CO, US Airways And AA, Alaska Interline E-Tix

Continental Airlines and US Airways today announced an electronic ticket interlining arrangement just ahead of a similar announcement this afternoon from American and Alaska airlines. They are the second such links in as many days for US Airways and American.

Interlining allows travelers to book e-tickets for itineraries involving both carriers and to more easily rebook from one to the other. This week's announcements, however, thus far refer only to e-tickets purchased from airline reservations centers, ticket offices and airport locations.

Bilateral e-ticket interlining sputtered in the late 1990s as airlines worked to align systems, but after a flurry of activity in the past year, most of the Big Six carriers now are linked to one another. Airline officials said they soon expect to close the remaining gaps.