NEW YORK, Sept. 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL) today announced that it has applied to begin two routes to China from its New York hub at Newark Liberty International Airport. In a filing today with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), Continental requests permission to inaugurate service to Beijing in the spring of 2005 and to Shanghai in the spring of 2006, subject to government approval.
Continental is proposing to operate the flights on a daily basis using Boeing 777 aircraft with 283 seats, including the award-winning BusinessFirst service. Convenient flight connections at Liberty will provide access to the new service from many points throughout the U.S., Canada and Latin America.
Continental already provides service from Liberty to Hong Kong, which is one of the longest flights in the world.
The DOT will award China route authorities to U.S. airlines pursuant to an agreement between the two countries reached in July 2004.
"U.S.-China traffic has surged as the two economies have grown and formed strong trading ties," said Continental Chairman and CEO Gordon Bethune. "Our Liberty Airport hub is well-positioned to serve China and will provide a good alternative to routes that require a West Coast connection."
Continental Airlines is the world's sixth-largest airline with more than 2,900 daily departures throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. Continental serves 149 domestic and 119 international destinations -- more than any other airline in the world -- and nearly 200 additional points are served via SkyTeam alliance airlines. With 42,000 employees, the airline has hubs serving New York, Houston, Cleveland and Guam, and carries approximately 51 million passengers per year. In 2004, Continental has earned awards and critical acclaim for both its operation and its corporate culture. FORTUNE ranks Continental one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America, an honor it has earned for six consecutive years, and also ranks Continental as the top airline in its Most Admired Global Companies in 2004. The carrier won major awards at the 2004 OAG Airline of the Year Awards including "Airline of the Year," "Best Airline Based in North America" and "Best Executive/Business Class." For more company information, visit continental.com.
To receive these alerts via e-mail visit the Corporate Information Center at www.continental.com/cic.