Continental bosses give assurances to staff over Delta/Northwest merger
Bosses at Continental Airlines have sent a message to the airline’s 45,000 employees assuring them about their future in light of the proposed merger of Delta and Northwest.
Chairman and chief executive officer Larry Kellner and president Jeff Smisek told staff the “merger will change the competitive landscape for Continental and the entire airline industryâ€.
He said Continental has, for more than 18 months, maintained that it would prefer to remain independent if the competitive landscape stayed the same, but it is now changing.
“We will review our strategic alternatives and make sure we remain a strong long-term competitor. As always, our goal is to do what is best for you, our co-workers, and our shareholders, customers and the communities we serve,†he said.
“We will also review our continued participation in the alliance with Northwest, Delta and SkyTeam, as we evaluate what course of action would be in Continental’s best interest.â€
Despite last night’s news, and the speculation about our future that it will provoke, we all need to remain focused on what we do best every day.â€
By Bev Fearis
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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