Continental Airlines today
announced, effective immediately, it has terminated multi- carrier
“interline” ticketing and baggage-handling agreements with 20 airlines
that are unable or unwilling to offer customers electronic tickets for
interline travel with Continental. As part of its paperless-travel initiative, Continental has already
terminated more than 70 such interline ticketing and baggage agreements.

In light of the International Air Transport Association’s recently
announced initiative to eliminate paper tickets worldwide by the end of
2007, Continental also announced today it is extending the date by which
it will eliminate paper tickets by one year. As a result, Continental
expects that all domestic and international travel on Continental will be
paperless by Dec. 31, 2005, two years ahead of the IATA deadline.

The one-year extension will enable smaller carriers which are upgrading
their technological capabilities more time to resolve technical issues,
permitting them to continue their interline agreements with Continental.

More than 90 percent of Continental’s customers worldwide already use
electronic tickets, whose convenience eliminates the threat of loss or
theft and the administrative costs associated with processing paper
tickets and receipts.

“We will continue to work with our interline partners and others in our
industry to promote the adoption and acceptance of electronic tickets,”
said Mark Bergsrud, vice president of marketing programs and distribution.

Continental is an industry leader in interline eTicket technology, with
more than 23 eTicket partners implemented or planned for 2004. In
addition, Continental has 830 eService Center self-check-in kiosks
deployed in nearly 140 airports. Continental was the first airline to
offer self-service check- in in the United States. The airline also offers
online check-in at continental.com up to 24 hours before departure.
——-