Roger, Can you please post these things in plain text format? -----Original Message----- From: The Airline List [mailto:AIRLINE@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Roger LaFrance Sent: Sunday, October 05, 2008 9:38 AM To: AIRLINE@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: Free food flies at Continental While most oth ers charge for meals, Houston carrier has cho sen to take a very different course By BILL H ENSEL JR. Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle Oc t. 3, 2008, 9:25PM Share icon Print iconEmail Free food flies at Continental=0AWhile most others charge for meals, Housto= n carrier has chosen to take a very different course=0ABy BILL HENSEL JR. C= opyright 2008 Houston Chronicle=0AOct. 3, 2008, 9:25PM=0AShare =0A Print= =0AEmail =0ADel.icio.us=0ADigg=0ATechnorati=0AYahoo! Buzz =0AResources =0A= CONTINENTAL CUISINE =0AEach year Houston-based Continental Airlines boards:= =0A=E2=80=A2 55 million sodas and juices =0A=E2=80=A2 45 million pounds = of ice =0A=E2=80=A2 3.5 million quarts of orange juice =0A=E2=80=A2 30 mil= lion bags of pretzels and peanuts =0ASource: Continental Airlines =0AWhile= most carriers are making customers pay for their own meals these days, Con= tinental Airlines has stuck with its own recipe.=0AAs a result, Continental= is the only big U.S. airline that still includes meals with domestic econo= my-class fares.=0AIt helps that the carrier continues to operate its own ca= tering=0Abusiness. It even sells meals to competitors, including big names = like=0ADelta and Northwest, who turn around and resell them to their=0Apass= engers.=0AOn other major domestic airlines, snacks in economy class general= ly start at about $3, while meals can range from $6 to $10.=0AContinental's= Chelsea Food Services actually is the third-largest=0Acaterer in the count= ry. And Continental =E2=80=94 while declining to go into=0Adetails =E2=80= =94 said the business unit is a moneymaker, no small matter in a=0Ayear whe= re record fuel prices have waylaid profits in the industry.=0AContinental c= ontends it has no plans to change what it is doing, believing it helps set = it apart from rivals.=0AIts food division prepares almost 30 million meals = yearly, and most=0Aof its business is with other airlines. Chelsea prepares= almost half of=0Athem in Houston. The rest come from Chelsea's kitchens in= Cleveland and=0ANewark as well as Denver, Honolulu and Los Angeles.=0ADesp= ite a power outage caused last month by Hurricane Ike, Chelsea=0Areported t= hat it got by with a backup generator and that it lost some=0Afood, but not= a significant amount. Kitchens elsewhere picked up the=0Aslack briefly bef= ore Houston was fully back on line Sept. 16, three=0Adays after landfall.= =0A24 hours a dayAlmost 800 employees work in the Chelsea kitchen on Wright= Road at Bush Inter-=0Acontinental=0AAirport. Out of necessity, it operates= 24 hours a day, said Sandra=0APineau, the Continental vice president who o= versees Chelsea. =0APineau, who began her career working at the kitchen in = Los Angeles,=0Asaid that by having its own catering arm, Continental is abl= e to=0Aclosely manage its entire supply chain and food operations.=0A"This = allows us to maintain a strong focus on delivering a=0Ahigh-quality product= to our passengers, including meals at mealtime,"=0Ashe said.=0AThe caterin= g operation has grown significantly just over the past=0Adecade. As some ai= rlines have gotten away from preparing their own=0Afood, Continental has st= epped in and filled some of the void.=0A"Currently, we do about 28 million = meals annually, and that=0Arepresents approximately a 50 percent increase f= rom 10 years ago,"=0AContinental spokeswoman Kelly Cripe said.=0ANot all th= e food goes airborne, either. In Denver, Chelsea provides baked goods, like= muffins, to Starbucks.=0AAn unusual caseAviation experts agree that Contin= ental benefits from having Chelsea. =0A"What is interesting about the Conti= nental case is that most=0Aairlines have gotten rid of their catering units= in their portfolios,"=0Aaviation consultant Bob Mann of R.W. Mann & Co. sa= id. "At one=0Apoint, most had their own internal unit."=0AThat changed in t= he wake of 9/11 and increased security measures in=0Aand around airports, w= hen most airlines decided to forgo the hassle,=0AMann said.=0AInstead, they= provide caterers access to their planes and customers in exchange for a co= mmission.=0A"The back of the airplane has become a profit center, not a cos= t=0Acenter, and the revenue benefits from back of the cabin cost-subsidize= =0Athe remaining costs in the front of the cabin," he said.=0ANot all have = to payWhile big domestic airlines charge=0Atheir budget travelers for food,= they still don't in higher classes,=0Awhere passengers generally pay highe= r fares and expect more for their=0Amoney. =0AUnited Airlines tried to take= its pay-for-trays strategy aboard=0Acertain trans-Atlantic flights this ye= ar and was met with an outcry=0Afrom customers, including frequent fliers. = It eventually backed down.=0A"There is pretty clear split between domestic = and international, and=0AI don't see anyone trying to charge internationall= y," Mann said.=0A"United got that message."=0AThen there is the biggest low= -fare operator in the U.S., Southwest=0AAirlines, which doesn't provide mea= ls. But it does hand out free snacks=0A=E2=80=94 notably its famous peanuts= , 103.8 million bags in 2007 alone =E2=80=94 along=0Awith water, juice and = soft drinks, spokesman Chris Mainz said.=0Abill.hensel@xxxxxxxxx <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >> If you wish to unsubscribe from the AIRLINE List, please send an E-mail to: "listserv@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx". Within the body of the text, only write the following:"SIGNOFF AIRLINE". <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> If you wish to unsubscribe from the AIRLINE List, please send an E-mail to: "listserv@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx". Within the body of the text, only write the following:"SIGNOFF AIRLINE".