COMPANIES

Golden Parachute for Continental Airlines Chief: Continental Airlines has granted Chief Executive Robert Ferguson a deal that would pay him three times his $600,000 annual salary if he is fired after new investors take over. Air Canada and Air Partners, a Fort Worth, Tex.-based investment group, have agreed to invest $450 million in Continental to bring it out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization, in exchange for a controlling share of the stock. The severance agreement, commonly known as a “golden parachute,” would not be payable should Ferguson choose to resign, the Houston Chronicle reported Saturday.