Continental Airlines flies from bottom to top in Frequent Flyer/J.D. Power and Associates customer satisfaction study.WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 18, 1996--Continental Airlines (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange : CAI (1) (Computer-Assisted Instruction) Same as CBT. (2) See CA. CAI - Computer-Aided Instruction .B and CAI. A) today was ranked as the top airline in customer satisfaction among the nine major U.S. carriers on long-distance long-dis·tance adj. 1. Covering a long distance: a long-distance runner; operating under long-distance supervision. 2. (500+ miles) flights, based on an independent survey of more than 2,600 frequent flyers frequent flyer Hospital practice A popular term for a Pt who is regularly admitted to a particular ER or health care facility, for various reasons conducted by J.D. Power and Associates in conjunction with Frequent Flyer magazine. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. J.D. Power and Associates, this is the first time ever a company has jumped from bottom to the top in the rankings in a single year. Continental, which last year took the last-place Adj. 1. last-place - lowest in rank or importance; "last prize"; "in last place" lowest, last worst - (superlative of `bad') most wanting in quality or value or condition; "the worst player on the team"; "the worst weather of the year" No. 9 position, has done a complete 180-degree turn and now consistently leads the industry in U.S. Department of Transportation metrics metrics Managed care A popular term for standards by which the quality of a product, service, or outcome of a particular form of Pt management is evaluated. See TQM. of on-time arrivals, baggage handling and fewest complaints. In addition, the airline has reported record financial results for four consecutive quarters. Continental President and Chief Executive Officer Gordon Bethune Gordon M. Bethune (born August 1941) is the chairman of the board of Aloha Airgroup, parent company of Aloha Airlines. He was CEO of Continental Airlines from 1994 until his retirement at the end of 2004. From 1996 on, he also served as chairman of the board at that airline. , who was joined by airline staff in accepting the award, said, "This award reflects the tremendous energy and focus that our 36,552 employees achieved by working together on goals that our customers value." The Frequent Flyer/J. D. Power study is the only independent, publicly released and representative survey of frequent travelers who average over 25 airline round-trips per year. More than 2,600 Frequent Flyer subscribers evaluated airlines in 12 areas: On-Time Performance Schedule/Flight Accommodations Seating Comfort Airport Check-In Aircraft Interior Flight Attendants Gate Location Food Service Frequent Flyer Programs Post-Flight Services In-flight Amenities Airline Clubs The Frequent Flyer/J.D. Power results are consistent with data furnished fur·nish tr.v. fur·nished, fur·nish·ing, fur·nish·es 1. To equip with what is needed, especially to provide furniture for. 2. in the Department of Transportations Air Travel Consumer Report. Among the seven largest carriers, Continental ranked No. 1 for on-time arrivals, No. 1 for baggage handling and No. 1 for fewest complaints for both the fourth quarter of 1995 and the first quarter of 1996. Approximately 70 percent of Continental departures and passengers fly in the long-haul long haul n. 1. A long distance: It is a long haul from New York to Los Angeles. 2. A long period of time: Over the long haul the candidates performed well. category of 500+ miles, where the airline received the top ranking by J.D. Power and Associates. Continental tied for the No. 2 spot in the short-flights category. Other recent distinctions won by Continental include: Best Trans-Atlantic Business Class (BusinessFirst) Best Investment (top 1995 stock return among Fortune 500 companies) Entrepreneur magazine Fortune magazine Best Elite-Level Frequent Flyer Program Stock of the Year (top 1995 stock return among NYSE companies) InsideFlyer Magazine Business Week Magazine Continental is the fifth largest airline in the U.S., offering more than 2,000 jet and Express departures daily to 136 U.S. and 56 international destinations. Operating major hubs in Cleveland Cleveland, former county, England Cleveland, former county, NE England, created under the Local Government Act of 1972 (effective 1974). It was composed of the county boroughs of Hartlepool and Teeside and parts of the former counties of Durham and , Guam Guam (gwäm), Chamorro Guåhan, the largest, most populous, and southernmost of the Mariana Islands (see also Northern Mariana Islands, an unincorporated territory of the United States (2005 est. pop. , Houston Houston, city (1990 pop. 1,630,553), seat of Harris co., SE Tex., a deepwater port on the Houston Ship Channel; inc. 1837. Economy The fourth largest city in the nation and the largest in the entire South and Southwest, Houston is a port of entry; and Newark, Continental is strategically positioned for transcontinental travel, and offers extensive service to Latin America Latin America, the Spanish-speaking, Portuguese-speaking, and French-speaking countries (except Canada) of North America, South America, Central America, and the West Indies. and Europe via its Houston and Newark gateways.
CONTINENTAL: BOTTOM TO TOP
How They Did It
Continental rose from last place in Customer Satisfaction in the
1995 Frequent Flyer/J.D. Power study to take the top spot as the
best Long Haul airline in the 1996 study. A fluke? Hardly.
Following are specific changes at Continental that made a difference
in customer perception since last year:
D.O.T. Metrics: Among the seven largest U.S. airlines,
Continental was #1 for on-time arrivals, #1 for baggage handling and
#1 for fewest complaints for both the fourth quarter of 1995 and the
first quarter of 1996. Introduced on-time bonuses of up to $100 per
employee per month for meeting on-time targets.
Customer Care: Expanded the staff that resolves customer
problems; gave the staff better automated systems for problem
tracking/resolution; gave customers more ways to reach this area of
the company (postage-paid postcard in Profiles inflight magazine and
the industrys only toll-free 24-hour phone number for problem
resolution.)
Employee Relations: Increased face-to-face contact between senior
executives and front-line employees; reached a collective bargaining
agreement with pilots for the first time in 10 years; threw out the
Corporate Policy & Procedure Manual and replaced it with the Working
Together Guidelines. Introduced the main employee relations concept
for 1996: Treat each other with dignity and respect.
Work the Plan: Developed the Go Forward Plan and kept
communicating what it means, internally and externally. Emphasized
at the senior level that "What gets measured and rewarded gets done."
Inflight: Introduced Brothers Foglifter Gourmet Coffee and Petes
Wicked Brews. Restored meals on many flights. Put back closets on
MD-80s and first-class cabins on all the aircraft. Installed video
on long-haul 737s. Expanded availability of digital telephones and
FlightLink in-seat info/communications/ entertainment.
Aircraft: Took delivery of 60 new 737s and 757s in 1993-1996. At
least one older aircraft was retired for every new delivery. (No net
growth.) Brought every aircraft exterior into compliance with company
standard. Brought every aircraft interior (seat covers, carpet,
bulkheads, sidewalls, etc.) into compliance with company standard.
Increased the cabin-cleaning schedule. Gave employees easy avenues
to tell the Aircraft Appearance department when they found a cabin
deficiency so it could be immediately fixed.
Airports: Brought all airport facilities into compliance with
company identity standards. Implementing a baggage facility upgrade
at each of the three mainland hubs. Improved jetway air conditioning
and ground-supplied air conditioning for aircraft parked at gates.
Profitability: Record earnings provided $31 million in
profit-sharing payments to employees for 1995.
OnePass: Restored valuable frequent flyer benefits, putting extra
emphasis on Elite-level perks.
CONTACT: CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS Corporate communications is the process of facilitating information and knowledge exchanges with internal and key external groups and individuals that have a direct relationship with an enterprise. , Continental Airlines, 713/834-5080 |
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