Continental Airlines begins service from Houston and Cleveland hubs to Washington Dulles

Continental Airlines today announced new daily non-stop service from its hubs at Houston and Cleveland to Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD). Beginning Nov. 1, 2009, Continental will offer three daily flights from Houston Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) to Dulles and two daily flights from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) to Dulles. "The new flights will begin just days after Continental plans to join Star Alliance on Oct. 27," said Jim Compton, Continental's executive vice president of marketing. "The flights to Washington Dulles International Airport will provide customers with increased connecting opportunities between Continental and its future Star Alliance partner, United, which has an international hub at Dulles." Continental Express service from Houston will be operated by ExpressJet using an Embraer regional jet aircraft with 50 seats. The flights from Houston will depart at 7:25 a.m., 10:15 a.m. and 6:50 p.m. Return flights will depart Washington, D.C. at 6:05 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2:35 p.m. Continental Connection flights from Cleveland will be operated by CommutAir using a Bombardier Q200 aircraft with 37 seats. The twice daily flights will depart Cleveland at 3:35 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. Return flights will depart Washington, D.C. at 6:25 a.m. and 5:35 p.m. 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 63 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.