Bangkok--20 Jun--Thai Airways International Alliance membership offer comes in line with Continental / United cooperation 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. 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. About Star Alliance: The Star Alliance network was established in 1997 as the first truly global airline alliance to offer customers worldwide reach and a smooth travel experience. Star Alliance received the Air Transport World Market Leadership Award in 2008 and was voted Best Airline Alliance by Business Traveller Magazine in 2003, 2006 and 2007 and by Skytrax in 2003, 2005 and 2007. The members are Air Canada, Air China, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, bmi, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, Spanair, SWISS, TAP Portugal, Turkish Airlines, THAI, United and US Airways. Regional member carriers Adria Airways (Slovenia), Blue1 (Finland) and Croatia Airlines enhance the global network. Air India and EgyptAir have been accepted as future members. Overall, the Star Alliance network offers nearly 18,000 daily flights to 965 destinations in 162 countries. For further information please contact: Star Alliance Press Office Tel: +49 69 96375 154, +49 69 96375 183, Fax: +49 69 96375 683 Email: [email protected], www.staralliance.com