EDS and Continental Airlines Launch Next Generation Flight Operations Program

PLANO, Texas – EDS and Continental Airlines today announced they will be working together to transform Continental’s current mainframe environment and develop a new, next generation flight operations program – an application modernization strategy involving aircraft movement, load planning and air-to-ground communications flight operations services. Financial details were not disclosed.

The next generation flight operations suite of services will leverage EDS’ Airline Service Oriented Architecture and allow Continental and airlines around the world to adjust to changing business conditions through the use of sophisticated business process modeling tools. Airlines will be able to integrate disparate systems through a standard interface and implement new technologies with seamless sharing and access of real-time data across the enterprise, which drives decision making and automation of business processes that occur during scheduled and off-scheduled operations.

“With the fast-paced environment of the airline industry, it is important for Continental to have state of the art flexible tools to enable us to adjust to changing business conditions to maximize performance and deliver the best quality we can for our customers,” said Ron Anderson-Lehman, CIO of Continental Airlines.

“Continental chose this modernization approach with EDS because there is no other provider in this space capable of delivering fully integrated modernized technology solutions that Continental requires to better manage their business,” said Eric Harte, vice president and leader of EDS’ Global Air Services industry group. “Continental also chose EDS because there is no other application service provider in the industry that brings the industry knowledge, tools, methodologies and best shore delivery capabilities to reliably and cost effectively undertake this modernization journey.”

As a result of this joint agreement, EDS will be launching an industry leading, fully integrated suite of flight operations services to the global air services market. Timing of the suite of applications is still being finalized.

As the leading global airline IT services provider, EDS brings world-class technology solutions and infrastructure to help airlines and transportation customers sustain competitive advantage in a highly dynamic global market.

About Continental Airlines

Continental Airlines is the world’s fifth largest airline. Continental, together with Continental Express and Continental Connection, has more than 2,900 daily departures throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia, serving 144 domestic and 139 international destinations. More than 550 additional points are served via SkyTeam alliance airlines. With more than 45,000 employees, Continental has hubs serving New York, Houston, Cleveland and Guam, and together with Continental Express, carries approximately 69 million passengers per year. Continental consistently earns awards and critical acclaim for both its operation and its corporate culture.

For the fourth consecutive year, FORTUNE magazine named Continental the No. 1 World’s Most Admired Airline on its 2007 list of World’s Most Admired Companies. Continental was also named the No. 1 airline on the publication’s 2007 America’s Most Admired airline industry list. Additionally, Continental again won major awards at the OAG Airline of the Year Awards including “Best Airline Based in North America” for the fourth year in a row, and “Best Executive/Business Class” for the fifth consecutive year. For more company information, visit continental.com.

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