HOUSTON, TEXAS (BNO NEWS) — Continental Airlines’ 25th aircraft with new flat-bed BusinessFirst seats and additional upgraded amenities made its first flight this week, the airline announced on Thursday.

The airline’s BusinessFirst flat-bed seats, which recline 180 degrees and provide 6 feet 6 inches of sleeping space on the Boeing 777, were first introduced in an operational flight last November, and they are currently being installed on aircraft used on long-haul international routes. The seats are being installed on Continental’s Boeing 777 and 757-200 fleets, with eleven 777s and fourteen 757-200s completed. 

In addition, Continental will take delivery of two new Boeing 777 aircraft outfitted with the flat-bed seats by the end of July, the company said. The seats will also be installed on many of Continental’s Boeing 767-400 aircraft starting in 2011 and on the Boeing 787 fleet as the new aircraft are delivered to the company.

The seats are “one of the widest business-class seats in the air, measuring up to 27 inches,” the airline said, as it explained that on the Boeing 757-200 the seats extend 6 feet 4 inches and are 25 inches wide.

Laptop power, headset and USB plugs are can be found above the customer’s shoulder, while iPod connectivity allows each customer to view their personal videos and enjoy their music while their iPod is charging. The new seats feature 15.4-inch video monitors for customers to enjoy on-demand movies, music and games.

“Our new BusinessFirst flat-bed seat is highly popular with our customers, and is a feature that makes our award-winning BusinessFirst product even more enjoyable,” said Jim Compton, Continental’s executive vice president and chief marketing officer. “Continental continues to invest in products that our customers want and value.”  

The Boeing 777 currently operates on Continental’s international routes between Newark and Beijing, Delhi, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, London/Heathrow, Mumbai, Shanghai, Tel Aviv and Tokyo, and between Houston and Frankfurt, London/Heathrow and Tokyo.

BusinessFirst on the Boeing 757 is currently offered on routes between Newark and Amsterdam, Barcelona, Belfast, Berlin, Birmingham, Bristol, Copenhagen, Dublin, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Hamburg, Lima, Lisbon, London/Heathrow, Madrid, Manchester, Oslo, Paris, Shannon and Stockholm.

Continental utilizes the Boeing 767-400 on routes between Newark and Athens, Brussels, Geneva, Paris, Rome and Zurich; and between Houston and Amsterdam, Paris and Rio de Janeiro.

(Copyright 2010 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved. Info: sales@bnonews.com.)