Welcome aboard, and thank you for choosing Continental Airlines for your flight today. As the airline industry continues to struggle under the burden of high fuel costs, it is more important than ever that we continue to provide you with the best service and product in the industry.

Our commitment to delivering the best service possible starts with a continued and consistent focus on the basics: clean, safe, reliable service every time you fly, provided by the best men and women in the airline industry. My co-workers are the most important element of our industry-leading service, and we are very proud of our onboard product. We still provide meals at mealtimes, along with pillows, blankets, and other extras that you don’t find on every airline today.

Many of our customers have requested a lie-flat seat, and we recently unveiled a new BusinessFirst seat, which you can read more about in Special Feature: New Seat. The seat, which will be gradually phased in on our 787, 777, and 757 aircraft beginning next year, provides industry-leading comfort and a 180-degree recline, allowing you to lie completely flat, with plenty of seat width and personal storage space. Our BusinessFirst product is second to none, and in addition to the new lie-flat seat, customers will continue to enjoy the premium service our product is known for, including a personal entertainment system, gourmet restaurant-style inflight dining, and EliteAccess, a premium package of priority benefits.

We are also focused on providing cutting-edge entertainment options. We are adding audio/video on-demand to our Boeing 757-200 and Boeing 777 aircraft, in both BusinessFirst and coach class. The audio/video on-demand system for the 777 fleet allows you to select from an impressive array of up to 250 movies, 350 TV programs, and more than 1,500 songs. The system on the 757 provides up to 25movies, 25 TV programs, and 50 CDs’ worth of music. Additionally, we are retrofitting aircraft with in-seat power, so you can charge your laptop while you fly. The system will accept most plugs from around the world, with no need for an adapter.

Our top-notch product and service are reflected in the numerous awards that my co-workers have won. This year, for the fifth consecutive year, Fortune magazine named Continental the No. 1 World’s Most Admired Airline on its 2008 list of the World’s Most Admired Companies.

As I mentioned earlier, the biggest key to our successful onboard product is the service my co-workers provide. This month, I would like to recognize Jacqueline Jacquet-Williams, who founded Black Flight Attendants of America. Diversity is integral to Continental’s success, and I’m proud to have Jacqueline on our team. You can read more about her in our Notebook section.

On behalf of Jacqueline and all my Continental co-workers, thank you again for flying with us today. We look forward to welcoming you aboard again in the near future.      

Larry Kellner
Chairman and CEO
Continental Airlines