TAM and Continental Airlines Announce Frequent Flyer Program Partnership

SAO PAULO and HOUSTON, April 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- TAM (Bovespa: TAMM4 andNYSE: TAM) and Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL), a Star Alliance member, have signed a reciprocal frequent flyer program agreement.  Beginning April 6, TAM Fidelidade program members will be able to earn and redeem miles on flights operated by Continental Airlines.  Similarly, members of Continental's OnePass program will be able to earn and redeem miles on TAM flights.

"Our agreement with Continental Airlines will provide immediate advantages to the passengers.  We are pioneers in the introduction of an airline loyalty program in Brazil and we are now extending benefits further with this partnership.  This is another important step for our integration with Star Alliance," declared TAM's commercial and planning vice president, Paulo Castello Branco.

"We are proud to partner with TAM Airlines, Brazil's leading carrier.  Our partnership with TAM builds upon our increased service to Brazil and offers expanded benefits to our customers," said Mark Erwin, Continental's senior vice president corporate development & alliances. 

TAM (www.tamairlines.com) is a leader in the Brazilian domestic market since July 2003, and ended the month of February, 2010 with a market share of 42.4%.  The company flies to 43 destinations in Brazil.  With agreements signed with regional airlines, TAM serves 83 different destinations within Brazilian territory. The participation of TAM among Brazilian airlines that operate international flights was 82% in February, 2010. TAM's international operations encompass direct flights to 18 destinations in the United States, Europe and South America: New York, Miami, and Orlando (USA); Paris (France); London (England); Milan (Italy); Frankfurt (Germany); Madrid (Spain); Buenos Aires  (Argentina); La Paz, Cochabamba and Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Bolivia), Santiago (Chile), Asuncion and Ciudad del Este (Paraguay); Montevideo (Uruguay); Caracas (Venezuela); and Lima (Peru). Moreover, TAM has codeshare agreements that allow passengers to fly to other 78 destinations in the United States, South America, Europe and Asia.

Continental Airlines (continental.com) 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.

SOURCE Continental Airlines