In a day where customer service is so unacceptable from airlines and corporations in general, it is indeed reassuring to have Continental Airlines to uphold a standard by which all other airlines - and service companies in general - can and should aspire.

As a businessowner, consumer, and homemaker, I am constantly observing, evaluating, and re-evaluating my vendors - which I consider airlines - to ensure that I am truly getting the most value for not only my dollar spent, but time and energy as well.

Continental has consistently delivered the most satisfactory service among the US and international air carriers I have done business with during the 10 years I have been actively travelling for business and personal matters.

Some of the perceived hassles (e.g., calling at midnight) of the Continental's Elite program stated in this thread will be ameliorated by a thorough review of the the program's terms. (Calling at midnight is *not* obligatory). I believe such a review will yield the comprehension that CO's Elite program remains by far the most generous and accomodating of airlines loyalty programs on the market.

That being said, the program is not without areas where it can be improved. Complimentary upgrades on international flights would be one area in particular where I, as well as it seems many others in FlyerTalk who frequently enlist Continental as their vendor for international air travel, would be a welcome addition and truly bring CO over the top.

While this post is extremely complimentary of Continental, it is also a call to other airlines to raise eyebrows by making some consistent strides in improvements that will give Continental a healthy challenge. Competition does our system good. By all means, we wouldn't want Continental to get too comfortable in their consistent top-tier rankings and become complacent in their command of the customer service market.

Which begs the premise of this message thread: What's loyalty worth to us?