Here's the press release from CO: HOUSTON, March 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL) today was rated the most admired airline among FORTUNE magazine's annual list of Most Admired Global Companies. The carrier ranked No. 1 in several key categories including innovation, employee talent, quality of management, use of corporate assets, social responsibility, long-term investment value and globalness. In addition, the airline ranked No. 45 on FORTUNE's Global Most-Admired "Top 50" list, which ranks companies in a wide variety of industries. Continental was the only U.S. carrier to rank on the "Top 50" list. Continental was also rated the most admired international U.S. airline among FORTUNE magazine's annual list of America's Most Admired Companies. For the fifth consecutive year, Continental ranked No. 2 as the Most Admired U.S. Airline. Of the top-nine U.S. carriers ranked, Continental rated highest for the quality of its products and services. The Global Most Admired and America's Most Admired rankings are published in the magazine's March 8, 2004 issue and online at fortune.com . "Continental continues to outperform its competition because of an unwavering focus on the fundamentals of our business -- to provide clean, safe and reliable air transportation," said Gordon Bethune, Continental's chairman and CEO. "That, coupled with the thousands of professional men and women that have made this airline great, is the basis of our success and the reason that our operation is considered one of the best in the world." Corporate and airline executives, boards of directors and industry analysts ranked the U.S. airlines based on eight criteria: innovativeness, employee talent, use of corporate assets, social responsibility, quality of management, financial soundness, long-term investment value, and quality of products and services. Airlines appearing on the Global Most Admired lists were also ranked for globalness. In January 2004, FORTUNE named Continental to its "100 Best Companies to Work For" list for the sixth consecutive year. The only passenger airline on the list, Continental ranked No. 62. Continental Airlines is the world's seventh-largest airline with more than 2,300 daily departures to 126 domestic and 101 international destinations throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. With 42,000 mainline employees, the airline has hubs serving New York, Houston, Cleveland and Guam, and carries approximately 51 million passengers per year. For more company information, visit continental.com . Roger EWROPS