Term Paper on "Continental Airlines"

Term Paper 5 pages (1743 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Continental Airline has evolved as all other major players in the aviation industry have, through the challenges and changes of a global economy. The factors that have caused change in the industry are largely outside the control of the airline itself, yet the response to such change is determined within the company, with marked success or failure. Continental has demonstrated marked success. The company has demonstrated the application of societal marketing concepts to better inform and serve the public it caters to. Responding to the idea that pure marketing may not meet the needs of the customer or society in the long run societal marketing has been employed to demonstrate the social and economic impact the company can have as a provider of services in the airline industry.

Continental Airlines is a leader in marketing to customers in a format that is completely new and innovative to this era. The company demonstrated great skill and forethought in developing the best customer rated internet site among all the airlines, online in the Spring of 2000. (Gnuschke, 2000, p. 6) Through this website (www.continetal.com) the company creates obvious positives for customers in its, ease of use and overall satisfaction. With this tool the company can then allow customers the opportunity to access, live availability and pricing levels for every flight they provide. The website also has a very specific streamlined, professional appearance, with no flashy kitschy logos and advertisements. The website is all business, a reflection of Continental's business service niche.

Additionally, they can offer packages and deals that act as the electronic and self-driven travel agent bookings of the past, making those who are unwilling or unable to utilize the services of an agent unnecessary. The website gives special deals, or at least uses the nomenclature of limited opportunity to allow web users to book everything from hotels to car rental packages, in addition to airline tickets. To do this, the company partners with many other top name companies. Including hundreds of chains and independent operator hotels, car rental companies, credit card companies, retailers, communications companies and even cruise lines. (Travel Center / Make Reservations at (www.continetal.com)

The company also directs frequent users through a club like rewards system (one pass) to continue to use Continental exclusively to gain rewards and services that would seem to be unavailable to others, thus catering to the frequent flyer passengers. The passengers are offered services that allow some services, such as luggage and screening to be streamlined so as to increase the likelihood that they will continue to fly continental for all their traveling needs. Frequent flyers then feel like they have been treated with special care and elite services that they feel they need or deserve when they so frequently support the services of the airline. ("One Pass Program Overview" at (www.continetal.com) the program offers benefits, which meet the needs of customers both psychologically and practically, and is one of the first and thought of as one of the best programs in the industry.

Earn Free Travel Fast

Redeem miles for travel to more than 500 travel destinations worldwide

Earn a minimum of 500 OnePass miles for every flight

Special offer and bonus mileage opportunities

Earn miles for all the things you do with our global network of over 70 OnePass Partners

Elite Status Benefits

Unlimited complimentary upgrades

Generous mileage bonuses

Special reward privileges

EliteAccess travel benefits including priority check-in, boarding and baggage handling as well as expedited security screening

One Pass Program Overview" at (www.continetal.com)

Continental has earned several awards for its business class services. Services, which are a niche for Continental as it has maintained a higher priced service, with better amenities, serving many larger corporations, travel needs.

Best Executive/Business Class 2003 and 2004 OAG Airline of the Year Awards

Best Business Class among U.S. airlines, scoring 23 out of 25 stars for amenities and service Business Traveler (9/03)

Best Transatlantic and Transpacific Business Class among U.S. airlines Conde Nast Traveler (10/02)

Best Short Haul Executive/Business Class 2001 OAG Airline of the Year Awards (2/01)

Best Long Haul Executive/Business Class 2001 OAG Airline of the Year Awards (2/01)

Best U.S. Airline for Business Travel SmartMoney (2/00)

Best Business Class among U.S. airlines; 14 of 16 stars for seats, service, food and entertainment Wall Street Journal,"Coffee, Tea or Massage" (11/6/98)

Continental airlines also boast many recent rewards and honors for Workplace, Management & Operations, which does not go unnoticed by consumers.

Airline of the Year 2004 OAG Airline of the Year Awards (5/04)

No. 45 Most Admired Global Company FORTUNE magazine (3/03)

No. 2 Most Admired U.S. Airline FORTUNE magazine (3/04)

No. 2 Most Admired Global Airline FORTUNE magazine (3/03)

100 Best Companies to Work for (No. 62) FORTUNE magazine 1999-2004

Many other notable companies are winners of the same awards and those awards bode well with the business and private clientele of the company. Yet the biggest testament to the marketing success of Continental airlines are the awards earned for customer satisfaction and marketing, to name a few of many:

No. 1 in Customer Satisfaction Frequent Flyer/J.D. Power & Associates (5/00), for shortand long distance flights

No. 1 in Customer Service SmartMoney Customer Service Awards (7/01)

No. 1 Web site Forrester PowerRankings (8/00); NPD New Media Services for easy navigation and organization of info. (8/00); Freddie Awards from InsideFlyer (4/01)

No. 1 Airline Innovator of Info. Technology and No. 2 out of 500 companies InformationWeek 500 List (12/01)

Best Frequent Flyer Program - Long Haul Travelchannel (2/04)

Best Frequent Flyer Program 2001 OAG Airline of the Year Awards (2/01)

OnePass Program of the Year, Best Elite-Level Program*, Best Award

InsideFlyer's Freddie Awards (4/01) *InsideFlyer's Freddie Awards (04/01) and (4/02)

Best Ground Services - Long Haul Travelchannel (2/04)

No. 1 in Customer Loyalty Brand Keys Survey, NY-based research firm

The Continental service record can be easily traced through the awards, and the rates of service seem to be continuing to meet the customer and the industry needs.

The post 9/11 climate within the airline industry was seriously challenged and the public, previously flying were made aware of the decline at every turn, yet were reluctant to return to the air after the randomness and senselessness of the attacks began to sink in. Continental Airlines responded the situation with swift implementation of best practices which would both aide the industry as a whole and help ally the publics newly developed fears of airline safety. The airline was so successful a part of the implementation of new and modified safety guidelines that an important scientific body gave them an award for excellence, which they have successfully used to help teach the public about the safety of flying.

LINTHICUM, MD, May 23, 2002 - the Continental Airlines technology that speeded recovery from the terrorist attack of September 11 resulted in the company's selection as winner of the Franz Edelman Award for Achievement in Operations Research and the Management Sciences at the Hilton Montreal Bonaventure this week. The Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS®) presented the award on Tuesday... "One of the strengths of a vital company is its ability to prepare for the unexpected," said Donald R. Smith of Monmouth University, chair of the award committee. "Continental's use of operations research techniques in crisis management helped it recover from terrorist attack and earn the commendation of our judges. This is an example of or responding in real time to dramatic changes in operating conditions." ("Continental Airlines wins INFORMS best practices award," 2002, website)

As a recognized leader in airline safety technology implementation Continental Airlines proved that it was at least marginally prepared for the completely unexpected terrorist events of attacks greatly assisting the campaign for public awareness of the global needs of the airline industry and the partnership of the public.

Continental expressed great societal marketing creativity in its allowance of its internal team to analyze and display the technological advances of their crew management system to deal with the unexpected as a response to the global fear of further events occurrence and their aftermath.

The winning team includes Continental Airlines' Anna C. White and Janet Wejman; and the airline's partner in the project, Austin-based CALEB Technologies Corp., whose team members are Gang Yu (also of the University of Texas at Austin), Michael Arguello, Mark Gao Song, and Sandra M. McCowan. ("Continental Airlines wins INFORMS best practices award," 2002, website)

Creating public awareness of safety plans and procedures, was probably something the airline industry never really thought they would need to do, especially on such a grand scale, yet, Continental quickly responded to the public need for awareness. The company saw a great need to target customers in this very special need and did so with great effectiveness, marking a point for high company ethics and social responsibility.

The CrewSolverTM decision support system, developed by CALEB Technologies Corp. For Continental Airlines, uses operations research to generate globally optimal, or near optimal, crew recovery solutions while satisfying multiple complex constraints. Since implementation, the… READ MORE

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