News Release
Continental Airlines Rewards Employees with New Vehicles
HOUSTON, Texas, July 28, 1999 -- Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL and CAL.A) today will give away another eight Ford Explorers to reward employees with six months of perfect attendance. Since the program's inception in 1996, the airline has given away 55 sport utility vehicles, including tax, title, license and gift tax paid for by the company.
On the front lawn of company headquarters in downtown Houston, the eight lucky winners will be presented the keys to their shiny, new 1999 Eddie Bauer Limited Edition Ford Explorers by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Gordon Bethune and President and Chief Operating Officer Greg Brenneman.
"This is Continental's way of saying, 'Thank you for coming to work each day and working extra hard at making the airline a leader in the industry,' " said Bethune.
Winners were drawn from a pool of more than 13,693 eligible employees with perfect attendance records between Jan. 1, 1999, and June 30, 1999. They are: Pilot Corinne Fultz, Lead Technician Mort Hines, Reservation Agent Ralph Sasser, Cargo Agent Ronald Molinaro, Maintenance Supplier Representative Mark Salisbury and Transportation Agent Mario Diaz, all based in Houston; Los Angeles-based flight attendant Lydia Amezaga and Newark-based Airport Sales Agent Irene Tupaj.
In the past three years, Continental Airlines has seen a marked drop in absenteeism, which the company attributes to this Perfect Attendance Program. Continental's absenteeism rate is one of the lowest in the industry.
Continental Airlines is the fifth largest airline in the U.S., offering more than 2,200 departures daily to 130 domestic and 85 international destinations. Operating major hubs in Newark, Houston and Cleveland, Continental (http://www.continental.com) has extensive service throughout the Americas, and to Europe and Asia. Continental recently initiated a strategic global alliance with Northwest Airlines. Continental is in the top half of FORTUNE magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work for in America," and has won first or second place Frequent Flyer Magazine and J.D. Power awards for four consecutive years. Continental has received numerous awards for its BusinessFirst premium cabin (Condé Nast Traveler, OAG Official Airline Guides, Entrepreneur and Smart Money magazines), OnePass frequent flyer program (InsideFlyer's Freddie Awards) and overall operations and management (Air Transport World's 1997 Airline of the Year).