Continental Airlines will increase its schedule of flights between its New York hub at Newark Liberty International Airport and London/Heathrow during 2010. The airline will add a fourth daily service to the route in March and a fifth daily service in October, bringing the total number of Continental daily departures to Heathrow to seven, including its twice-daily service from Houston.
In addition, Continental announced that effective June 1, all aircraft scheduled for Heathrow flights will feature new, flat bed seats in BusinessFirst.
Effective March 27, the airline's Heathrow schedule will be as follows: To Heathrow from New York, daily flights will depart at 9 a.m., 6:40 p.m., 7:20 p.m. and 8 p.m., landing at 9:20 p.m., 6:45 a.m. the following morning, 7:40 a.m. and 8:20 a.m. respectively. Heathrow-bound planes from Houston will depart at 3:45 p.m. and 6:45 p.m., arriving at 6:55 a.m. and 9:35 a.m. respectively.
From Heathrow, New York-bound flights will depart at 10:25 a.m., 10:50 a.m., 12:05 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., landing at 1:15 p.m., 1:55 p.m., 3:15 p.m. and 9:40 p.m., respectively. Houston-bound flights will depart at 8:40 a.m. and 11:40 a.m. and arrive at 12:40 p.m. and 3:50 p.m., respectively.
Effective October 30, Continental's Heathrow schedule will be as follows: To Heathrow, flights from New York will depart at 9 a.m., 6:25 p.m., 7:15 p.m., 9:20 p.m. and 10:10 p.m., landing at 9:20 p.m., 6:20 a.m., 7:25 a.m., 9:25 a.m. and 10:15 a.m., respectively. Flights from Houston will depart at 3:50 p.m. and 6:35 p.m. and arrive at 6:50 a.m. and 9:35 a.m., respectively.
From Heathrow, flights to New York will depart at 8:40 a.m., 10:30 am.m., 11:15 a.m., 12:35 p.m. and 6 p.m., landing at 12:05 p.m., 1:30 p.m., 2:45 p.m., 4:05 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Flights to Houston will depart at 9:20 a.m. and 11:40 a.m., arriving at 1:40 p.m. and 4:05 p.m., respectively.
The new BusinessFirst flat bed seat made its operational debut in November 2009 and is being installed on Continental's Boeing 777 and 757-200 fleets, with installation on 767-400ER and 767-200 aircraft beginning in 2011. The new seat, reclining 180-degrees and providing 6 feet 6 inches of sleeping space in the fully extended position on the 777 (6 feet 4 inches on the 757-200), measures up to 27 inches when the adjustable armrest is positioned flush with the seat cushion on the 777 (25 inches on the 757-200). Electronic controls enable customers to easily move the seats to the custom position most comfortable for them. Laptop power, headset and USB plugs are located above the customer's shoulder. iPod connectivity allows each customer to view their personal videos and enjoy their music while their iPod is charging. The new seats feature 15.4-inch video monitors for customers to watch on-demand movies, music and games, and have a privacy shell that allows for seclusion from other travelers.
