United Airline Flies First Commercial Biofueled Flight

The information below is being quoted from an article that originally appeared in Travel Daily News

"United Continental Holdings announced that its subsidiary Continental Airlines is operating the first U.S. commercial flight powered by advanced biofuels. Flight 1403, a Boeing 737-800, departs Houston's Bush Intercontinental Airport at 10:30 a.m. for Chicago O'Hare International Airport, making United the first U.S. airline to fly passengers using a blend of sustainable, advanced biofuel and traditional petroleum-derived jet fuel."

"Also today, United is announcing it has signed a letter of intent with Solazyme to negotiate the purchase of 20 million gallons of jet fuel per year, derived exclusively from algae oil, for delivery as early as 2014. Solazyme, headquartered in south San Francisco, manufactured the algae oil used on today's flight through its proprietary fermentation process. The end product was then refined outside Houston using renewable jet fuel processing technology from Honeywell's UOP."

"Operating the first U.S. revenue advanced biofuel flight represents a major milestone in Eco-Skies, United's commitment to leading commercial aviation as an environmentally responsible company by taking actions today that shape an environmentally sustainable future. Eco-Skies builds upon United and Continental's solid track record for improving aircraft fuel efficiency and introducing sustainability programs."

"Continental in 2009 made history as the first North American carrier to perform a two-engine aircraft flight demonstration using sustainable biofuels derived from algae and jatropha. The Boeing 737-800 aircraft used in that demonstration, tail number 516, is the same aircraft operating today's flight. In 2010 United conducted the first flight by a U.S. commercial airline using synthetic fuel made from natural gas."

Accomplishments of United Continental Holdings include:
"- The company improved fuel efficiency by more than 32 percent since 1994 by investing in a modern, fuel-efficient fleet and by streamlining its operating procedures. New fuel-efficient aircraft on order, 132 in total for delivery through 2019, include 50 Boeing 787 Dreamliners and 25 Airbus 350s, which are 20 percent more fuel efficient than the older aircraft they will replace. United continues to modify existing aircraft with winglets, improving fuel efficiency by up to five percent.
- United and Continental operate more than 3,600 alternatively fueled or zero-emission ground service equipment vehicles.
- Whenever possible, pilots use innovative flight processes such as continuous descent or tailored arrivals, use only one engine while taxiing and ground power instead of aircraft engines when at the gate, and the airline often uses ground equipment instead of aircraft engines to move aircraft from gate to gate.
- During the last five years the company recycled more than 20 million pounds of aluminum cans, plastic and paper items from waste generated in-flight and in our facilities.
- Advancements in technology, such as paperless flight decks with iPads for pilots and paperless boarding with mobile devices for customers, further reduce environmental impact."

Find the original article here with more information: http://www.traveldailynews.com/pages/show_page/46197?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=show_page/46197&utm_campaign=TravelDailyMainTitle

Best Major Airlines for Business Travel

Business Travel News publishes annual rankings of the major airlines for business travel, which can be telling signs of on airline's overall quality for travelers. This year's results are based on a poll of 406 travel managers and buyers who spend at least $500,000 a year on flights booked in the United States. The rankings only include the five largest domestic airlines.

Here are the 5 ranked from best to worst according to BTN's airline score, which is comprised of data gathered from 10 different categories:

1. Delta Airlines*
BTN airline score: 3.14

2. United Airlines/ Continental
BTN airline score: 3.12

3. US Airways
BTN airline score: 3.07

4. American Airlines
BTN airline score: 2.94

5. Southwest
BTN airline score: 2.9


*This is Delta's first time at the number one spot.

For a more detailed report of this information, see this: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44876792/ns/business-us_business/

Continental CEO to forego pay, bonuses until airline turns profit

Now that United and Continental are marketing partners and it is obvious they are deepening thier ties (and the airline differences are becoming vividly clear), I hope United's CEO takes notice to this gesture. It has always irked me that airlines are crying "no profit, raise fares, fees" and find ways to milk every penny from travelers and travel agencies but yet the airline management are as well paid as all the investment bankers that became addicted to government bailout money. (can you say economic freebasing?)

By Ann Keeton Jan 04, 2010
CHICAGO - Continental Airlines Inc.'s new chief executive, Jeffrey Smisek, said Monday he won't take a salary or an annual bonus until the Houston airline records a full-year profit.

In a letter to employees, Smisek said that "I am not asking you or anyone else to reduce their pay. What I am asking is that you join me in making Continental profitable again."

According to a filing Monday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Smisek's annual salary, as of Jan. 1, 2010, is $730,000. The filing said Smisek's retirement and stock purchase plans "will be impacted by his salary and annual bonus waiver."

Along with other major U.S. airlines, Continental is expected to report a loss for 2009, as the recession sharply cut passenger traffic last year. Going into 2010, air traffic is slowly recovering, but the price of fuel, the single- biggest expense for airlines, is on the rise.

Executive compensation has been a bone of contention at some other carriers, where rank-and-file employees gave up salary and benefits earlier in the past decade to keep financially weak airlines flying.

Smisek, who has been president of Continental, took over as chairman and CEO following the resignation of Larry Kellner, who left the airline industry at the end of last year.

Source: Dow Jones Newswires

Fully booked Continental Air touches down in Fiji

It was a fully-booked Continental Airline flight that touched down at Nadi International Airport on Saturday.

On board were 120 passengers including journalists and two airline directors who travelled from Guam to Nadi.

Nadi is a new destination for Continental, accessable on flights from their hubs in Guam and Hawaii