HOUSTON, Aug. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/—Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL) has launched key Spanish-language functions on continental.com , including Flight and Gate Information, Flight Paging, Timetable, and OnePass frequent flyer program enrollment, statements and mileage credit requests. This marks the first phase in Spanish-language additions to Continental`s Web site; other functions will be added in the near future.
“Hispanics are the fastest-growing group on the Internet,” said Kevin McKenna, Managing Director, Electronic Marketing at Continental Airlines. “As the second-largest airline to Latin America in passengers and destinations served, Continental is pleased to offer increased Web site access to Spanish- speaking customers—the latest addition to our `Latinization` customer service initiative.”
Customers with browsers configured for Spanish automatically will see any Spanish-language content and applications offered on the Continental.com site. The first functions “en espanol” are flight and gate information, Flight Status Notification to pagers or cell phones, and several functions related to OnePass, Continental`s award-winning frequent-flyer program: enrollment, statements, and mileage credit requests. Those who need assistance configuring their browsers can click the Asistencia en idioma espanol (Spanish-language support) link at the bottom of the continental.com Home page for instructions. Visitors also will see links that will immediately activate the Spanish-language features of the site.
Continental Airlines operates daily nonstop flights for more than 530 departures a week to 50 cities in 22 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. The airline operates flights to 21 business and leisure destinations in Mexico—more than any other U.S. airline—as well as to eight Central American, seven South American and 14 Caribbean destinations.
Continental`s specialized service for Spanish-speaking passengers, called “Latinization,” includes bilingual flight attendants and Spanish-language entertainment on board the majority of flights to Latin America. In major U.S. airports, Continental has bilingual customer service representatives and Spanish-language airport signage, flight information, and eTicket machine screens. Passengers in the U.S. may make reservations in Spanish at 1-800-537-9222, and may call Continental`s automated Spanish-language flight information line at 1-800-579-3938 to obtain up-to-date flight arrival, departure and gate information.
Continental Airlines is the world`s seventh-largest airline with 2,300 daily departures to 134 domestic and 92 international destinations. Continental has the broadest global route network of any U.S. airline, including extensive service throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. Continental has hubs serving New York, Houston, Cleveland and Guam, and carries approximately 41 million passengers per year on the newest jet fleet among major U.S. airlines. With 48,000 employees, Continental is one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America. In 2003, Fortune ranked Continental highest among major U.S. carriers in the quality of its service and products, and No. 2 on its list of Most Admired Global Airlines.
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