Management advice from the ceo who saved continental airlines

When Gordon Bethune joined Continental Airlines in , the air carrier was emerging from its second bankruptcy. Five years later, he has transformed Continental from the worst of the large carriers to first in its class. At the same time, he has set the standard for corporate turnarounds. By focusing on its hub-based transportation system, Continental has redrawn its method for doing business.

And, since , when the airline closed out the year with its largest annual profit in its year history, Continental has consistently ranked at or near the top of its industry in on-time performance, baggage handling and reliability. Not bad numbers for the Houston-based carrier that has defied the critics who left it for dead. At the time, Continental ran flights to and from some not-so-popular locations.

That quickly changed. The goal was to lower the debt equity while at the same time upgrade the fleet. Bethune turned to his former employer. So management met with the employees — whom Bethune says were most in tune with the way the business actually worked — and asked what they believed were realistic time schedules for flights.

There were also incentives for reaching those goals.

Is continental airlines still in business

A company is only as good as the employees who work in it, Bethune says. Every day, our employees know what we, as a company, are doing. Dustin Klein [email protected] is editor of SBN. Stay up-to-date with local business news and networking events from Smart Business.