HOUSTON, May 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL) today announced that it will launch daily nonstop flights between its Houston hub at Bush Intercontinental Airport and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and through flight service between New Orleans and Rio de Janeiro beginning August 1, 2009. Effective today, the airline has made seat inventory available for sale in preparation for the start of service.

Continental plans to operate the daily service using a Boeing 767-200 aircraft, with 25 seats in BusinessFirst and 149 seats in economy. Flight CO129 will depart Houston at 9:15 p.m. arriving in Rio de Janeiro at 9:15 a.m. the next day. The return flight CO128 will depart Rio de Janeiro at 9:45 p.m. and arrive in Houston the following morning at 6:00 a.m. The nonstop flight will be timed to offer convenient flight connections at Continental\'s Houston hub to cities throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe and Asia.

"This new flight links important energy centers with convenient nonstop service," said John Slater, staff vice president Latin America and Caribbean. "It also provides the most direct routing from numerous western points being that it is the only nonstop flight between Houston and Rio west of the Mississippi."

The airline currently operates daily nonstop service between Continental\'s New York hub at Newark Liberty International Airport and Sao Paulo\'s Guarulhos International Airport and between Houston and Sao Paulo, with continuing service to Rio de Janeiro.

The new flights will feature Continental\'s award-winning BusinessFirst service. The Official Airline Guide has awarded Continental\'s BusinessFirst as the Best Executive/Business Class for five consecutive years (2003 - 2007), and Conde Nast Traveler magazine rated Continental\'s premium BusinessFirst service the highest among all U.S. carriers for trans-Pacific flights 10 years in a row.

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 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.

Continental Airlines is the world\'s fifth largest airline. Continental, together with Continental Express and Continental Connection, has more than 2,750 daily departures throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia, serving 133 domestic and 132 international destinations. More than 750 additional points are served via current alliance partners. With more than 43,000 employees, Continental has hubs serving New York, Houston, Cleveland and Guam, and together with its regional partners, 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.

SOURCE
Continental Airlines