Continental’s commitment to reliability recently got a push in the right direction, as the Sensis Corporation’s Aerobahn Service is now operational at Houston’s Bush Intercontinental Airport and goes live at New York/Newark Liberty International Airport this summer. Sensis Aerobahn is a real-time, secure Web-based service that allows Continental to monitor its aircraft on the ground no matter where they are located around the airport.

Working in conjunction with an aircraft’s transponder, Sensis’ technology calculates an aircraft’s position. Aerobahn then integrates this position data with Continental’s flight schedule to provide a highly accurate picture of the airport ground operations in real time. This technology is being used around the world to augment or replace traditional radar systems because of its proven accuracy and reliability.

The response to Continental’s introduction of the Sensis Aerobahn service has been overwhelmingly positive. “We have had remarkable support from the Houston Airport System, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and the FAA in bringing this new technology to Continental,” says Chris Forshier, Continental’s operations strategy and implementation manager.

“Continental’s primary use of Aerobahn will be to proactively manage ground operations at Intercontinental and Liberty,” says Jay Ellzey, Continental’s vice president for operations administration. “Before Aerobahn, technology only allowed us the benefit of knowing when a flight departed the gate and when the wheels were up on takeoff.” An expected benefit of Aerobahn will be reduced aircraft taxi times, resulting in fuel savings and an improved customer experience.

Continental will use three views in Aerobahn — TaxiView, OpsView, and QuickView — to support more informed and collaborative operational decision making. TaxiView allows real-time display of an aircraft as it pushes back from the gate and taxis, or if takeoff is delayed due to an Air Traffic Control (ATC) hold. OpsView allows identification of trends and areas for efficiency and capacity gains by reviewing operation events after they occur. QuickView permits quick and accurate access to the status of airport operations, providing a real-time summary of the status of departing and arriving aircraft.

A path to discovery

When Cargo Sales Agent Julio Menieur arrived in the United States from the Dominican Republic, he began looking for work immediately and discovered that Continental Airlines was a great company. He applied and began his career at Continental’s New York–area hub in Newark before transferring to the Cargo department in Miami.

What Menieur also discovered was a love of helping out. So he became actively involved in his church’s community outreach efforts. “I like to help,” he says. “If things need to be fixed, then I fix them, or clean up, or put things in the right place.”

Menieur, who has been with Continental for 15 years, is active in his church’s food bank, keeping the pantry stocked and preparing baskets for distribution. Every Thursday, when the food bank is open, Menieur can be found handing out boxes of food to low-income families from the neighborhood. “If people can’t come when the food bank is open, I also help with deliveries,” he says. The church also sponsors a twice-yearly health fair. “We invite local hospitals, clinics, and the fire department to teach our neighbors how to get help when they need it.”

Menieur extends the mission to his family by including his kids in the community work. He is also an avid reader, focusing his reading on leadership and how to be a better person. “I want to be more effective in my church and in society, and encourage others to do the same,” he says.