Continental Airlines was a major United States airline founded in 1934 and eventually headquartered in Houston, Texas. It had ownership interests and brand partnerships with several carriers.

Continental started out as one of the smaller carriers in the United States, known for its limited operations under the regulated era. Post 1978, Continental grew into one of the country's largest carriers despite facing financial troubles and other issues, eventually becoming one of the more successful airlines in the United States.

The airline merged with UAL Corporation (the parent company of United Airlines) via a stock swap in 2010. Continental's shares were acquired by UAL Corporation; the re-organized holding company was renamed United Continental Holdings. During the integration period, each airline ran a separate operation under the direction of a combined leadership team, based in Chicago. The integration was completed on March 3, 2012. Although the merged airline retained the United name, it uses Continental's operating certificate and livery.

Continental's 'Birds with the Golden Tail' were fairly common in the 1960s and they were one of the first to start using the DC-9, operating them along with 727-100s on their shorter runs. These two planes replaced the Vickers Viscount that the carrier was previously using.

This set is from Vintage Flyer Decals. This company basically does print on demand and so their markings are available in multiple scales. The sheets have a single carrier and while the instructions state they are silkscreen printed, they also warn against scratching them, very much like ALPS printed markings. Each decal needs to be cut out individually when applied. I would highly recommend giving the entire sheet a clear coat prior to extensive handling, though the instructions recommend doing that after the fact. It also states to use a water based clear. The set comes with extra cockpit windows and sufficient additional registration numbers to do any aircraft in the fleet.

Along with this set, I also ordered their vinyl masks for an additional $5.00. These will take care of the black cockpit surround as well as the demarcation line between the white upper and bare metal lower section of the airframe.