An Incredible Journey
Whenever 7-year-old Zeek Taylor of Durham, N.C., makes an appearance as the March of Dimes 2007 National Ambassador, employees of Continental Airlines are there to make his trip extra special. Every time Zeek and his family pass through an airport, employees take time to say hello to Zeek as he travels the nation to help raise awareness of the growing crisis of premature birth.
Continental Airlines is the official airline of the March of Dimes 2007 National Ambassador Program. During 2007, thousands of Continental employees will be joining together in their efforts to help improve the health of babies and prevent birth defects, not only by participating in WalkAmerica, but also through creative fundraisers that each team has collectively organized to support the cause. At airports across the country, Continental team members hold food sales, drawings, and contests to make a difference.
Zeek weighed only 1 pound, 14 ounces at birth. He was born 14 weeks early and spent his first 103 days in the neonatal intensive care unit. His journey has been a long one, fighting one medical battle after another — anemia, abnormal blood flow from the heart, newborn jaundice, and surgery to correct reflux problems that developed as a result of a simple ear infection. Zeek is one of the more than half a million babies born preterm each year in the United States.
For more information, visit the March of Dimes Web site at marchofdimes.com or its Spanish language Web site at nacersano.org.
— Roxanne Butler
Good Fortune
Continental Airlines was again rated the top airline on Fortune magazine’s annual list of the Most Admired Global Companies. Continental also ranked No. 1 in the airline category in Fortune’s list of America’s Most Admired companies.
“My co-workers around the world work hard every day to deliver an outstanding product, and I’m proud that their efforts have been recognized,” says Chairman and CEO Larry Kellner. “We are honored to have topped both the America’s Most Admired and Most Admired Global Companies airline industry lists.”
This is the fourth consecutive year that Continental was the top airline on the Most Admired Global Companies list. Continental placed No. 1 in all categories used to measure the most admired global airlines: innovation, people management, use of corporate assets, community/environment, quality of management, financial soundness, long-term investment value, quality of products and services, and globalness.
Cross-industry rankings placed Continental among the top 10 companies in seven out of nine categories: quality of products/services, innovation, people management, globalness, community/environment, use of corporate assets, and quality of management. — R.B.
Easy Parking With EZ TAG
Exiting from the airport parking lots at George Bush Intercontinental Airport just got easier with EZ TAG, which allows customers to use the same tag they use on Houston-area toll roads to pay for airport parking. The new system allows drivers to exit the same way they do on the EZ lanes of a toll road. Travelers who already have an EZ account and are set up with a credit card for their EZ transactions can begin using the new service immediately. To enroll in the program, go to eztagstore.com or call 281.875.3279. — R.B.
Not Just a Dream
Continental Airlines has increased its commitment to the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, raising its order from 20 to 25 aircraft. By adding five 787-9 aircraft to its order, Continental is strengthening its ability to further modernize its fleet in the years ahead, and unlocking additional international expansion opportunities. Continental is the first airline in the Americas to order the 787-9, which will carry more passengers and fly further than the 787-8.
The Boeing 787 is the optimal aircraft to support Continental’s strategy for continued international growth. With expanded range capabilities, unmatched fuel efficiency, and superior operating economics, the 787s will allow the company to replace less efficient widebody aircraft and target additional long-haul markets. The 787s will also enable Continental to offer more capacity on international routes that need larger aircraft to support traffic growth. — R.B.
A Larger Global Network
Continental Airlines is launching daily nonstop flights between its New York–area hub at Newark Liberty International Airport and Mumbai, India, beginning October 30, subject to government approval. Continental has operated nonstop service between New York and Delhi since 2005.
The new service will link the world’s financial center and top business and tourism destination with India’s commercial and entertainment capital. The flights will be timed to provide convenient connections at Continental’s New York hub with more than 230 other cities throughout the United States, Canada, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
“We are excited about extending our Indian route network to include nonstop service to Mumbai,” says Jim Compton, Continental’s executive vice president of marketing.
“Mumbai is the largest transatlantic market not currently served by Continental and offers significant opportunities for growth in the future.”
Mumbai will be the 30th city in Continental’s transatlantic route network. — R.B.
Support from Steve
When Continental Human Resources Information Services Coordinator Steve Sutton spends time volunteering for Goodwill Industries of Houston, he can honestly tell those seeking job training that he knows what they are going through.
Sutton spent almost three decades as a welder in the petrochemical industry, but needed to reinvent how he made a living in a matter of months when he became ill with metal poisoning.
“I became paralyzed and it looked like I’d never walk again and would spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair,” Sutton says. “I knew if I got computer experience that I’d be able to earn a living again.”
Despite his dire health condition, Sutton enrolled in a computer training program through Goodwill Industries of Houston. The training paid off and Sutton landed a job with Continental at its corporate headquarters in 1998. Sutton used his skills to help the airline implement an automated staffing system. He now serves as the internal help desk professional for the airline’s human resources system.
Sutton’s passion for reinventing himself lives on through the volunteer work he does for Goodwill Industries of Houston, which has a mission of “changing lives through the power of work.”
“I knew I could make a difference in their way of life,” says Sutton, who chaired Goodwill’s Business Advisory Council for two years. Sutton is an empathetic leader who has the experience to advise Goodwill about how they can best assist those who want to reenter the workforce after becoming disabled.
Additionally, for the past four years, Sutton has given a $500 scholarship to a student who has sought help from Goodwill. “I wanted to set an example of what a student could accomplish,” he says. “It is about giving back, and I want to motivate some of the other folks to do the same.” — R.B.
