Continental Airlines New York-Shanghai daily non-stop flights from March 25, 2009

Continental Airlines, based in Huston, Texas, the United Sates, will start scheduled service between New York’s Newark Liberty International Airport and Shanghai in China from March 25, 2009.

With this new, non-stop service – using a Boeing 777-200 aircraft – Continental Airlines becomes the first United States-based carrier to launch scheduled service between New York and Shanghai.

The daily, non-stop flights between New York and Shanghai will be operated from Continental Airlines’ hub at Newark Liberty International Airport.

Jeff Smisek, president and chief operating officer of Continental Airlines, said in a statement that the new service between New York and Shanghai “will provide daily non-stop flights in the largest US-China market that today lacks daily service.” The service would, he added, also “link the world’s financial centre and top business and tourism destination with China’s centre for finance and trade.”

Smisek said China was an important business destination, with the country’s economic growth projected to continue in 2009 notwithstanding the slowdown in the global economy.
Continental Airlines said that, with the success of the Beijing Olympics that “showcased modern China to the world,” and the upcoming Expo in Shanghai in 2010, it expected the demand for service between the United States and China to go up in the months to come.

Continental Airlines has been flying non-stop service between New York and Hong Kong since 2001, and between New York and Beijing, the capital of China, since 2005.
Flying times New York and Shanghai are about 14 hours and 30 minutes in each direction, Continental Airlines said, adding that the flights were timed to provide convenient roundtrip connections at the airline’s hub at New York to over 60 other cities throughout the United States and Canada.

The Continental’s statement also said that its Shanghai flights would have special products and services for customers – including movies and music available in English and Mandarin, local Chinese newspapers available for BusinessFirst customers, and instructional videos that comprise safety and arrival video and pre-recorded announcements in Mandarin.

Menus on the New York-Shanghai flights would be available in both English and Chinese, and in-flight meals include Chinese choices, the airline said. In addition, there would be a Mandarin-speaking flight attendant to help customers in-flight, and Mandarin-speaking agents would be available to help customers at check-in.