Continental Expects to Add 24 More Interline eTicket Partners During First
Half of 2006
HOUSTON, Dec. 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Continental Airlines
(NYSE: CAL), an industry leader in interline eTicket technology,
today announced that it has implemented interline eTicket capability
with 33 carriers worldwide, and expects to add 24 more interline
eTicket partner airlines in the first half of 2006. Continental
expects to eliminate issuing and accepting paper tickets well ahead
of the year-end 2007 IATA-mandated deadline. As part of this
program, Continental recently canceled 12 additional interline
ticketing and baggage agreements with airlines that have been either
unwilling or unable to implement electronic interline capabilities,
bringing the total number canceled under its paperless initiative
program to 105.
Interline eTickets permit customers to fly and check baggage on
Continental and other carriers on a single paperless eTicket
itinerary. Continental expects all of its travelers will soon be
using convenient eTickets, which reduce loss, theft and paperwork
hassles for customers and the airline. Currently, 98 percent of
Continental's domestic customers and 92 percent of its international
customers travel on eTickets. eTickets are valid at all of the 286
airports served by Continental around the world.
"One of our top priorities is to work together with our
interline partners to improve passenger convenience when traveling
on a multi-carrier itinerary," said Mark Erwin, senior vice
president, Asia/Pacific and corporate development. "We have
already implemented eTicketing with partners representing over 80
percent of our interline revenue and plan to complete rolling out
interline e-ticketing with all our partners well ahead of the IATA
deadline."
Continental Airlines is the world's sixth-largest airline.
Continental, together with Continental Express and Continental
Connection, has more than 3,000 daily departures throughout the
Americas, Europe and Asia, serving 151 domestic and 133
international destinations, more than any other carrier in the
world. More than 400 additional points are served via SkyTeam
alliance airlines, which include Aeromexico, Air France, Alitalia,
CSA Czech Airlines, Delta Air Lines, KLM, Korean Air and Northwest
Airlines. With over 42,000 employees, Continental has hubs serving
New York, Houston, Cleveland and Guam, and together with Continental
Express, carries approximately 60 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 continental.com.
SOURCE Continental Airlines
CONTACT: Corporate Communications of Continental Airlines,
1-713-324-5080, or corpcomm@coair.com
Web site: http://www.continental.com
http://www.continental.com/company/news
(CAL)