Continental Airlines Announces Daily Non-Stop Service Between New York and = Athens=0ATuesday January 16, 11:23 am ET =0A =0AConvenient Connections Fro= m Throughout the Americas Via Newark Liberty Hub =0A =0A =0ANEW YORK, Jan. = 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL - News), the w= orld's fifth largest airline, today announced it will launch daily nonstop = flights between New York/Newark and Athens effective June 7, 2007 (eastboun= d), subject to government approval.=0A =0AThe new service will provide a li= nk to the capital of Greece from not only New York but also from more than = 230 other cities throughout North, Central and South America, the Caribbean= and beyond.=0A =0A"We look forward to offering travelers something none of= our competitors can match -- award-winning, year-round service from New Yo= rk's only hub airport to Greece, with quick and easy same-airline, same-ter= minal connections from cities throughout the Americas," said Jim Compton, C= ontinental's Executive Vice President - Marketing.=0A =0AAthens, the birthp= lace of democracy and cradle of Western civilization, is today a bustling m= etropolis with a population of 3.7 million and is the center of Greece's ec= onomic, financial, industrial, cultural and political life. The city is hom= e to a wealth of ancient monuments and artworks, including the world-famous= Parthenon on the Acropolis, and is the 6th most visited capital in Europe.= =0A =0AOver the past decade, Athens' infrastructure has been radically impr= oved, in part due to the city's successful bid to stage the 2004 Olympic Ga= mes. Greece is the leading economy in southeast Europe and one of the faste= st- growing economies in the European Union. Tourism accounts for 10 percen= t of GDP.=0A =0AContinental's New York/Newark-Athens flights will be operat= ed with 174- seat Boeing 767-200ER aircraft, carrying 25 passengers in the = BusinessFirst cabin and 149 in Economy.=0A =0AFlight CO104 will depart New = York/Newark daily at 5:30 p.m., arriving at Athens at 10:20 a.m. the next d= ay. The return flight, CO105, will depart Athens daily at 12:20 p.m., arriv= ing at New York/Newark at 4:30 p.m. the same day. Flying times will be appr= oximately 9 hours 50 minutes eastbound and 11 hours 10 minutes westbound. T= he frequency of the service will be reduced to five flights weekly during S= eptember/October and April/May and to three flights weekly from November-Ma= rch due to the traditional seasonal reduction in demand.=0A =0AThe new flig= hts will feature Continental's renowned BusinessFirst service, which has wo= n the Best Executive/Business Class award in the OAG Airline of the Year Aw= ards in each of the past four years (2006, 2005, 2004 and 2003), based on v= oting by frequent flyers worldwide. BusinessFirst was also voted Best Trans= atlantic Business Class among U.S. airlines in Conde Nast Traveler magazine= 's Business Travel Awards 2006 - for the 9th year running.=0A =0AThis premi= um-class cabin features extra-wide electronic sleeper seats with 55-inch pi= tch, adjustable winged headrests and personal video screens. Other Business= First amenities include gourmet menus and award-winning wines and champagne= s. A specially selected and trained corps of Concierges provides individual= ized pre-flight and post-flight services for BusinessFirst customers at 26 = key international airports worldwide.=0A =0AAthens will be the 29th city, a= nd Greece will be the 16th country, in Continental's trans-Atlantic route n= etwork.=0A =0AContinental Airlines is the world's fifth largest airline. Co= ntinental, together with Continental Express and Continental Connection, ha= s more than 3,100 daily departures throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia= , serving 150 U.S. and 136 international destinations. More than 400 additi= onal points are served via SkyTeam alliance airlines. With more than 44,000= employees, Continental has hubs serving New York, Houston, Cleveland and G= uam, and together with Continental Express, carries approximately 61 millio= n passengers per year. Continental consistently earns awards and critical a= cclaim for both its operation and its corporate culture.=0A =0AIn 2006, Con= tinental Airlines won its sixth J.D. Power and Associates award since 1996.= The carrier received the highest rank in customer satisfaction among netwo= rk carriers in North America in the J.D. Power and Associates 2006 Airline = Satisfaction Index Survey(SM). For the third consecutive year, FORTUNE maga= zine named Continental the No. 1 Most Admired Global Airline on its 2006 li= st of Most Admired Global Companies. Continental was also named the No. 1 a= irline on the publication's 2006 America's Most Admired airline industry li= st. Additionally, Continental again won major awards at the OAG Airline of = the Year Awards including "Best Airline Based in North America" for the thi= rd year in a row, and "Best Executive/Business Class" for the fourth consec= utive year. For more company information, visit continental.com.=0A =0AAcro= ss the Atlantic, Continental operates up to 294 departures weekly from 28 c= ities in 15 countries to its U.S. gateway hubs at New York/Newark, Houston = and Cleveland, with onward connections to more than 230 cities throughout N= orth America, Latin America and the Caribbean. Continental's alliance carri= ers in Europe, the Middle East and India include - in addition to SkyTeam a= irlines - Air Europa, Emirates and Virgin Atlantic Airways.