Continental Airlines’ cargo down 2.1% in September

Continental Airlines’ cargo down 2.1% in September    Houston-based Continental Airlines posted a 2.1 percent decrease in cargo revenue ton-miles for September to 82.9 million cargo revenue ton-miles, compared to 84.7 million in the same month last year.
   The airline estimated its operating results for September were negatively impacted by Hurricane Rita, and to a lesser extent, Hurricane Katrina, by approximately $25 million. Despite the adverse impact from the hurricanes and record high jet fuel prices, Continental said it expects to report a modest profit for the third quarter.
   For the year-to-date, Continental’s cargo totaled 745 million revenue ton-miles, down 0.6 percent from 749.5 million revenue ton-miles in the year-earlier period.