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 1, 2008

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 1, 2008, we issued a press release announcing our September 2008 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 1, 2008 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 2008

OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE

HOUSTON, Oct. 1, 2008 - Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL) today reported a September consolidated (mainline plus regional) load factor of 76.5 percent, 2.5 points below the September 2007 consolidated load factor, and a mainline load factor of 77.4 percent, 1.8 points below the September 2007 mainline load factor. In addition, the carrier reported a domestic mainline September load factor of 78.5 percent, 2.6 points below the September 2007 domestic mainline load factor, and an international mainline load factor of 76.3 percent, 0.9 points below September 2007.

During the month, Continental recorded a U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) on-time arrival rate of 82.1 percent and a mainline segment completion factor of 94.4 percent. Continental's operational performance was negatively impacted by Hurricane Ike in mid-September.

In September 2008, Continental flew 6.5 billion consolidated revenue passenger miles (RPMs) and 8.5 billion consolidated available seat miles (ASMs), resulting in a consolidated traffic decrease of 10.9 percent and a capacity decrease of 8.1 percent as compared to September 2007. In September 2008, Continental flew 5.8 billion mainline RPMs and 7.5 billion mainline ASMs, resulting in a mainline traffic decrease of 10.9 percent and a mainline capacity decrease of 8.8 percent as compared to September 2007. Domestic mainline traffic was 2.9 billion RPMs in September 2008, down 16.2 percent from September 2007, and domestic mainline capacity was 3.7 billion ASMs, down 13.4 percent from September 2007.

For September 2008, consolidated passenger revenue per available seat mile (RASM) is estimated to have increased between 8.0 and 9.0 percent compared to September 2007, while mainline passenger RASM is estimated to have increased between 9.0 and 10.0 percent compared to September 2007. For August 2008, consolidated passenger RASM increased 5.3 percent compared to August 2007, while mainline passenger RASM increased 6.1 percent compared to August 2007.

Continental ended the third quarter with an unrestricted cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments balance of approximately $2.76 billion. This balance excludes all student loan-related auction rate securities.

Continental's regional operations had a September load factor of 69.5percent, 7.0points below the September 2007 regional load factor. Regional RPMs were 665.3 million and regional ASMs were 957.7 million in September 2008, resulting in a traffic decrease of 10.6 percent and a capacity decrease of 1.5 percent versus September 2007.

Continental Airlines is the world's fifth largest airline. Continental, together with Continental Express and Continental Connection, has more than 2,500 daily departures throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia, serving 122 domestic and 120 international destinations. More than 550 additional points are served via SkyTeam alliance airlines. With more than 44,000 employees, Continental has hubs serving New York, Houston, Cleveland and Guam, and together with Continental Express, carries approximately 69 million passengers per year.

Continental consistently earns awards and critical acclaim for both its operation and its corporate culture. For the fifth consecutive year, FORTUNE magazine named Continental the No. 1 World's Most Admired Airline on its 2008 list of World's Most Admired Companies. For more company information, go to 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 2007 10-K and its other securities filings, including any amendments thereto, which identify important matters such as the consequences of the company's high leverage, the significant cost of aircraft fuel, the company's transition to a new global alliance, delays in scheduled aircraft deliveries, its high labor and pension costs, service interruptions at one of its hub airports, disruptions to the operations of its regional operators, disruptions in its computer systems, and industry conditions, including the airline pricing environment, indu stry capacity decisions, industry consolidation, terrorist attacks, regulatory matters, excessive taxation, the availability and cost of insurance, public health threats, an economic downturn in the U.S. and global economies 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, except as required by applicable law.

PRELIMINARY TRAFFIC RESULTS
SEPTEMBER				2008	2007		Change
REVENUE PASSENGER MILES (000)
		Domestic		2,889,642	3,448,145		-16.2		Percent
		International		2,939,376	3,097,052		-5.1		Percent
		Transatlantic		1,779,464	1,814,237		-1.9		Percent
		Latin America		591,423	671,055		-11.9		Percent
		Pacific		568,489	611,760		-7.1		Percent
		Mainline		5,829,018	6,545,197		-10.9		Percent
		Regional		665,285	743,920		-10.6		Percent
		Consolidated		6,494,303	7,289,117		-10.9		Percent
AVAILABLE SEAT MILES (000)
		Domestic		3,678,834	4,250,123		-13.4		Percent
		International		3,849,950	4,009,227		-4.0		Percent
		Transatlantic		2,338,025	2,303,334		1.5		Percent
		Latin America		774,378	898,551		-13.8		Percent
		Pacific		737,547	807,342		-8.6		Percent
		Mainline		7,528,784	8,259,350		-8.8		Percent
		Regional		957,659	972,306		-1.5		Percent
		Consolidated		8,486,443	9,231,656		-8.1		Percent
PASSENGER LOAD FACTOR
		Domestic		78.5 Percent	81.1 Percent		-2.6		Points
		International		76.3 Percent	77.2 Percent		-0.9		Points
		Transatlantic		76.1 Percent	78.8 Percent		-2.7		Points
		Latin America		76.4 Percent	74.7 Percent		1.7		Points
		Pacific		77.1 Percent	75.8 Percent		1.3		Points
		Mainline		77.4 Percent	79.2 Percent		-1.8		Points
		Regional		69.5 Percent	76.5 Percent		-7.0		Points
		Consolidated		76.5 Percent	79.0 Percent		-2.5		Points
ONBOARD PASSENGERS
		Mainline		3,162,971	3,751,807		-15.7		Percent
		Regional		1,239,585	1,383,022		-10.4		Percent
		Consolidated		4,402,556	5,134,829		-14.3		Percent
CARGO REVENUE TON MILES (000)
		Total		78,208	86,687		-9.8		Percent
PRELIMINARY TRAFFIC RESULTS
YEAR-TO-DATE			2008			2007		Change
REVENUE PASSENGER MILES (000)
	Domestic		33,059,679			34,292,569		-3.6		Percent
	International		31,198,331			29,746,500		4.9		Percent
	Transatlantic		16,593,207			15,282,538		8.6		Percent
	Latin America		9,173,141			8,672,677		5.8		Percent
	Pacific		5,431,983			5,791,285		-6.2		Percent
	Mainline		64,258,010			64,039,069		0.3		Percent
	Regional		7,603,772			7,456,823		2.0		Percent
	Consolidated		71,861,782			71,495,892		0.5		Percent
AVAILABLE SEAT MILES (000)
	Domestic		39,572,803			40,646,586		-2.6		Percent
	International		39,551,824			37,045,626		6.8		Percent
	Transatlantic		21,367,474			19,032,122		12.3		Percent
	Latin America		11,109,442			10,654,600		4.3		Percent
	Pacific		7,074,908			7,358,904		-3.9		Percent
	Mainline		79,124,627			77,692,212		1.8		Percent
	Regional		9,937,632			9,495,359		4.7		Percent
	Consolidated		89,062,259			87,187,571		2.2		Percent
PASSENGER LOAD FACTOR
	Domestic		83.5 Percent			84.4 Percent		-0.9		Points
	International		78.9 Percent			80.3 Percent		-1.4		Points
	Transatlantic		77.7 Percent			80.3 Percent		-2.6		Points
	Latin America		82.6 Percent			81.4 Percent		1.2		Point
	Pacific		76.8 Percent			78.7 Percent		-1.9		Points
	Mainline		81.2 Percent			82.4 Percent		-1.2		Points
	Regional		76.5 Percent			78.5 Percent		-2.0		Points
	Consolidated		80.7 Percent			82.0 Percent		-1.3		Points
ONBOARD PASSENGERS
	Mainline		37,714,489			38,649,351		-2.4		Percent
	Regional		13,794,791			13,549,347		1.8		Percent
	Consolidated		51,509,280			52,198,698		-1.3		Percent
CARGO REVENUE TON MILES (000)
	Total		770,009			757,688		1.6		Percent

PRELIMINARY OPERATIONAL AND FINANCIAL RESULTS
SEPTEMBER	2008	2007	Change
On-Time Performance 1	82.1%	88.0%	(5.9)	Points
Completion Factor 2	94.4%	99.8%	(5.4)	Points
August 2008 year-over-year consolidated RASM change			5.3	Percent
August 2008 year-over-year mainline RASM change			6.1	Percent
September 2008 estimated year-over-year consolidated RASM change			8.0 - 9.0	Percent
September 2008 estimated year-over-year mainline RASM change			9.0 - 10.0	Percent
September 2008 estimated average price per gallon of fuel, including fuel taxes			3.77	Dollars
Third Quarter 2008 estimated average price per gallon of fuel, including fuel taxes			3.86	Dollars
1 Department of Transportation Arrivals within 14 minutes
2 Mainline Segment Completion Percentage
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