Continental and ANA Begin U.S. - Japan Codeshare Flights

HOUSTON, March 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL) will begin a codesharing agreement with All Nippon Airways Co., Ltd. (ANA) on routes between the United States and Japan effective March 28.  It will be the first time that Continental Airlines has implemented codesharing with a Japanese airline.  

Through the arrangement, customers of Continental Airlines and ANA will be able to more conveniently travel between the United States and Japan.

* Flight numbers are subject to change without notice.

U.S. travelers will be able to conveniently access ANA's network via Continental flights.  Continental's flights to U.S. gateway cities including Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago provide connections with ANA's onward flights to Japan.  Furthermore, Continental's flights from Houston and New York/Newark to Tokyo/Narita provide convenient connections with ANA's flights to onward points such as Nagoya, Osaka, Fukuoka and Okinawa.

"Codesharing between Continental and ANA improves on the linkages we established between the two airlines when we first joined Star Alliance," said Continental Airlines Chairman, President and CEO Jeff Smisek. "We look forward to further solidifying our relationship with ANA under our planned Pacific joint venture."

"Working with our partner Continental Airlines, the networks of both airlines will expand through the commencement of this codesharing agreement, and together we can offer our valued customers a wider selection of convenient flight options between Asia and the United States," said Shinichiro Ito, president and chief executive officer of ANA.

This announcement represents the first phase of codesharing cooperation.  Both airlines look forward to further expanding codesharing service in a constant effort to provide customers with the most convenient options possible.

About Continental Airlines

Continental Airlines is the world's fifth largest airline.  Continental, together with Continental Express and Continental Connection, has more than 2,500 daily departures throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia, serving 133 domestic and 135 international destinations.   Continental is a member of Star Alliance, which overall offers 19,700 daily flights to 1,077 airports in 175 countries through its 26 member airlines.  With more than 41,000 employees, Continental has hubs serving New York, Houston, Cleveland and Guam, and together with its regional partners, carries approximately 63 million passengers per year.

About ANA

ANA is a leading Japanese provider of air transportation services, the tenth largest airline in the world by passenger load according to IATA rankings, carrying almost 50 million passengers every year to 52 destinations in Japan and 26 cities throughout Asia, Europe and the U.S. on its fleet of 214 aircraft. ANA is the launch customer of Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Mitsubishi Regional Jet, and has won awards in all categories for its product and services and was voted Airlines of the Year for 2007 by Air Transport World Magazines. ANA joined the Star Alliance in 1999 and celebrated its 10th year Star Alliance membership in October.

SOURCE Continental Airlines