Continental dedicates aircraft to retiring exec

GUAM—Continental Airlines has unveiled a new look for aircraft No. 001, one of the carrier’s 18 Boeing-777 aircraft. In honor of chair and CEO Gordon Bethune’s more than 10-year career and pending retirement at the end of December 2004, Continental employees named the aircraft “Gordon M. Bethune,” and presented Bethune with a plaque documenting the highlights of his long career in aviation, which will be displayed inside the cabin.

Employees dedicated the aircraft to Bethune during two separate employee events at Continental’s hubs in Newark and Houston. The “Hail and Farewell” events, underwritten by Boeing and held in Continental’s maintenance hangar facilities, gave thousands of employees the opportunity to say goodbye to Bethune, the longest tenured CEO in the current airline industry and the mastermind behind Continental’s remarkable corporate turnaround in 1994.

Continental’s president and chief operating officer Larry Kellner, who will assume Bethune’s responsibilities at the end of the year, spoke on behalf of the carrier’s 41,000 employees when the 777 was revealed to Bethune.

“Gordon, it has been our great honor to work with you these past 10 years, and we thank you for bringing together the best group of professionals in the industry, inspiring us to work together to create a great airline, and requiring that each and every person associated with this company is treated with dignity and respect,” Kellner said. “I know we’ll all remember you and your accomplishments for years and years to come, but to ensure your constant presence at Continental as we fly into the future, we have dedicated this 777 aircraft to you.”

Continental Airlines is the world’s sixth-largest airline with more than 3,000 daily departures throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. Continental serves 151 domestic and 120 international destinations—more than any other airline in the world—and nearly 400 additional points are served via SkyTeam alliance airlines.

With more than 41,000 employees, the airline has hubs serving New York, Houston, Cleveland and Guam, and carries approximately 51 million passengers per year.

In 2004, Continental has earned awards and critical acclaim for both its operation and its corporate culture. FORTUNE ranks Continental one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America, an honor it has earned for six consecutive years, and also ranks Continental as the top airline in its Most Admired Global Companies in 2004. The carrier won major awards at the 2004 OAG Airline of the Year Awards including “Airline of the Year,” “Best Airline Based in North America” and “Best Executive/Business Class.” For more company information, visit continental.com.