CONTINENTAL AIRLINES SETS OCT. 2 GRAND OPENING FOR NEWARK ‘GLOBAL GATEWAY’

Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL) will open its all-new concourse at Newark International Airport on Oct. 2 as the centerpiece of US$1.4 billion in improvements to the New York area’s premier airport and only airline hub.

Continental’s “Global Gateway” will be inaugurated with the departure of Flight CO 99 to Hong Kong on Oct. 2, the first flight from the all-new, 325,000 square-foot Concourse C-3.

“This expansion gives our customers a world-class international airport experience whether they are connecting through the hub or traveling in or out of the New York City area,” said Continental Chairman and CEO Gordon Bethune. “C-3 has an efficient design that both looks attractive and makes sense for the travelers and employees who use it.”

Concourse C-3

The comprehensive expansion to Terminal C – Continental’s main terminal at Newark – includes 19 new gates, raising the terminal’s total gates by 46 percent to 60. Concourse C-3 features wide walkways and large, comfortable seating areas, offering customers natural light from skylights along the length of the structure.

Continental’s international arrivals at Terminal B will be augmented by new international arrivals capacity at the new C-3 concourse. An elevated, glassed-in walkway will lead arriving travelers to a new customs and immigrations building scheduled for completion by early 2002.

Underneath the concourse, Continental has installed a new baggage sorting facility that uses proven, reliable systems and technology. This baggage system will serve the entire terminal and replaces an older system not originally intended for a major hub.

A new ramp control tower for Continental operations personnel will provide an eagle-eye view of all Terminal-C gates. This optimizes the flow of aircraft to and from the terminal by reducing congestion on taxiways.

Concessions on Concourse C-3 will include brand names such DKNY, Kenneth Cole, Borders Express, Wall Street Deli and a Brooklyn Brewery Jazz Bar.

Other Global Gateway Projects

Included in Global Gateway are sweeping improvements being made by The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey throughout Newark International Airport. Also coming on-line soon at Newark are these major elements:

A new railroad station offering direct service to mid-town Manhattan via both New Jersey Transit and Amtrak, the only such rail service available from a New York City area airport.

Two new, enclosed parking facilities with space for 6,600 cars, along with a vastly expanded and improved system of terminal access roadways to facilitate traffic volume.

New modern cargo, ground maintenance and aircraft hangar facilities.

Continental is New York’s largest passenger carrier, flying more than 20 million customers a year in and out of the region. With almost 400 daily departures from Newark alone, Continental accounts for more than 60 percent of the huge airport’s flights. Continental flies from Newark to 127 domestic and international cities, including frequent non-stops to Europe, Latin America and Asia.