Welcome aboard, and thank you for choosing Continental Airlines for your flight today. As the year comes to a close, I’d like to tell you about some of our major 2007 milestones, and what we’re looking forward to in the future.
In 2007 we continued to strengthen our route network with new destinations, like Athens and Mumbai. Our international expansion is the result of more than a decade of careful planning, and Continental now serves more international destinations than any other U.S. carrier. In 2008 we will continue to add important destinations to our roster, including service to London’s Heathrow Airport starting in March. And in March 2009 we’ll add service to Shanghai, China.
To support our strong route network and combat record fuel prices, we continue to invest in a modern, fuel-efficient fleet. Next year, we will accept delivery of 33 new 737 Next Generation aircraft, and we have an additional 31 Next Generation aircraft on firm order for delivery in 2009 and 2010. We also have on order 25 of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliners, the gold standard in long-haul aircraft and a major cornerstone of Continental’s fleet plan. In addition, we are adding winglets to many of our aircraft to further increase fuel efficiency. By the end of this year about 200 of our aircraft will have winglets, which reduce fuel burn by up to 5 percent.
Continental’s mainline fleet is now 35 percent more fuel-efficient per passenger mile flown than it was a decade ago, greatly reducing our environmental impact. We have also reduced nitrogen oxide emissions by 75 percent at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, our Houston hub, thanks to the use of electric ground service equipment, an initiative that we are now testing at our cold-weather hubs. We use energy-efficient lighting everywhere possible. We recycle, not only onboard but in our kitchens and at our offices. And in response to many requests from customers, we offer a carbon-offsetting option with our nonprofit partner, Sustainable Travel International.
Operationally, despite weather challenges and an antiquated air traffic control system, we are outperforming our competitors. My co-workers achieved an on-time incentive eight times in the first nine months of the year, meaning they were in the top three among major network carriers for on-time performance.
Most important, we continue to foster a strong Working Together culture, which continues to be the bedrock for all our achievements. We are committed to sharing in all our successes, whether it is with profit sharing, stock options, the pension plans we continue to fund well above requirement, or on-time incentives.
We also keep our culture strong by recognizing co-workers for going the extra mile, either on the job or after hours. This month, I would like to thank Tampa Reservations Sales Agent Julie Kroll, whose volunteer work makes her a standout member of the Continental team. You can read more about Julie in “Notebook.”
On behalf of Julie and all my more than 45,000 co-workers, thank you again for your business. We have enjoyed serving you in 2007, and we look forward to seeing you again in the coming year.
Larry Kellner
Chairman and CEO
Continental Airlines
