Continental gets Heathrow slots

Continental Airlines said it has acquired slots at London’s busy Heathrow Airport, and plans to launch non-stop LHR service next spring from its hubs at Newark and Houston. The airline didn’t say how it managed to snag the much-sought-after slots at Europe’s biggest connecting airport, but it is a member of the SkyTeam alliance; other members include Air France/KLM, which control a number of slots at LHR. The new Open Skies pact between the U.S. and European Union eliminates the restrictions of the U.S.-U.K. bilateral, which only permitted Heathrow access to United and American. Continental said that effective March 29, 2008, it will begin twice-daily Newark-LHR flights and twice-daily Houston Bush Intercontinental-LHR non-stops. Continental said it will continue to offer service to London Gatwick from Newark twice a day, from Houston once a day, and seasonally from Cleveland.