 (25 inches/63.5 cm on the 757-200) says the airline.

    Electronic controls enable customers to move the seats to the custom position most appropriate for them.  The seats provide more individual storage space for personal items.  Laptop power, headset and USB plugs are located above the customer’s shoulder.  iPod connectivity allows each customer to view their personal videos and enjoy their music, all while their iPod is charging.  The new seats feature 15.4-inch/39-cm video monitors for customers to enjoy on-demand movies, music and games, and have a privacy shell that allows for seclusion from other travellers.
    The new seat made its operational debut in November 2009 and is being installed on Continental’s Boeing 777 and 757-200 fleets, both of which serve Heathrow.  As of June 1, 10 of Continental’s 20 777s and nine of the airline’s 41 757-200s were fitted with the new seat, with installation scheduled for completion by end-December 2010 and end-May 2011 respectively.  Installation on 767-400ER and 767-200ER aircraft will begin in 2011. 
    In addition to the newest flat bed seat in the sky and a state-of-the-art personal inflight entertainment system, BusinessFirst amenities include menu selections created by Continental’s Congress of Chefs and an award-winning wine and champagne selection.  A specially selected and trained corps of more than 300 Concierges provides individualised pre-flight and post-flight services for BusinessFirst customers at 35 key international airports worldwide.  BusinessFirst was named Best Executive/Business Class at the OAG Airline Industry Awards 2009, based on voting by frequent flyers around the world.
Continental operates six departures per day from Heathrow – four to its New York hub, Newark Liberty International Airport, and two to Houston.  The airline will launch a fifth daily Heathrow-New York/Newark service effective October 31, 2010 (westbound}
Continental’s Heathrow flights operate from Terminal 4.