CONTINENTAL AIRLINES

Continental Airlines is a U.S. airline that carries passengers, cargo, and mail throughout the world. It is the fifth largest U.S. airline, based on 2001 revenue passenger miles (RPMs). Continental Airlines serves more than 200 airports worldwide, with the majority of them located in the United States, and has extensive service to Latin America. Domestic flight services are operated mainly through its business hubs in Cleveland, Houston, and Newark, from which the carrier has attained a mar... ket leading position in the New York area's transatlantic traffic. The company was founded by Walter Varney in 1934 as Varney Speed Lines. On May 3, 2010, Continental Airlines, Inc. and UAL, Inc. (the parent company of United Airlines) announced a merger via a stock swap, and on October 1, 2010, the merger closed and UAL changed its name to United Continental Holdings, Inc. During the integration period, both airlines were running separate operations under direction of a combined leadership team of the new parent company based in Chicago.More