Editing Continental Airlines (section)

===1960s===
[[File:Robert F. Six, Chairman-CEO, Continental Airlines, 1978.jpg|thumb|[[Robert F. Six]], chairman-CEO, Continental Airlines, 1936–1981]]

Continental Airlines had seen a broad expansion of its routes, thanks to a responsive CAB and persistent efforts by Six and Executive Vice President [[Harding Lawrence]] (who came to Continental in the Pioneer merger), who both frequently referred to his company as "the Airline that needs to grow."<ref name="Serling"/><ref name="Scott">Christian, J. Scott, former Continental employee and manager, Bring Songs to the Sky: Recollections of Continental Airlines, 1970–1986, Quadran Press, 1998.</ref>{{Page needed|date=August 2010}} In 1958 Continental began turboprop flights with the [[Vickers Viscount]] on the new medium-haul routes. The British-manufactured Viscount four engine turboprop, which Continental referred to as the "Jet Power Viscount II", was the first turbine powered aircraft operated by the airline with Continental claiming it was "First in the west with jet-power flights".<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Jet Power Viscount II |url=https://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/co/co58/co58-1.jpg |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230309222827/https://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/co/co58/co58-1.jpg |archive-date=2023-03-09}}</ref><ref>''Maverick:  The Story of Robert Six and Continental Airlines'' by Robert J. Serling, page 128, published in 1974 by Doubleday & Company, Inc.</ref>  The CAB permitted Continental to drop service at many smaller cities, enabling the carrier's new aircraft to operate more economically on longer flights. In 1960 Continental flew more than three times the passenger-miles it had in 1956. (''Aviation Week'' June 22, 1959: "Continental's current re-equipment program—involving a total cost of $64 million for the Boeings, Viscounts and DC-7Bs—was launched in 1955 when the carrier's net worth amounted to $5.5 million.")

During the late 1950s and early 1960s, Six was the airline industry's leading lower-fare advocate. He predicted that increased traffic, not higher fares, was the answer to the airline industry's problems. To amazement from the industry, he introduced the [[Economy class#Airlines|economy fare]] on the Chicago-Los Angeles route in 1962. He later pioneered a number of other low or discount fares which made air travel available to many who could not previously afford it. One of Continental's early innovations was a system-wide economy excursion fare which cut the standard coach fares by more than 25%.<ref name="Serling"/>{{Page needed|date=August 2010}} Continental took delivery of the first of five 707-124s in spring 1959, and started Chicago-Los Angeles nonstop on June 8.<ref name="Scott" /> Having so few jets, Continental needed radical innovations to the 707 maintenance program. It developed the "progressive maintenance" program, which enabled Continental to fly its 707 fleet seven days a week, achieving greater aircraft utilization than any other jet operator in the industry.<ref name="Serling"/>{{Page needed|date=August 2010}} Six, not being satisfied with 707 service, introduced innovations and luxe cuisine on Continental's 707 flights which were described as, "...&nbsp;nothing short of luxurious" by the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', and, "...&nbsp;clearly, the finest in the airline industry" by the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''.<ref name="Scott" />

[[File:Boeing 707-124 (Continental Airlines) LAX.jpg|thumb|[[Boeing 707]] at Los Angeles, 1967]]
In the early 1960s, Continental added flights from Los Angeles to Houston, nonstop as well as via Phoenix, Tucson, El Paso, Midland-Odessa, Austin, and/or San Antonio. In 1963, the company headquarters moved from Denver to Los Angeles.<ref name="Serling"/><ref name="Davies"/>{{Page needed|date=August 2010}} By late 1963, Continental had discontinued service to most of its smaller cities in Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas with the exception of Lawton, OK and Wichita Falls, TX which continued operating with DC-9 and 727 jets until 1977. Total passenger-miles in 1967 were more than five times greater than in 1960, but 61% of the 1967 total was on unscheduled flights (mostly transpacific charters). During the late 1960s the company disposed of the last of its turboprop and piston-powered aircraft—one of the first U.S. airlines to do so.<ref name="Davies" /> Continental replaced the Viscount fleet with [[Douglas DC-9-10]]s and then added [[Boeing 727-100]]s and [[727-200]]s. The DC-9 and 727 were to become the workhorses of the fleet from the late 1960s.<ref name="Davies" /> The DC-9s were phased out by the late 1970s (although the type reappeared after mergers in the 1980s with an example being [[Texas International Airlines]] DC-9s which were added to the CO fleet); the 727-200 was the mainstay of its narrow-body fleet until the late 1980s. In 1968 a new [[livery]] was launched: orange and gold cheatlines on a white fuselage; and a black "jetstream" logo (by Six's friend, the noted graphic designer [[Saul Bass]]) on the iconic "Golden Tails" of the airline's aircraft. The slogans adopted in 1968 and used for more than a decade were, "The Airline That Pride Built" and, "The Proud Bird with the Golden Tail".<ref name="Serling" /><ref name="Scott" /> 1960s saw international routes awarded to Continental (to New Zealand and Australia) in the Transpacific Case, but they were cancelled by the Nixon Administration.

[[File:Continental Airlines B737-200 N7381F.jpg|thumb|right|Boeing 737-200 with 1968–1991 "meatball" logo and livery designed by [[Saul Bass]]]]
During the [[Vietnam War]], Continental provided extensive cargo and troop transportation for [[United States Army]] and [[United States Marine Corps|Marine Corps]] forces to Asian and the Pacific bases. Continental's long range [[Boeing 707-324C]]s were the most common non-military aircraft transiting [[Saigon]] [[Tan Son Nhat]] airport;<ref name="Scott" /> in 1967, 39% of CO's passenger-miles were on scheduled flights. With Continental's experience in Pacific operations, the carrier formed subsidiary [[Air Micronesia]] in May 1968, inaugurating [[island hopping]] routes between [[Yap]]/[[Saipan]]/[[Guam]], [[Majuro]], Rota, [[Chuuk International Airport|Truk]], Ponape ([[Pohnpei]]) and Honolulu.<ref name="Serling" /> "Air Mike", as it was known, initially operated with [[Boeing 727|Boeing 727-100]] aircraft with open-ocean survival gear, doppler radar, and a large complement of spare parts (including tires).<ref name="Serling" /> A senior mechanic flew on every Air Mike flight until the late 1970s. Air Micronesia operated as subsidiary [[Continental Micronesia]] until 2010. In September 1969, Continental began flights from Los Angeles to Honolulu/Hilo and one month later from Albuquerque to Chicago, San Antonio, and San Francisco. In 1970, Continental was awarded routes from Seattle and Portland to San Jose, Hollywood-Burbank Airport, and Ontario, California—all of them growing markets.<ref name="Serling" />

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Revenue passenger-miles (millions) (sched flights only)
|-
! !! Continental !! Pioneer
|- style="text-align:right;"
! scope="row" | 1951
| 106 || 42
|- style="text-align:right;"
! scope="row" | 1955
| 221 || 11
|- style="text-align:right;"
! scope="row" | 1960
| 885 || (Merged April 1, 1955)
|- style="text-align:right;"
! scope="row" | 1965
| 1,386 ||
|- style="text-align:right;"
! scope="row" | 1970
| 4,434 ||
|- style="text-align:right;"
! scope="row" | 1975
| 6,356 ||
|}

In 1963, Continental denied employment to African-American pilot and Air Force veteran, [[Marlon Green|Marlon D. Green]]. A [[United States Supreme Court]] decision allowed a [[Colorado]] anti-discrimination law to be applied to his case against Continental.<ref>[http://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/372/714/case.html U.S. Supreme Court, ''COLORADO COMM'N v. CONTINENTAL, 372 U.S. 714'' (1963)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025224934/http://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/372/714/case.html |date=October 25, 2012 }} ''372 U.S. 714 COLORADO ANTI-DISCRIMINATION COMMISSION ET AL. v. CONTINENTAL AIR LINES, INC.'' CERTIORARI TO THE SUPREME COURT OF COLORADO. No. 146. Argued March 28, 1963. Decided April 22, 1963.</ref> Green flew with Continental for 13 years from 1965 until his retirement in 1978.<ref name="COFacts"/> His employment paved the way for the hiring of ethnic-minority pilots by all U.S. carriers, an industry milestone which was finally realized in 1977 after [[Southern Airways]] hired their first minority pilot.