Continental Airlines Announces New Nonstop Saturday Service Between Newark and Liberia, Costa Rica

HOUSTON, July 18, 2005 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL) today announced it will begin new nonstop Saturday service between Newark Liberty International Airport and Liberia, Costa Rica, on Dec. 17. The new service will add to Continental's existing daily nonstop service from Houston to Liberia, a growing ecotourism destination located in Costa Rica's Guanacaste region.

The flight will depart Newark at 8:45 a.m., arriving in Liberia, Costa Rica, at 1 p.m. The return flight will depart Liberia at 1:50 p.m., arriving in Newark at 7:57 p.m. Continental will utilize a Boeing 737-700 aircraft on the approximately 5-hour flight to Liberia, Costa Rica, with seating for 12 passengers in First Class and 112 in Coach.

Liberia, known as the "White City" because of its whitewashed houses, is located between two mountain ranges and only 20 minutes from the white sand beaches on Costa Rica's Pacific Coast. Nearby are the 35,000-acre Rincon de la Vieja National Park, where visitors can hike to the summit of a volcano, and several wildlife preserves.

"Northeast residents who need a respite from winter ice and snow now will be able to take advantage of Continental's convenient new flight schedule to Liberia, Guanacaste, Costa Rica," said Pete Garcia, Staff Vice President, Latin America, Continental Airlines.

Continental offers nonstop service to 11 Central American cities -- more than any other U.S. airline.

Continental offers a number of Spanish-language services, including bilingual flight attendants on many flights to Latin America, as well as bilingual airport personnel, reservations agents and signage. Passengers may make reservations in Spanish at 1-800-537-9222. Continental Airlines has been named for eight consecutive years to Hispanic Magazine's list of "100 Best Companies for Hispanics" (1998-2005).

Continental Airlines is the world's sixth-largest airline. Continental, together with Continental Express and Continental Connection, has more than 3,100 daily departures throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia, serving 148 domestic and 131 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 together with Continental Express, carries approximately 56 million passengers per year. Continental consistently earns awards and critical acclaim for both its operation and its corporate culture.

For the second consecutive year, FORTUNE magazine named Continental the No. 1 Most Admired Global Airline on its 2005 list of Most Admired Global Companies. Continental was also included in the publication's annual "Top 50" list, which ranks all companies, across a wide variety of industries, that appear in the Global Most Admired Companies issue. Continental again won major awards at the 2005 OAG Airline of the Year Awards including "Airline of the Year" and "Best Airline Based in North America" for the second consecutive year, and "Best Executive/Business Class" for the third consecutive year. For more company information, visit www.continental.com .

SOURCE Continental Airlines
07/18/2005

CONTACT: Corporate Communications of Continental Airlines, 1-713-324-5080, or corpcomm@coair.com

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