CO starts Mumbai 10/31 pending approval
Mar 7, 2007, 5:34 am
#1
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CO starts Mumbai 10/31 pending approval
Continental Airlines to add new India route from Oct
- Continental Airlines Inc. <CAL.N>, the No. 4 U.S. carrier, said on Wednesday it would launch daily non-stop flights between financial hub Mumbai and New York/Newark from Oct. 31, subject to government approvals.
The Houston-based carrier has operated a New Delhi-New York non-stop service since 2005.
"We are excited about extending our Indian route network to Mumbai," Jim Summerford, Continental's vice president for Europe, Middle East and India, said in a statement.
The Mumbai-New York/Newark flights will be operated with a Boeing 777-200 aircraft, it said.
U.S. carriers Delta Air Lines Inc. <DALRQ.PK> and American Airlines, a unit of AMR Corp. <AMR.N>, also fly to India, where a booming economy is boosting business and leisure travel.
Keywords: CONTINENTAL INDIA/
- Continental Airlines Inc. <CAL.N>, the No. 4 U.S. carrier, said on Wednesday it would launch daily non-stop flights between financial hub Mumbai and New York/Newark from Oct. 31, subject to government approvals.
The Houston-based carrier has operated a New Delhi-New York non-stop service since 2005.
"We are excited about extending our Indian route network to Mumbai," Jim Summerford, Continental's vice president for Europe, Middle East and India, said in a statement.
The Mumbai-New York/Newark flights will be operated with a Boeing 777-200 aircraft, it said.
U.S. carriers Delta Air Lines Inc. <DALRQ.PK> and American Airlines, a unit of AMR Corp. <AMR.N>, also fly to India, where a booming economy is boosting business and leisure travel.
Keywords: CONTINENTAL INDIA/
Mar 7, 2007, 6:09 am
#2
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Congrats CO ^
Does anyone know where the 777's will be pulled from to accommodate this (or is this what they're planning on using their two new 777's for?)
Does anyone know where the 777's will be pulled from to accommodate this (or is this what they're planning on using their two new 777's for?)
Mar 7, 2007, 6:24 am
#3
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I suspect that FRA might be a likely candidate. It's normally just 777 for the summer, then reverts to 767. BRU might be the other one.... Don't see any changes in the schedules yet, but those two would be my initial guess.....
Mar 7, 2007, 6:43 am
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They don't need to pull anything to run this route.
Compared to last summer, only addition so far this year is a EWR-BRU.
Adding EWR-BRU and EWR-BOM with two new planes are adequate.
But this flight starts October. Who knows what the schedule will be for summer '08...
---
Edit: BTW, the west-bound leg will have longer flight time than EWR-HKG, though it's shorter. It will also be a few miles longer than DL's BOM-JFK.
The question, of course, is how many mid-winter fuel stops we'll see. DL's flight have been stopping occasionally at DUB, SNN or eastern Canada.
Compared to last summer, only addition so far this year is a EWR-BRU.
Adding EWR-BRU and EWR-BOM with two new planes are adequate.
But this flight starts October. Who knows what the schedule will be for summer '08...
---
Edit: BTW, the west-bound leg will have longer flight time than EWR-HKG, though it's shorter. It will also be a few miles longer than DL's BOM-JFK.
The question, of course, is how many mid-winter fuel stops we'll see. DL's flight have been stopping occasionally at DUB, SNN or eastern Canada.
Last edited by rkkwan; Mar 7, 2007 at 7:58 am
Mar 7, 2007, 7:59 am
#5
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The Full Release
Continental Airlines Announces Daily Nonstop Service Between New York and Mumbai
NEW YORK, March 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL) today announced that it will launch daily nonstop flights between its New York area hub at Newark Liberty International Airport and Mumbai beginning Oct. 30, 2007, 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 flight will be timed to provide convenient connections at Continental's New York hub with more than 230 other cities throughout the U.S., Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean.
"We are excited about extending our Indian route network to include nonstop service to Mumbai," said Jim Compton, Continental's executive vice president-marketing. "Mumbai is the largest trans-Atlantic market not currently served by Continental and offers significant opportunities for growth in the future."
Mumbai will be the 30th city in Continental's trans-Atlantic route network.
Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay, is the business and entertainment capital of India and its most populous city, with an estimated population of 13 million (25 million in the greater metropolitan area). Many financial institutions and corporations have their headquarters in Mumbai, which is also home to the world-famous Bollywood film and television industry.
Continental's New York/Newark-Mumbai flights will be operated with Boeing 777-200 aircraft with BusinessFirst and Economy cabins. Flying times will be approximately 14 hours and 50 minutes eastbound, and 16 hours and 15 minutes westbound.
Continental's India flights feature special products and services for customers. A Bollywood movie channel is featured on the inflight entertainment system, with different programming provided in each direction for all customers to access on their individual seat monitors. Movies are in Hindi with English sub-titles (when available from the studio). In addition, movies on other channels are programmed with Hindi subtitles (when available from the studio). Traditional Indian music is incorporated in the world music audio channel. Instructional videos, including the safety and arrival video and pre-recorded announcements, are available in Hindi. Menus are available in English and Hindi. Inflight meals, which include Indian vegetarian and Indian non-vegetarian choices, have been designed by Indian chefs based in the U.S. and in India. No beef is served. Local Indian newspapers are available for BusinessFirst customers.
The new flights will feature Continental's renowned BusinessFirst service, which was also voted Best Transatlantic Business Class among U.S. airlines in Conde Nast Traveler magazine's Business Travel Awards 2006 -- for the 9th year running.
This premium-class cabin features specially-engineered electronic sleeperseats in a 2-2-2 configuration, with a 55-inch seat pitch and adjustable "winged" headrests. The BusinessFirst seat on the 777 is among the widest business class seats in the world, measuring 22 inches between the armrests, and offers a 170-degree recline and more than six feet of sleeping space in the fully extended position. Other features include privacy hoods and large seat side wings for greater privacy. All BusinessFirst seats feature a laptop computer power outlet, a satellite telephone, a flexible-neck reading light. Other BusinessFirst amenities include gourmet menu selections created by Continental's Congress of Chefs and fresh cappuccino or espresso coffee made on request. A specially selected and trained corps of more than 200 Concierges provides individualized pre-flight and post-flight services for BusinessFirst customers at 35 key international airports worldwide.
Flights to Mumbai will feature Continental's new Audio/Video on Demand in both the BusinessFirst and Economy cabins of its Boeing 777 aircraft. The first 777 with the new system is scheduled to enter service this month. The entertainment systems on these aircraft allow customers to choose from more than 250 movies, 300 short-subject programs and 1,500 music tracks, with a jukebox feature to make individual playlists. In addition, this new entertainment system has 25 video games and the interactive Berlitz World Traveler foreign language program.
Economy class on the Continental 777 is also exceptionally comfortable and spacious, in a 3-3-3 seating configuration with wider-than-usual aisles. Every Economy passenger has an individual seatback video screen, as well as an inflight telephone with overwater capability. The aircraft on the Mumbai route also have AC power outlets available to every passenger, with no need for an adapter in order to operate a PC or other approved device.
Continental Airlines is the world's fifth largest airline. Continental, together with Continental Express and Continental Connection, has more than 3,100 daily departures throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia, serving 150 domestic and 136 international destinations. More than 400 additional points are served via SkyTeam alliance airlines. With more than 44,000 employees, Continental has hubs serving New York, Houston, Cleveland and Guam, and together with Continental Express, carries approximately 67 million passengers per year. Continental consistently earns awards and critical acclaim for both its operation and its corporate culture.
In 2006, Continental Airlines won its sixth J.D. Power and Associates award since 1996. The carrier received the highest rank in customer satisfaction among network carriers in North America in the J.D. Power and Associates 2006 Airline Satisfaction Index Survey(SM). For the third consecutive year, FORTUNE magazine named Continental the No. 1 Most Admired Global Airline on its 2006 list of Most Admired Global Companies. Continental was also named the No. 1 airline on the publication's 2007 America's Most Admired airline industry list. Additionally, Continental again won major awards at the OAG Airline of the Year Awards including "Best Airline Based in North America" for the third year in a row, and "Best Executive/Business Class" for the fourth consecutive year. For more company information, visit continental.com.
SOURCE Continental Airlines
03/07/2007
CONTACT: Corporate Communications of Continental Airlines, Houston, +1-713-324-5080, [email protected]
7154 03/07/2007 09:00 EST http://www.prnewswire.com
NEW YORK, March 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL) today announced that it will launch daily nonstop flights between its New York area hub at Newark Liberty International Airport and Mumbai beginning Oct. 30, 2007, 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 flight will be timed to provide convenient connections at Continental's New York hub with more than 230 other cities throughout the U.S., Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean.
"We are excited about extending our Indian route network to include nonstop service to Mumbai," said Jim Compton, Continental's executive vice president-marketing. "Mumbai is the largest trans-Atlantic market not currently served by Continental and offers significant opportunities for growth in the future."
Mumbai will be the 30th city in Continental's trans-Atlantic route network.
Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay, is the business and entertainment capital of India and its most populous city, with an estimated population of 13 million (25 million in the greater metropolitan area). Many financial institutions and corporations have their headquarters in Mumbai, which is also home to the world-famous Bollywood film and television industry.
Continental's New York/Newark-Mumbai flights will be operated with Boeing 777-200 aircraft with BusinessFirst and Economy cabins. Flying times will be approximately 14 hours and 50 minutes eastbound, and 16 hours and 15 minutes westbound.
Continental's India flights feature special products and services for customers. A Bollywood movie channel is featured on the inflight entertainment system, with different programming provided in each direction for all customers to access on their individual seat monitors. Movies are in Hindi with English sub-titles (when available from the studio). In addition, movies on other channels are programmed with Hindi subtitles (when available from the studio). Traditional Indian music is incorporated in the world music audio channel. Instructional videos, including the safety and arrival video and pre-recorded announcements, are available in Hindi. Menus are available in English and Hindi. Inflight meals, which include Indian vegetarian and Indian non-vegetarian choices, have been designed by Indian chefs based in the U.S. and in India. No beef is served. Local Indian newspapers are available for BusinessFirst customers.
The new flights will feature Continental's renowned BusinessFirst service, which was also voted Best Transatlantic Business Class among U.S. airlines in Conde Nast Traveler magazine's Business Travel Awards 2006 -- for the 9th year running.
This premium-class cabin features specially-engineered electronic sleeperseats in a 2-2-2 configuration, with a 55-inch seat pitch and adjustable "winged" headrests. The BusinessFirst seat on the 777 is among the widest business class seats in the world, measuring 22 inches between the armrests, and offers a 170-degree recline and more than six feet of sleeping space in the fully extended position. Other features include privacy hoods and large seat side wings for greater privacy. All BusinessFirst seats feature a laptop computer power outlet, a satellite telephone, a flexible-neck reading light. Other BusinessFirst amenities include gourmet menu selections created by Continental's Congress of Chefs and fresh cappuccino or espresso coffee made on request. A specially selected and trained corps of more than 200 Concierges provides individualized pre-flight and post-flight services for BusinessFirst customers at 35 key international airports worldwide.
Flights to Mumbai will feature Continental's new Audio/Video on Demand in both the BusinessFirst and Economy cabins of its Boeing 777 aircraft. The first 777 with the new system is scheduled to enter service this month. The entertainment systems on these aircraft allow customers to choose from more than 250 movies, 300 short-subject programs and 1,500 music tracks, with a jukebox feature to make individual playlists. In addition, this new entertainment system has 25 video games and the interactive Berlitz World Traveler foreign language program.
Economy class on the Continental 777 is also exceptionally comfortable and spacious, in a 3-3-3 seating configuration with wider-than-usual aisles. Every Economy passenger has an individual seatback video screen, as well as an inflight telephone with overwater capability. The aircraft on the Mumbai route also have AC power outlets available to every passenger, with no need for an adapter in order to operate a PC or other approved device.
Continental Airlines is the world's fifth largest airline. Continental, together with Continental Express and Continental Connection, has more than 3,100 daily departures throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia, serving 150 domestic and 136 international destinations. More than 400 additional points are served via SkyTeam alliance airlines. With more than 44,000 employees, Continental has hubs serving New York, Houston, Cleveland and Guam, and together with Continental Express, carries approximately 67 million passengers per year. Continental consistently earns awards and critical acclaim for both its operation and its corporate culture.
In 2006, Continental Airlines won its sixth J.D. Power and Associates award since 1996. The carrier received the highest rank in customer satisfaction among network carriers in North America in the J.D. Power and Associates 2006 Airline Satisfaction Index Survey(SM). For the third consecutive year, FORTUNE magazine named Continental the No. 1 Most Admired Global Airline on its 2006 list of Most Admired Global Companies. Continental was also named the No. 1 airline on the publication's 2007 America's Most Admired airline industry list. Additionally, Continental again won major awards at the OAG Airline of the Year Awards including "Best Airline Based in North America" for the third year in a row, and "Best Executive/Business Class" for the fourth consecutive year. For more company information, visit continental.com.
SOURCE Continental Airlines
03/07/2007
CONTACT: Corporate Communications of Continental Airlines, Houston, +1-713-324-5080, [email protected]
7154 03/07/2007 09:00 EST http://www.prnewswire.com
Mar 7, 2007, 8:04 am
#6
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Looks like there will be no pulling, but using one of the new birds from this year:
Flights to Mumbai will feature Continental's new Audio/Video on Demand in both the BusinessFirst and Economy cabins of its Boeing 777 aircraft. The first 777 with the new system is scheduled to enter service this month. The entertainment systems on these aircraft allow customers to choose from more than 250 movies, 300 short-subject programs and 1,500 music tracks, with a jukebox feature to make individual playlists. In addition, this new entertainment system has 25 video games and the interactive Berlitz World Traveler foreign language program.
Flights to Mumbai will feature Continental's new Audio/Video on Demand in both the BusinessFirst and Economy cabins of its Boeing 777 aircraft. The first 777 with the new system is scheduled to enter service this month. The entertainment systems on these aircraft allow customers to choose from more than 250 movies, 300 short-subject programs and 1,500 music tracks, with a jukebox feature to make individual playlists. In addition, this new entertainment system has 25 video games and the interactive Berlitz World Traveler foreign language program.
Mar 7, 2007, 8:12 am
#7
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I doubt they'll specify only the 2 new planes for a specific route.
Rather, by late October, they should have a few of the older planes retrofitted - not only with AVOD, the 2 extra BF seats, but the crew rest bunks as well, if I understand correctly.
I think they will TRY to put those new and converted ones on the ultra-longhauls like HKG, DEL and BOM exclusively. The crew rest and the two extra BF seats will make a bigger difference in terms of revenue gain. AVOD is probably a side benefit.
Rather, by late October, they should have a few of the older planes retrofitted - not only with AVOD, the 2 extra BF seats, but the crew rest bunks as well, if I understand correctly.
I think they will TRY to put those new and converted ones on the ultra-longhauls like HKG, DEL and BOM exclusively. The crew rest and the two extra BF seats will make a bigger difference in terms of revenue gain. AVOD is probably a side benefit.
Mar 7, 2007, 8:15 am
#8
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Another option to India I definitely welcome.
Mar 7, 2007, 8:15 am
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Looks like there will be no pulling, but using one of the new birds from this year:
Flights to Mumbai will feature Continental's new Audio/Video on Demand in both the BusinessFirst and Economy cabins of its Boeing 777 aircraft. The first 777 with the new system is scheduled to enter service this month. The entertainment systems on these aircraft allow customers to choose from more than 250 movies, 300 short-subject programs and 1,500 music tracks, with a jukebox feature to make individual playlists. In addition, this new entertainment system has 25 video games and the interactive Berlitz World Traveler foreign language program.
Flights to Mumbai will feature Continental's new Audio/Video on Demand in both the BusinessFirst and Economy cabins of its Boeing 777 aircraft. The first 777 with the new system is scheduled to enter service this month. The entertainment systems on these aircraft allow customers to choose from more than 250 movies, 300 short-subject programs and 1,500 music tracks, with a jukebox feature to make individual playlists. In addition, this new entertainment system has 25 video games and the interactive Berlitz World Traveler foreign language program.
Mar 7, 2007, 8:20 am
#10
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This is great for those traveling to BOM. They should have connection codeshares to other cities within India with local airlines, perhaps Kingfisher or Jet airways. That would make this even better.
Mar 7, 2007, 9:44 am
#11
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How do I go about getting on their inagural flight
Congratulations CO!!!! Hope next year brings in BLR and MAA too and we'll have India covered!
Does anyone know when tickets are going to be on sale? I will like to get on their inagural flight.
Thanks!
Does anyone know when tickets are going to be on sale? I will like to get on their inagural flight.
Thanks!
Mar 7, 2007, 9:54 am
#12
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Any chance they can get this flight scheduled so that we arrive into India in the daytime (c. 5 - 8 a.m.)?
I really am increasingly a fan of arriving into India during "daylight" hours .... particularly given the increasingly ridiculously expensive hotel rates around BOM and DEL.
I really am increasingly a fan of arriving into India during "daylight" hours .... particularly given the increasingly ridiculously expensive hotel rates around BOM and DEL.
Mar 7, 2007, 10:16 am
#13
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Shortly after they get government approval. IIRC, CO typically releases seats for flights 330 days out though this will certainly be a shorter timeframe.
Mar 7, 2007, 10:21 am
#14
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Is EWR-BRU new?
I thought CO has served that city for some time...I could be wrong. 
Originally Posted by J.Edward
Does anyone know where the 777's will be pulled from to accommodate this (or is this what they're planning on using their two new 777's for?)
Mar 7, 2007, 10:22 am
#15
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Any chance they can get this flight scheduled so that we arrive into India in the daytime (c. 5 - 8 a.m.)?
I really am increasingly a fan of arriving into India during "daylight" hours .... particularly given the increasingly ridiculously expensive hotel rates around BOM and DEL.
I really am increasingly a fan of arriving into India during "daylight" hours .... particularly given the increasingly ridiculously expensive hotel rates around BOM and DEL.
Also, a noon-time departure from India means arriving EWR at around 6pm. Connections still possible, but not any later.
The current schedule is really optimized for the most domestic US connections possible, and without arriving/departing either place at some ungodly hours (though the current DEL flight returns to EWR very early in the morning).