Continental Airlines Reports October 2009 Operational Performance

November 2, 2009 6:18 PM EST

HOUSTON, Nov. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL) today reported an October consolidated (mainline plus regional) load factor of 82.5 percent, 3.5 points above the October 2008 consolidated load factor, and a mainline load factor of 83.0 percent, 3.5 points above the October 2008 mainline load factor. The carrier reported a domestic mainline October load factor of 85.4 percent, 2.4 points above the October 2008 domestic mainline load factor, and an international mainline load factor of 80.4 percent, 4.5 points above October 2008. All four October load factors were records for the month.

During the month, Continental recorded a U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) on-time arrival rate of 75.1 percent and a mainline segment completion factor of 99.8 percent.

In October 2009, Continental flew 7.3 billion consolidated revenue passenger miles (RPMs) and 8.8 billion consolidated available seat miles (ASMs), resulting in a consolidated traffic increase of 1.7 percent and a capacity decrease of 2.6 percent as compared to October 2008. In October 2009, Continental flew 6.5 billion mainline RPMs and 7.8 billion mainline ASMs, resulting in a mainline traffic increase of 1.9 percent and a mainline capacity decrease of 2.4 percent as compared to October 2008. Domestic mainline traffic was 3.4 billion RPMs in October 2009, up 2.3 percent from October 2008, and domestic mainline capacity was 4.0 billion ASMs, down 0.6 percent from October 2008.

For October 2009, consolidated passenger revenue per available seat mile (RASM) is estimated to have decreased between 14.0 and 15.0 percent compared to October 2008, while mainline RASM is estimated to have decreased between 15.0 and 16.0 percent. For September 2009, consolidated passenger RASM decreased 19.2 percent compared to September 2008, while mainline passenger RASM decreased 21.1 percent compared to September 2008.

Continental's regional operations had a record October load factor of 78.2 percent, 3.3 points above the October 2008 regional load factor. Regional RPMs were 782.0 million, and regional ASMs were 999.9 million in October 2009, resulting in a traffic decrease of 0.4 percent and a capacity decrease of 4.6 percent versus October 2008.

Continental Airlines is the world's fifth largest airline. Continental, together with Continental Express and Continental Connection, has more than 2,400 daily departures throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia, serving 130 domestic and 132 international destinations. Continental is a member of Star Alliance, which provides access to more than 900 additional points in 169 countries via 24 other member airlines. With more than 41,000 employees, Continental has hubs serving New York, Houston, Cleveland and Guam, and together with its regional partners, carries approximately 63 million passengers per year.

Celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, Continental consistently earns awards and critical acclaim for both its operation and its corporate culture. For the sixth consecutive year, FORTUNE magazine named Continental the No. 1 World's Most Admired Airline on its 2009 list of World's Most Admired Companies. For more company information, go to continental.com.

This press release contains forward-looking statements that are not limited to historical facts, but reflect the company's current beliefs, expectations or intentions regarding future events. All forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. For examples of such risks and uncertainties, please see the risk factors set forth in the company's 2008 Form 10-K and its other securities filings, including any amendments thereto, which identify important matters such as the significant volatility in the cost of aircraft fuel, its transition to a new global alliance, the consequences of its high leverage and other significant capital commitments, its high labor and pension costs, delays in scheduled aircraft deliveries, service interruptions at one of its hub airports, disruptions to the operations of its regional operators, disruptions in its computer systems, and industry conditions, including the recession in the U.S. and global economies, the airline pricing environment, terrorist attacks, regulatory matters, excessive taxation, industry consolidation, the availability and cost of insurance, public health threats and the seasonal nature of the airline business. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date of this press release, except as required by applicable law.

                             PRELIMINARY TRAFFIC RESULTS
    OCTOBER                             2009         2008         Change

    REVENUE PASSENGER MILES (000)
         Domestic                     3,443,318    3,365,484   2.3 Percent

         International                3,030,719    2,984,903   1.5 Percent
         Transatlantic                1,644,064    1,755,376  -6.3 Percent
         Latin America                  739,631      677,785   9.1 Percent
         Pacific                        647,024      551,742  17.3 Percent

         Mainline                     6,474,037    6,350,387   1.9 Percent
         Regional                       781,992      785,161  -0.4 Percent
         Consolidated                 7,256,029    7,135,548   1.7 Percent

     AVAILABLE SEAT MILES (000)
         Domestic                     4,031,299    4,054,927  -0.6 Percent

         International                3,767,528    3,934,229  -4.2 Percent
         Transatlantic                1,961,433    2,321,162 -15.5 Percent
         Latin America                  922,287      864,651   6.7 Percent
         Pacific                        883,808      748,416  18.1 Percent

         Mainline                     7,798,827    7,989,156  -2.4 Percent
         Regional                       999,920    1,048,292  -4.6 Percent
         Consolidated                 8,798,747    9,037,448  -2.6 Percent
     PASSENGER LOAD FACTOR
         Domestic                  85.4 Percent 83.0 Percent   2.4 Points

         International             80.4 Percent 75.9 Percent   4.5 Points
         Transatlantic             83.8 Percent 75.6 Percent   8.2 Points
         Latin America             80.2 Percent 78.4 Percent   1.8 Points
         Pacific                   73.2 Percent 73.7 Percent  -0.5 Points

         Mainline                  83.0 Percent 79.5 Percent   3.5 Points
         Regional                  78.2 Percent 74.9 Percent   3.3 Points
         Consolidated              82.5 Percent 79.0 Percent   3.5 Points
     ONBOARD PASSENGERS
         Mainline                     3,652,061    3,693,011  -1.1 Percent
         Regional                     1,468,653    1,477,464  -0.6 Percent
         Consolidated                 5,120,714    5,170,475  -1.0 Percent

     CARGO REVENUE TON MILES (000)
         Total                           95,482       85,671  11.5 Percent

                            PRELIMINARY TRAFFIC RESULTS
    YEAR-TO-DATE                        2009          2008         Change

    REVENUE PASSENGER MILES (000)
       Domestic                       33,965,452   36,425,162  -6.8 Percent

       International                  33,097,127   34,183,234  -3.2 Percent
       Transatlantic                  17,070,170   18,348,583  -7.0 Percent
       Latin America                   9,738,816    9,850,926  -1.1 Percent
       Pacific                         6,288,141    5,983,725   5.1 Percent

       Mainline                       67,062,579   70,608,396  -5.0 Percent
       Regional                        7,766,247    8,388,933  -7.4 Percent
       Consolidated                   74,828,826   78,997,329  -5.3 Percent

     AVAILABLE SEAT MILES (000)
       Domestic                       39,997,466   43,627,730  -8.3 Percent

       International                  41,919,466   43,486,054  -3.6 Percent
       Transatlantic                  21,543,959   23,688,636  -9.1 Percent
       Latin America                  11,983,537   11,974,094   0.1 Percent
       Pacific                         8,391,970    7,823,324   7.3 Percent

       Mainline                       81,916,932   87,113,784  -6.0 Percent
       Regional                       10,144,618   10,985,925  -7.7 Percent
       Consolidated                   92,061,550   98,099,709  -6.2 Percent
     PASSENGER LOAD FACTOR
       Domestic                     84.9 Percent 83.5 Percent   1.4 Points

       International                79.0 Percent 78.6 Percent   0.4 Points
       Transatlantic                79.2 Percent 77.5 Percent   1.7 Points
       Latin America                81.3 Percent 82.3 Percent  -1.0 Point
       Pacific                      74.9 Percent 76.5 Percent  -1.6 Points

       Mainline                     81.9 Percent 81.1 Percent   0.8 Points
       Regional                     76.6 Percent 76.4 Percent   0.2 Points
       Consolidated                 81.3 Percent 80.5 Percent   0.8 Points
     ONBOARD PASSENGERS
       Mainline                       38,270,367   41,407,500  -7.6 Percent
       Regional                       14,400,964   15,272,255  -5.7 Percent
       Consolidated                   52,671,331   56,679,755  -7.1 Percent

     CARGO REVENUE TON MILES (000)
       Total                             760,250      855,238 -11.1 Percent


                        PRELIMINARY OPERATIONAL AND FINANCIAL RESULTS
    OCTOBER                                      2009   2008       Change
    On-Time Performance(1)                       75.1%  81.4%   (6.3) Points
    Completion Factor(2)                         99.8%  99.7%    0.1  Points
    September 2009 year-over-year consolidated
     RASM change                                               (19.2) Percent
    September 2009 year-over-year mainline
     RASM change                                               (21.1) Percent
    October 2009 estimated year-over-year
     consolidated RASM change                         (14.0) - (15.0) Percent
    October 2009 estimated year-over-year
     mainline RASM change                             (15.0) - (16.0) Percent
    October 2009 estimated average price per
     gallon of fuel, including fuel taxes                        1.89 Dollars
    Fourth Quarter 2009 estimated average
     price per gallon of fuel, including fuel
     taxes                                                       2.06 Dollars


    (1) Department of Transportation Arrivals within 14 minutes
    (2) Mainline Segment Completion Percentage

SOURCE Continental Airlines


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