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CONTINENTAL AIRLINES: Continental Airlines Unveils New Lie-Flat
Businessfirst Seat; Innovative seat design offers 180-degree recline;
installation begins in Autumn 2009
(M2 PressWIRE Via Acquire Media NewsEdge)
RDATE:29072008
LONDON -- Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL) today announced details of
a new 180-degree lie-flat seat for the BusinessFirst cabin on its
Boeing 787, 777 and 757 aircraft. Customers will begin seeing lie-flats
seats on Boeing 777 aircraft that primarily serve trans-Atlantic and
trans-Pacific routes in the Autumn of 2009, with installation on
Continental's 757-200 fleet beginning in 2010 and on its Boeing 787
fleet as the aircraft are delivered to Continental.
Unveiled today at the National Business Travel Association
International Convention and Exposition in Los Angeles, the new
180-degree lie-flat seats are the centrepiece of Continental's
award-winning BusinessFirst service that provides the extra space and
fine amenities of traditional international first class at a business
class price.
"Continental continues to invest in its product to make flying more
comfortable for our global customers," said Larry Kellner, chairman and
chief executive officer of Continental Airlines. "We created a
brand-new seat designed to lie completely flat, without compromising
functionality or effective use of cabin space."
Lie-flat Design
Continental's new BusinessFirst seats allow customers to lie completely
flat, reclining
180-degrees and providing 6 feet (2 meters) of sleeping space in the
fully extended position on its widebody aircraft. The lie-flat seat is
one of the widest business-class seats in the air, measuring up to 25
inches when the adjustable armrest is positioned flush with the seat
cushion, allowing customers to sleep more comfortably. Electronic
"one-touch" controls enable customers to easily move the seats to
pre-set upright, cradle and fully extended sleep positions and
additional controls allow customers to adjust the seat back, lumbar
support and leg and foot rests to the custom position most comfortable
for them.
The lie-flat seats provide more individual storage space for personal
items. Laptop power, headset and USB plugs are conveniently tucked
above the customer's shoulder. There is additional storage under the
ottoman, on a shelf under the monitor and on an amenity storage alcove
that provides room for small personal items such as a book or magazine
and a water bottle.
iPod connectivity will also be available at the seat, allowing each
customer to view their personal videos and enjoy their music, all while
the iPod is charging. BusinessFirst seats on the 787 and 777 aircraft
will feature a 15.4-inch video monitor for customers to enjoy on-demand
movies, music and games. Seats on the 757 aircraft will feature
10.6-inch monitors.
The new BusinessFirst seats also have a six-way adjustable head rest,
an individual overhead reading light and an adjustable seat light
allowing a customer to read in bed without disturbing their neighbour
and a privacy shell that allows for seclusion from other travellers.
Two Years to Design and Perfect
Continental's product marketing team began researching new seat options
in the Autumn 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 travellers 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 lay completely flat
and be easy to operate.
Seats are the Centrepiece of Premium Service
BusinessFirst service features an extensive gourmet menu served with
premium wines and champagnes created by Continental's Congress of Chefs
and Sommeliers. International Concierge Service provides
individualized pre- and post-flight services for BusinessFirst
customers at 42 airports around the world. Customers travelling in
BusinessFirst may also access any of Continental's 27 Presidents Clubs
and more than 60 airline affiliated lounges worldwide.
Continental Airlines has won numerous awards for its BusinessFirst
product. The Official Airline Guide has awarded Continental's
BusinessFirst as the Best Executive/Business Class for five consecutive
years (2003 - 2007), and Conde Nast Traveller magazine rated
Continental's premium BusinessFirst service the highest among all U.S.
carriers for trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific flights 10 years in a row.
Continental currently operates the Boeing 777 on routes between Newark
and Beijing, Delhi, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, London/Heathrow, Mumbai,
Paris, Rome, Tel Aviv and Tokyo, and between Houston and
London/Heathrow, Paris and Tokyo.
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/Gatwick, Madrid, Manchester, Oslo, Paris, Shannon and Stockholm.
Continental Airlines (continental.com) is the world's fifth largest
airline, with more than 3,000 daily departures serving 140 U.S. and 139
international destinations. More than 550 additional points are served
via SkyTeam alliance airlines. Across the Atlantic, Continental
operates up to 354 departures weekly from 31 airports in 16 countries
to its U.S. gateway hubs at New York, Houston and Cleveland, with
onward connections to more than 230 cities throughout North America,
Latin America and the Caribbean. Fortune magazine ranked Continental
as the top airline in its World's Most Admired Companies 2008, for the
fifth consecutive year. At the OAG Airline of the Year Awards 2008,
based on voting by frequent flyers around the world, Continental won
the Best Airline Based in North America award, also for the fifth year
in a row. Continental's alliance carriers in Europe, the Middle East
and India include - in addition to SkyTeam airlines and SkyTeam
Associate Air Europa - Emirates, Kingfisher Airlines and Virgin
Atlantic Airways.
CONTACT: Corporate Communications
Tel:+44 (0)8450 264 800
Tel: +44 (0)8450 264 957
Tel: +1 713 324 5080
George Morrison, Trimedia, for Continental Airlines
Tel: +44 (0)20 7025 7500
e-mail: george.morrison@trimediauk.com
Susan Hutchinson, Trimedia, for Continental Airlines
Tel: +44 (0)20 7025 7500
e-mail: susan.hutchinson@trimediauk.com
Ruth Law, Client Executive, Trimedia Ltd
Tel: +44 (0)207 025 7549
Tel: +44 (0)207 025 7500
Tel: +44 (0)7940 319 053
WWW: http://www.trimediauk.com
((M2 Communications Ltd disclaims all liability for information
provided within M2 PressWIRE. Data supplied by named party/parties.
Further information on M2 PressWIRE can be obtained at
http://www.presswire.net on the world wide web. Inquiries to
info@m2.com)).
Copyright ? 2008 M2 Communications Ltd.
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