If you are new to online check-in then you may want to read some of my notes, first!
Above all, never, ever, ever check in anywhere, anyhow other than for the flight you are about to take. No matter what - UNLESS you are 150% certain that nothing will possibly ever change. You would not believe how complicated life can become if you check in for the return flight (thinking you are saving time) and then find you need to change it. Trust me.
Continental On Line Check In
Welcome to Continental online Check-in.
Seasoned travellers, click on the CO logo below
(This will go straight to "manage my booking" )
Sam Smith Business Travel
You can check in and print your own boarding pass or you can have your boarding pass faxed to you when you don't have access to a printer. Simply choose the "Request Fax" option during the check-in process and have your boarding pass for your return trip faxed to your location.
This gives you everything you need to bypass the lines at the airport (yeah, right), pass through security and go directly to your gate. If you have bags to check, you may do so at an airport eService Center kiosk or with a Continental ticket counter representative at least 30 minutes* prior to scheduled departure in most domestic cities and 60 minutes for international destinations.
* Domestic flights require bags to be checked at least 30 minutes prior to departure. When traveling from Atlanta, Denver, Las Vegas, Orlando or Tampa baggage must be checked at least 45 minutes prior to departure.
Online Checkin is available for any domestic or international reservation on continental.com provided you have an eTicket that departs from a U.S. airport or an "eligible" (see below) airport outside of the U.S, the first flight in your itinerary is operated by Continental, your itinerary contains a total of four flight segments or less and you are traveling with less than 11 persons in your party.
You cannot use online checkin if you ask for special service requests that require you to see a Continental representative at the airport or have a paper ticketed reservations. It may not be used for flights departing from the following cities: Dublin, Ireland (DUB); Grand Cayman Island (GCM) and Shannon, Ireland (SNN).
Dedicated eService Center kiosk areas are available at our hub airports and in select cities. You may also check your bags with a Continental Airlines ticket counter representative or curbside skycap (where available). You must check bags at least 30 minutes prior to scheduled departure in most domestic (ie New World Colonies) cities and 60 minutes for international destinations. When traveling from Atlanta, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Orlando, Philadelphia, Ponce (I beg your pardon?!) or Tampa baggage must be checked at least 45 minutes prior to departure.
Continental will notify you of a cancellation or delay if you have signed up to receive the TripAlert service at continental.com. If you haven't signed up for TripAlert and your flight is canceled after check-in, you should contact Continental Airlines to be rebooked. If you're already at the airport, an airport agent will handle the re-accommodation process. In order to sign up for TripAlert, however, you need to carry a frequent flyer card or sign up on their website. Continental are members of Skyteam, so will get points, using a CO card on Air France, KLM, Kenyan to name a few.
Unaccompanied Minors - (aka Children) Continental will allow unaccompanied minor travel only on Continental Airlines, Continental Micronesia, Continental Express and Continental Connection flights. Unaccompanied minors under 5 years of age are not accepted. Unaccompanied minors ages 5-7 may only travel on nonstop flights. Children aged 8-14 may travel on any flight (nonstop or connecting) operated by Continental, Continental Micronesia, Continental Express, or Continental Connection. However, travel will not be allowed on the last connecting flight of the day - unless the connecting flight is the only published service to that destination. Unaccompanied Minors are not accepted on flights which require an overnight stay in order to make a connection. Special supervision for children ages 15-17 who are traveling alone will no longer be offered. Children under the age of 15 traveling alone may not travel on any flights operated by Continental that connect to/from other carriers, including SkyTeam and other partners.
Continental do offer bassinets on most international/ transcontinental flights for infants weighing 22 lbs (10 kg) or less. Bassinets should be requested at the time reservation is made as quantities are limited. Bassinet requests cannot be confirmed in advance.
An interesting addition to Continental's requirements: "A customer flying in the economy cabin who is not able to safely and comfortably fit in a single seat is required to purchase an additional seat for each leg of their itinerary. The second seat may be purchased for the same fare as the original seat, provided it is purchased at the same time. A customer who does not purchase an extra seat in advance may be required to do so on the day of departure for the fare level available on the day of departure. The customer may instead choose to purchase a ticket for First Class/Business/BusinessFirst®, or elect to pay for an upgrade to the front cabin if there is availability to do so. Continental Airlines is not required to provide additional seats or upgrades free of charge." A rather sad reflection on the state of the average American's girth, if you ask me....
A nice touch, though, is that Continental still offer bereavement and serious illness fares, that is up to a 20% discount if you have to visit and close relative. You will need full details.
