No. CAL leadership wanted to create some buzz about their going from "worst to first." Paying profit sharing on a non paycheck day made an impression on the employees and it was also a substantial media event in which photos and press releases accompanied the payouts.

"Bethune’s employee-appreciation shtick was on display in New Jersey, as he hopped off a Brinks armored truck on the tarmac at Newark International Airport. Continental employees greeted him with a warm round of applause, and why not? It was profit-sharing day at the airline, which had made money for the third year in a row. Flanked by Brinks guards carrying bulging money bags stuffed with paper, Bethune entered the terminal area, where there were more applauding employees and banners done up to look like checks made out for $105 million—the total profit sharing for 1997. He then walked onto a stage decorated with more money bags and began to give out real checks equal to 7 percent of each employee’s annual pay."

http://www.texasmonthly.com/articles....rxFArQ3I.dpuf