News Release
Continental Airlines Switches to Boeing 777 Aircraft for New York - Milan Flights
NEWARK, November 15, 1999 -- Beginning on Nov. 16, Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL and CAL.A) will introduce new Boeing 777 aircraft on a ninth transatlantic route - its daily flight from New York/Newark to Milan, Italy. Flight 44 departs Newark at 6:05 p.m. and arrives in Milan at 7:55 a.m. Eastbound, Flight 45 departs Milan at 10:25 a.m. and arrives in Newark at 1:45 p.m. Until now, the route has been served by a DC-10.
Continental now has 14 new 777s in its fleet and flies them to Tokyo, as well as on transatlantic routes from Houston to London and Paris; and from its New York hub to London, Manchester, Paris, Frankfurt, Rome and Tel Aviv. These new 777s are part of 58 new Boeing aircraft deliveries this year, including 737s and 757s. With the retirement of an equal number of older aircraft, Continental’s average fleet age will drop to just 7.6 years by the end of 1999 - the lowest among major U.S. airlines.
Today, Continental took delivery of a 14th new 777, specially painted by Peter Max in celebration of NYC 2000. The Boeing 777 is known as the "Queen of the Skies." It sets a new standard for transatlantic travel as the most spacious and quietest big jet in the world. The aircraft carries 283 passengers - 48 in BusinessFirst and 235 in coach. The award winning BusinessFirst cabin features extra wide electronic sleeper seats with laptop computer outlets, telephones and personal entertainment systems. Entertainment systems are also provided at each coach seat.
Continental is the fifth largest airline in the U.S., offering more than 2,200 departures daily to 129 domestic and 85 international destinations. Operating major hubs in Newark, Houston and Cleveland, Continental (http://www.continental.com) has extensive service throughout the Americas, and to Europe and Asia. Continental recently initiated a strategic global alliance with Northwest Airlines. Continental is in the top half of Fortune magazine’s "100 Best Companies to Work for in America," and has won first or second place FrequentFlyer magazine and J.D. Power awards for four consecutive years. Continental has received numerous awards for its BusinessFirst premium cabin (Condé Nast Traveler, OAG Official Airline Guides, Entrepreneur and Smart Money magazines), OnePass frequent flyer program (InsideFlyer’s Freddie Awards) and overall operations and management (Air Transport World’s 1997 Airline of the Year).