Continental Airlines Opens Athens Route

Continental Airlines, the world’s fifth largest airline, last month announced it would launch daily nonstop flights between New York/Newark and Athens effective June 7, 2007 (eastbound), subject to government approval.

The new service will provide a link to the capital of Greece from not only New York but also from more than 230 other cities throughout North, Central and South America, the Caribbean and beyond.

“We look forward to offering travelers something none of our competitors can match – award-winning, year-round service from New York’s only hub airport to Greece, with quick and easy same-airline, same-terminal connections from cities throughout the Americas,” said Jim Compton, Continental’s executive vice president of marketing.

He said that Athens, the birthplace of democracy and cradle of Western civilization, is today a bustling metropolis with a population of 3.7 million and is the center of Greece’s economic, financial, industrial, cultural and political life. The city is home to a wealth of ancient monuments and artworks, including the world-famous Parthenon on the Acropolis, and is the 6th most visited capital in Europe.

In a press release, the airline said that over the past decade, Athens’ infrastructure has been radically improved, in part due to the city’s successful bid to stage the 2004 Olympic Games. Greece is the leading economy in southeast Europe and one of the fastest- growing economies in the European Union. Tourism accounts for 10 percent of GDP.