News Release
Continental Airlines Reports Record Load Factor In May
HOUSTON, June 3, 1998 -- Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAI.B and CAI.A) today reported its highest May load factor ever of 72.6 percent. The May load factor was 1.6 points higher than one year ago. The domestic load factor of 73.0 percent was also a record for May.
In May 1998, Continental flew 4.5 billion revenue passenger miles (RPMs) and 6.2 billion available seat miles (ASMs), resulting in a traffic increase of 15.8 percent and a capacity increase of 13.2 percent versus May 1997. International traffic was 1.5 billion RPMs, up 27.7 percent from May 1997. International capacity was 2.1 billion ASMs, up 25.1 percent from last year.
Continental's wholly owned subsidiary, Continental Express, reported that its May load factor was 60.1 percent, up 4.2 points from last year, based on 130.3 million RPMs and 217.0 million ASMs. Continental Express May traffic was up 36.1 percent and May capacity was up 26.6 percent from last year.
| MAY | 1998 | 1997 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| REVENUE PASSENGER MILES (000) | |||
| Domestic | 3,040,185 | 2,744,789 | 10.8 Percent |
| International | 1,497,570 | 1,172,453 | 27.7 Percent |
| Total Jet | 4,537,756 | 3,917,242 | 15.8 Percent |
| Cont'l. Express | 130,305 | 95,756 | 36.1 Percent |
| AVAILABLE SEAT MILES (000) | |||
| Domestic | 4,164,005 | 3,853,534 | 8.1 Percent |
| International | 2,083,849 | 1,665,562 | 25.1 Percent |
| Total Jet | 6,247,855 | 5,519,096 | 13.2 Percent |
| Cont'l. Express | 216,987 | 171,357 | 26.6 Percent |
| PASSENGER LOAD FACTOR | |||
| Domestic | 73.0 Percent | 71.2 Percent | 1.8 Points |
| International | 71.9 Percent | 70.4 Percent | 1.5 Points |
| Total Jet | 72.6 Percent | 71.0 Percent | 1.6 Points |
| Cont'l. Express | 60.1 Percent | 55.9 Percent | 4.2 Points |
| CARGO REVENUE TON MILES (000) | |||
| Total | 71,371 | 58,663 | 21.7 Percent |
| YEAR-TO-DATE | 1998 | 1997 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| REVENUE PASSENGER MILES (000) | |||
| Domestic | 13,980,512 | 13,087,898 | 6.8 Percent |
| International | 7,083,777 | 5,539,332 | 27.9 Percent |
| Total Jet | 21,064,289 | 18,627,229 | 13.1 Percent |
| Cont'l. Express | 551,115 | 406,764 | 35.5 Percent |
| AVAILABLE SEAT MILES (000) | |||
| Domestic | 19,812,520 | 18,883,729 | 4.9 Percent |
| International | 10,039,991 | 7,893,828 | 27.2 Percent |
| Total Jet | 29,852,511 | 26,777,557 | 11.5 Percent |
| Cont'l. Express | 988,347 | 783,762 | 26.1 Percent |
| PASSENGER LOAD FACTOR | |||
| Domestic | 70.6 Percent | 69.3 Percent | 1.3 Points |
| International | 70.6 Percent | 70.2 Percent | 0.4 Points |
| Total Jet | 70.6 Percent | 69.6 Percent | 1.0 Points |
| Cont'l. Express | 55.8 Percent | 51.9 Percent | 3.9 Points |
| CARGO REVENUE TON MILES (000) | |||
| Total | 358,601 | 274,494 | 30.6 Percent |