Continental Airlines (IATA: CO, ICAO: COA, Callsign: CONTINENTAL) is an American airline based and headquartered in Continental Center I in Downtown Houston, Texas. It is the fourth-largest airline in the US based on revenue passenger miles. Continental operates flights to destinations throughout the U.S., Canada, Latin America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific regions. Principal operations are from its three hubs at Newark Liberty International Airport, George Bush Intercontinental Airport, and Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.
The origin of Continental Airlines dates to the 1934 formation of Varney Speed Lines, which operated airmail and passenger services in the American Southwest. The carrier was renamed Continental Air Lines in 1937, and expanded its domestic U.S. network in the 1960s with jet aircraft. International flights to Southeast Asia and South Pacific destinations began in 1978 following industry deregulation. Continental was embroiled in ownership struggles in the 1980s, and entered bankruptcy in 1983 and 1990. The carrier exhibited a financial and operational turnaround after 1996, and embarked on international route expansion in the 2000s.