Continental chief says AMR right to scrap bonuses Wednesday April 23, 5:03 PM EDT HOUSTON , April 23 (Reuters) - Continental Airlines Inc. (CAL) Chief Executive Gordon Bethune said on Wednesday rival AMR Corp. chief Don Carty was right to scrap planned executive bonuses that outraged unions at the struggling airline. "I think Mr. Carty was right. He shouldn't have done it and he said that," Bethune said in a speech to a business group. "I'm glad it's not me," he told reporters after the speech. AMR Corp. (AMR), the parent of the world's largest air carrier, American Airlines, came under fire after a Securities and Exchange Commission filing showed it planned to give special pension funding and bonuses to executives. The payments sparked an outcry from its unions, which had approved $1.8 billion in wage cuts to keep the airline afloat. Carty apologized for not notifying the unions, who are now threatening a new vote on the wage package. A source close to AMR and its board of directors said the board was considering replacing Carty, according to a report in the Dallas Morning News. Bethune also said the airline industry was suffering its worst slump in memory, but his company had fared better than its rivals. "I really can't remember a worse time in aviation history," Bethune said. "It's nothing to crow about, but we're beating those other cripples and, boy, doesn't it feel good." Earlier on Wednesday, AMR posted a $1.04 billion quarterly loss. The company blamed the poor figures on the drop in travel caused by the war in Iraq, high fuel prices and low fares. Continental, the No. 5 U.S. airline, last week posted a quarterly loss of $221 million. Roger EWROPS