Continental Airlines to Launch Seasonal Service to London/Heathrow From Cleveland

First-ever nonstop service from Cleveland to Heathrow begins tomorrow

CLEVELAND, May 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL) tomorrow will launch seasonal daily non-stop service between its Cleveland hub and London’s Heathrow Airport, effective May 2, 2009 (eastbound). The new route replaces the previous seasonal service between Cleveland and London/Gatwick Airport.

“The new flights give Cleveland travelers convenient access to Europe’s most popular gateway airport for U.S. travelers,� said Jim Compton, Continental’s executive vice president marketing. “In addition to serving London, Heathrow will provide both business and leisure travelers numerous connections to cities in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.�

The new Heathrow service will operate from May 2 through Sept. 26 (eastbound). Flights will depart Cleveland daily at 8:25 p.m. and arrive in London at 9:15 a.m. the next morning. The return flights will depart London daily at 11:40 a.m. and arrive in Cleveland at 3:30 p.m. the same day.

The service will be operated by Boeing 757 aircraft, seating 16 passengers in the award-winning BusinessFirst cabin and 159 passengers in economy.

Continental will continue to operate two daily flights to Heathrow from its Houston hub at Bush Intercontinental Airport in addition to three daily flights to Heathrow from its New York hub at Newark Liberty International Airport.

In addition to its Heathrow flights, Continental also operates easy connecting service from Cleveland through Newark Liberty to Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Manchester, as well as Dublin and Shannon - offering trans-Atlantic service to more cities in the U.K. and Ireland than any other airline.

Continental Airlines is the world’s fifth largest airline. Continental, together with Continental Express and Continental Connection, has more than 2,750 daily departures throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia, serving 133 domestic and 132 international destinations. More than 750 additional points are served via current alliance partners. With more than 43,000 employees, Continental has hubs serving New York, Houston, Cleveland and Guam, and together with its regional partners, carries approximately 67 million passengers per year.

Celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, Continental consistently earns awards and critical acclaim for both its operation and its corporate culture. For the sixth consecutive year, FORTUNE magazine named Continental the No. 1 World’s Most Admired Airline on its 2009 list of World’s Most Admired Companies. For more company information, go to continental.com.