Continental Airlines: Are they a good airline?

I was looking online the other day for airfares for labor day weekend. I am flying up to the NYC area for a wedding. I decided to see if CO was flying mainline from DAB-EWR and it turned out that not only are they doing that, but they are also pretty cheap for when we have to go. $178.80 per person (tax included). Now I think that's pretty good.
Can anyone tell me about Continental? Are they a good airline? I haven't flown them since 1998 (EWR-DAB), so it has been a while. Hopefully we can pull this off, I just want to know some of your opinions before I fully convince my family to go ahead with this.
Oh, and which is the easiest way to get from EWR to Floral Park at 5 in the after noon?

The last time I flew Continental was in August between EWR and SJU on the 757-200 and 757-300 and I really enjoyed both flights. I was seated in the emergency exit row so I had ample amount of legroom. The service on both flights was top notch with very friendly flight attendants and the amazing added plus of an excellent meal, even though the meal was a chicken patty on the way down and a cheeseburger on the way back. It was the first time I had ever had a burger on a plane and it was pretty good.

The seats on the 757-300 were extremely comfortable and padded compared to the 757-200.

I have flown Continental before on EWR-LAX-EWR back in 2003 on the 737-700 and 737-800 and I remember enjoying the flight. I have also flown Continental between EWR and SJU a couple of times and between EWR and MCO with the MD-80 and on the way back on a DC-10!

They are the best US carrier out there as of present. Service is second to none. Hubs could be a little easier to get around though.

Whenever my family flies domestically, it's always on Continental. We always have a great experience with them.

I'm a Continental fan both on domestic and international - all the experiences I have had with them have been A+ ones.

last time i flew CO was pre-9/11, and i was flying on orders so it didn't really matter to me how i was getting where i needed to be.

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Originally Posted by hiss srq

They are the best US carrier out there as of present. Service is second to none. Hubs could be a little easier to get around though.

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Couldn't agree more. No one better flying in these parts.

So I guess its up to me to be the "bad guy" here.
It's OK, I'm an easy target.

Why I HATE CO:
For the past 8 years flying EWR-LAX, EWR-MCO, EWR-PBI, EWR-MIA

SEATS--(737/757) some of the worst in the business, no thanks to the cramped penny pinching layout. You will NEVER be able to cross you legs, unlike Jetblue. Now to make this worse the overhead bins are a bit bigger, making the seats LOWER, this causes your calves to scream the entire time. My last LAX flight on a 753 was a flying circus, with nearly everyone standing and trying to stretch-at the same time. Barbaric.

FOOD--or shale I say, a lack of. 90% of the above flights you will only get CO's famous "mystery muffin" Its a sort of masquerading spicy carrot cake-yet delivers a flavor somewhere between cardboard and Mighty-dog. (But they do make a great door stopper, and chances are you will need it for the Lav door!) Travel tip: get or bring some thing before T/O.

IFE--"Flintstones, meet the Flintstones"
Welcome aboard CO's flying time machine. Complete with stone age IFE systems. The In flight magazine swears there are 8 selections of music, yet if -IF- you lucky you get 2. The drop down TV screens every 8 or 10 isles- oh please. Once you tried Song or Jetblue with your very own TV, nothing else will do.
And if your on a flight that has a movie--hope that you have seen it before. Haaa, I can hear it now "Sorry folks-something is wrong-again- with the VCR" Back at the gate Mr Bad-wrench will rig up something with paper clips and bubble gum--and why not, you gotta keep that On Time performance record looking great-no matter what!

Gate and Cabin staff-- "Its something not special in the air"
The experience begins at the EWR kiosk stations. Cold steel collides harshly and sometimes violently with passengers hoping and praying the seat they purchased 9 months ago is still there. Roll that dice baby!
And how about poor old Mr's Witherspoon-she never could type AIM quickly to her grandson. And now just look at that angry line get longer by the second behind her. And where is that CO friendly helpful service? Its where its always been and still is today--Its in the DC-10's!
Tired and pissed off- that's what awaits you in the cabin. The employees are TIRED. Tired of pay cuts, tired of broken promises. And it shows-a lot. The unwritten motto-sit down, hold on and shut up" Good advice, you don't want to ask.

CO should just quit pretending they offer in flight services all together. They could save a whopping 10 bucks per flight!

BTW--its late so this is the short list :shock:

I've flown them both domestically and internationally and I was impressed. I'd echo most comments about them being the best US major in the business. My main gripe was their ground staff at IAH, whom I thought were fairly rude. They were good at LGA and EWR, though.

My experiences have been overwhelmingly positive.

The one bad experience I had was two years ago on a MCO-EWR flight delayed by 2 hours (bad weather in EWR--not CO's fault) and the ground staff barely made any announcements about the delay or when we would actually leave. But in-flight was great: seats were comfortable, crew was very friendly, a snack was served, and we made up some time in the air.

Definitely the best domestic airline.

I just remembered had one bad experience we have had with them:

January 10, 2002

EWR-FLL-NAS-FLL-EWR

Since my dad and I have the same name Continental got confused and ended up deleting both of our reservations so we did not have tickets anymore to fly to NAS. The flight left to NAS but Continental put us on American Eagle later in the day and gave us food vouchers. The good experience of the flights was it was the revenue flight for the 757-300 and it smelled so brand new!

Continental has made their niche customer service, and it shows. When it comes to each individual segment (fares, food, IFE, aircraft, FF program, regional partner, delays, baggage, route structure, hubs, website), I don't know if CO would run away with top marks in any of them [maybe ExpressJet], but taken together, I'm sure they would rank very, very highly among US-based airlines. I've had nothing but good experiences with CO/COEx, and would highly recommend them to anyone who was looking to book a trip.

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Originally Posted by FlyingColors

FOOD--or shale I say, a lack of. 90% of the above flights you will only get CO's famous "mystery muffin" Its a sort of masquerading spicy carrot cake-yet delivers a flavor somewhere between cardboard and Mighty-dog. (But they do make a great door stopper, and chances are you will need it for the Lav door!) Travel tip: get or bring some thing before T/O.

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I thought the muffin was rather tasty. :roll:

It may have been because it was an 0630 flight out of SAN and I hadn't eaten anything since noon the day before. :lol:

Actually the lunch served on the way back to EWR was very good. Hot out of the microwave for sure, but still better than nothing. I don't recall eating anything on the way there. I was probably asleep. (*gasp* Yes, I fell asleep on an airplane. :lol: )

So what is the Best way to get from EWR to Floral Park on Labor Day weekend? Anyone? And by the way, I joined OnePass.

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Originally Posted by JetBlueAirwaysFan

So what is the Best way to get from EWR to Floral Park on Labor Day weekend? Anyone? And by the way, I joined OnePass.

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You really want to know? Helicopter is best :lol:

OK, bad joke out of the way, do you mean Florham Park, NJ?
If so, take 78 West to RT 24, Florham Park is just a few exits from there.
To pinpoint it, check out mapquest.com.

No, Floral Park, NY (Just west of New Hyde Park).