Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL and CAL.A) and America West Airlines (NYSE: AWA) today announced that the carriers have become the first two U.S. airlines to implement interline e-ticketing. This technology allows customers to use electronic tickets when their itineraries include travel on both carriers. It also allows the two airlines to accept e-ticketed passengers from each other more easily when customer travel plans change.

“Continental and America West have enjoyed an extensive and successful partnership for more than five years,” said Continental’s Vice President of Distribution Planning and Revenue Decision Support Bill Brunger. “We are delighted to be the first to offer the ease and convenience of interline electronic ticketing to our joint customers.”

“The acceptance of electronic tickets has grown tremendously over the past several years,” said Bernie Han, America West senior vice president, Planning. “Interline e-ticketing provides conveniences for our customers that will further accelerate the overall use of electronic tickets.”

Interline e-tickets can be issued by America West and Continental through their respective reservation centers, airports and ticket offices. This capability also will be made available through the airlines’ Web sites, http://www.continental.com, and http://www.americawest.com, in the near future.

Travel agents who use the Sabre and Amadeus computer reservations systems will be able to issue interline e-tickets for travel on America West and Continental later this month. Both Continental and America West codeshare e-ticket customers will soon be able to check-in at our new state-of-the-art eService Centers (formerly E-Ticket machines.)

Continental Airlines is the fifth largest airline in the U.S., offering more than 2,100 departures daily to 129 domestic and 85 international destinations. Operating major hubs in Newark, Houston and Cleveland, Continental (http://www.continental.com) has extensive service throughout the Americas, and to Europe and Asia. Continental recently initiated a strategic global alliance with Northwest Airlines. Continental is in the top half of FORTUNE magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work for in America,” and has won first or second place Frequent Flyer Magazine and J.D. Power awards for four consecutive years. Continental has received numerous awards for its BusinessFirst premium cabin (Condé Nast Traveler, OAG Official Airline Guides, Entrepreneur and Smart Money magazines), OnePass frequent flyer program (InsideFlyer’s Freddie Awards) and overall operations and management (Air Transport World’s 1997 Airline of the Year).

America West Airlines, the nation’s ninth-largest carrier, serves more than 90 destinations in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. America West Airlines is a wholly owned subsidiary of America West Holdings Corporation, an aviation and travel services company with 1998 sales of $2 billion.

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