One Year Later

Happy March 3! I know it is not an official holiday, but, for an airline geek, like me, it is a day to celebrate and remember Continental Airlines. On March 3, 2012, I was one of the lucky few to witness the end of an era as the final Continental Airlines flight landed in Houston. One year later, the memories of Continental flood back as I write this memoir, wearing my Continental shirt, surrounded by my Continental Airlines models, posters, pins, magazines, and other memorabilia. I hate to point out the obvious, but I am one of Continental’s biggest fans!

I had the privilege to fly Continental Airlines for 16 years, and I was able to share all of my aviation firsts with Continental. In fact, I caught the “airline bug” for life on a Continental flight in the late 1990’s. I remember turning away from the window to my parents, and I told them, “I love flying.” Ever since that flight, I have had a passion for aviation. Further, I remember meeting Larry Kellner at a local event in Houston, flying with my Grandma to Chicago on an MD-80, flying on my first Boeing 777 to London, watching the Boeing 777 painted by Peter Max fly over my house countless times (the aircraft became known as the “Color Plane” in my family), flying the Boeing767-400ER simulator, traveling alone for the first time, and flying back to the United States after being grounded by the Iceland Volcano. These memories are just a small portion of all the memories I made on hundreds of Continental flights. 

Larry Kellner (then CEO of Continental Airlines) and I at a local event in Kingwood.

The Boeing 777-200ER painted by Peter Max. Little did I know that this is the last time I would see it painted in this livery.

While I cannot legally fly an aircraft, it is still cool to see this hanging above my desk!

I was on the first Continental departure from Europe after the Iceland Volcano stranded flights for several days.

I must admit, I can tell you a story about almost every plane in the Continental fleet. If we were to go plane spotting, please do so at your own risk, I can sit there for hours, and I will say something to the effect of, “Oh that is aircraft number 401 which was the first Boeing 737-900 delivered to Continental in 2001, and it was the last aircraft I flew on that said Continental” (true story). I can do this for the hundreds of aircraft in the Continental fleet, but I don’t want to bore you. However, I would like to thank my parents for supporting my passion and taking me on hundreds of Continental flights. Though, my parents can only blame themselves for getting me hooked on aviation, but I think they have accepted it. 

Little did I know, this would be the last aircraft I would fly on that said Continental, but I have a poster in my room to remind me of the days when this aircraft said Continental.

Want a story about these aircraft?

My favorite places to take photos was the Terminal E President's Club in Houston

 While I thank my parents for supporting my passion, I would like to also thank all of the Continental employees. They made each flight special as I was usually picked out of the crowd (probably because I was always wearing a Continental shirt) as they thought is was neat that I had a passion for the aviation at an early age. For former Continental employees that know me personally, thank you so much for all that you have done to field my airline passion! 

Now, let us fast forward to March 2, 2012. At 11:59 PM CST, I visited www.continental.com one last time before the Continental name disappeared into the history books. At 12:00 AM CST on March 3, 2012, the Continental website disappeared as thousands worked behind the scenes to merge United’s and Continental’s computer systems. Shortly after the switchover started, United posted a Facebook status mentioning the final Continental operated flights, and the final Continental flight to land was due to land at approximately 1:00 PM in Houston. This was something that I could not miss. 

At 12:30 PM, I arrived at George Bush Intercontinental Airport ready to watch the final Continental flight land (of course wearing my Continental shirt), and, at 12:57 PM, the last Continental flight touched down in Houston. After a bit of a bumpy landing, the Boeing 777 (I found out a couple days later that this was my first Boeing 777 to fly on) taxied to gate E7. Dozens of employees lined the gate, and the aircraft was given an honorary water cannon salute to end the Continental Era.

Just one second away from touchdown

Touch down

All ground traffic came to a halt as several employees lined the ramp to watch the final landing.

The end of an era. The picture really hits home as the Houston Skyline makes an appearance in the background.

I sent some of my pictures to KHOU 11 News, and I was contacted by a reporter to be interviewed about witnessing the final landing. At 10:00 PM, I excitedly watched the news only to find out that I was the lead story! You can watch the interview here. I must admit, this was one of the coolest experiences ever!

Some argue that the final flight occurred in November 2011 when all Continental flights began to use the name/call sign to talk to air traffic controllers, but Continental flight 6, pictured above, was the last Continental flight as it took off before the computers were merged.

While it is bittersweet to see the end of the era, many new opportunities have opened up for me. Now I know I mentioned that I am not going to bore you, but my memoirs would not be complete without my favorite Continental pictures that I took over the years.

American's New Look

American Airlines unveiled their new logo at a ceremony in Dallas this morning. However, the logo and livery were leaked on American's website about an hour before the ceremony.

Since the roll out of American's first Boeing 777-300ER, many of us have been questioning what their new look would look like, but American kept it top secret until today. In fact, one of American's VP's mentioned that the livery was created a year ago. In a carefully orchestrated ballet, the first and freshly painted Boeing 737-800 was ferried from Victorville, California (where it was painted) to DFW this morning for the big unveiling.

Their new logo incorporates the "A," with a fresh red, white, and blue color scheme, and the flight symbol, the eagle. Interestingly, many have compared the new livery to a Greyhound Bus. I will admit, I am a fan of the new logo and livery.

Some are noticing that the tail seems to be similar to US Airways' tail design, and many believe that the design is hinting that a merger with US Airways is just around the corner. During the unveiling event, Tom Horton, the CEO of American Airlines, mentioned that some may have been expecting a merger announcement at the event, but he was glad American could still surprise the media. During an interview, a spokesperson for American reiterated that Doug Parker, the CEO of US Airways, did not see the new livery until today. Last week, Tom Horton mentioned that a decision regarding a merger with US Airways is expected soon. (Stay tuned...)

For a little over a year, American has worked to make progress after they filled for bankruptcy in November 2011, and Tom Horton, the CEO of American Airlines, explained that the new image is to help American become a more modern airline.

Now the race to re-brand, and paint the American fleet begins!

Congrats to American Airlines! Enjoy the pictures and videos by American Airlines below!

Photo by: NBC Dallas

FAA Statement Regarding 787

Full FAA statement:

"As a result of an in-flight, Boeing 787 battery incident earlier today in Japan, the FAA will issue an emergency airworthiness directive (AD) to address a potential battery fire risk in the 787 and require operators to temporarily cease operations. Before further flight, operators of U.S.-registered, Boeing 787 aircraft must demonstrate to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that the batteries are safe.

The FAA will work with the manufacturer and carriers to develop a corrective action plan to allow the U.S. 787 fleet to resume operations as quickly and safely as possible.

The in-flight Japanese battery incident followed an earlier 787 battery incident that occurred on the ground in Boston on January 7, 2013. The AD is prompted by this second incident involving a lithium ion battery. The battery failures resulted in release of flammable electrolytes, heat damage, and smoke on two Model 787 airplanes. The root cause of these failures is currently under investigation. These conditions, if not corrected, could result in damage to critical systems and structures, and the potential for fire in the electrical compartment.

Last Friday, the FAA announced a comprehensive review of the 787’s critical systems with the possibility of further action pending new data and information. In addition to the continuing review of the aircraft’s design, manufacture and assembly, the agency also will validate that 787 batteries and the battery system on the aircraft are in compliance with the special condition the agency issued as part of the aircraft’s certification.

United Airlines is currently the only U.S. airline operating the 787, with six airplanes in service. When the FAA issues an airworthiness directive, it also alerts the international aviation community to the action so other civil aviation authorities can take parallel action to cover the fleets operating in their own countries."

Thank you to NYC Aviation and the FAA for use of the FAA statement.

Miracle on the Hudson

Dedicated to my Aunt Diane, Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, Jeffrey Skiles, Doreen Welsh, Donna Dent, and Shelia Dail.

Four years ago today, US Airways flight 1549's emergency landing became known as the "Miracle on the Hudson." It seems appropriate to say that this emergency landing captured the attention of millions around the world, and as an #avgeek, I am and was quite interested by this event.

After I got home from school on January 15, 2009, I learned that a plane made an emergency landing in the Hudson River, and I was shocked to say the least. Immediately, I was drawn into CNN's coverage for hours. The pictures and videos never ceased to shock me even when they were repeated over and over, but the pictures of the passengers standing on the wings seemed to really humanize this incident. For hours, I along with the millions of others waited to learn about the passengers and crews safety, and when the news announced that all passengers and crew were accounted for, I was quite happy.

When I think about what it would have been like just a few seconds before landing in the Hudson River, I cannot even begin to imagine what it would have been like especially hearing the three chilling words: "Brace for impact." However, these three words, the pilots' skills and the flight attendants' training all helped the outcome to be a positive one.

Captain Sullenburger takes us through "[His] Search for What Really Matters," and the events that lead up to and followed US Airways flight 1549 in his book, Highest Duty. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Highest Duty, and if you have an interest in aviation, Capt. Sullenberger's book is a great book!

A special thank to Capt. Sullenberger for signing a copy that my aunt sent to him! Thank you both! :)

Behind the Scenes at MIA

Thank you to Capt. Nick and Chris for an amazing tour of MIA! 

If you like the photos, be sure to check out Airport 24/7: Miami on the Travel Channel which is produced by Chris Sloan (www.airchive.com)!

 ABOVE: The Penalty Box

 (This Lufthansa A380 flew the inaugural A380 flight to IAH on August 1st!)

 Standing under the A380!

 The American Airlines operations tour at MIA