Release #08.UAL-CAL3
October 7, 2008

Continental, United Pilots Sign Protocol Agreement

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Washington DC, October 7, 2008—Pilots from Continental and United Airlines, both represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), today announced additional measures to protect pilot careers and reap gains from their airlines’ alliance. Continental announced this summer that it plans to join United in the Star Alliance, the world’s largest group of airline partners. Continental currently is a member of the SkyTeam alliance.

The Continental and United pilots, through their union, ALPA; the Air Canada pilots, through their union, the Air Canada Pilots Association; and the Lufthansa pilots, represented by the Vereinigung Cockpit, the German Air Line Pilots Association, on Oct. 3, 2008, entered into a Protocol Agreement in response to the proposed joint venture of their respective airlines. The pilots’ leaders’ pledge, signed at a recent meeting of the Associations of Star Alliance Pilots in Germany, outlines their mutual support in dealing with issues and opportunities that could result as their companies seek to pool and share the revenues generated by flying over the North Atlantic. The pilots are hopeful that, if their companies’ agreement is approved by the regulatory authorities, it will benefit the pilots of all four carriers.

The unions have pledged to closely monitor developments with respect to this matter, and to take all steps necessary to ensure that all of their pilots participate fully in any rewards gained and that the agreement is not used in a way which unfairly harms the pilots of any one carrier.

Founded in 1931, ALPA is the world’s largest pilot union, representing 53,000 pilots at 37 airlines in the United States and Canada, including the 5,000 pilots who fly for Continental and the 6,700 at United. Visit the ALPA website at www.alpa.org.

ALPA Contacts:    
United Master Executive Council Continental Master Executive Council
Dave Kelly Amy Flanagan
708/704-5648 281/925-4601
david.kelly@alpa.org    amy.flanagan@alpa.org