Continental Lite

ADC-9-32 in Continental Lite livery
IATA ICAO Call sign CO COA CONTINENTAL
Founded	1993 (1993)
Ceased operations	1995 (1995) (re-integrated intoContinental Airlines)
Hubs	Cleveland Greensboro
Frequent-flyer program	OnePass
Alliance	Wings Alliance(affiliate)
Parent company	Continental Airlines
Key people	Gordon Bethune

Continental Lite was a short-lived subsidiarybrand ofContinental Airlines established in 1993. The airline folded in 1995 after losing what has been reported in the press as between $140 million^[1] and $300 million.^[2]

Continental Lite was developed by Continental Airlines to counter the rise of low-cost start up carriers. This despite the fact that Continental had some of the lowest costs in theairline industry due to many of the tradelabor unions agreements being tossed out duringFrank Lorenzo's reign with Continental throughChapter 11 bankruptcy.^[3]

The airline was originally informally known asCALite within Continental; the "Continental Lite" name was formally adopted in 1994.^[4][5] It expanded to serve 45 cities in 1994, primarily on the East Coast, and came to account for a third of Continental's total capacity.^[6] AfterGordon Bethune took over as the CEO of Continental in 1994, Continental began to distance itself from the service.^[7]

Continental Lite operated with a dedicated fleet ofMcDonnell Douglas DC-9-30,Boeing 737-200,Boeing 737-300, andBoeing 737-500 aircraft, each repainted with the 'Lite' livery and stripped of its first class cabin. This service was based primarily at Continental's existing hub inCleveland as well as a new hub established inGreensboro, partly replacing the service ofEastern Airlines in North Carolina.^[8] The Greensboro hub had 83 daily flights at its peak in late 1994, and Continental had planned a gate expansion at the airport.^[6]

• List of defunct airlines of the United States

• Continental Airlines
• Defunct airlines of the United States
• Airlines established in 1993
• Airlines disestablished in 1995

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