Continental Airlines opens new Presidents Club in Houston.

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 25, 1996--Continental Airlines ( NYSE: CAI.B and CAI.A) opened a new 10,000 square foot Presidents Club today at Houston Intercontinental Airport (IAH) on the north concourse near gate 24. The new clubroom is two and a half times larger and has double the seating capacity of the former club. It features a separate family room for passengers traveling with small children, three conference rooms, a TV room with theater-style seating, a spacious lounge seating area, five check-in stations, 12 desk cubicle work areas, and a full-service cash bar.

"Continental is proud to open this premier airline club facility for our Houston and connecting customers," said Bonnie Reitz, vice president of marketing and sales. "The new IAH Presidents Club is just one more example of Continental's commitment to becoming the airline of choice."

In addition to the standard amenities, which include credit-card plain- paper fax machines, laser IBM printer, complimentary photo copies, a luggage storage room, dataports for plugging in personal computers, and an E-Ticket machine, two new amenities have been added: a Bloomberg terminal for checking stock quotes free of charge, and a concierge to assist BusinessFirst passengers with international flight check-in.

In addition to Houston, Continental has several clubrooms either under construction or renovation in San Francisco, Boston, Washington/National and New York/La Guardia. Recently, Continental opened brand new clubrooms in Guam and London/Gatwick.

Bar Themes Add Local Flavor

For a different twist, Continental has given the bar areas inside the clubrooms individual themes. For instance, the new IAH clubroom has an oil/cattleman's theme, depicting Houston's rich heritage. The Newark clubroom has a sports theme, corresponding with the Continental Airlines Arena there.

"The bar themes are intended to add a touch of local flavor and fun without compromising the comfortable, relaxing atmosphere business travelers are accustomed to experiencing in our clubrooms," said Julie Woods, Presidents Club marketing manager.

Continental maintains 13 clubrooms and 22 affiliated lounges worldwide. Memberships start as low as $200.

Continental Airlines is the fifth largest airline in the U.S., offering more than 2,100 jet and Express departures daily to 136 domestic and 57 international destinations. Operating major hubs in Newark, Houston, Guam and Cleveland, Continental is strategically positioned for transcontinental travel, and offers extensive service to Latin America and Europe via its Houston and Newark gateways. Continental was recently ranked the top airline in customer satisfaction among the nine major U.S. carriers on long-haul (500+ miles) flights, based on an independent survey of frequent flyers conducted by J. D. Power and Associates in conjunction with Frequent Flyer magazine.

CONTACT: Continental Airlines,

Corporate Communications, 713/834-5080