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Continental Airlines Flat BusinessFirst Sea

CONTINENTAL AIRLINES LIE-FLAT BUSINESSFIRST SEAT

CONTINENTAL AIRLINES LIE-FLAT BUSINESSFIRST SEAT 2

Innovative seat design offers 180-degree recline; installation begins in Fall 2009

HOUSTON– Continental Airlines today announced details of a new 180-degree lie-flat seat for the BusinessFirst cabin on its Boeing 787, 777 and 757 aircraft. Customers will begin seeing lie-flats seats on Boeing 777 aircraft that primarily serve trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific routes in the fall of 2009, with installation on Continental’s 757-200 fleet beginning in 2010 and on its Boeing 787 fleet as the aircraft are delivered to Continental.

Unveiled today at the National Business Travel Association International Convention and Exposition in Los Angeles, the new 180-degree lie-flat seats are the centerpiece of Continental’s award-winning BusinessFirst service that provides the extra space and fine amenities of traditional international first class at a business class price.

“Continental continues to invest in its product to make flying more comfortable for our global customers,” said Larry Kellner, chairman and chief executive officer of Continental Airlines. “We created a brand-new seat designed to lie completely flat, without compromising functionality or effective use of cabin space.”

Lie-flat Design

Continental’s new BusinessFirst seats allow customers to lie completely flat, reclining 180-degrees and providing 6 1/2 feet (2 meters) of sleeping space in the fully extended position on its widebody aircraft. The lie-flat seat is one of the widest business-class seats in the air, measuring up to 25 inches when the adjustable armrest is positioned flush with the seat cushion, allowing customers to sleep more comfortably. Electronic “one-touch” controls enable customers to easily move the seats to pre-set upright, cradle and fully extended sleep positions and additional controls allow customers to adjust the seat back, lumbar support and leg and foot rests to the custom position most comfortable for them.

The lie-flat seats provide more individual storage space for personal items. Laptop power, headset and USB plugs are conveniently tucked above the customer’s shoulder. There is additional storage under the ottoman, on a shelf under the monitor and on an amenity storage alcove that provides room for small personal items such as a book or magazine and a water bottle.

iPod connectivity will also be available at the seat, allowing each customer to view their personal videos and enjoy their music, all while the iPod is charging. BusinessFirst seats on the 787 and 777 aircraft will feature a 15.4-inch video monitor for customers to enjoy on-demand movies, music and games. Seats on the 757 aircraft will feature 10.6-inch monitors.

The new BusinessFirst seats also have a six-way adjustable head rest, an individual overhead reading light and an adjustable seat light allowing a customer to read in bed without disturbing their neighbor and a privacy shell that allows for seclusion from other travelers.

Two Years to Design and Perfect

Continental’s product marketing team began researching new seat options in the fall of 2006 when planning BusinessFirst service for the new 787 Dreamliner aircraft. The airline visited with numerous seat manufacturers worldwide before selecting BE Aerospace, which created five different design concepts. Concurrently, Continental sought feedback from a focus group of BusinessFirst frequent flyers that identified and prioritized key needs of global travelers and worked closely with the airline’s project team and the seat manufacturer to help create the new seat. The important features requested by the focus group were to install a wider seat that could lay completely flat and be easy to operate.

Seats are the Centerpiece of Premium Service

BusinessFirst service features an extensive gourmet menu served with premium wines and champagnes created by Continental’s Congress of Chefs and Sommeliers. International Concierge Service provides individualized pre- and post-flight services for BusinessFirst customers at 42 airports around the world. Customers traveling in BusinessFirst may also access any of Continental’s 27 Presidents Clubs and more than 60 airline affiliated lounges worldwide.

Continental Airlines has won numerous awards for its BusinessFirst product. The Official Airline Guide has awarded Continental’s BusinessFirst as the Best Executive/Business Class for five consecutive years (2003 - 2007), and Conde Nast Traveler magazine rated Continental’s premium BusinessFirst service the highest among all U.S. carriers for trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific flights 10 years in a row.

Continental currently operates the Boeing 777 on routes between Newark and Beijing, Delhi, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, London/Heathrow, Mumbai, Paris, Rome, Tel Aviv and Tokyo, and between Houston and London/Heathrow, Paris and Tokyo.

BusinessFirst on the Boeing 757 is currently offered on routes between Newark and Amsterdam, Barcelona, Belfast, Berlin, Birmingham, Bristol, Copenhagen, Dublin, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Hamburg, Lisbon, London/Gatwick, Madrid, Manchester, Oslo, Paris, Shannon and Stockholm.

Summer free nights on European city breaks

Cities Direct has planned a great offer for those who are planning to have holidays in Europe. Their offer includes August free night available on European city breaks

CHELTENHAM, UK - Those still looking for a great value peak season getaway should check out the choice of August free night offers available on European city breaks with specialist operator, Cities Direct.

For example, head to Prague and save 45 on a ‘three-nights-for-the-price-of-two’ deal at the three-star St George Hotel - centrally located in the new town and just 10 minutes’ walk from Wenceslas Square - with a revised price from just 199 inclusive of return Manchester flights departing 12 August.

The same deal is available in Paris at the two-star superior Antin Trinite Hotel - situated close to the Opera and just a few minutes walk to the major department stores of Galeries Lafayette and Printemps. For departures on 20 August, the three-night break now costs from just 199 (saving 43) inclusive of return East Midlands flights.

Or save 60 on a ‘five-nights-for-the-price-of-four’ offer at the four-star Athenaeum Hotel in Florence which now costs from just 399 inclusive of return flights from East Midlands to Pisa on 14 August. The hotel is close to the Duomo, the Galleria dell’Accademia - with Michelangelo’s David - and the Florence Exhibition Centre.

Alternatively, enjoy a ‘three-nights-for-the-price-of-two’ offer - saving 60 - at the five-star Reval Ridzene Hotel - centrally located overlooking the park and the historic Old Town - in Riga. The revised price is now from just 279 inclusive of return flights from Bristol for departures on 10 August.

All prices are per person, based on two-sharing and include breakfasts. Other dates, hotels, flights and destinations for city breaks are also available.

Cities Direct Limited
118 Eagle Tower
Cheltenham
Gloucestershire

Denmark Dive

Cool off this summer by taking a dive in the Copenhagen harbor.

Did you know that you can go swimming right in the heart of the Danish capital? After several years of efforts to improve the water quality of the Copenhagen waterfront, you can now immerse yourself in one of several open-air swimming baths in the Copenhagen harbor – one of which is centrally located at Islands Brygge, just next to Langebro Bridge facing the Royal Library.

Five basins – two for children – with a total capacity of 600 people, offer plenty of opportunities to splash about. The Islands Brygge harbor bath is open daily from June through early September from 11am to 7pm on weekends, and at 7am during the week for those wanting to take an early morning dip in the wonderful waters.

For more information, go to www.visitcopenhagen.com

Hebridean Scotland and Norway cruises 2009

Ten new cruises have been added by Hebridean International Cruises as part of its 2009 schedule for the ship Hebridean Princess.

The all-inclusive small-ship company has introduced nine new sailings around the Highland and islands of Scotland and an additional sailing in the Norwegian fjords.

The 49-passenger vessel will visit 33 Scottish islands next year in its 20th anniversary season.

The itineraries are between four and nine nights’ duration, mainly departing from Oban.

The additional Norway voyage departs from Bergen next July for seven nights and includes mountain walking excursions.

Another cruise combining walking tours covers the remote areas of the west coast of North Harris in the Outer Hebrides, departing from Oban on May 14, 2009.

A visit to the Loch Harport Oyster Farm on Skye and a cookery demonstration by Lady Claire MacDonald at the Kinloch Lodge Hotel near Kyle of Lochalsh feature as part of a May ‘Across the Isles to Tiree’ departure.

Prices start at £3,620 per person for seven nights departing on May 7.

The programme leads in at £1,000 for a four-night taster cruise from Oban departing on March 1.

Windstar 2009 & Winter 2010 Sailing Atlas

Windstar Cruises released its 2009 and Winter 2010 Sailing Atlas, which features a new Signature Collection Host Series, Venice roundtrip sailings, and new ports of call in Rovinj, Croatia; L’lle Rousse, France; and Ischia, Italy.

The Signature Collection Host Series returns and offers the opportunity to cruise with wine makers Greg Lill of DeLille Cellars and Gary Eberle of Eberle Winery, Canadian artist Jody Hewgill, chef and culinary expert David Shalleck, and gold medalist Rafer Johnson of the 1960 Rome Olympics. Due to frequent requests, a new Venice roundtrip sailing will feature the Croatian destinations of Rovinj, Split and Dubrovnik as well as Koper, Slovenia. Also debuting in 2009 on Wind Surf itineraries is the port of L’lle Rousse on the island of Corisca and Ischia Island, Italy. In summer through early fall, Wind Star and Wind Spirit return to the Greek Isles.

In late fall, the ships depart Europe for the Caribbean and Central America, where they will remain until early spring.

Wind Surf offers seven-day roundtrips from Barbados with on northbound and southbound itineraries. Wind Spirit offers seven-day roundtrips from St. Thomas and seven-day Costa Rican sailings from Puerto Caldera.

Wind Star’s 14-day cruises feature a transit through the Panama Canal and visits to ports in Central America, South America and the Caribbean Islands.

The Connoisseur Collection offers back-to-back itineraries that allow guests to take one two-week sailing that rarely repeats a port. Windstar also offers 14-day transatlantic voyages.

AMA Waterways Christens Amacello, Amadante in Germany

AMA Waterways christened it two newest river ships, the Amacello and the Amadante, in the medieval town of Regensburg, Germany.

More than 80 percent of the ships’ staterooms feature French balconies. All of them feature plush bedding with down duvets; flat-screen TVs; in-room “infotainment systems” with complimentary Internet access; marble-appointed bathrooms, spa-quality bath amenities; terry robes; and slippers.

Each vessel also offers complimentary Wi-Fi, as well as a complimentary specialty coffee and tea station. Gourmet meals in the restaurant are accompanied by complimentary local wines. Each ship also features a fitness center, a beauty salon, a whirlpool, a walking track on the Sun Deck and a fleet of bicycles for passenger use. Next year, AMA will debut the Amadolce and the Amalyra; and two additional ships will join the fleet in 2010.

Call 800-626-0126 or visit www.amawaterways.com

Where Will Europeans Fly To This Summer?

Mondial Assistance reveals the summer destinations of Europeans travelling by planeMondial Assistance is unveiling the preferred 2008 summer destinations for Europeans travelling by plane.

This ranking is based on an analysis of over 418,000 travel insurance contracts subscribed to, up until May 15th 2008. These contracts were exclusively booked on the websites of European airline companies, clients of Mondial Assistance, for flights scheduled up to September 15th 2008.

Europeans travelling by plane choose Spain as their favourite destination

For 25.3% of planned flights, Spain is the favourite destination, followed by Italy (14.1%), the U.K. (13.8%), France (9.4%), Ireland (4.6%) and Portugal (4.3%). Although France remains the leading tourist destination in the world, it only appears among the top 3 preferred destinations for the French, the Portuguese, the Swiss and the British.

The French prefer France and Southern Europe: the first three leading destinations from France are: France (21.1%), Spain (11.2%) and Italy (9.5%)

• The Germans will sunbathe in Southern Europe. 28.3% prefer Spain, 13.3% choose Italy, and only 9.5% will fly to the U.K.

• Convinced Spanish lovers, 31.7% of British vacationers will fly to Spain, 14.1% will remain in the U.K and 10.2% will spend their holidays in France.

• The Italians love their country, and 29.2% of them will visit a part of Italy by plane. Although Spain attracts 23.4% of vacationing Italians, 14.9% will spend their holidays in the U.K.

• Champions at staying-at-home, more than one third (35.8%) of all Spanish vacationers will remain in Spain, 16.9% will travel to the U.K. and 14% to Italy.

• The Irish love Spain (21.1%) and also Poland (19.2%) and the United States (8.9%).

• The Dutch will visit Spain (26.8%), Italy (18.8%) and the U.K. (9.1%).

• The Polish for the most part will travel to the U.K. (37.5%), Ireland (22.1%) and Italy (14.6%).

• As for the Portuguese, they appreciate the U.K. (25.9%), Spain (17.2%) and France (15.3%).

• The Swedish head straight to Italy (26.3%), the U.K. (24.7%) and Spain (18.6%)

• And finally, the Swiss prefer Spain (33.1%), France (12.4%) and Italy (11.6%).

10 days is the average holiday

Europeans who will travel by plane this summer will leave for an average of ten days. The Polish (13.8 days), the French (13 days), the Dutch (11.9 days), the Germans and the Irish (11 days) leave for a bit longer than the average vacationer. On the contrary, the Swedes (8 days), the British (8.3 days), the Portuguese and the Spanish (9 days), the Italians and the Swiss (10 days) take shorter holidays than the average European vacationer.

“e-Magin, our e-commerce platform, is so successful with the airline companies that today we have a unique point of view on air travel in Europe and throughout the world,” declares Erick Morazin, International Sales Director at Mondial Assistance. “As a result we can follow the most frequent destinations, booking behaviours, holiday durations, and numerous other information about air travel in real time.”

Celebrate 2009 in Russia’s Winter Wonderland

Travelers who are looking to kick off 2009 in a unique way this year can now celebrate New Year’s Eve and Orthodox Christmas Eve in the heart of Russia on this new “Winter Wonderland” adventure.

This 10-day tour begins in St. Petersburg and continues on to Moscow, Vladimir, and Suzdal. This intimate trip is hosted by MIR Corporation who is renowned for taking visitors to trips at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, an area considered by many to be one of the last great travel frontiers in the world. Groups are kept small with groups of 16 or less, and visitors will get to explore Peter the Great’s 300-year-old imperial capital with visits to Catherine’s Palace, the Gold and Malachite Rooms at the Hermitage, St. Isaac’s Cathedral and the Usupoff Palace.

On New Year’s Eve, guests may celebrate in style at the elegant Czar’s Ball at Catherine’s Palace (tickets to the ball are not included in the package price) or enjoy an intimate late-night dinner with a Russian family.

The tour then continues to Moscow, Vladimir and Suzdal. Highlights of this portion of the trip include a traditional horse-drawn sleigh ride, a visit to the Kremlin and the Armory Museum, the 12th century Cathedral of the Assumption in Vladimir, and the UNESCO-listed “White Monuments” of Suzdal.

These tours are in-depth programs featuring comprehensive sightseeing, including plenty of opportunities for guests to both understand and experience the local culture. On this trip, guests get a taste of Western Russia’s exciting urban centers and its cozy country towns, celebrate New Year’s Eve either in a Russian home or at the elite Czar’s Ball, and enjoy a private tour of the crown jewels housed at the Diamond Fund.

On January 6, (Orthodox Christmas Eve) guests are welcome to attend an Orthodox service at a 16th century church in Suzdal. Dates: December 29, 2008-January 7th, 2009. Cost: $4995.

www.mircorp.com

Trafalgar Debuts New River Cruise & New Vessel

Trafalgar has introduced its 2009 River Cruise Collection, featuring five new travel experiences and a new vessel.

The 2009 collection features 30 cruises that explore the Danube, Rhine, Moselle, Rhône, Saône, Seine, Main and Douro rivers through Central and Eastern Europe, France, Portugal, Spain, Russia and Egypt, along with seasonal cruises focused around European Christmas markets.

Trafalgar and Uniworld are also introducing a new vessel in 2009, the River Beatrice. This new ship features French balconies, hotel-style beds and plush sheets and towels. The ship has a panoramic lounge, a library, a restaurant, Jacuzzi, beauty salon, plus complimentary bicycles for guests to use while ashore.

With the 2009 River Cruise Collection, Trafalgar and Uniworld have introduced the Epicurean Adventurer Program to a range of its cruises. This new program of gourmet activities, offered at no additional cost to travelers, includes private wine tastings, culinary demonstrations and special food and wine pairing dinners.

After receiving a tremendous response last season to the recently introduced “Paris & Normandy” itinerary, Trafalgar is now offering a selection of new cruise itineraries that include Paris.

The five new cruises available in 2009 are the 11-day “Paris & European River Romance” cruises from Paris to Nuremberg; the 18-day “Paris & The Heart of Europe” from Paris to Vienna; the 32-day “Paris & Grand European Waterways” from Paris to Bucharest; the 11-day “Rhine & Main Holiday Markets” from Nuremberg to Cologne; and the nine-day “Parisian Winter Holiday” roundtrip from Paris.

Travelers can save up to $600 per couple by booking before Nov. 30. But if travelers pay in full before Sept. 30, they will receive a discount of up to $2,000 per couple.

For more information, call 800-854-0103 or visit www.trafalgar.com

Thomson Ski and Snowboarding brochure

Thomson is offering four new resorts and four new flight routes in its newly launched Ski and Snowboarding 2008/9 main brochure.

The operator now flies passengers from Gatwick to Huesca in Spain for the resort Formigal, from Birmingham to Grenoble, from East Midlands Airport to Innsbruck in Austria and from Glasgow to Turin.

The new destinations are Spain’s Formigal, France’s Montgenevre , Austria’s Rauris and Leukerbad in Switzerland.

The brochure has 89 ski resorts in 11 countries across Europe, US and Canada. It also has a new ski wedding destination – Lake Bled in Slovenia.

Early bookers get a range of extras including 25% off, a free six-day lift pass for adults departing March 14/15 and 21/22 2009 to all chalets in the brochure and six European hotels, free crèche places, a free group place, Eurostar reductions, low deposits and £100 cash back when introducing a friend.

Prices start from £219 per person for 7 nights’ self-catering accommodation in the 3 star L’Escale Holiday Homes in Le Grand Bornand, France, including return flights from Gatwick departing on 19th January 2009 and all transfers.