CONTINENTAL LAUNCHES DAILY NON-STOP FLIGHTS FROM NEW YORK/NEWARK TO LONDON/STANSTED

Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL) tomorrow, May 1, will begin flying to London's Stansted Airport on the airline's 18th trans-Atlantic route.

Flight 38 from Newark to Stansted offers Boeing 757 service, with 16 BusinessFirst seats and 156 in coach, to the only major airport in the U.K. previously without direct service from the United States.

"Stansted was an absolute natural for us. It's a logical expansion of our tremendously successful service to London, as well as the rest of the U.K. and Europe,'' said Barry Simon, Sr. Vice President - International.

Stansted Airport, 34 miles northeast of central London and less than 45 minutes by train from Liverpool Street station in the heart of the City, is convenient for travelers to and from central London, Canary Wharf and Docklands, as well as regional cities such as Cambridge, with its rapidly-growing computer and biotechnology industries. In 2000, the airport served almost 12 million passengers, an increase of over 25 percent versus the previous year, making it one of Europe's fastest-growing airports. Last year the airport began an expansion project that will increase its capacity to about 15 million passengers a year. It is Britain's most modern international airport and has won numerous awards for its architecture and design.

Continental's hub at Newark International Airport is just minutes from Wall Street and midtown Manhattan. The airline carries more than 20 million passengers a year in and out of New York -- with more than 350 flights daily departures from Newark alone -- making Continental the region's most successful airline.

The airline's on-going Global Gateway project at Newark, developed in conjunction with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, is a massive, $1.2 billion expansion of terminal facilities, support facilities and access facilities -- including the first-ever rail service between the airport and New York City, to open in September.

The Stansted service will connect at New York/Newark with an extensive network of service throughout the U.S., Canada and Latin America.

Passengers from Europe can connect quickly and easily at Newark with Continental's 368 daily flights to 175 destinations throughout the Americas, including 123 served non-stop.

With the addition of Stansted, Continental now operates flights to seven airports in the U.K. and Ireland -- more than any other airline. Including its codeshare operations with Virgin Atlantic to Heathrow, Continental now offers service to all three major London airports.

Flight 38 departs Newark at 7 p.m., arriving at Stansted at 7:20 a.m. the next day. Flight 39 departs London/Stansted daily at 9:30 a.m., arriving at New York/Newark at 12:30 p.m. the same day. Travel time is approximately 7 hours and 20 minutes eastbound, and 8 hours westbound. The distance is just over 3,000 nautical miles.

The new flights feature Continental's award-winning BusinessFirst service, voted Best Long-Haul Executive/Business Class in the OAG Airline of the Year Awards 2001. This premium-class cabin features extra-wide electronic sleeper seats with 55-inch pitch/140-cm pitch, adjustable winged headrests and personal video screens. Other BusinessFirst amenities include gourmet menus and award-winning wines and champagnes.

Continental Airlines is the fifth largest airline in the U.S., offering more than 2,200 departures daily to 133 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.