Continental Notebook

Discovering the Great Outdoors

Ladd Brehmer never realized that a trip to the airport to pick up his grandfather would change his life. “I grew up on a farm and always thought I’d be a farmer,” he says. “But as farming for a living grew more difficult, I realized this wasn’t the life for me.”

Seeing the big jets inspired Brehmer to pursue a career in aviation maintenance, and after attending school and receiving his certification, he became a line technician for Continental. But living in the big city, he wanted to make sure his son had the benefit of learning about the outdoors, so together, they become involved in the Cub Scouts.

“I became committee chairman for my son’s pack,” says Brehmer, who now lives in Houston. The pack includes 23 children ranging in age from first to fifth grade. Brehmer’s main duties include overseeing the pack and organizing fundraisers and camping trips. “We sell a lot of popcorn to the community, which pays for our participation in the Scout Fair,” he says. The Houston-area Scout Fair is held each April at Reliant Arena.

An annual highlight for the Cub Scouts is the Official Grand Prix Pinewood Derby. “I learned woodworking in high school and am mostly self-taught,” Brehmer recalls. “I made a television stand and built a four-seasons room for my house with the help of my dad.”

Brehmer says he loves helping the Cub Scouts build their derby cars. “Their eyes glow and they really get into working hands-on, shaping and painting their cars,” he says. The adults do the cutting and power-tool work, but the scouts actually put the cars together and get them ready to race.

“Being a part of my son’s Cub Scout pack has really changed my life,” Brehmer says. But the troop members and their parents would say that Brehmer has changed their lives as well, helping his pack develop a passion for life.

Going Greener

Continuing its commitment to environmental responsibility, Continental has expanded its onboard recycling program to include newspapers, magazines, and plastic items. The program, which was already in place for aluminum cans, helps reduce waste and supports economic viability.

The airline’s fleet, ground equipment, and airport facilities are operated in an environmentally responsible manner. Continental has also launched a voluntary carbon-offsetting program that lets customers view the carbon footprint of their booked itinerary and make a contribution to Sustainable Travel International.

For more information about Continental’s commitment to the environment, go to continental.com > About Continental > Company Profile > Commitment to the Environment.

A New Way to Fly

Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) is now offering new Airport Direct 30/30/30 service — a 30-minute nonstop ride, leaving every 30 minutes, for $30 round-trip — between Houston’s Bush Intercontinental Airport and METRO’s Passenger Plaza in downtown Houston (on Pierce Street, across from the METRO Downtown Transit Center).

METRO Airport Direct provides customers convenient access to METRO’s light-rail train, as well as METRO’s extensive bus transportation. It runs daily from METRO’s Passenger Plaza to Bush Intercontinental Airport from 5:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., and from Bush Intercontinental to downtown from 6:10 a.m. to 8:40 p.m. For more information call 713.635.4000 or visit METRO’s Web site at ridemetro.org.

OnePass Celebrates
21 Years

OnePass celebrated its 21st birthday Vegas style, with a Texas hold ’em tournament and party for members of Continental’s frequent-flyer program.

Members of OnePass converged at the Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino and spent three days playing for the grand prize of 21 million OnePass miles.

“We wanted to celebrate not only the 21st birthday of OnePass, but also the many frequent flyers who are loyal members of OnePass and customers of Continental,” says Mark Sullivan, managing director of Continental’s loyalty programs.

Tournament players and their guests played for prizes totaling more than 25 million OnePass miles, which were awarded to the top finalists. In the end, Bill Shiver walked away with the grand prize of 21 million miles.

Shiver is a Houston-area resident who has been playing poker for four years as a hobby. He says he plans on using some of his winnings toward a Mediterranean cruise, a visit to Italy with friends, and trips to attend road football games of his alma mater, Texas A&M University.

David Michaels of San Francisco came in second and walked away with 1 million OnePass miles.

“Even though this is a tough year for the industry, we think it’s important to show our customers that we really do appreciate their business,” Sullivan says. “At the end of the day, the airlines that succeed will be the airlines with the best customers.”