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WELCOME ABOARD CONTINENTAL
Continental Airlines is a major American airline based in Continental Center I in Houston. On October 1, 2010, the acquisition of Continental airlines by UAL Corporation (the parent company of United Airlines) was completed and on the same day UAL changed its name to United Continental Holdings, Inc. At the time of its acquisition by United Continental Holdings, Inc., Continental was the fourth-largest airline in the U.S. based on passenger-kilometres flown and the fifth largest in total passengers carried. Continental operates flights to destinations throughout the U.S., Canada, Latin America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific regions. Principal operations are from its four hubs at Newark Liberty International Airport, George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport in Guam. The origin of Continental Airlines dates to the 1934 formation of Varney Speed Lines which operated airmail and passenger services in the American Southwest. The carrier was renamed Continental Air Lines in 1937 and expanded its domestic U.S. network in the 1960s with jet aircraft. International flights to Southeast Asia and South Pacific destinations began in 1978 following industry deregulation. Continental was embroiled in ownership struggles in the 1980s and entered bankruptcy in 1983 and 1990. The carrier exhibited a financial and operational turnaround after 1996, and embarked on international route expansion in the 2000s. Continental Airlines left the SkyTeam alliance on October 24, 2009, and joined Star Alliance on October 27, 2009. Together with its subsidiaries, Continental has more than 2,423 daily departures, serving 130 domestic and 132 international destinations and has 42,210 employees as of December 2009. Since 1998, Continental's marketing slogan has been "Work Hard, Fly Right." On Sunday, May 2, 2010, the Boards of Directors at Continental and United Airlines approved a stock-swap deal that would combine them into the world's largest airline in revenue passenger miles. The new airline will take on the United Airlines name, Continental's logo and be based in United's hometown of Chicago.
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