Continental Airlines, the world’s sixth-largest airline, has signed a five-year agreement for the use of Carmen’s preferential bidding system (PBS) for its 4,000 pilots. Continental Airlines is the second major US carrier to sign for Carmen’s PBS system in six months.

According to Darryal Chandler, Director of Crew Resources and Administration at Continental Airlines, the North American Airline industry is undergoing a transformation from traditional Bidline systems to PBS.

“Carmen was the best possible choice to assist Continental in moving to a PBS system to improve our scheduling efficiency. As the market leaders in PBS in the world, we know they will make this transition as smooth as possible. From an operational perspective Carmen can deliver this project on time in order for Continental to begin to obtain the savings associated with PBS.”

According to Per Norén, CEO at Carmen Systems, “We have very ambitious plans for this project and look forward to providing the pilot community with greater influence over their working rosters and at the same time increasing Continental’s operational efficiency. Carmen Systems provides PBS and crew management systems for three of the five largest US airlines which firmly establishes Carmen as the market leader in the aviation industry.”

Continental Airlines is the world's sixth-largest airline. Continental, together with Continental Express and Continental Connection, has more than 3,000 daily departures throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia, serving 150 domestic and 130 international destinations, more than any other carrier in the world. Nearly 400 additional points are served via SkyTeam alliance airlines, which include Aeromexico, Air France/KLM, Alitalia, CSA Czech Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Korean Air and Northwest Airlines. With over 42,000 employees, Continental has hubs serving New York, Houston, Cleveland and Guam, and together with Continental Express, carries approximately 60 million passengers per year. Continental consistently earns awards and critical acclaim for both its operation and its corporate culture.

Carmen Systems AB develops, markets and implements resource optimization solutions for clients found primarily in the transportation industry. Clients include: Air France, British Airways, Delta Air Lines, Iberia, KLM, Lufthansa, Mexicana, Northwest Airlines, SAS, Singapore Airlines, Spanair and Virgin Atlantic Airways. Railway clients include; Deutsche Bahn, SJ, Green Cargo, SNCF (French National Railways), RailCorp in New South Wales (Australia), CityPendeln (Sweden) and National Rail Enquiries (UK). Carmen Systems is a rapidly expanding organization with 295 employees from 33 nationalities. Carmen Systems’ headquarters is in Göteborg, Sweden with additional offices in Amsterdam, Austin (Texas), Brisbane (Australia), Copenhagen, Madrid, Monterrey (Mexico), Montreal, Singapore and Stockholm.