Continental Airlines (CAL) reported a fourth quarter net income of $85 million or $0.60 per share versus a loss of $269 million or $2.35 per share a year ago.
Excluding $77 million of special charges, and a $158 million non-cash income tax benefit, the company recorded a fourth-quarter net income of $4 million or $0.03 per share in comparison with a loss of $295 million or $2.28 per share in the prior year.
On average, 9 analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected loss per share of $0.07 for the quarter. Analysts' estimate typically excludes one-time items.
The company said the fourth-quarter results continued to be adversely affected by declines in high yield traffic due to the global recession.
Total revenue for the fourth quarter of 2009 was $3.2 billion, a decline of 8.3% compared with the same period in 2008. Six analysts estimated revenues of $3.19 billion for the quarter. Passenger revenue for the fourth quarter fell 9.5% compared with 2008 period, due to lower yields.
Consolidated revenue passenger miles or RPMs for the quarter rose 3.5% on a capacity (available seat mile, ASM) decrease of 0.6% year-over-year. Fourth-quarter consolidated load factor was 82.0%, 3.3 points higher than the fourth quarter of 2008.
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June 05, 2026 16:18 ET A busy week for economic news flow saw a slew of reports being released that reflected the trends in the U.S. labor market. In Europe, economic growth and inflation data gained attention as the European Central Bank and Bank of England head for policy session later in the month. In Asia, the monetary policy session of the Indian central bank was in focus as the country, a major oil importer, reels under the pressures of a weaker rupee and rising inflation.