For the first two weeks in October 2001,
Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL) today reported a 71.3 percent domestic and
56.3 percent international load factor for a systemwide load factor of
65.5 percent.  The systemwide load factor is 13.2 points above the load factor
reported for the last two weeks of September 2001 and 5.5 points below the
71.0 percent load factor reported for the comparable period in 2000.  The
domestic load factor is 1.3 points higher than the results for the same period
last year, although on 18.9 percent less capacity.

Continental`s on-time arrival rate was 84.0 percent for the first two
weeks of October.  Completion factor for the two weeks was 99.1 percent, with
the carrier operating approximately 1,100 flights a day.
 
“Continental is continuing to see a growing increase in its load factors
since the Sept. 11 attacks, especially on its domestic flights,” said Gordon
Bethune, Continental chairman and chief executive officer.  “The positive load
factor trend shows that customers have confidence in Continental and are
returning to the skies for their travel needs.”
 
During the first two weeks of October 2001, Continental flew 1.8 billion
revenue passenger miles (RPMs) and 2.7 billion available seat miles (ASMs),
resulting in a traffic decrease of 23.6 percent and a capacity decrease of
17.2 percent versus the corresponding two-week period in October 2000.
Domestic traffic was 1.2 billion RPMs, down 17.4 percent from October 2000,
and domestic capacity was 1.7 billion ASMs, down 18.9 percent from last year.
 
Low load factors and yields resulted in a decrease in estimated systemwide
passenger revenue per available seat mile (RASM) of between 26 and 28 percent
for the first two weeks of October 2001, as compared to the first two weeks of
October 2000.  During Sept. 17-30, 2001, RASM declined 38 percent, as compared
to the same period in 2000.
 
Continental Express, a wholly owned subsidiary of Continental Airlines,
reported a load factor of 62.3 percent for the first two weeks of October,
1.8 points above the comparable period last year. Continental Express flew
127.3 million RPMs and 204.2 million ASMs the first two weeks of October,
resulting in a traffic increase of 4.5 percent and a capacity increase of
1.5 percent versus the same period in October 2000.

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