New York, NY, March 17, 2006 "“ Just in time for Europe's busiest season, Continental Airlines will introduce daily nonstop service between its New York hub at Newark Liberty International Airport and Barcelona (BCN) on May 17. This service will be the only year-round, nonstop flight between the U.S. and Barcelona. The airline will operate a 172-seat Boeing 757-200 aircraft featuring two-class service with 16 seats in its award-winning BusinessFirst cabin and 156 in economy class.
Flight CO 120 will depart Newark Liberty International Airport at 6:35 PM, arriving in Barcelona at 8:35 AM the next morning. The return flight, CO121 will depart Barcelona daily at 11:10 AM, arriving in New York/Newark at 1:55 PM the same day. Flying times will be approximately eight hours traveling east and eight hours and 45 minutes traveling west.
"This new nonstop service from the U.S. will be great for American travelers," said Javier Piñanes, director of the Tourist Office of Spain in New York. "Barcelona is one of Spain's top destinations for Americans. In fact, Barcelona receives more visitors from the U.S. than from any other country. We know that the demand for Barcelona is strong, and Continental is meeting that demand," Piñanes added.
This year Barcelona "“ along with Málaga and Madrid "“ is commemorating one of the country's legendary artists with a host of cultural activities. Under the title "Picasso 2006 BCN," the city will present a year-long program of exhibitions, operas, ballets, special lectures and workshops celebrating the 125th anniversary of Picasso's birth and the 100th anniversary of his return to Barcelona. The city has also declared 2006 the "Year of Shopping."
Continental has served Madrid since 1992 and currently operates daily Boeing 767 nonstop service between New York/Newark and Madrid. Flight CO62 departs Newark Liberty International Airport at 8:15 PM, arriving Madrid the next day at 9:15 AM. The return flight, CO63 departs Madrid at 11:25 AM and arrives in Newark at 1:50 PM the same day.
For further information about Continental Airlines, contact www.continental.com. For information about traveling to Spain, contact your travel agent or the Tourist Office of Spain in New York (212-265-8822); Miami (305-358-1992); Chicago (312-642-1992) or Los Angeles (323-658-7188) or go to www.spain.info.
For more on Spain at ITKT