Fuente : Continental Airlines
http://www.continental.com/

Continental Airlines Reports July 2005 Operational Performance

/noticias.info/ HOUSTON, Aug 01, 2005 -- Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL) today reported a July consolidated (mainline plus regional) load factor of 83.9 percent, 1.5 points below last year's July consolidated load factor. The carrier reported a mainline load factor of 84.6 percent, 1.5 points below last year's July mainline load factor, and a domestic mainline load factor of 86.4 percent, 0.1 points below July 2004. In addition, the airline had an international mainline July load factor of 82.5 percent, 3.1 points below July 2004.

During the month, Continental recorded a U.S. Department of Transportation on-time arrival rate of 69.5 percent. The carrier's on-time arrival rate was impacted by severe weather, which plagued the carrier's hub operations in both Newark and Houston throughout much of July. Despite these difficult weather conditions, Continental maintained a systemwide mainline completion factor of 99.6 percent.

In July 2005, Continental flew 7.9 billion consolidated revenue passenger miles (RPMs) and 9.4 billion consolidated available seat miles (ASMs), resulting in a traffic increase of 7.8 percent and a capacity increase of 9.6 percent as compared to July 2004. In July 2005, Continental flew 7.0 billion mainline RPMs and 8.3 billion mainline ASMs, resulting in a mainline traffic increase of 6.6 percent and a mainline capacity increase of 8.5 percent as compared to July 2004. Domestic mainline traffic was 3.8 billion RPMs in July 2005, up 2.4 percent from July 2004, and domestic mainline capacity was 4.4 billion ASMs, up 2.5 percent from July 2004.

For the month of July 2005, both consolidated and mainline passenger revenue per available seat mile (RASM) are estimated to have increased between 4.5 and 5.5 percent compared to July 2004. For June 2005, both consolidated and mainline passenger RASM increased 6.6 percent compared to June 2004.

Continental's regional operations (Continental Express) had a July load factor of 78.7 percent, 0.6 points below last year's July load factor. Regional RPMs were 861.8 million and regional ASMs were 1,094.5 million in July 2005, resulting in a traffic increase of 18.1 percent and a capacity increase of 19.0 percent versus July 2004.

Continental Airlines is the world's sixth-largest airline. Continental, together with Continental Express and Continental Connection, has more than 3,100 daily departures throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia, serving 150 domestic and 131 international destinations, more than any other carrier in the world. Nearly 400 additional points are served via SkyTeam alliance airlines, which include Aeromexico, Air France/KLM, Alitalia, CSA Czech Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Korean Air and Northwest Airlines. With 41,000 employees, Continental has hubs serving New York, Houston, Cleveland and Guam, and together with Continental Express, carries approximately 56 million passengers per year. Continental consistently earns awards and critical acclaim for both its operation and its corporate culture.

For the second consecutive year, FORTUNE magazine named Continental the No. 1 Most Admired Global Airline on its 2005 list of Most Admired Global Companies. Continental was also included in the publication's annual "Top 50" list, which ranks all companies, across a wide variety of industries, that appear in the Global Most Admired Companies issue. Continental again won major awards at the 2005 OAG Airline of the Year Awards including "Airline of the Year" and "Best Airline Based in North America" for the second consecutive year, and "Best Executive/Business Class" for the third consecutive year. For more company information, visit 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 2004 10-K and its other securities filings, including any amendments thereto, which identify important matters such as the consequences of our significant financial losses and high leverage, terrorist attacks, domestic and international economic conditions, the significant cost of aircraft fuel, labor costs, competition, and industry conditions, including the demand for air travel, the airline pricing environment and industry capacity decisions, regulatory matters 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. notas_de_prensa_archivo