Continental Airlines Announces Daily Non-Stop Service Between New Delhi and New York
First Scheduled Non-Stop Between India and the U.S.A.

New Delhi, Delhi, India, Wednesday, April 06, 2005 -- (Business Wire India)

Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL), the world's sixth largest airline and OAG Airline of the Year 2004, today announced it will launch daily non-stop flights between New Delhi and New York/Newark effective November 1, 2005 (westbound), subject to government approval.

The new flights, the first scheduled non-stop service between India and the United States, will link the capital of India with New York, the world's financial capital and the number one U.S. business and tourism destination. They will also provide one-stop connections to almost 150 other cities throughout North, Central and South America, the Caribbean and beyond via Continental's unique New York hub at Newark Liberty International Airport.

The service will cut travel time between New Delhi and New York by at least two hours westbound and by at least two and a half hours eastbound, and will shorten existing journey times between New Delhi and most U.S. mainland cities.

"Continental Airlines is proud and excited to be the first airline to introduce non-stop flights between India and the U.S.A.,” said Jim Summerford, Continental's Vice President - Europe, Middle East & Africa. “We will be able to offer Indian trans-Atlantic travelers something none of our competitors can match - award-winning non-stop service to New York, with quick and easy same-airline, same-terminal onward connections to cities throughout the Americas. Our service will also create a more convenient and attractive gateway to India for American visitors."

India is the world's seventh largest and second most populous country, with a population of over 1 billion. The economy has posted an average growth rate of six per cent in recent years, reaching an estimated 8.5 per cent in 2003-04. In addition to agriculture, India's major industries include textiles, chemicals, food processing, steel, transportation equipment, cement, mining, petroleum, machinery and computer software. The U.S.A. is India's largest trading partner, accounting for 20.6 per cent of total exports and 6.4 per cent of total imports in 2003. New Delhi, the capital and seat of government, has a population of 13.7 million.

India is also one of the world's most exciting tourist destinations. According to the Government of India's Ministry of Tourism, foreign tourist arrivals in January and February 2005 were up by 14.5 per cent and 17.3 per cent respectively on the same months the previous year.

Continental's New Delhi-New York/Newark flights will be operated with a 283-seat Boeing 777 aircraft, carrying 48 passengers in the BusinessFirst cabin and 235 in Economy.

Subject to government approval, flight CO83 will depart New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport daily at 11:30 p.m., arriving at New York/Newark at 4:50 a.m. the next day. The return flight, CO82, will depart New York/Newark daily at 9:05 p.m., arriving at New Delhi at 9:30 p.m. the next day. Flying times will be approximately 15 hours, 50 minutes westbound and 13 hours, 55 minutes eastbound.

The New Delhi flights have been conveniently timed to connect at New York/Newark with an extensive network of service throughout the U.S.A., Canada and Latin America. Continental is the only major airline to operate a hub in the New York City metropolitan area - Newark Liberty International Airport. Located just 25 kilometres from downtown Manhattan, Liberty International offers the fastest surface transfer journeys to many parts of the city, including the AirTrain service to New York Penn Station in midtown Manhattan. One-way fares between Liberty International and New York Penn Station are $11.55 on NJ Transit and $23 on Amtrak and journey time is less than 30 minutes.

Passengers arriving at Liberty International on Continental flights from New Delhi will be able to use exclusive immigration and customs facilities in Terminal C3, Continental's Global Gateway, and connect quickly and easily with Continental's 402 daily services from Liberty International to 170 destinations throughout the Americas, including 147 served non-stop, in almost all cases without changing terminals.

The new flights will feature Continental's renowned BusinessFirst service, which won the Best Executive/Business Class award in the OAG Airline of the Year Awards in both 2004 and 2003, based on voting by frequent flyers worldwide. BusinessFirst was also voted Best Transatlantic Business Class among U.S. airlines in Conde Nast Traveler magazine's Business Travel Awards 2004 - for the 7th year running.

This premium-class cabin features specially-engineered electronic sleeperseats in a 2-2-2 configuration, with a 140-cm seat pitch and adjustable "winged" headrests. The BusinessFirst seat on the 777 is among the widest business class seats in the world, measuring 56 cm between the armrests, and offers a 170-degree recline and 2 metres of sleeping space in the fully extended position. Other features include privacy hoods and large seat side wings for greater privacy. All BusinessFirst seats feature a laptop computer power outlet, a satellite telephone, a flexible-neck reading light and a personal entertainment system offering 16 channels of video, 20 channels of audio and up to 10 video games. Other BusinessFirst amenities include gourmet menu selections created by Continental's Congress of Chefs and fresh cappuccino or espresso coffee made on request. A specially selected and trained corps of more than 200 Concierges provides individualized pre-flight and post-flight services for BusinessFirst customers at 21 key international airports worldwide.

Economy class on the Continental 777 is also exceptionally comfortable and spacious, in a 3-3-3 seating configuration with wider-than-usual aisles. Every Economy passenger benefits from an individual seatback video system with eight channels of video, 20 channels of audio and up to 10 video games, as well as an inflight telephone with overwater capability. The first few rows of seats in Economy class also feature individual laptop computer outlets.

New Delhi will become the 25th city in Continental's trans-Atlantic route network.

Editor's Note:

Continental Airlines is the world's sixth-largest airline with more than 3,000 daily departures throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. The carrier serves 152 domestic and 122 international destinations, more than any other carrier in the world. Nearly 400 additional points are served via SkyTeam alliance airlines, which include Aeromexico, Air France/KLM, Alitalia, CSA Czech Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Korean Air and Northwest Airlines. With 41,000 employees, Continental has hubs serving New York, Houston, Cleveland and Guam, and carries approximately 55 million passengers per year. Continental consistently earns awards and critical acclaim for both its operation and its corporate culture. FORTUNE magazine named Continental the No. 1 Most Admired Global Airline on its 2005 list of Most Admired Global Companies and also ranked the carrier No. 49 on its annual “Top 50” list, which ranks companies across a wide variety of industries. 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.

In Europe and the Middle East, Continental serves 19 cities in 12 countries, operating up to 203 departures weekly to its U.S. gateway hubs at New York/Newark, Houston and Cleveland, with onward connections to cities throughout North America, Latin America and the Caribbean. Continental's alliance carriers in Europe and the Middle East include - in addition to SkyTeam airlines - Air Europa, Emirates, FlyBE (British European), Maersk Air, TAP Air Portugal and Virgin Atlantic Airways.