Texas Business reports:  HOUSTON—United Continental Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: UAL) started  daily scheduled passenger service between Texas and Africa with new nonstop flights between Houston and Lagos, Nigeria.

The service, operated by Continental Airlines, links the two energy capitals on a route which no other airline currently serves.

“The new flights offer convenient nonstop access to Lagos for travelers from Houston's vibrant energy sector and large Nigerian community, reducing roundtrip travel time between the two cities by more than six hours,” said Jim Compton, United's executive vice president and chief revenue officer. “In addition, our Houston hub provides fast and easy connections from destinations across the U.S., and throughout Canada and Latin America.”

Flight 142 departs Houston's Bush Intercontinental Airport at 7:05 p.m. and arrives at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos at 1:40 p.m. the following day. On the return, flight 143 departs Lagos at 11:05 p.m., and arrives in Houston at 5:25 a.m. the following day. Flying times are approximately 11 hours, 35 minutes eastbound and 13 hours, 20 minutes westbound.

The flights will operate using Boeing 777 aircraft with a total of 276 seats -- 50 in BusinessFirst and 226 in Economy. The 777 aircraft feature new, flat-bed seats in the BusinessFirst cabin. The seat, reclining 180 degrees and providing 6 feet 6 inches of sleeping space in the fully extended position, is one of the widest business-class seats in the air, measuring up to 27 inches when the adjustable armrest is positioned flush with the seat cushion.

In addition to the flat-bed seat, BusinessFirst amenities include a personal inflight entertainment system, gourmet menu selections, with Nigerian cuisine options on westbound flights, and a wine and champagne selection.   

Economy class on the 777 is in a 3-3-3 seating configuration with wider-than-usual aisles. All seats on the Boeing 777 feature an Audio/Video On Demand (AVOD) inflight entertainment system, which enables customers to choose from 250 movies, 300 TV shows and 3,000 audio tracks with a jukebox feature to make individual playlists.  In addition, this entertainment system has 25 video games and the interactive Berlitz Word Traveler foreign language program.  All seat rows are equipped with in-seat power outlets, which do not require an adapter. 

 Lagos is the economic, commercial and cultural center of Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa.  The metropolitan area, an estimated 300 square kilometers located on the Atlantic coast of Africa, is a group of islands endowed with creeks and a lagoon. Lagos is Nigeria's leading port, particularly for imports of consumer goods, foodstuffs, motor vehicles, machinery and industrial raw materials, with more than half of Nigeria's industrial capacity located in Lagos's mainland suburbs.

 United Continental Holdings Inc. is the holding company for both United Airlines and Continental Airlines.