NO NEED TO LOSE SLEEP OVER ELITE UPGRADES WITH CONTINENTAL'S NEW, AUTOMATED SYSTEM

Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL and CAL.A) recently launched its Elite Upgrade Automation System. Elite members of the airline's award-winning OnePass program will now find that processing a complimentary upgrade to First Class is easier than ever before.

The automated system eliminates the need for OnePass Elite members to call Continental Reservations to request their complimentary First Class upgrades. Utilizing the same upgrade parameters mentioned in the OnePass Elite Member's Guide, the system now automatically upgrades OnePass Elite members based on their 1) Elite priority 2) type of fare [fares booked in "Y" class of service versus all other classes of service] and 3) time of reservation.

The new system begins processing upgrades at midnight, Central Standard Time. Continental Platinum Elite members traveling on economy fares are eligible for automated processing each of the three days prior to departure, Gold Elite members each of the two days and Silver Elite members at midnight on the day of departure. An e-mail confirmation will be sent to Elite members who have registered their e-mail address at www.continental.com.

Platinum Elite and Gold Elite members on fares booked in "Y" class of service can continue to call their dedicated Elite Priority Line to obtain their First Class upgrade at time of ticketing. In the event a Platinum Elite or Gold Elite member does not call for the upgrade prior to the three-day window, their upgrade will automatically be processed. Also, Silver Elite members on full economy fares will be processed by the automated system each of the two days prior to departure.

"Our OnePass members, especially our Elite members, are the backbone of Continental," said Marketing Vice President Mark Bergsrud. "We are pleased to make this system available so our most frequent flyers can reap the most valuable benefit of their Elite status and receive First Class upgrades - and get a full night's sleep."

OnePass Elite complimentary upgrades are valid only on flights with a First Class cabin. These are flights operated by Continental within or between the 48 contiguous U.S., Alaska, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central and South America. BusinessFirst flights are not eligible for Elite complimentary upgrades.

Elite OnePass members earn their status by flying qualifying miles or segments in a calendar year. To achieve Silver Elite status, for example, a member must fly 25,000 flight miles or 30 flight segments in one year. Gold Elite status requires 50,000 flight miles or 60 flight segments in a year. To reach the highest status, Platinum Elite, a member must fly 75,000 flight miles or 90 flight segments in a 12-month period.

Membership to Continental Airlines' OnePass program is free and rewarding. To enroll, simply visit the airline's official website (www.continental.com), call Continental Reservations or complete an application and mail it to Continental's OnePass Service Center. Continental Airlines is the fifth largest airline in the U.S., offering more than 2,400 departures daily to 138 domestic and 92 international destinations. Operating hubs in Newark, Houston, Cleveland and Guam, Continental serves more international cities than any other U.S. carrier, including extensive service throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. Continental is in the top quarter of FORTUNE magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work for in America" and is ranked the nation's No 1 airline in customer satisfaction for long- and short-haul flights by Frequent Flyer Magazine and J.D. Power and Associates. Continental has received numerous awards for its BusinessFirst premium cabin (Condé Nast Traveler, OAG, Entrepreneur and SmartMoney magazines), OnePass frequent flyer program (InsideFlyer's Freddie Awards) and overall operations and management (Air Transport World's 1996 Airline of the Year).