Continental Airlines has signed an agreement with EDS to transform its Flight Planning Services. It is hoped the update will reduce flight operating expenses and create efficiencies for Continental by automating some aspects of flight planning.

As part of the agreement, EDS will develop and implement its proprietary planning systems ‘EDS Flight Planning Services’. This will be delivered using a software-as-a-service (SaaS) model.

“The EDS Flight Planning Services will allow us to take full advantage of our modern fleet capabilities, achieve significant fuel savings and increase our operational flexibility,” said Mark Moran, executive vice president of Operations at Continental Airlines. “Our strong working relationship and successful track record together made EDS the right choice to deliver industry-leading flight planning technologies, which will seamlessly integrate with all our flight operations services.”

EDS Flight Planning is the fourth component in EDS' flight operations suite being implemented at Continental. EDS is also currently developing EDS Air-to-Ground Messaging Services, EDS Load Planning Services and EDS Aircraft Movement Services for Continental.

“Effective flight planning will enable Continental to reduce costs and increase operational efficiencies,” said Eric Harte, vice president and leader of the Consumer Travel Industry Group at EDS, an HP company. “The EDS team will combine deep expertise in the airline industry and applications development to transform Continental's flight operations environment to optimise its cost per available seat mile.”