Continental Airlines

[msminniemouse]

I was considering flying on Continental in August, because the prices on Jet Blue are so high ($440 on Jet Blue vs $300 on Continental- which is $560 total difference for 4 people). I usually fly Jet Blue and was wondering how Continental was. Do they have the personal tvs like JetBlue?

 

[PatMcDuck]

Continental is fine, but I only saw a plane with TVs once. And that was a huge new 777 plane that was being "broken in" for future international flights. (that plane was AMAZING, and we had it on a Orlando to Newark short flight).

So for flights inside the USA, I do not think any have TVs on Continental. But I would RUN to book those flights and save that $560.

 

[AlexDurrani]

Continental is a great airline for on time records and all but economy does not generally have personal entertainment screens in it. you get the screens in the ceiling but not on the back seats of the seat in front of you.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

No personal TVs for the most part (they are retrofitting many aircrafts with LiveTV), no free checked bag (1 free with JetBlue) and in coach, smaller seats with less pitch (31" versus JB standard 34" on the Airbus and 32" on the RJs). That said I like flying Continental, and fly them semi-frequently (just not much coach though).

 

[brernick]

We use Continental Airlines for all our travel.

It is a well run airline with good on-time records and a low percentage of lost baggage.

Enjoy your flight.

 

[Thumper4me]

I have flown with Continental on a regualr basis. They are a good airline.

That being said be aware that a new policy went into effect last month. They are now a pay for food airline. We were recently on a 4 hour flight from Las Vegas to Cleveland. We were in row 23 of 41 rows and they were out of the main food items (chicken & burger) by the time they got to our row. Very poor planning on Continental's part as this flight had been full for weeks.

 

[FireDancer]

I fly Continental often as they are the big carrier out of Cleveland. Every plan I have been on has had TVs mounted in the ceilings with one occurring about every 5 rows. They use the TV's for the pre flight instructions but I have yet to see one on during the flight for entertainment. I'm assuming since they weren't on for my flight to LAX which is a pretty long flight that they are only used for international routes.

 

[Luckymommyx2]

Check out seat guru and there is a list of their aircraft and specs...

http://www.seatguru.com/airlines/Continental_Airlines/information.php

It looks like the newer 737's have personal tvs while some of the older ones have a shared tv or none at all. You would have to know your exact flight then track it for a period of time but that's still no guarantee. Hope it helps some!

 

[dis_guy]

And don't forget that by August, Continental will be well on its way to being merged into United, if not already completely merged by then.

 

[Bethannk511]

I few Continental from Newark NJ to New Orleans on 9/26 and returned 9/30. Plane down had no TVs and, as a nice surprise, the plane back to NJ had a personal TV at every seat!! Its a $6 charge in economy (well worth it IMO as i'm a bad flyer) but we got it for free because the weather delay was so bad.

Flying next week to MCO and it was significantly cheaper than Jet Blue (even if you consider the bag fees).

 

[msminniemouse]

Thanks for all of the replies. It seems like Continental is a good option and according to seat guru there is a strong possibility there will be personal tv's on the flight by August, although that could change after the merger. It is worth saving the $400+ dollars vs Jet Blue. I even saw that if you have a Continental Credit Card the 1st baggage fee is waived for all passengers, so it might be worth applying for.

 

[shoes99]

Continental is our airline of choice out of Newark, NJ. We had Direct TV screens on both flights. We returned to EWR this past Monday. I purchased DTV on the return flight back to EWR. It cost $6, but only $4 if you use your Continental MasterCard. We also got 1 free checked bag each for having a Continental Credit Card. We are pleased with CO. As posted, no more free turkey sandwiches, you only have snacks for purchase on the shorter flights, EWR to MCO. Both flights arrived a few minutes early.

 

[msminniemouse]

As posted, no more free turkey sandwiches, you only have snacks for purchase on the shorter flights, EWR to MCO. Both flights arrived a few minutes early.

So, there are no free snacks, like chips, or drinks at all? How much does it cost to purchase?

 

[jlewisinsyr]

So, there are no free snacks, like chips, or drinks at all? How much does it cost to purchase?

http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/content/travel/inflight/economy/dining.aspx

http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/content/travel/inflight/economy/menu.aspx

Also, like most other airlines, Continental is a cash-less airline for purchases of snacks and drinks, credit and debit cards only.

 

[Brenner965]

So, there are no free snacks, like chips, or drinks at all? How much does it cost to purchase?

Continental still serves complimentary non-alcoholic beverages and pretzels/Biscoff cookies.