[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 73 (Wednesday, May 22, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E865-E866]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           HOUSTON-BASED CONTINENTAL AIRLINES IS FLYING HIGH

                                 ______


                            HON. JACK FIELDS

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 21, 1996

  Mr. FIELDS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the Wall Street Journal last week, 
and Business Week this week, profiled a Houston-based company that is 
flying high: Continental Airlines. The articles in the Wall Street 
Journal and Business Week chronicled the improved service that 
Continental Airlines now offers its passengers--and the resulting 
improvement in Continental's bottom line.
  Under the leadership of Chief Executive Officer Gordon Bethune, and 
as a result of greater cooperation and better communication between 
labor and management, Continental Airlines has transformed itself from 
a mediocre carrier to one of America's best-run airlines. After 
weathering some turbulence in the 1980's, Continental is soaring into 
clear skies, and we Houstonians couldn't be prouder that our hometown 
carrier is doing so well.
  In the year and a half since Gordon Bethune arrived at Continental 
from Boeing, there have been many changes at the airline. No longer 
does Continental Airlines have one of the industry's worst records for 
on-time performance, lost or mishandled baggage, or customer 
complaints. Today, Continental has one of the industry's best records 
in each of those performance categories. The airlines now provides its 
customers with some of the best service in the skies--and word's 
getting out. Continental Airlines is attracting more leisure travelers 
as well as business travelers, and the airline's bottom line is in 
better shape today than it has been in years.
  Now, while Gordon Bethune is a highly talented and motivated chief 
executive officer, the turnaround at Continental Airlines is not the 
result of his efforts alone. It is the result of the hard work of the 
thousands of dedicated individuals who make Continental ``more airline 
for your money''--employees like the baggage handler who makes certain 
the right bag is loaded on the right flight, the flight attendant who 
provides a weary traveler with a little extra attention, and the 
mechanic who takes the time to prevent problems even before they become 
problems.

  The significant improvements that we've all experienced at 
Continental Airlines show that when management and labor work together, 
each can prosper. This mistrust and anger that for too long 
characterized relations between Continental management and the 
airline's employees is gone. Under Gordon Bethune's leadership, new and 
innovative incentives have been instituted to ensure that Continental 
employees spend more time serving the needs of their customers, and 
less time arguing among themselves. Those incentives have created an 
environment in which Continental Airlines employees are encouraged to 
work together to accomplish the impossible--rather than spending their 
workdays convincing one another that something cannot be done. Today, 
everyone at Continental--at corporate headquarters, at each maintenance 
facility, at every airport and every boarding gate--understands that 
their fates are tied together. They understand that they and their 
airline will prosper or fail--together.
  This transformation has not been easy, quick or painless. In fact, to 
some, the mere fact that Continental Airlines is still flying is 
nothing short of a miracle.
  Mr. Speaker, the new Continental Airlines may be the result of a 
miracle, good luck or just plain hard work on the part of thousands of 
Continental Airlines employees and executives. Whatever the cause, we 
Houstonians familiar with Continental's turbulent past are

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pleased that its future looks so bright. Continental is a major 
employer in Houston, and we are proud that our hometown airline is 
setting the pace in the highly competitive airline industry. I salute 
Gordon Bethune for his efforts to make that possible, and I salute the 
hard work and dedication of each and every Continental employee for a 
job very, very well done.

                          ____________________