HOUSTON, Dec. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL) today reported a November consolidated (mainline plus regional) load factor of 80.5 percent, 3.2 points above the November 2008 consolidated load factor, and a record mainline load factor of 81.1 percent, 3.3 points above the November 2008 mainline load factor. The carrier reported a domestic mainline November load factor of 83.3 percent, 2.7 points above the November 2008 domestic mainline load factor, and a record international mainline load factor of 78.8 percent, 3.8 points above November 2008.

During November, Continental recorded a U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) on-time arrival rate of 86.2 percent, a record for the month, and a mainline segment completion factor of 99.6 percent.

In November 2009, Continental flew 6.8 billion consolidated revenue passenger miles (RPMs) and 8.4 billion consolidated available seat miles (ASMs), resulting in a consolidated traffic increase of 2.9 percent and a capacity decrease of 1.2 percent as compared to November 2008. In November 2009, Continental flew 6.0 billion mainline RPMs and 7.4 billion mainline ASMs, resulting in a mainline traffic increase of 2.7 percent and a mainline capacity decrease of 1.4 percent as compared to November 2008. Domestic mainline traffic was 3.2 billion RPMs in November 2009, up 2.9 percent from November 2008, and domestic mainline capacity was 3.8 billion ASMs, down 0.5 percent from November 2008.

For November 2009, consolidated passenger revenue per available seat mile (RASM) is estimated to have decreased between 7.0 and 9.0 percent compared to November 2008, while mainline RASM is estimated to have decreased between 8.0 and 10.0 percent. The ranges of the year-over-year RASM estimates for the month of November are wider than usual due to processing delays associated with the transition to Star Alliance.

For October 2009, consolidated passenger RASM decreased 14.2 percent compared to October 2008, while mainline passenger RASM decreased 15.2 percent compared to October 2008.

Continental anticipates ending 2009 with an unrestricted cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments balance of approximately $2.5 billion.

Continental's regional operations had a November load factor of 75.9 percent, 2.8 points above the November 2008 regional load factor. Regional RPMs were 743.8 million and regional ASMs were 980.4 million in November 2009, resulting in a traffic increase of 4.0 percent and a capacity increase of 0.3 percent versus November 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
NOVEMBER                     2009                 2008        Change
REVENUE PASSENGER
 MILES (000)
  Domestic               3,167,699            3,079,293     2.9 Percent

  International          2,856,964            2,784,408     2.6 Percent
  Transatlantic          1,412,455            1,465,741    -3.6 Percent
  Latin America            848,364              801,485     5.8 Percent
  Pacific                  596,145              517,182    15.3 Percent

  Mainline               6,024,663            5,863,701     2.7 Percent
  Regional                 743,767              715,003     4.0 Percent
  Consolidated           6,768,430            6,578,704     2.9 Percent
AVAILABLE SEAT MILES
 (000)
  Domestic               3,801,151            3,819,969    -0.5 Percent

  International          3,623,427            3,712,195    -2.4 Percent
  Transatlantic          1,762,500            1,986,001   -11.3 Percent
  Latin America          1,053,031            1,016,962     3.5 Percent
  Pacific                  807,896              709,232    13.9 Percent

  Mainline               7,424,578            7,532,164    -1.4 Percent
  Regional                 980,376              977,543     0.3 Percent
  Consolidated           8,404,954            8,509,707    -1.2 Percent
PASSENGER LOAD FACTOR
  Domestic            83.3 Percent         80.6 Percent     2.7 Points

  International       78.8 Percent         75.0 Percent     3.8 Points
  Transatlantic       80.1 Percent         73.8 Percent     6.3 Points
  Latin America       80.6 Percent         78.8 Percent     1.8 Points
  Pacific             73.8 Percent         72.9 Percent     0.9 Points

  Mainline            81.1 Percent         77.8 Percent     3.3 Points
  Regional            75.9 Percent         73.1 Percent     2.8 Points
  Consolidated        80.5 Percent         77.3 Percent     3.2 Points
ONBOARD PASSENGERS
  Mainline               3,470,421            3,487,165    -0.5 Percent
  Regional               1,374,653            1,325,422     3.7 Percent
  Consolidated           4,845,074            4,812,587     0.7 Percent
CARGO REVENUE TON
 MILES (000)
  Total                     92,020               79,021    16.5 Percent

                        PRELIMINARY TRAFFIC RESULTS
YEAR-TO-DATE                      2009            2008       Change
REVENUE PASSENGER MILES
 (000)
  Domestic                   37,133,151      39,504,455   -6.0 Percent

  International              35,954,063      36,967,642   -2.7 Percent
  Transatlantic              18,482,625      19,814,324   -6.7 Percent
  Latin America              10,587,178      10,652,411   -0.6 Percent
  Pacific                     6,884,260       6,500,907    5.9 Percent

  Mainline                   73,087,214      76,472,097   -4.4 Percent
  Regional                    8,510,015       9,103,936   -6.5 Percent
  Consolidated               81,597,229      85,576,033   -4.6 Percent
AVAILABLE SEAT MILES
 (000)
  Domestic                   43,798,617      47,447,699   -7.7 Percent

  International              45,542,892      47,198,249   -3.5 Percent
  Transatlantic              23,306,459      25,674,637   -9.2 Percent
  Latin America              13,036,567      12,991,056    0.4 Percent
  Pacific                     9,199,866       8,532,556    7.8 Percent

  Mainline                   89,341,509      94,645,948   -5.6 Percent
  Regional                   11,124,994      11,963,468   -7.0 Percent
  Consolidated              100,466,503     106,609,416   -5.8 Percent
PASSENGER LOAD FACTOR
  Domestic                 84.8 Percent    83.3 Percent    1.5 Points

  International            78.9 Percent    78.3 Percent    0.6 Points
  Transatlantic            79.3 Percent    77.2 Percent    2.1 Points
  Latin America            81.2 Percent    82.0 Percent   -0.8 Points
  Pacific                  74.8 Percent    76.2 Percent   -1.4 Points

  Mainline                 81.8 Percent    80.8 Percent    1.0 Point
  Regional                 76.5 Percent    76.1 Percent    0.4 Points
  Consolidated             81.2 Percent    80.3 Percent    0.9 Points
ONBOARD PASSENGERS
  Mainline                   41,740,782      44,894,665   -7.0 Percent
  Regional                   15,775,617      16,597,677   -5.0 Percent
  Consolidated               57,516,399      61,492,342   -6.5 Percent
CARGO REVENUE TON MILES
 (000)
  Total                         852,270         934,259   -8.8 Percent

                  PRELIMINARY OPERATIONAL AND FINANCIAL RESULTS
NOVEMBER                              2009      2008            Change
On-Time Performance (1)               86.2%     80.7%         5.5  Points
Completion Factor (2)                 99.6%     99.9%        (0.3) Points
October 2009 year-over-year
 consolidated RASM change                                   (14.2) Percent
October 2009 year-over-year mainline
 RASM change                                                (15.2) Percent
November 2009 estimated year-over-year
 consolidated RASM change                            (7.0) - (9.0) Percent
November 2009 estimated year-over-year
 mainline RASM change                               (8.0) - (10.0) Percent
November 2009 estimated average price
 per gallon of fuel, including fuel taxes                    2.05  Dollars
Fourth Quarter 2009 estimated average
 price per gallon of fuel, including fuel taxes              1.99  Dollars

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

SOURCE Continental Airlines

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RELATED LINKS
http://www.continental.com