8-K

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT PURSUANT

TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): October 2, 2006

CONTINENTAL AIRLINES, INC.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

DELAWARE

(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation)

1-10323	74-2099724
(Commission File Number)	(IRS Employer Identification No.)

1600 Smith Street, Dept. HQSEO, Houston, Texas	77002
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)	(Zip Code)

(713) 324-2950

(Registrant's Telephone Number, Including Area Code)

______________________________________

(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

	Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act
(17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

	Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act
(17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Item 8.01. Other Events.

On October 2, 2006, we issued a press release announcing our September 2006 performance. The press release is filed herewith as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d) Exhibits

99.1 Press Release for September Performance

SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Continental Airlines, Inc. has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

CONTINENTAL AIRLINES, INC.

October 2, 2006 By  /s/ Lori A. Gobillot         Lori A. Gobillot   Staff Vice President and Assistant General Counsel    

EXHIBIT INDEX

99.1 Press Release for September Performance

EX-99.1

EXHIBIT 99.1

News Release

Contact: Corporate Communications

Houston: 713.324.5080

Email: corpcomm@coair.com

News archive: continental.com/company/news/ Address: P.O. Box 4607, Houston, TX 77210-4607

CONTINENTAL AIRLINES REPORTS SEPTEMBER 2006

OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE

HOUSTON, Oct. 2, 2006 - Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL) today reported a September consolidated (mainline plus regional) load factor of 78.2 percent, 1.2 points above last year's September consolidated load factor. The carrier reported a mainline load factor of 78.6 percent, 1.2 points above the September 2005 mainline load factor, and a domestic mainline load factor of 81.2 percent, 2.1 points above September 2005. All three were records for September. In addition, the airline had an international mainline load factor of 75.7 percent, 0.3 points above September 2005.

During the month, Continental recorded a U.S. Department of Transportation on-time arrival rate of 81.3 percent and a record September mainline completion factor of 99.9 percent. The airline also achieved a September record number of 100-percent completion factor days, operating 14 days during the month without a single mainline flight cancellation.

In September 2006, Continental flew 6.9 billion consolidated revenue passenger miles (RPMs) and 8.8 billion consolidated available seat miles (ASMs), resulting in a traffic increase of 11.5 percent and a capacity increase of 9.9 percent as compared to September 2005. In September 2006, Continental flew 6.1 billion mainline RPMs and 7.8 billion mainline ASMs, resulting in a mainline traffic increase of 10.7 percent and a 9.0 percent increase in mainline capacity as compared to September 2005. Domestic mainline traffic was 3.3 billion RPMs in September 2006, up 10.0 percent from September 2005, and domestic mainline capacity was 4.1 billion ASMs, up 7.1 percent from September 2005.

For September 2006, both consolidated and mainline passenger revenue per available seat mile (RASM) are estimated to have increased between 4.0 and 5.0 percent compared to September 2005.  For August 2006, consolidated passenger RASM increased 7.2 percent compared to August 2005, while mainline passenger RASM increased 6.1 percent from August 2005.

Continental ended the third quarter with unrestricted cash and short-term investments of approximately $2.5 billion.

Continental's regional operations had a record September load factor of 75.0 percent, 0.8 points above last year's September load factor. Regional RPMs were 791.0 million and regional ASMs were 1,055.3 million in September 2006, resulting in a traffic increase of 17.8 percent and a capacity increase of 16.7 percent versus September 2005.

Continental Airlines is the world's fifth largest airline. Continental, together with Continental Express and Continental Connection, has more than 3,200 daily departures throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia, serving 154 domestic and 138 international destinations. More than 400 additional points are served via SkyTeam alliance airlines.  With more than 43,000 employees, Continental has hubs serving New York, Houston, Cleveland and Guam, and together with Continental Express, carries approximately 61 million passengers per year. Continental consistently earns awards and critical acclaim for both its operation and its corporate culture.

In 2006, Continental Airlines won its sixth J.D. Power and Associates award since 1996. The carrier received the highest rank in customer satisfaction among network carriers in North America in the J.D. Power and Associates 2006 Airline Satisfaction Index Survey^SM. For the third consecutive year, FORTUNE magazine named Continental the No. 1 Most Admired Global Airline on its 2006 list of Most Admired Global Companies. Continental was also named the No. 1 airline on the publication's 2006 America's Most Admired airline industry list. Additionally, Continental again won major awards at the OAG Airline of the Year Awards including "Best Airline Based in North America" for the third year in a row, and "Best Executive/Business Class" for the fourth 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 2005 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, disruptions in its computer systems, and the seasonal nature of the airline busine ss. 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
SEPTEMBER				2006		2005		Change
REVENUE PASSENGER MILES (000)
		Domestic		3,300,487		3,000,574		10.0		Percent
		International		2,812,972		2,520,513		11.6		Percent
		Transatlantic		1,595,883		1,446,512		10.3		Percent
		Latin America		613,598		505,938		21.3		Percent
		Pacific		603,491		568,063		6.2		Percent
		Mainline		6,113,459		5,521,087		10.7		Percent
		Regional		790,987		671,442		17.8		Percent
		Consolidated		6,904,446		6,192,529		11.5		Percent
AVAILABLE SEAT MILES (000)
		Domestic		4,063,216		3,793,995		7.1		Percent
		International		3,715,958		3,342,886		11.2		Percent
		Transatlantic		2,027,990		1,792,082		13.2		Percent
		Latin America		881,062		762,034		15.6		Percent
		Pacific		806,906		788,770		2.3		Percent
		Mainline		7,779,174		7,136,881		9.0		Percent
		Regional		1,055,252		904,619		16.7		Percent
		Consolidated		8,834,426		8,041,500		9.9		Percent
PASSENGER LOAD FACTOR
		Domestic		81.2 Percent		79.1 Percent		2.1		Points
		International		75.7 Percent		75.4 Percent		0.3		Points
		Transatlantic		78.7 Percent		80.7 Percent		-2.0		Points
		Latin America		69.6 Percent		66.4 Percent		3.2		Points
		Pacific		74.8 Percent		72.0 Percent		2.8		Points
		Mainline		78.6 Percent		77.4 Percent		1.2		Points
		Regional		75.0 Percent		74.2 Percent		0.8		Points
		Consolidated		78.2 Percent		77.0 Percent		1.2		Points
ONBOARD PASSENGERS
		Mainline		3,574,434		3,249,320		10.0		Percent
		Regional		1,421,945		1,239,635		14.7		Percent
		Consolidated		4,996,379		4,488,955		11.3		Percent
CARGO REVENUE TON MILES (000)
		Total		90,420		82,972		9.0		Percent
PRELIMINARY TRAFFIC RESULTS
YEAR-TO-DATE			2006		2005		Change
REVENUE PASSENGER MILES (000)
	Domestic		32,456,080		29,853,959		8.7		Percent
	International		27,503,079		23,729,601		15.9		Percent
	Transatlantic		13,588,308		11,654,819		16.6		Percent
	Latin America		8,274,790		7,019,028		17.9		Percent
	Pacific		5,639,981		5,055,754		11.6		Percent
	Mainline		59,959,159		53,583,560		11.9		Percent
	Regional		7,782,654		6,581,867		18.2		Percent
	Consolidated		67,741,813		60,165,427		12.6		Percent
AVAILABLE SEAT MILES (000)
	Domestic		38,716,240		36,663,095		5.6		Percent
	International		34,960,874		30,357,530		15.2		Percent
	Transatlantic		17,160,677		14,436,433		18.9		Percent
	Latin America		10,463,929		9,235,208		13.3		Percent
	Pacific		7,336,268		6,685,889		9.7		Percent
	Mainline		73,677,114		67,020,625		9.9		Percent
	Regional		9,958,862		8,878,237		12.2		Percent
	Consolidated		83,635,976		75,898,862		10.2		Percent
PASSENGER LOAD FACTOR
	Domestic		83.8 Percent		81.4 Percent		2.4		Points
	International		78.7 Percent		78.2 Percent		0.5		Points
	Transatlantic		79.2 Percent		80.7 Percent		-1.5		Points
	Latin America		79.1 Percent		76.0 Percent		3.1		Points
	Pacific		76.9 Percent		75.6 Percent		1.3		Points
	Mainline		81.4 Percent		80.0 Percent		1.4		Points
	Regional		78.1 Percent		74.1 Percent		4.0		Points
	Consolidated		81.0 Percent		79.3 Percent		1.7		Points
ONBOARD PASSENGERS
	Mainline		36,751,729		33,705,968		9.0		Percent
	Regional		13,763,256		11,861,733		16.0		Percent
	Consolidated		50,514,985		45,567,701		10.9		Percent
CARGO REVENUE TON MILES (000)
	Total		794,843		743,189		7.0		Percent

PRELIMINARY OPERATIONAL AND FINANCIAL RESULTS
SEPTEMBER	2006	2005		Change
On-Time Performance 1	81.3%	79.5%		1.8	Points
Completion Factor 2	99.9%	96.8%		3.1	Points
Aug. 2006 year-over-year consolidated RASM change				7.2	Percent
Aug. 2006 year-over-year mainline RASM change				6.1	Percent
Sept. 2006 estimated year-over-year consolidated RASM change				4.0-5.0	Percent
Sept. 2006 estimated year-over-year mainline RASM change				4.0-5.0	Percent
Sept. 2006 estimated average price per gallon of fuel, including fuel taxes				2.22	Dollars
Third Quarter 2006 estimated average price per gallon of fuel, incl. fuel taxes				2.22	Dollars
1 Department of Transportation Arrivals within 14 minutes
2 Mainline Mileage Completion Percentage
			###