Dan Webb

Today Continental issues a press release very similar to the recent announcments from American and United: fleet reduction and workforce reductions. Continental’s fleet cuts are very much like United’s as the 737-300 and 737-500 aircraft are the main targets of the cuts. Apparently, the blended winglets being installed on both of these aircraft types were not enough to save them from the graveyard. While United is axing the entire 737 fleet, Continental is planning to remove all 737-300s but leave some 737-500s in the mix. Continental will still be adding new aircraft, though, as it still has deliveries planned for new 737-800s and 737-900ERs. It should also be noted that according to the Boeing order book, Continental still has 44 unfilled orders for 737-700s, so it will interesting to see what happens there. The press release provides a nice fleet breakdown. Overall, Continental’s capacity cuts don’t seem as drastic as American and United’s.