Continental Airlines Self-Check-In Kiosk Network Expanded to All Domestic U.S. Airports Self-Check-In Option Available at All Continental Check-In Facilities In United States HOUSTON, Jan. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Continental Airlines today announced it has completed the installation of eService Center self-check-in kiosks in all of the airline's airport terminal check-in areas in the continental United States. The last airport to receive Continental's eService Center kiosks was Reno, Nev., where one unit was placed on line on Dec. 31. The airline now operates 779 eService Centers in 130 U.S. airports. "Continental's domestic customers now have the option of checking themselves in at an eService Center kiosk or at continental.com, no matter where in the United States their trips begin or where in the United States they're going," said Christopher Frawley, Continental's managing director of eCommerce. In 1995, Continental was the first airline to deploy electronic self- check-in kiosks -- the first were installed at Newark Liberty International Airport -- and today leads the industry in deploying this technology, making self-check-in an option for all U.S. customers using electronic tickets for domestic travel. Continental has revolutionized the way travelers check in for flights, evolving the self-service concept from a novelty nine years ago to the predominant method of customer processing. Airlines around the world have begun to offer self-service check-in as an option to customers. In the past year, more than 18 million customers have used this service on Continental alone. More than 70 percent of eligible customers -- those using electronic tickets for itineraries within the United States and its territories -- bypass conventional ticket counters to use eService Centers, continental.com or curbside kiosks to check in for their flights. Since Continental began deploying eService Centers, then called E-Ticket Machines, nine years ago, the airline's deployment of self-check-in kiosks has outpaced the industry. While most U.S. airlines had relatively few of the units available until 2001, eService Centers were available at the majority of Continental airports by 2000. Customers can perform a variety of functions at Continental's eService Centers, including checking in an individual or group for a flight on the day of departure, selecting or changing a seat assignment, buying a ticket or "Continental Currency" which can be redeemed for in-flight beverages and headsets, adding a OnePass frequent flyer number to an existing reservation, and printing baggage tags for checked bags. Continental Airlines ticket agents actively encourage customers to use eService Centers to expedite customer check-in and so that agents can spend more time with customers who require additional assistance. In most cases, customers can check in and print their boarding passes in less than one minute, significantly reducing and in many cases eliminating ticket counter line waits. The first eService kiosks, converted from automated teller machines, offered check-in, seat selection, frequent flyer verification and baggage check. Soon after, Continental added same-day flight change and upgrading capabilities. In 1999, Continental replaced E-Ticket Machines with the technologically more advanced eService Centers, and made English-Spanish translations available. Continental introduced Web site check-in at continental.com in 2003. Customers, including those with luggage to check, can check in online up to 30 hours before departure. In 2004, Continental plans to add more self-service options, including international check-in. Customers at Continental's hub at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport regularly lead travelers throughout the nation in using options other than conventional ticket counter check-in, with nearly 90 percent of Northeast Ohio customers using eService Centers, continental.com or curbside check-in options. Each of Continental's 779 eService Centers, manufactured by Lake Mary, Fla.-based Kinetics, has a whimsical name with a connection to the city of its location. For example, Seattle's seven eService Centers include "Space Needle" and "Sleepless," and the six in New Orleans include "Mardi Gras" and "Zydeco." "Laverne" and "Shirley" are among the four eService Centers in Milwaukee, and "Dorothy" and "Toto" are among four in Kansas City. Continental Airlines is the world's seventh-largest airline with more than 2,200 daily departures to 127 domestic and 96 international destinations throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. With 42,000 mainline employees, the airline has hubs serving New York, Houston, Cleveland and Guam, and carries approximately 41 million passengers per year. Fortune ranks Continental one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America, highest among major U.S. carriers in the quality of its service and products, and No. 2 on its list of Most Admired Global Airlines. For more company information, visit continental.com . DATASOURCE: Continental Airlines CONTACT: Corporate Communications of Continental Airlines, +1-713-324-5080, or Web site: http://www.continental.com/ http://www.continental.com/company/news

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