Six's Shining Promise

In the airline industry, which has severe ups and downs, no executive can match the record of Robert Six, the 64-year-old president of Continental Airlines. Since starting the Los Angeles-based line 34 years ago, Six has lost money in only one year--1958, when Continental made the costly changeover from prop planes to jets.

Continental, fourth smallest of the eleven U.S. trunk lines, has prospered because it has mostly long-haul routes, running westward from Chicago, and they are cheaper to service than short flights. Six also gets so much productivity from his workers that Continental generates $33,600 in revenues per employee, compared with an average $29,000 for the domestic Big Four of American, Eastern, TWA and United.

At last week's annual meeting, Six said that a profitable first quarter seems to promise 1972 earnings better than 1971's figure of $8.4 million. Some of the gain will surely come from his expanding jet cargo business, up last year by 57% (in part because of the West Coast dock strike). To handle the new volume, Continental has placed $202 million in orders for four McDonnell Douglas DC-10 airbuses and 15 stretched Boeing 727s.

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