Continental Applies to Operate Daily Houston-Bogota Flights

Continental Airlines submitted its application to the Department of Transportation (DOT) to be the first-ever U.S. carrier to provide daily, overnight service between Houston and Bogota, Colombia, to arrive in each city in the early morning and depart each city late at night.

Continental’s proposed Houston-Bogota flights will be timed for business travelers and shippers allowing for a full day’s work in either city, as well as providing additional flight options for leisure travelers. Continental seeks the frequency award as part of a DOT proceeding to allocate up to four daily flights to U.S. carriers between December 2007 and October 2008.

The proposed service will provide connecting flight opportunities to more than 110 cities throughout the U.S. network served through Continental’s centrally-located Houston hub.

In addition, Continental’s proposed flight will provide new interline connecting opportunities to points throughout Colombia on Continental’s alliance partner, AeroRepublica, including Barranquilla, Bucaramanga, Cartagena, Medellin and San Andres.

Continental also cites the concentration of Colombia service at gateways in the U.S. southeastern region and the need for additional flight opportunities between the U.S. central and western regions.

Continental has asked DOT for authority to institute the new service as part of its summer 2008 schedule and plans to operate the nonstop flight daily with Boeing 737 aircraft.