Continental vokser videre

[Someone]

http://www.continental.com/web/en-US....aspx?i=PRNEWS

HOUSTON, Oct. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL) today reported third quarter 2006 net income of $237 million ($2.17 diluted earnings per share), which includes a $92 million gain on the sale of a portion of the company's investment in Copa Airlines. Excluding net special charges of $1 million and the $92 million Copa gain, Continental recorded net income of $146 million ($1.36 diluted earnings per share).

Operating income for the third quarter was $192 million, an $83 million improvement over the same period of 2005, despite fuel price increases costing over $155 million and the negative impact of increased security measures that took effect on Aug. 10. In addition, results for the third quarter of 2006 include a $42 million accrual for employee profit sharing, bringing the cumulative accrued profit sharing pool to over $100 million

Itillegg skal de sette winglets på sine resterende 737CL

[Tommy777]

AA gjør det ikke så skarpt..... Som dere ser, har AA tapt USD 50 mill på kaoset på LHR.. Så for CO er det jo fint at de kun har 4 flygninger til London pr. dag, ingen til LHR, da unngikk de det tapet.

UA melder følgende: CHICAGO, Oct. 16, 2006 - UAL Corporation (NASDAQ: UAUA), the holding company whose primary subsidiary is United Airlines, announced today that the company will release its third quarter financial results on Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2006 and hold its financial conference call that day at 10:30 a.m. EDT. A live, listen-only mode webcast will be available on the Investor Relations section of united.com (http://www.united.com/ir).

AA melder: FORT WORTH , Texas – AMR Corporation, the parent company of American Airlines, Inc., today reported a net profit of $15 million for the third quarter of 2006, or $0.06 per share fully diluted. The results include a $99 million non-cash charge in Other Income (Expense) to reduce the book value of certain outstanding fuel hedge contracts. Excluding this special item, AMR reported a profit of $114 million, or $0.45 per share fully diluted.

The current quarter results compare to a net loss of $153 million, or $0.93 per share fully diluted, in the third quarter of last year. Excluding the $58 million net negative impact of two special items, the net loss in the third quarter of 2005 would have been $95 million, or $0.58 per share.

“We are pleased to report a profit for the third quarter, which represents the first time in nearly six years that we have recorded a profit in two consecutive quarters,” said AMR Chairman and CEO Gerard Arpey. “These results show continuing improvements in the Company’s core business operations, even in the face of new challenges. But we also have more hard work ahead of us as we build a company that is better positioned for long-term success. ”

Arpey lauded employees for their resiliency and poise in the face of heavy summer traffic and the new security rules imposed after the London security threat in August. But, he also noted that competition from low-cost carriers and competitors that have gained cost advantages through the bankruptcy reorganization process remains a significant challenge.

AMR reported third quarter consolidated revenues of more than $5.8 billion, an increase of 6.6 percent year over year. In the third quarter, Other revenues, including sales from such sources as confirmed flight changes, purchased upgrades, buy-on-board food services and third-party maintenance work, increased 13.3 percent year over year to $333 million. The Company estimates that the London security threat in August reduced revenues in August and September by more than $50 million.

American's mainline load factor - or the percentage of total seats filled - was a record 81.7 percent during the third quarter. Yield, which represents average fares, increased 7.0 percent compared to the third quarter of 2005, and passenger revenue per available seat mile for the third quarter increased 7.7 percent year over year.

American's mainline cost per available seat mile in the quarter was up 3.8 percent year over year. Excluding fuel and special items, the airline's unit cost for the third quarter increased 1.0 percent year over year.

Lower fuel prices have reduced the Company’s projected fuel costs for the second half of the year by $528 million compared to the guidance that AMR provided on July 19, 2006.

“While falling fuel prices provide significant benefits to our company, fuel prices remain at historically high levels and continue to be volatile,” Arpey said. “That’s a reminder that we must continue our efforts to conserve fuel and reduce other expenses.”

The recent declines in fuel prices resulted in a $99 million non-cash accounting charge in Other Income (Expense) in the third quarter of 2006 to reduce the book value of certain outstanding fuel hedge contracts, as required by Statement of Financial Accounting Standard 133, “Accounting for Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities” (SFAS 133). This non-cash charge will largely reverse itself in subsequent quarters.

AMR regularly uses fuel hedging instruments, including options and collars, to dampen the impact of volatile fuel prices. The Company’s fuel hedging activities reduced

fuel expenses by more than $300 million during the period from 2003 through 2005, and have reduced year-to-date 2006 fuel expense by $66 million .

AMR’s cash and short-term investment balance was $5.5 billion, including a restricted balance of $464 million, at the end of the third quarter of 2006. In addition to making scheduled principal payments of $1.1 billion through the date of this release, AMR has repurchased approximately $128 million of debt since January 2006. Going forward, depending on market conditions, AMR’s cash position and other considerations, AMR may from time to time redeem or repurchase its debt or take other steps to reduce its debt or lease obligations.

AMR continues to execute on the strategy laid out in its Turnaround Plan by working together with employees to identify ways to reduce costs, grow revenues, improve the customer experience and simplify its operations. A few recent examples:

American in September signed a 5-year service agreement with the U.S. Postal Service potentially worth $500 million in revenue to American, which is the largest single contract ever awarded to the Company’s Cargo division.

Also in September, a team of Transport Workers Union (TWU) employees at American line maintenance bases and management set a goal to obtain $95 million of annual value creation for the airline by the end of 2008. That announcement followed more than $1 billion in similar goals set previously by maintenance employees at the Company’s Tulsa, Kansas City and Fort Worth maintenance bases.

The Company last month said it will expand culinary options and overall service in First and Business class cabins as part of its investment in premium class services.

Continuing efforts to bolster its international business, American in July filed an application with the United States Department of Transportation to operate daily nonstop service between Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and Beijing, China, starting in March 2007. The proposal has received wide-ranging public support.

The collaboration over the past several years between management, unions and employees helped produce a positive result in August, when Congress passed a bill that enhances AMR’s ability to fund its pension obligations. Arpey noted that AMR was able to contribute $104 million to its various defined benefit pension plans since the end of the second quarter, bringing its total 2006 contributions to the plans to $223 million through October 13, 2006.

Stille så langt fra de andre flyselskapene

[Tommy777]

Skal jo også være sagt at CO driver og selger Copa aksjer så det holder, så resultatene vi ser, inneholder mye aksjesalg

[Someone]

Selv uten COPA salg så var overskuddet $146m så det er ikke så dårlig bare det. Hvor my har du forresten fått for de COPA aksjene? Hvis profitten var $92m så må de ha fått inn endel for jeg tviler på at bokført verdi var 0


Men som du sier så er det skuffende av AMR. Q3 bør jo være ett kvartal ett flyselskap tjener penger.

[Dag Johnsen]

Heisan, ja da blir det den fineste vinen til middag i kveld...

COPA har vært en av de beste investeringene vi (CO) har gjort. Vi har mangedoblet de invisteringene vi gjorde for noen år siden, og vi har fortsatt aksjer igjen. Det har vært en del jobbing med de (COPA) men de begynner å bli mere og mere selvstendige.

Som nevnt ovenfor var ikke resultatene så aller verst, selv uten inntektene fra COPA aksjene, og tatt i betraktning av vi øker kapasitet.

Det var også inkludert $42m i disse nummerene for profit sharing til de annsatte, i tillegg til de $60m som tidligere var satt til side.

Dag

[Airbus 330]

Det virker på meg at Continental går meget bra fra OSL, er det muligheter for noe større fly hit til OSL ala 767-400 Dag? :

Airbus 330.

[Dag Johnsen]

Heisann Airbus 330! Ja, jeg vet at OSL går meget bra, men jeg vet ikke om markedet er stort nok for en B767-400 enda...? Jeg vet at vi gjerne ville øket BusinessFirst kapasitet i dette markedet da vi selger ut denne klassen stort sett hver flight. Dette er høy yield biletter...$$$

Da ser jeg at våre venner i Dallas rapporterte 3 kvartal resultater. Det gikk ikke så bra, men man skal aldri undervurdere Southwest. Det de gjør... gjør de bra, men det ser ut som fuelkostnadene begynner å ta de igjen.

Southwest profit falls sharply

Continental and Southwest today made it three-for-three for airlines reporting profits during the third quarter. Continental said its third-quarter net profit surged to $237 million, a figure Reuters says was "boosted by a $92 million gain from the sale of a stake in Copa Airlines." Excluding special items -- including the Copa sale -- Continental's Q3 profit was $146 million ($1.36 per share). That topped Wall Street expectations of about $1.30 a share and was up sharply from the carrier's $61 million ($0.80 per share) profit from the same period a year ago. Reuters writes that "the Houston-based airline has been one of the few traditional carriers to add capacity over the past year, while rivals like US Airways and Delta Air Lines reduced fleets. With fewer seats available for sale industry wide and demand robust, Continental's planes filled up even as fares rose." The airline said planes flying under the Continental logo -- including flights operated by regional partners -- flew at 82.7% of capacity. That's up from 81.7% a year earlier, and comes even with the carrier's added capacity since that time.

There was a slightly different tone at Southwest, where The Associated Press says airline's "third-quarter profit fell sharply, with the low-cost carrier citing rising fuel costs and a downturn in air travel after a terror threat in August." Southwest reported a net profit of $48 million (6 cents per share) for the July-to-September period, which was down from a $210 million result (26 cents per share) from the same quarter in 2005. Excluding special items, the airline's earnings came to 19 cents a share. Reuters Estimates had predicted Southwest would earn 21 cents a share. Despite Southwest's extensive fuel hedges –- which lock in fuel prices at set rates -– the airline said fuel costs rose 67.1% in the quarter to $563 million.

"Southwest is under pressure to maintain its low fares as its fuel hedges gradually expire. Rivals have also cut costs to compete more effectively with the budget carrier," Reuters writes. Southwest CEO Gary Kelly also says that August's thwarted London terror plot cost the airline $40 million in revenue as domestic fliers stayed home in light of tighter security measures. The carrier also saw its flights fly less full at a time while other airlines are flying at near-record levels. Reuters writes that "the average Southwest jet flew 74.7% full in the third quarter, down from 74.9% a year ago. Most U.S. carriers have been seeing occupancy rates rising."

Dag

[LCH]

Hva med 762 EWR-OSL? Den har jo 9 BusinessFirst seter mer enn 752, lengre rekkevidde og mere cargokapasitet.

[LN-MOW]

762 er grisetung i forhold til 752 .. med norske landingsavgifter blir forskjellen i inntekt mer enn spist opp av ekstra utgifter. 762 er widebodyens smaagris.