Continental Airlines Selects Pinnacle Airlines and Bombardier Q400 Aircraft= for Newark-Based Regional Service =0A=0A =0A=0AMonday February 5, 9:00 AM = EST =0A=0A=0ANEW YORK, Feb 05, 2007 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- Co= ntinental Airlines (CAL) today announced that it has selected a new regiona= l airline partner and a new type of turboprop aircraft to operate as Contin= ental Connection from its New York hub at Newark Liberty International Airp= ort.=0AColgan Air Inc., a subsidiary of Pinnacle Airlines Corp., will opera= te efficient, quiet and comfortable 74-seat Bombardier Q400 twin-turboprop = aircraft on short and medium-distance routes from Liberty starting in early= 2008.=0A"Pinnacle Airlines Corp. and its subsidiary Colgan have the high s= tandards that we expect from our Continental Connection service," said Mark= Erwin, Continental's senior vice president of corporate development. "Our = selection of the Q400 aircraft is an important move for us because it addre= sses our need for efficiency without sacrificing our customers' comfort, an= d because it is well-suited to the unique operating environment at Newark L= iberty."=0A=0AContinental has entered into a 10-year capacity-purchase agre= ement with Pinnacle Airlines Corp. The company will acquire 15 new Q400 air= craft which it will operate as Continental Connection through its Colgan su= bsidiary. Continental will schedule and market the service.=0AThe Q400 Airc= raft=0AManufactured by Bombardier Aerospace, the Q400 is a high-efficiency,= modern-technology turboprop, which will be configured with 74 seats in a s= ingle cabin. With a maximum cruise speed of 440 mph, the Q400 can keep pace= with traffic flows into and out of busy metropolitan airports like Newark = Liberty. Passenger comfort will be enhanced by the Q400's state-of-the-art = noise and vibration suppression system.=0APinnacle Airlines=0APinnacle Airl= ines Corp., a publicly traded holding company, is the parent company of Pin= nacle Airlines, Inc. and Colgan Air, Inc. Pinnacle Airlines, Inc. operates = 135 Bombardier CRJ-200 Regional Jets in the United States and Canada as a N= orthwest Airlink carrier. Colgan Air, Inc. operates as Continental Connecti= on, United Express and US Airways Express with a fleet of 39 Saab 340 and 1= 1 Beech 1900 turbo-prop regional aircraft.=0AContinental Airlines=0AContine= ntal Airlines is the world's fifth largest airline. Continental, together w= ith Continental Express and Continental Connection, has more than 3,100 dai= ly departures throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia, serving 150 domesti= c and 136 international destinations. More than 400 additional points are s= erved via SkyTeam alliance airlines. With more than 44,000 employees, Conti= nental has hubs serving New York, Houston, Cleveland and Guam, and together= with Continental Express, carries approximately 67 million passengers per = year. Continental consistently earns awards and critical acclaim for both i= ts operation and its corporate culture.=0AIn 2006, Continental Airlines won= its sixth J.D. Power and Associates award since 1996. The carrier received= the highest rank in customer satisfaction among network carriers in North = America in the J.D. Power and Associates 2006 Airline Satisfaction Index Su= rvey(SM). For the third consecutive year, FORTUNE magazine named Continenta= l the No. 1 Most Admired Global Airline on its 2006 list of Most Admired Gl= obal Companies. Continental was also named the No. 1 airline on the publica= tion's 2006 America's Most Admired airline industry list. Additionally, Con= tinental again won major awards at the OAG Airline of the Year Awards inclu= ding "Best Airline Based in North America" for the third year in a row, and= "Best Executive/Business Class" for the fourth consecutive year. For more = company information, visit continental.com .=0ASOURCE Continental Airlines