The Chief Executive Board of Star Alliance has unanimously agreed to extend an official invitation to Continental Airlines to join the most experienced global airline alliance. This decision coincides with the signing of a major bilateral framework agreement between Continental and Star Alliance member United as well as the announcement of an enhanced transatlantic partnership of the two U.S. airlines and Star Alliance member carriers Air Canada and Lufthansa.

“Star Alliance is delighted to offer future membership to Continental. The airline represents a perfect fit into our existing network and will allow the alliance to provide more travel options for customers especially across the US, between North America and Latin America, as well as on the North Atlantic and across the Pacific,” said Jaan Albrecht, CEO Star Alliance.
“It is a very good information for LOT and its partners. In North America we gain a new strong alliance partner with its extensive network, that will be useful for our passengers” – said Dariusz Nowak, LOT president & CEO. „One of the main airports served by Centinental is Newark, which has a direct link with Warsaw and Cracow served by LOT. Thanks to that, transits to other cities in the US will be more convenient” – Nowak adds.

Once Continental officially accepts the invitation, the integration teams will commence their work which is expected to take at least one year. After completing this process, Continental’s customers will be able to make use of the Star Alliance customer benefits around the globe, while the passengers of the other member carriers will then be able to enjoy these additional benefits every time they fly on Continental.