I booked this trip in February for a two week holiday in Costa Rica and Continental was the best overall for both price and the convenience of connections, the cost of the flights was reasonable at €680 return. I was able to preselect my seats for the all the flights.

Flight CO25 operated by a Boeing 757.

I check in at Shannon, which was a breeze; there were plenty of check in desks open, and the agents were polite and efficient. The bonus of using Shannon was I was able to clear customs and emigration for the US prior to boarding, as it can be a nightmare rushing through airports in the US and queuing for customs and emigration.

Boarding was organized and straight forward, with the crew boarding the back seats first, as I was near the tail I was able to get on board and take my seat early. Once boarding was completed, the handling crew in Shannon thanked all the customers and wished us a pleasant flight over the intercom.

The crew introduced then themselves and gave information on the flight. The seat was comfortable and each person had an on demand video screen with videos and short shows, this is a real bonus over other airlines on the transatlantic routes and occupied me for the full duration of the flight.

After take-off the crew started the on board video system and the in-flight service by offering drinks followed by a lunch, which was enjoyable. The crew on this flight and all other three flights were exceptional and highly professional at all times.

The flight landed ahead of time in Newark, and as I had cleared customs in Shannon, I did not have to collect my bag and re-check it in again. As I had a six hours transit time, I got the air train in to New York City for the afternoon.

Flight CO1796 operated by a Boeing 757.

The second flight of the day was once again operated by a 757, which meant I had the on demand video system. Boarding for this flight was a little more chaotic, when I finally got a chance to board, all the overhead bins were full, so I had to put my bag under the seat, which reduces leg room, but for a five hour flight it was manageable.

After take off the crew offered drinks followed by a snack, which consisted of a warm burrito and a salad, which was quite filling for the duration of the flight. The crew made several passes with water and juice then through out the flight.

As the flight passed over Florida, the captain advised of some turbulence ahead, due to a thunderstorm. We managed to navigate through the storm with little or no turbulence, but the views were great seeing the lightning in the distance and then flying through the tail of the storm.

The flight landed on time, but the passport formalities took a good hour to complete as several flights landed at the same time.

Flight CO1755 operated by a Boeing 737- 800

Check in was a bit of experience in San Jose, as I had to pay the departure tax and fill out the departure forms before they would let me check in. Once I managed to complete all the arrangements, I went through security where there is a very good arrangement of shops and American fast food joints.

The flight this time was operated by a 737, leg room was once again okay, but there were no individual screens, but a small monitor which was lowered every couple of rows. Two movies were played, but I was watching the passing scenery as it was a very clear day, especially over the Bahamas.

The crew were once again very professional, they offered drinks service after take off and the breakfast ”snack” consisted of a toasted ham and cheese sandwich, fruit and a desert, plus drinks, which is a decent meal for a five hour flight.

The flight landed on time in Newark.

Flight CO24 operated by a Boeing 757.

Boarding for return leg to Shannon was delayed, as Obama had been in Newark airport some earlier in the day, this resulted in the airport being closed for two hours, so flights were delayed and diverted. The flight was ready to go but as there was a large amount of transit passengers from delayed flights and also there was a problem with a water pump, the flight was delayed almost two hours, however the flight crew advised the flight would only be five hours, so we made up most of the time on route.

The return flight was conformable, with a new section of on demand movies and short shows. The crew apologized for the delay on multiple occasions and thanks us for our patience.

The flight was extremely smooth, with clear skies all the way except for Ireland. I managed to watch a movie and few short shows, plus get a few hours sleep as the flight was short. The meal was a quite nice a basic beef and vegetable mix.

The flight landed only about thirty minutes late, which was great considering the delay in Newark.

Overall I was very impressed with the service offered by Continental, especially in comparison with other US and European carriers. All the flights were comfortable, clean and pretty much on time. The crews were very professional and updated customers all the time.