Continental debuts new plane, plus other airline news

Boeing 787 Dreamliner full-size model at the NBTA conference (photo courtesy Continental)

Continental Airlines showed off its new Boeing 787 Dreamliner plane last month at the National Business Travel Association show in Houston. Among its enhancements are larger overhead storage bins, big windows, air-purification technology and fuel usage reduction (the plane will use 20 percent less fuel than other models). Twenty-five airliners are in the pipeline for Continental, scheduled for delivery in early 2011. The Dreamliner has been plagued by a series of delivery setbacks, the latest one due to the availability of an engine for the plane.

In other airlines news, Virgin America begins flying to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) in December. Two daily round-trip flights will be offered from both Los Angeles and San Francisco. DFW becomes the 12th airport to which Virgin America flies. Also, American Eagle Airlines began flying out of the new North Terminal at Miami International Airport (MIA) last month.