News Release
Continental Airlines Begins Serving Timothy's World Coffee
HOUSTON, August 31, 1998 -- Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAI.B and CAI.A) on Sept. 1 will begin serving Timothy's World Coffee on all of its flights as part of a marketing partnership that will benefit both companies. Continental will serve Timothy's Italian Blend, a light espresso roast that is more sweet than bittersweet to the taste.
"We know a great cup of coffee is one of the first things our customers look for when they get on a plane, so we're excited to begin serving a good product like Timothy's," said Greg Brenneman, Continental Airlines president and chief operating officer.
"We share the belief that our partnership is as much about valuing our people as it is serving a great cup of coffee on board the world's premier airline," said Timothy's chief executive officer Becky McKinnon.
Continental Airlines has the largest presence of any airline in New York City and chose a coffee brand its valuable New York customers know well. Passengers from the Northeast will recognize the rich, familiar aromas of Timothy's coffee.
Timothy's was big in coffee before coffee was big - the company has been a leading specialty coffee retailer since 1975. Operating over 80 stores in the Northeast, concentrated in New York and Toronto, Timothy's specializes in 30 varieties of custom roasted coffees and outstanding customer service.
Timothy's Master Roaster maintains uncompromising standards for freshness and superior flavor for the coffee from its origins in the hills of Costa Rica, Guatemala, Kenya, Colombia and Sumatra, to Timothy's own roasting facility and finally, to the cup.
The marketing partnership goes beyond the millions of cups of coffee served each year on board Continental flights, however. Timothy's will include Continental branding on some of its retail service packaging and will feature in-store promotions including sweepstakes for trips on Continental and special OnePass member offers.
Continental is the fifth largest airline in the U.S., offering more than 2,000 departures daily to 125 domestic and 67 international destinations. Operating major hubs in Newark, Houston and Cleveland, Continental (http://www.flycontinental.com) is strategically positioned for Transcontinental travel, and offers extensive service to Latin America and Europe via its Houston and Newark gateways. Continental has entered into a strategic global alliance with Northwest Airlines that will result in interconnection of the two airlines' route systems, code-sharing arrangements, frequent flier reciprocity, cooperation between Continental and Northwest's Trans-Atlantic partner KLM, and other cooperative activities, subject to government approval.
The Continental OnePass frequent flyer program was named 1997 Program of the Year and Best Elite-Level Program, as well as having Best Overall Customer Service, Best Program Newsletter and Best Website in InsideFlyer's annual Freddie Awards. In addition, Continental was named "Airline of the Year" in 1997 by Air Transport World and was rated as having the best business class product among U.S. carriers by Conde Nast Traveler, Entrepreneur and Smart Money magazines.