[0] Continental Airlines Launches Improved UATP Program.

Business Editors

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 14, 2000

Continental Airlines and Universal Air Travel Plan, UATP, jointly announced today that Continental will market a greatly enhanced UATP corporate payment program to its business partners.

Once issued, Continental UATP accounts will be used to purchase airfare not just on Continental but on nearly every airline in the world. Corporations that are issued accounts will receive consolidated billing statements directly from Continental Airlines with extensive details on all flight activities. Only UATP accounts can provide such consistent and detailed information on a worldwide basis, regardless of the sales channel used by the customer. As airlines search for methods of reducing distribution costs, UATP provides that capability while simultaneously improving relationships with their business customers.

The year 2000 has been particularly active for UATP, the world's first charge program. Marketed globally for many years under the brand names Air Travel Card, AirPlus(sm) and PassAge(sm), a worldwide rebranding occurred earlier this year under the UATP name. As part of the rebranding effort, a new logo and web site were also unveiled. Another major UATP enhancement, ATCAN, the new global automated sales reporting network designed to assist UATP members with daily electronic central processing and reconciliation, was successfully launched in June.

"For UATP, the announcement that Continental has decided to expand its existing program shows an endorsement that our efforts to modernize and improve our infrastructure are paying off," said Richard Crum, Managing Director of UATP. "Continental Airlines, one of the fastest growing, most progressive airlines in the world, has recognized that the Universal Air Travel Plan provides key benefits for their business travelers while also substantially reducing its own distribution costs. We are extremely excited to have them participate in our program."

About Continental Airlines

Continental Airlines is the fifth largest airline in the U.S., offering more than 2,200 departures daily to 136 domestic and 87 international destinations. Operating major hubs in Newark, Houston and Cleveland. Continental has extensive service throughout the Americas, and to Europe and Asia. In May 2000, Continental Airlines was ranked as the nation's number 1 airline in customer satisfaction for both short-distance (less than 500 miles) and long-distance (500 or more miles) flights in an independent study conducted by Frequent Flyer magazine in conjunction with J.D. Power and Associates.

About UATP

The Universal Air Travel Plan (UATP), also known as the Air Travel Card, is the world's first business travel payment system. Founded in 1936, UATP was an early innovator and pioneer in the credit card industry. It developed new standards such as the magnetic strip and lodged accounts. Owned and operated by each card-issuing airline, it offers the lowest administrative cost of any charge product. With annual global billings of nearly US$10 billion, UATP is utilized by corporations around the world to better manage their travel expenses.