Continental Airlines to Inaugurate Nonstop New York-Shanghai Service Wednesday
March 19 2009 - 12:14PM
PR Newswire (US)
Route links U.S. and China financial hubs with first-ever
scheduled, daily nonstop service NEW YORK, March 19
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL) on
Wednesday, March 25, will become the first U.S. carrier to
inaugurate scheduled service between New York and Shanghai, China,
with daily nonstop flights from the airline's hub at Newark Liberty
International Airport. The new service will provide daily nonstop
flights in the largest U.S.-China market that today lacks daily
service, linking the world's financial center and top business and
tourism destination with China's center for finance and trade.
"China is a valued international market for Continental, and we
expect great success from this new nonstop route to Shanghai," said
Continental President and Chief Operating Officer Jeff Smisek.
"China remains an important business destination, with economic
growth projected to continue this year despite the weakened global
economy. We are proud to bring our outstanding product to Shanghai
by launching this service as previously announced, even as other
airlines are canceling or delaying similar routes." With the
success of the Beijing Olympics showcasing modern China to the
world, and the upcoming Expo in Shanghai in 2010, Continental
expects to see increased demand for service between the U.S. and
China over time. Continental has operated nonstop service between
New York and Hong Kong since 2001 and between New York and Beijing
since 2005. With the new service to Shanghai, Continental will be
the only airline in the world providing daily nonstop service
between New York and three Chinese cities. Convenient Flight
Schedule Continental will operate the nonstop flight daily with a
Boeing 777-200 aircraft. Flight 87 will depart Liberty at 11:20
a.m., arriving in Shanghai mid-afternoon the following day at 1:45
p.m. The return flight 86 will depart Shanghai in the afternoon at
3:45 p.m. and arrive at Liberty in the evening of the same day at
6:20 p.m. Flying times are approximately 14 hours and 30 minutes in
each direction. The flight is timed to provide convenient roundtrip
connections at Continental's New York hub to more than 60 other
cities throughout the U.S. and Canada. Onboard Product Tailored for
China Market Continental's Shanghai flights will feature special
products and services for customers, with movies and music
available in English and Mandarin, and local Chinese newspapers
available for BusinessFirst customers. Instructional videos,
including the safety and arrival video and pre-recorded
announcements, will be available in Mandarin. Menus will be
available in English and Chinese, and inflight meals designed by
chefs based in the U.S. and in China will feature Chinese choices.
A Mandarin-speaking flight attendant will be available to help
customers inflight and Mandarin-speaking agents will be available
to help customers at check-in. Award-winning BusinessFirst Service
The new flights will feature Continental's award-winning
BusinessFirst service, rated by Conde Nast Traveler magazine as the
highest among all U.S. carriers for trans-Pacific flights for 10
years in a row. Beginning in the fall of 2009, the premium-class
cabin will begin to feature Continental's new 180-degree lie-flat
seats. The lie-flat seats feature more individual storage space and
laptop power, iPod connectivity and 15.4-inch video monitor for
customers to enjoy on-demand movies, music and games. Other
BusinessFirst amenities include gourmet menu selections created by
Continental's Congress of Chefs. A specially selected and trained
corps of Concierges is available to provide individualized
pre-flight and post-flight services for BusinessFirst customers at
42 international airports worldwide. Customers traveling in
BusinessFirst are also able to access any of Continental's 27
Presidents Clubs and more than 60 airline affiliated lounges
worldwide. Flights to Shanghai will feature Continental's new
Audio/Video on Demand (AVOD) in both the BusinessFirst and Economy
cabins of its Boeing 777 aircraft. The entertainment systems on
these aircraft allow customers to choose from more than 250 movies,
300 short-subject programs including popular television shows and
3,000 music tracks, with a jukebox feature to make individual
playlists. In addition, this new entertainment system has 25 video
games and the interactive Berlitz Word Traveler foreign language
program. With the AVOD system, Continental is installing in-seat
power that will not require an adapter. One outlet is available per
seat in BusinessFirst and two outlets for every three seats for all
rows in main cabin. Economy class on the Continental 777 is also
exceptionally comfortable and spacious, in a 3-3-3 seating
configuration with wider-than-usual aisles. Continental also offers
tour packages to China through Continental Airlines Vacations.
Company Information Continental Airlines is the world's fifth
largest airline. Continental, together with Continental Express and
Continental Connection, has more than 2,800 daily departures
throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia, serving 135 domestic and
132 international destinations. More than 650 additional points are
served via alliance partners. With more than 42,000 employees,
Continental has hubs serving New York, Houston, Cleveland and Guam,
and together with Continental Express, carries approximately 67
million passengers per year. Celebrating its 75th anniversary this
year, Continental consistently earns awards and critical acclaim
for both its operation and its corporate culture. For the sixth
consecutive year, FORTUNE magazine named Continental the No. 1
World's Most Admired Airline on its 2009 list of World's Most
Admired Companies. For more company information, go to
continental.com. DATASOURCE: Continental Airlines CONTACT:
Continental Airlines Corporate Communications, +1-713-324-5080 Web
Site: http://www.continental.com/
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