Under the agreement, Continental will be able to sell tickets for customers on bmi's services connecting through the same set of UK destinations as well as Belfast, and Amman. Additional codeshare destinations are expected to be launched in phases through the end of 2009, the company said.

Katherine Gershon, sales and marketing director at bmi, said: "The new agreement is part of the airline's strategy of increasing its Star Alliance partnerships. Our new codeshare agreement with Continental will mean our customers have the opportunity to travel on new services between our key departure points and the US."

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"We began designing this seat three years ago, involving our customers and numerous other experts to get it just right and I couldn't be more pleased with the end result," said Larry Kellner, chairman and chief executive officer of Continental Airlines. "This is a great seat and I am excited to see more of them on flights throughout our system."

Flat-Bed Seat Reclines 180-Degrees

Continental's new BusinessFirst seats allow customers to lie completely flat, reclining 180-degrees and providing 6 A 1/2 feet (2 meters) of sleeping space in the fully extended position. Electronic controls enable customers to easily move the seat to an infinite number of adjustments, including lumbar support and fully extended sleep positions. Laptop power, headset and USB plugs are conveniently tucked above the customer's shoulder and iPod connectivity is also available at the seat. The seats feature 15.4-inch video monitors.

Perfecting Design Since Autumn 2006

Continental's product marketing team began researching new seat options in the autumn of 2006 when planning BusinessFirst service for the new 787 Dreamliner aircraft. The airline visited with numerous seat manufacturers worldwide before selecting BE Aerospace, which created five different design concepts. Concurrently, Continental sought feedback from a focus group of BusinessFirst frequent flyers that identified and prioritised key needs of global travellers and worked closely with the airline's project team and the seat manufacturer to help create the new seat. The important features requested by the focus group were to install a wider seat that could lie completely flat and be easy to operate.

Continental currently operates the Boeing 777 on routes between Newarkand Beijing, Shanghai, Delhi, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, London/Heathrow, Mumbai, Paris, Rome, Tel Aviv and Tokyo, and between Houstonand London/Heathrow, Amsterdamand Tokyo.

Continental uses the Boeing 767-400 on routes between Newarkand Brussels, Paris, Frankfurt, Genevaand Honolulu; between Houstonand Frankfurt, Paris, Rio de Janeiroand Honolulu; and between Guam and Honoluluand Narita.

BusinessFirst on the Boeing 757 is currently offered on routes between Newarkand Amsterdam, Barcelona, Belfast, Berlin, Birmingham, Bristol, Copenhagen, Dublin, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Hamburg, Lisbon, London/Heathrow, Madrid, Manchester, Oslo, Paris, Shannon and Stockholm.

Notes to editors:

Continental Airlines (continental.com), celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, is the world's fifth largest airline. Continental, together with Continental Express and Continental Connection, has more than 2,400 daily departures throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia, serving 130 domestic and 132 international destinations. Continental is a member of Star Alliance, which provides access to more than 900 additional points in 169 countries via 24 other member airlines. Across the Atlantic, Continental operates up to 312 departures weekly from 29 airports in 16 countries to its U.S.gateway hubs at New York, Houstonand Cleveland, with onward connections to more than 200 cities throughout North America, Latin America and the Caribbean. Fortune magazine ranked Continental as the top airline in its World's Most Admired Companies 2009, for the sixth consecutive year. At the OAG Airline of the Year Awards 2008, based on voting by frequent flyers around the world, Continental won the Best Airline Based in North Americaaward, for the fifth year in a row. Continental's alliance carriers in Europe, the Middle East and Indiainclude, in addition to Star Alliance carriers, Emirates, Kingfisher Airlines and Virgin Atlantic Airways.

Issued by Trimedia on behalf of Continental Airlines on 3 November 2009.

CONTACT: George Morrison / Susan Hutchinson, Trimedia Tel: +44 (0)20 7025 7500 e-mail: george.morrison@trimediauk.com e-mail: susan.hutchinson@trimediauk.com

((M2 Communications disclaims all liability for information provided within M2 PressWIRE. Data supplied by named party/parties. Further information on M2 PressWIRE can be obtained at http://www.presswire.net on the world wide web. Inquiries to info@m2.com.

Continental's OnePass members will earn EQM or EQP on all scheduled flights operated by Air China, and redeem award travel for round trips and award upgrades on all scheduled flights operated and marketed by Air China.

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Republication or redistribution, including by framing or similar means,
is expressly prohibited without prior written consent. Datamonitor shall 
not be liable for errors or delays in the content, or for any actions 
taken in reliance thereon

"We began designing this seat three years ago, involving our customers and numerous other experts to get it just right and I couldn't be more pleased with the end result," said Larry Kellner, chairman and chief executive officer of Continental Airlines. "This is a great seat and I am excited to see more of them on flights throughout our system."

Flat-Bed Seat Reclines 180-Degrees

Continental's new BusinessFirst seats allow customers to lie completely flat, reclining 180-degrees and providing 6 1/2 feet (2 meters) of sleeping space in the fully extended position. Electronic controls enable customers to easily move the seat to an infinite number of adjustments, including lumbar support and fully extended sleep positions. Laptop power, headset and USB plugs are conveniently tucked above the customer's shoulder and iPod connectivity is also available at the seat. The seats feature 15.4-inch video monitors.

Perfecting Design Since Fall 2006

Continental's product marketing team began researching new seat options in the fall of 2006 when planning BusinessFirst service for the new 787 Dreamliner aircraft. The airline visited with numerous seat manufacturers worldwide before selecting BE Aerospace, which created five different design concepts. Concurrently, Continental sought feedback from a focus group of BusinessFirst frequent flyers that identified and prioritized key needs of global travelers and worked closely with the airline's project team and the seat manufacturer to help create the new seat. The important features requested by the focus group were to install a wider seat that could lie completely flat and be easy to operate.

Continental currently operates the Boeing 777 on routes between Newark and Beijing, Shanghai, Delhi, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, London/Heathrow, Mumbai, Paris, Rome, Tel Aviv and Tokyo, and between Houston and London/Heathrow, Amsterdam and Tokyo.

Continental uses the Boeing 767-400 on routes between Newark and Brussels, Paris, Frankfurt, Geneva and Honolulu; between Houston and Frankfurt, Paris, Rio de Janeiro and Honolulu; and between Guam and Honolulu and Narita.

BusinessFirst on the Boeing 757 is currently offered on routes between Newark and Amsterdam, Barcelona, Belfast, Berlin, Birmingham, Bristol, Copenhagen, Dublin, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Hamburg, Lisbon, London/Heathrow, Madrid, Manchester, Oslo, Paris, Shannon and Stockholm.

Continental Airlines is the world's fifth largest airline. Continental, together with Continental Express and Continental Connection, has more than 2,400 daily departures throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia, serving 130 domestic and 132 international destinations. Continental is a member of Star Alliance, which provides access to more than 900 additional points in 169 countries via 24 other member airlines. With more than 41,000 employees, Continental has hubs serving New York, Houston, Cleveland and Guam, and together with its regional partners, carries approximately 63 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.

SOURCE Continental Airlines

http://www.continental.com