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.

Mobile phone boarding pass from Continental

   

Continental Airlines has announced the introduction of its mobile boarding pass service to Heathrow and says it is the first carrier to offer paperless boarding passes on nonstop flights from the United Kingdom to the U.S.
    The service allows customers to receive boarding passes electronically on their mobile phones or PDAs and eliminates the need for paper boarding passes.
    “We are pleased to add Heathrow to the growing list of airports we serve with mobile boarding passes,” said Martin Hand, Continental’s vice president of reservations  and eCommerce.
     ”Customers have told us this is the type of product improvement they want, and we will continue to expand the self-service technology to more of our domestic and international destinations”.
     Mobile boarding passes display a two-dimensional bar code along with passenger and flight information, which scanners at the security checkpoint and boarding gate validate. The technology prevents manipulation or duplication of the boarding passes and heightens security.In addition to boarding passes.
     Continentalalso provides access to enhanced flight information through mobile devices. Customers may view onboard amenities and standby lists, as well as track the status of their flights.
     Continental was the first carrier to offer paperless boarding passes in the U.S. in a pilot program that began in December 2007
     The airline currently offers mobile boarding passes at 42 airports, including its hubs in New York, Houston and Cleveland. Continental was the first U.S. carrier to offer mobile boarding passes from an international destination when it launched the service at Frankfurt Airport late last year.
     Continental operates five flights per day to Heathrow – three from its New York hub at Newark Liberty International Airport and two from Houston. The airline announced recently that it will add a fourth daily service to the New York – Heathrow route in March and a fifth daily service in October, bringing the total number of Continental daily departures to Heathrow to seven. Continental also announced that effective June 2, 2010, all aircraft scheduled for its Heathrow flights will feature new, flat bed seats in BusinessFirst.