On the one hand, people always liked that Continental stood their ground and kept at least SOMETHING in the back of the bus that reminded people of the old days. Was the free meal anything special? No way. It was edible at best, though I did have a soft spot for that cheeseburger in a bag. (Do they still have that?) But even if you didn’t like it, it was comfort food, and that was nice. There was also something psychologically-appealing about them seeming to care enough for you to keep food around, even if it was crappy. It just seemed like the last vestige of civility. Former CEO Gordon Bethune summed it up well with his thoughts after 9/11.

Our reaction was to be ourselves more than we ever were. Didn’t take away the movies, didn’t take away the blankets and pillows, didn’t take off the magazines. We talked about this a lot, and I said, ‘Look, guys, if ever we were consistent and reliable, we have to be now. You have to be steady when the fucking sky is the shakiest. We’ve got to be clean, safe, and reliable, and let everybody know it. That’s all we got. That’s our edge in the business.’

Now Continental is chipping away at that as well.

But don’t worry, Continental is happy to spin this announcement so you think it’s some amazing revolution on their part. It wasn’t quite Cranky Jackass-worthy, but still kind of dumb. The release reads “Continental Airlines to Offer Food for Purchase on Select Flights” with a subhead of “Menu will include wide variety of high quality, healthy food choices.” So the spin is basically, yeah we might be getting rid of free food, but we’re replacing it with delicious, healthy, wholesome food that will make you think you’re at a five star restaurant . . . or something like that.

The way it works is this. You will now get a free meal only on flights over 6 hours in length. That’s an interesting cutoff. The 1p flight from Newark to LAX is blocked at 5h56m on Saturday and 6h6m the rest of the week. So will the folks on Saturday not get fed? And no eastbound flight from LA gets even close to 6 hours, so will that mean you only get fed westbound? Either way, only the longest domestic routes will get grub included in the price of the ticket.

I’m sure the food will be better, but that doesn’t mean they couldn’t have offered both options. That’s what Hawaiian does. They offer a basic meal for free and then you can buy some really high quality stuff if you’d like to trade up. But Continental hasn’t gone that route. I figured they’d be the last to hold out, thanks to their ownership of Chelsea Food Services, the kitchen that puts these meals together. But I guess even that couldn’t sway them to keep feeding people for free.

It’s not the elimination of free meals that really bugs me but rather that Continental is now falling into the same place as everyone else. The free meal was this signal of respect, or something like that. It showed they cared just a little bit more than the rest. Not anymore.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/projector/ / CC BY-SA 2.0

Dumbest Cities to Receive Federal Airline Service Subsidies – BNET
And here are the SCASDP grants I like the least. Wish they hadn’t been given the grants.

Finding Help Booking Travel and Managing Irregular Operations -View from the Wing
Gary Leff gives Cranky Concierge a ringing endorsement, and I couldn’t be happier.

Will a New Bill to Boost U.S. Tourism Help or Hurt? – ABC News
I tell ABC News why I’m not a fan of the Travel Promotion Act. Mainly, because it sucks.

fly early, fly happy – BNET
Why flying early in the day is better.

Airlines Shovel Out as Winter Weather Pummels Profits – BNET
Winter storms suck for passengers but they suck for airlines as well. In fact, they’re going to be draining profits, and Continental tells us just how much.

Midwest and Frontier Airlines Have Big Plans for Kansas City – BNET
Midwest and Frontier are finally moving in together in Kansas City, and it looks like the beginning of an experiment to see if they can grow the place.

Continental Airlines to charge extra for exit rows seats – Cleveland Plain-Dealer
I talk about why I think Continental is starting to charge for exit rows and why I don’t mind it.

Alaska Airlines Snubs Wi-Fi Provider Row 44 — Not to Mention Its Passengers – BNET
I waited awhile before commenting on Alaska’s choice to go with Aircell instead of Row 44 for inflight internet. I still don’t quite understand what happened.

US Airways and Continental See Different Fortunes with United at Washington/Dulles – BNET
As Continental ramps up Dulles, US Airways cuts back. Clearly they’re each seeing different opportunities with United.

Three Reasons Why Delta Slashed First Class Fares Between New York and the West Coast – BNET
Delta made some pretty steep cuts to First Class fares between New York and LA/SF last week. Here’s why I think they did it.

Airlines find coach travelers willing to pay extra for perks – Chicago Sun Times
This week, the Sun Times took on the issue of fees, and I was asked to comment.

We all know that Delta and American are well into their wifi rollouts. United is doing a limited test on its p.s. fleet which flies between JFK and LA and San Francisco. And even US Airways has announced wifi plans for its A321 fleet. So what took Continental so long?

Remember, Continental opted for the LiveTV product on much of its fleet, including the 757-300. I was wondering if they were holding out for a LiveTV broadband option, but clearly that’s not the case. I assume this means they’re unsatisfied with LiveTV’s narrowband product (which offers email and a couple websites but that’s it) now that they have broadband coming into place. LiveTV must be watching closely.

It’s also interesting to me that they’ve chosen the 757-300 for wifi. It’s the 737s that tend to do most of the long haul domestic flying, so I would have thought that would have been a better fleet for this. Maybe the fact that this is a smaller fleet makes this a better test fleet in their eyes.

This to me also signals that the 737 will remain the airplane of choice for Hawai’i. There is no GoGo internet service over the water, so if they were planning on having these planes fly to Hawai’i, they probably wouldn’t bother installing this.

I always thought of the 757-300 as a Florida airplane. It can hold so many people that it actually can squeak out a living by carrying snowbirds down to the swamp for the winter, even on those cheap fares. But those aren’t the demographic that Continental would want to target with its wifi product. It’s the business travelers that benefit the most. So I find myself wondering what Continental is planning to do with this fleet.

Do they have something up their sleeve?

US Airways Pilots Oppose New York Slot Swap with Delta, Defy Logic – BNET
I roast the US Airways pilots for their decision to oppose the slot swap. It makes no sense.

best flying tip: arrive early – antibride.com
If you’re stressed about travels, the best thing you can do is arrive early. Just give yourself some extra time.

Airports in Boston and San Francisco Team Up with Twitter Promo – BNET
You don’t often see two airports getting together for promotional purposes, but that’s exactly what Boston and San Francisco are doing.

ExpressJet CEO Leaves for a Lesser Title at American – BNET
Looks like ExpressJet’s CEO has had enough of the regional biz, he’s heading to American to run maintenance. Hmm.

Airline Year Over Year Unit Revenue Changes Aren’t As Good as They Seem – BNET
Yes, the year-over-year comparisons are good, but that’s because things had fallen off a cliff last year. It’s not time to get excited just yet.

Let’s start with the actual news here. United fliers will be given access to “premium” seating (better seats) in coach as well as upgrades on Continental. Continental fliers will get access to Economy Plus and upgrades on United. This begins “mid-2010.”

As usual, Continental has done a far better job communicating this change to its customers than United. Sure, they put out a joint press release, but other than that, United has been much less active in getting the news out. Continental, on the other hand, had a full FAQ on its website regarding the upgrades immediately and it posted details on FlyerTalk for Continental Elites. (There is now a page on United.com as well, and I eventually heard back from United’s PR team.)

In short, United and Continental elites are now basically treated the same regardless of which airline they’re on. This is good news for top tier elites, but for the entry level guys, this is just a further devaluation. I think entry level elite status can basically be considered a way to avoid fees and that’s about it now.

When people are flying on United, this is how upgrades will clear:

1. United Global Services
2. United 1K
3. United Premier Executive
4. Continental Platinum Elite
5. Continental Gold Elite
6. United Premier
7. Continental Silver Elite

When people are flying on Continental, this is how upgrades will clear:

1. Continental Platinum Elite
2. United Global Services
3. United 1K
4. Continental Gold Elite
5. United Premier Executive
6. Continental Silver Elite
7. United Premier

So as you can see, the United Premier and Continental Silver elites will be very unhappy about this. The Continental Gold Elites may be pretty unhappy as well since they’ll be bumped on their own airline by top tier United fliers. But remember, where the United top tier fliers are, the Continental top tier fliers likely are not. It’s not like American and United are doing this and having people battle it out in Chicago for upgrades.

I guess we can now see why United started allowing domestic upgrades for free. They wanted to align with Continental to implement this program.

Does this mean that the airlines are going to merge? Beats me. I’m sure United management would love to get that payday, but I don’t know that they are willing to completely walk away as they’d need to do. In my eyes, if this is going to be a successful merger, United needs to become a Houston-based airline.

But I look at moves like this differently than most. When airlines align their offerings closer and closer, it makes the actual benefits of a merger less than before. Sure, it would take some complexity and cost out of the system, but for the customer benefit, a merger isn’t necessary.

That doesn’t mean we won’t see a merger, of course, but it doesn’t mean it’s a done deal either.

Delta Air Lines Rips Into International Association of Machinists – BNET
The IAM has postponed its representation efforts for Delta’s fleet service workers, and Delta is pissed.

United Seems to Be Closer to Buying New Aircraft – BNET
Word on the street is that United may finally pull the trigger and buy new planes. But what will they be?

getting your guests to your wedding for less – AntiBride.com
If you’re getting married, getting people out there can be pricey. Here are some tips for saving a little cash.

Therapy for delayed fliers – Houston Chronicle
A great article on using Cranky Concierge. Check it out and sign up!

Continental Airlines Revenues are 15 Percent Worse Than Last Year – BNET
October revenues are coming in, and the year-over-year comparisons look better but the numbers still look bad.

Ontario Airport’s High Costs Showcase Missed Opportunity – BNET
A followup on Ontario Airport’s high costs shows that too many employees making too much money are putting a big burden on the airport’s cost structure.

United Airlines Looks Toward Africa for Profits – BNET
United will start flying to Africa for the first time, and my guess is that it’s not because Africa is looking more interesting. It’s because the rest of the world is looking pretty bad.

Ontario’s Air Traffic Glut Draws Anger Toward LA – BNET
Ontario’s traffic keeps dropping, and the solution might involve kicking LA World Airports to the curb.

Airlines Show Concerns About Winter Demand Levels – BNET
Sales are starting to come out fast and furious, and the pricepoints are low. This may be a long winter.

US Airways Walks Away From Las Vegas, Slashes Jobs – BNET
US Airways has put the final nail in the coffin in Las Vegas, but more importantly, a lot of people are losing their jobs. Not good.

JetBlue Has Big Plans for Boston – BNET
JetBlue is ramping up Boston big time. Giddyup!

It looks like Continental has decided to join in the Hawai’i sweepstakes with some interesting new west coast routes, including the first Orange County – Honolulu flight since Aloha folded. But while those are interesting, I’m more intrigued by the remaking they’re giving to their LA operation.

Today, LAX is a jumble of airplanes ranging from 737-800s and 737-900s to 757-200s and 757-300s. Beginning March 7, LAX will be an all-737 operation. In fact, everything will be a 737-800 except for the two flights to Honolulu which will be on 737-900s. Not only are the planes shrinking, but they’re also cutting frequencies. Houston, Newark, and Cleveland will each see one less flight per day from LAX.

Currently, by my count there are six Continental airplanes that sit overnight at LAX. That will drop to four with the new schedule. Part of that is thanks to a new nonstop flight to Maui. The airplane leaves LAX at 505p and returns on a redeye just in time to start the day as it would have were it sitting on the ground.

The Honolulu operations are even more interesting. Right now, Honolulu is operated by a 737-800, and it sits there for a long time. It arrives at 1245p and then doesn’t come back to LAX until 830p. But starting in March, there will be two daily flights on the 737-900. One will leave LAX at 1020a and arrive Honolulu at 120p. But instead of waiting all day, it will turn right around and come back to LAX at 150p. The other will leave LAX at 155p and arrive Honolulu at 440p. That will just turn around on the 825p redeye. It appears these airplanes will just go around in circles between the two cities.

Meanwhile, down the road in Orange County, Continental is resurrecting the flight to Honolulu that last operated before Aloha went belly up. Like Aloha, they’ll use a 737-700. This is a pure utilization flight. Right now, there are two 737-700s that come in at 428p and 732p. One of those turns around for the 915p redeye to Newark but the other stays overnight. So, if the 428p sits overnight today, it can now do the 520p departure to Honolulu and return at 745a the next day ready to resume its normal schedule.

This flight is only operating 4 days a week for now but they have plans to expand to daily.

So why are all these moves being made? Something tells me it’s related to Continental joining the Star Alliance. Now, Continental will be able to fill those Hawai’i flights with feed from United and United Express in LAX. And in Orange County, they’ll be able to tap into that loyal Mileage Plus base that may not even know what OnePass is. (It’s been a long, long time since Continental was based here, and they’re often the last airline people think about.)

Should United be flying Orange County to Honolulu? Hell yeah, but they don’t really have the right airplane for the route. Those Airbuses can’t make it. So once again, United will sit back and watch another airline pick away at its turf. At least this time it’s an ally. It’s quite interesting to see Continental make these changes.

Akron-Canton’s Savvy Strategy – BNET
Akron-Canton may not be at the top of your list of places to visit, but the airport is doing some very impressive work.

Southwest and those parts – IAG Podcast
Addison over at IAG had me on to discuss the latest issues with Southwest and their “unauthorized” parts.

Alaska Pushes on Virgin America’s Ownership Question – BNET
This is getting old quickly – the Virgin America ownership debate continues.

The Nerd Bird Thrives – BNET
The Nerd Bird is really coming back strong – Alaska has decided to add a second daily flight.

8 Things an Airline Would Never Tell You – Budget Travel
Budget Travel asked me what to do if an airline kicks you from a nonstop to a connecting flight. (Yes, Delta, I’m looking at you.)

August Revenues Look a Lot Like July’s – BNET
August revenue numbers are rolling in, and they don’t look much different than July.