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Continental Airlines Unveils New Lie-Flat BusinessFirst Seat

Written by thomas · Filed Under Commercial 

July 28, 2008

thomas

Innovative seat design offers 180-degree recline; installation begins in
Fall 2009

HOUSTON, July 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Continental Airlines (NYSE:
CAL) today announced details of a new 180-degree lie-flat seat for the
BusinessFirst cabin on its Boeing 787, 777 and 757 aircraft. Customers will
begin seeing lie-flats seats on Boeing 777 aircraft that primarily serve
trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific routes in the fall of 2009, with
installation on Continental’s 757-200 fleet beginning in 2010 and on its
Boeing 787 fleet as the aircraft are delivered to Continental.

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Unveiled today at the National Business Travel Association
International Convention and Exposition in Los Angeles, the new 180-degree
lie-flat seats are the centerpiece of Continental’s award-winning
BusinessFirst service that provides the extra space and fine amenities of
traditional international first class at a business class price.

“Continental continues to invest in its product to make flying more
comfortable for our global customers,” said Larry Kellner, chairman and
chief executive officer of Continental Airlines. “We created a brand-new
seat designed to lie completely flat, without compromising functionality or
effective use of cabin space.”

Lie-flat Design

Continental’s new BusinessFirst seats allow customers to lie completely
flat, reclining 180-degrees and providing 6 1/2 feet (2 meters) of sleeping
space in the fully extended position on its widebody aircraft. The lie-flat
seat is one of the widest business-class seats in the air, measuring up to
25 inches when the adjustable armrest is positioned flush with the seat
cushion, allowing customers to sleep more comfortably. Electronic
“one-touch” controls enable customers to easily move the seats to pre-set
upright, cradle and fully extended sleep positions and additional controls
allow customers to adjust the seat back, lumbar support and leg and foot
rests to the custom position most comfortable for them.

The lie-flat seats provide more individual storage space for personal
items. Laptop power, headset and USB plugs are conveniently tucked above
the customer’s shoulder. There is additional storage under the ottoman, on
a shelf under the monitor and on an amenity storage alcove that provides
room for small personal items such as a book or magazine and a water
bottle.

iPod connectivity will also be available at the seat, allowing each
customer to view their personal videos and enjoy their music, all while the
iPod is charging. BusinessFirst seats on the 787 and 777 aircraft will
feature a 15.4-inch video monitor for customers to enjoy on-demand movies,
music and games. Seats on the 757 aircraft will feature 10.6-inch monitors.

The new BusinessFirst seats also have a six-way adjustable head rest,
an individual overhead reading light and an adjustable seat light allowing
a customer to read in bed without disturbing their neighbor and a privacy
shell that allows for seclusion from other travelers.

Two Years to Design and Perfect

Continental’s product marketing team began researching new seat options
in the fall of 2006 when planning BusinessFirst service for the new 787
Dreamliner aircraft. The airline visited with numerous seat manufacturers
worldwide before selecting BE Aerospace, which created five different
design concepts. Concurrently, Continental sought feedback from a focus
group of BusinessFirst frequent flyers that identified and prioritized key
needs of global travelers and worked closely with the airline’s project
team and the seat manufacturer to help create the new seat. The important
features requested by the focus group were to install a wider seat that
could lay completely flat and be easy to operate.

Seats are the Centerpiece of Premium Service

BusinessFirst service features an extensive gourmet menu served with
premium wines and champagnes created by Continental’s Congress of Chefs and
Sommeliers. International Concierge Service provides individualized pre-
and post-flight services for BusinessFirst customers at 42 airports around
the world. Customers traveling in BusinessFirst may also access any of
Continental’s 27 Presidents Clubs and more than 60 airline affiliated
lounges worldwide.

Continental Airlines has won numerous awards for its BusinessFirst
product. The Official Airline Guide has awarded Continental’s BusinessFirst
as the Best Executive/Business Class for five consecutive years (2003 –
2007), and Conde Nast Traveler magazine rated Continental’s premium
BusinessFirst service the highest among all U.S. carriers for
trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific flights 10 years in a row.

Continental currently operates the Boeing 777 on routes between Newark
and Beijing, Delhi, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, London/Heathrow, Mumbai, Paris,
Rome, Tel Aviv and Tokyo, and between Houston and London/Heathrow, Paris
and Tokyo.

BusinessFirst on the Boeing 757 is currently offered on routes between
Newark and Amsterdam, Barcelona, Belfast, Berlin, Birmingham, Bristol,
Copenhagen, Dublin, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Hamburg, Lisbon, London/Gatwick,
Madrid, Manchester, Oslo, Paris, Shannon and Stockholm.

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