Continental to launch extra flights from London to New York

Continental Airlines has announced that it will add a third daily service to its schedule of flights from London Heathrow to New York.

The carrier will launch the new non-stop flight between its Newark Airport hub in New York and London Heathrow on October 25th, pending government approval.

On the same date, Continental will discontinue its flights to Gatwick Airport from both New York and Houston.

Two daily connections will still be open between Houston and Heathrow in addition to the three flights from Newark Airport.

Jim Compton, Continental's executive vice-president of marketing, said that the airline's focus on Heathrow Airport is a response to the "changing realities of the marketplace".

He added: "Our customers have shown a clear preference for Heathrow, and our main competitors have focused their operations there.

"We regret the need to end year-round operations at Gatwick, but it is imperative that we remain competitive and continue to meet the needs of our customers."

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