Last Continental Airlines flight took off Friday

[East New York]

 

The last Continental flight takes off on Friday, and the airline that was once one of the nation's biggest will all but disappear into United Airlines.

 

United and Continental merged in 2010, but until this Saturday, passengers almost could have missed it. The big change occurs early Saturday when United combines passenger reservation data from both airlines into one massive computer system. That means one frequent-flier program and one website. Tickets will be issued under United's name only.

 

The switch is a huge undertaking that has its risks. Any hiccups could mean delays throughout the airline's system. That's why United conducted four dress rehearsals with executives staying overnight at headquarters to make sure things went well.

 

Here are the changes:

 

CONTINENTAL'S LAST FLIGHT

 

Continental flight 1267 is scheduled to depart from Phoenix at 11:59 p.m. PST on Friday. It's set to arrive in Cleveland as United 1267 Saturday morning.

 

The airline will stop using Continental's "CO" code. That means no more Continental Airlines tickets, or flights – even though the Continental name is still painted on some planes.

 

 

 

Read more at United absorbs much of Continental this weekend