Nycfuturepilot From United States of America, joined Dec 2003, 791 posts, RR: 0 Posted (9 years 4 weeks 1 day 6 hours ago) and read 2641 times:
I just saw the following picture. Continental Lite? What was it? I have no recollection of it and I was 9 when this picture was taken so i should remember it
Alpha 1 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 1, posted (9 years 4 weeks 1 day 6 hours ago) and read 2578 times:
It's been discuseed over and over here. It was a low-cost spinoff CO created back in the early 90's. It was a disaster, putting a hub in GSO, and flying a lot of routes that no one wanted to fly. COLite had an all-coach configuration, but CO didn't have the smarts back then to separate the CO regular fleet from the COLite fleet, so often you'd end up with a COLite aircaft on a long-haul CO route that was supposed to have first class, or visa versa.
For veteran CO employees like myself, it was a nightmare, it almost ran the company out of business, and a chapter we'd rather forget.
Elwood64151 From United States of America, joined Feb 2002, 2477 posts, RR: 7 Reply 3, posted (9 years 4 weeks 1 day 4 hours ago) and read 2461 times:
Alpha1 is mostly right. It was more the "airline-within-an-airline" concept we see in Song and TED today.
I don't understand why the legacy carriers can't learn that this whole "airline-within-an-airline" concept is a false reality: It only makes money because it is supported by the loss-making or barely-profitable legacy system. The only reason I can concieve of them doing these systems is to kill-off LCC competition. Unfortunatley for them, it usually cannibalizes their own sales, as well.
Those who fail to learn history are doomed to repeat it in summer school.
Nycfuturepilot From United States of America, joined Dec 2003, 791 posts, RR: 0 Reply 5, posted (9 years 4 weeks 1 day 3 hours ago) and read 2285 times:
Where did they fly? When did it start? When did it end?
Alpha 1 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 7, posted (9 years 4 weeks 1 day ago) and read 2097 times:
Its in NY so it might be a shuttle type thing.
It's not in NY. It's not anywhere. It was, mercifully, disbanded, so to speak, around 1994, never to see the light of day again.
Where did they fly? When did it start? When did it end?
If flew with a primary hub at GSO. Flew routes, with 737's, mostly, on routes like GSO-GSP (that famous "niche" market described in Gordo's book, "From Worst to Frst), GSO-DAY, DAY-MDW, CLE-DAY, BWI-ORF, ORF-JAX, CLE-JAX, TPA-FLL, MCO-PBI, etc.
It was an attempt to emulate WN, even though it didn't compete against WN in any markets, that I know of.
JeckPDX From United States of America, joined Nov 2003, 255 posts, RR: 1 Reply 8, posted (9 years 4 weeks 22 hours ago) and read 1999 times:
As stated above, it was CO's rendition of the "airline within an airline" concept by was a major loser of money and was a joke among many travelers. I don't understand why US legacy carriers continue to cannibalize themselves with these jokes. Song and Ted listen up: take a cue from the CO lite and US Airways MetroJet SNAFU's and pull yourselves out before you have to be thrown a life preserver like your parents.
Just my thoughts
JeckPDX
"Beer is proof that God Loves us and wanted People to be Happy" - Ben Franklin
IMissPiedmont From United States of America, joined May 2001, 6207 posts, RR: 42 Reply 11, posted (9 years 4 weeks 16 hours ago) and read 1746 times:
Continental `Lite' also flew to the west coast. The IAH-TUS-LAX route was one such example. But we always here in Tucson knew it was just Continental. As did the whole world. Ted and Song fit right in to the same mold.
What is it with all the "is there a possibilty airline X will.." threads? The answer it'll is possible.
Go3Team From United States of America, joined Mar 2004, 3266 posts, RR: 21 Reply 12, posted (9 years 4 weeks 16 hours ago) and read 1692 times:
"Does anyone even fly GSO-GSP?"
I remember years ago, when Eastern was still around, we were on a 727 from CLT to ATL, and had a stop in GSP. GSP is approx. 80 miles via I-85 from CLT. People that got on in CLT, deplaned in GSP. At the time, even though, I was 10 or so, I thought that was mighty strange.
Northwest717 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 13, posted (9 years 4 weeks 15 hours ago) and read 1621 times:
No, see all of you are wrong! Continental Lite is a low-fat alternative to Continental. No preservatives added either. Although that airline went under when the Atkins diet was introduced so now there is Continental LowCarb. Now people can fly and burn fat at the same time! Amazing! Ok, back to studying for finals!
Shawn Patrick From United States of America, joined Jan 2000, 2588 posts, RR: 18 Reply 14, posted (9 years 4 weeks 13 hours ago) and read 1551 times:
They took away first class, added a few more economy seats, took away the food, and flew lots of niche markets. If I recall correctly, one of the first things Bethune did once he took over was kill this thing.
Gsoflyer From United States of America, joined May 2001, 1090 posts, RR: 1 Reply 15, posted (9 years 3 weeks 5 days 19 hours ago) and read 1408 times:
"Does anyone even fly GSO-GSP?"
yes, there is enough GSO to GSP to fill a daily Saab or Dash-8, but that is about it. I know my company alone does a lot of travel between here and there. And besides, RDU has a few GSP flights a day, it is really no different than us having one.
OzarkD9S From United States of America, joined Oct 2001, 4684 posts, RR: 23 Reply 16, posted (9 years 3 weeks 5 days 16 hours ago) and read 1343 times:
It was actually an attempt to short circuit Southwest's entry into the Eastern US. The hub was at GSO but they had quite a few other routes that bypassed GSO as well.
The major problem was that CO at the time was hardly a service oriented airline, just coming off the Lorenzo years, and the LITE operated wasn't that much different from the crappy service you got on CO at the time to justify the 2 different service levels.
And as for the much maligned GSP-GSO service, it was really meant for connections in GSO to other COLite cities.
Either way you look at it, the wrong idea all the way around.
Flyf15 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 17, posted (9 years 3 weeks 5 days 16 hours ago) and read 1316 times:
Wasn't CO at one point running multiple daily A300s on GSO-GSP? I remember reading once that at one point, those planes were averaging something like 6 passengers per flight.
Gsoflyer From United States of America, joined May 2001, 1090 posts, RR: 1 Reply 18, posted (9 years 3 weeks 4 days 18 hours ago) and read 1191 times:
No, it was like 5-7 dayly flights from GSO to GSP on a 737.
It was more than for connecting service, it was the fact the GSP was like a mini-hub while GSO was the major hub for CO Lite. The flights were used to connect to GSP for other destinations not provided out of GSO.
Citation501sp From United States of America, joined May 2000, 196 posts, RR: 0 Reply 20, posted (9 years 3 weeks 4 days 17 hours ago) and read 1121 times:
Its the same great Continental taste without the Carbs...
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