Continental Airlines is one of the six biggest airlines worldwide. Continental flies to 122 domestic and 90 international destinations with over 2,100 daily departures (Continental 1). The corporate headquarters is located at: 1600 Smith Street, Houston, Texas 77002. Continental has experienced a remarkable turn-a-round over the past two decades. When current CEO Gordon Bethune took over the company in the early 1990s, the company had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection twice in the preceding decade, its stock refused to budge from its $3.25 price, and morale was at an all-time low because the company had witnessed 10 leaders and as many management schemes in 10 years time (Bethune 5). By the end of 1996, Continental which hadn’t turned a profit in ten years now had 16 straight profitable quarters, its stock was trading at $50 or higher, and employee motivation and productivity were greatly improved (Bethune 7).
Gordon Bethune is the chairman of the board and the CEO of Continental Airlines, the nation’s fifth largest airline. Bethune has been with Continental since 1994. During his brief tenure, Bethune’s leadership has made Continental number one in customer services, and the company was named Airline of the Year by Air Transport World for the second time in five years in 2001 (Continental 1). President of Continental Airlines is Larry Kellner, with the company since 1995. Kellner is the first three-time winner in the history of the CFO Excellence Awards. C. D. McLean is executive vice-president and COO of Continental, with the airliners since 1994 in this capacity. Under McLean’s operations leadership, Continental has become the industry’s most reliable airline, with multiple on-time performance records.
Under Bethune’s leadership the company underwent many changes. Due to the terrorist strikes of September 11, 2001, the airline industry has suffered its worst downturn in its history. Many have ...