HOUSTON, Dec. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Continental Airlines is launching five new routes to Latin America and the Caribbean this weekend. Continental will begin service from its Houston hub at Bush Intercontinental Airport to Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Continental will also inaugurate service from its New York hub at Newark Liberty International Airport to Liberia, Costa Rica and Curacao, Netherlands Antilles. Service will begin from LaGuardia International Airport to the Caribbean island of Aruba.

Continental is beginning the new routes to Bonaire and Punta Cana today. The new routes to Curacao, Aruba and Liberia will begin on Dec. 17.

The new flight to Punta Cana departs Houston at 1:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, arriving in Punta Cana at 7:35 p.m. The return flight departs Punta Cana at 9 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays and arrives in Houston at 11:50 a.m. The flight schedule is timed conveniently to allow for one-stop daylight connections from the Midwest and West Coast.

The weekly flight to Bonaire will depart Houston on Fridays at 11:30 p.m. and arrive at 6:15 a.m. on Saturday. The return flight will depart Bonaire on Saturdays at 8:30 a.m., arriving in Houston at 11:35 a.m.

The Saturday flight from LaGuardia to Aruba will depart at 7:50 a.m. and arrive in Aruba at 1:20 p.m. The return flight will depart Aruba on Saturdays at 2:30 p.m. and arrive at LaGuardia at 6:15 p.m.

The Saturday flight to Liberia will depart Newark at 8:50 a.m. and arrive at 1:05 p.m. The return flight will depart Liberia at 1:55 p.m. and arrive at Newark at 8:10 p.m.

The flight to Curacao will depart Newark at 9:05 a.m. and arrive at 2:50 p.m. The return flight will depart Curacao on Saturdays at 3:45 p.m. and arrive in Newark at 7:45 p.m.

Continental will utilize a Boeing 737-700 on the new flights. This type of aircraft has 12 first class seats and 112 in coach.

Continental now serves a total of 77 destinations served in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Continental Airlines is the world's sixth-largest airline. Continental, together with Continental Express and Continental Connection, has more than 3,000 daily departures throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia, serving 151 domestic and 133 international destinations, more than any other carrier in the world. More than 400 additional points are served via SkyTeam alliance airlines, which include Aeromexico, Air France, Alitalia, CSA Czech Airlines, Delta Air Lines, KLM, Korean Air and Northwest Airlines. With over 42,000 employees, Continental has hubs serving New York, Houston, Cleveland and Guam, and together with Continental Express, carries approximately 60 million passengers per year. Continental consistently earns awards and critical acclaim for both its operation and its corporate culture.

For the second consecutive year, FORTUNE magazine named Continental the No. 1 Most Admired Global Airline on its 2005 list of Most Admired Global Companies. Continental was also included in the publication's annual "Top 50" list, which ranks all companies, across a wide variety of industries, that appear in the Global Most Admired Companies issue. Continental again won major awards at the 2005 OAG Airline of the Year Awards including "Airline of the Year" and "Best Airline Based in North America" for the second consecutive year, and "Best Executive/Business Class" for the third consecutive year. For more company information, visit continental.com .

CONTACT: Corporate Communications of Continental Airlines,
+1-713-324-5080, or corpcomm@coair.com

Web site: http://www.continental.com/
http://www.continental.com/company/news