Continental Airlines today announced that it has submitted information to the U.S.  Department
of Transportation to support its application to offer daily New
York/Newark-Houston-Buenos Aires service.  Within the 11 working days
Continental was given to prepare the information, nearly 10,000 of the
company’s employees—almost one quarter of the carrier’s worldwide work
force—sent letters supporting Continental for the route.  Hundreds of
letters supporting Continental were also sent from travel agencies, corporate
partners, and federal, state and local government representatives.These letters, combined with Continental’s DOT filing, underscore the many
benefits of Continental’s New York-Houston-Buenos Aires flights.  As a new
entrant, Continental is the only applicant in the route case to open an
entirely new network for U.S.-Argentina service, and two new global gateways
that will provide significant consumer benefits and competition to existing
services offered by United Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and
Aerolineas Argentinas.
  Delta, the only other applicant in the proceeding, proposes to offer
duplicative service between New York/JFK and Buenos Aires, which is currently
offered by both American and Aerolineas Argentinas.  In addition, Delta
already serves Buenos Aires from New York via connections at its Atlanta hub,
where the carrier offers nonstop Atlanta-Buenos Aires service.
  Continental’s Houston hub will provide the only significant competition
for American’s Dallas/Ft. Worth-Buenos Aires service and first time
competition from a gateway west of the Mississippi River, another significant
benefit for consumers.
  Continental applied for permission to launch service to Buenos Aires in
time for the 2005/2006 winter travel season.  The service would utilize Boeing
767-200ER aircraft and fill a critical gap in Continental’s Latin American
route network, becoming the 57th Latin American/Caribbean destination served
from Houston and the 38th such destination served from New York/Newark.
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