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

CONTINENTAL AIRLINES, INC.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

(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) 324-5000
(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):

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

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

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

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

 

 

Item 1.01 Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.

     On August 6, 2009, Continental Airlines, Inc. (the “Company”) entered into an Underwriting Agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”) with Goldman, Sachs & Co. (the “Underwriter”) relating to the issuance and sale of 14,400,000 shares of the Company’s Class B common stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Common Stock”), at an offering price to the public of $11.20 per share. The closing of the offering, which is subject to customary closing conditions, is expected to occur on August 12, 2009.

     These shares of Common Stock will be issued pursuant to the Company’s shelf registration statement (the “Registration Statement”) on Form S-3 (No. 333-158781), which was automatically effective upon filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 24, 2009.

     The Underwriting Agreement is filed as Exhibit 1.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K (this “Report”), and the description of the material terms of the Underwriting Agreement is qualified in its entirety by reference to such exhibit. The Underwriting Agreement is also filed with reference to, and is hereby incorporated by reference into, the Registration Statement. A copy of the opinion of Vinson & Elkins L.L.P. relating to the legality of the issuance and sale of the shares in the offering is filed as Exhibit 5.1 to this Report and is filed with reference to, and is hereby incorporated by reference into, the Registration Statement.

Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.

          (d) Exhibits

1.1		Underwriting Agreement dated August 6, 2009 between Continental Airlines, Inc. and Goldman, Sachs & Co.
5.1		Opinion of Vinson & Elkins L.L.P.
23.1		Consent of Vinson & Elkins L.L.P. (contained in Exhibit 5.1)

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.

EXHIBIT INDEX

1.1		Underwriting Agreement dated August 6, 2009 between Continental Airlines, Inc. and Goldman, Sachs & Co.
5.1		Opinion of Vinson & Elkins L.L.P.
23.1		Consent of Vinson & Elkins L.L.P. (contained in Exhibit 5.1)

Exhibit 1.1

EXECUTION COPY

Continental Airlines, Inc.

14,400,000 Shares of Class B Common Stock
(Par Value $0.01 Per Share)

Underwriting Agreement

August 6, 2009

Goldman, Sachs & Co.
85 Broad Street
New York, New York 10004

Ladies and Gentlemen:

          Continental Airlines, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), confirms its agreement with Goldman, Sachs & Co. (the “Underwriter”), with respect to the issue and sale by the Company and the purchase by the Underwriter of 14,400,000 shares of Class B common stock (“Common Stock”), par value $0.01 per share, of the Company (the “Securities”).

          The Company understands that the Underwriter proposes to make a public offering of the Securities as soon as the Underwriter deems advisable after this Agreement has been executed and delivered.

          The Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) a registration statement on Form S-3 (No. 333-158781), including the related preliminary prospectus or prospectuses, which registration statement became effective upon filing with the Commission under Rule 462(e) of the rules and regulations of the Commission (the “1933 Act Regulations”) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”). Such registration statement covers the registration of the Securities under the 1933 Act. Promptly after execution and delivery of this Agreement, the Company will prepare and file a prospectus in accordance with the provisions of paragraph (b) of Rule 424 (“Rule 424(b)”) of the 1933 Act Regulations. Such registration statement as amended to the date of this Agreement, including the information (if any) deemed to be part of the registration statement at the time of effectiveness pursuant to Rule 430A or Rule 430B under the 1933 Act and the documents incorporated therein pursuant to Part I, Item 12 of Form S-3 as of its most recent effective date, is hereinafter referred to as the “Registration Statement,” and the related base prospectus dated April 24, 2009 in the form first used to confirm sales of the Securities (or in the form first made available to the Underwriter by the Company to meet requests of purchasers pursuant to Rule 173 under the Securities Act), including the documents incorporated therein pursuant to Part I, Item 12 of Form S-3 as of the date of such prospectus, is hereinafter referred to as the “Base Prospectus.” The Base Prospectus, as supplemented by the prospectus supplement specifically relating to the Securities in the form first used to confirm sales of the Securities (or in the form first made available to the Underwriter by the Company to meet requests of purchasers pursuant to Rule 173 under the Securities Act), including the documents incorporated therein pursuant to Part I, Item 12 of Form S-3 as of the date of such prospectus, is hereinafter referred to as the “Prospectus,” and the term “preliminary prospectus” means any preliminary form of the Prospectus.

          For purposes of this Agreement, all references to the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement to any of the foregoing shall be deemed to include the copy filed with the Commission pursuant to its Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval system (“EDGAR”).

          All references in this Agreement to financial statements and schedules and other information which is “contained,” “included” or “stated” in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus (or other references of like import) shall be deemed to mean and include all such financial statements and schedules and other information which is incorporated by reference in or otherwise deemed by the 1933 Act Regulations to be a part of or included in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus, as the case may be; and all references in this Agreement to amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to mean and include the filing of any document under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act”), which is incorporated by reference in or otherwise deemed by the 1933 Act Regulations to be a part of or included in the Registration Statement, such preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus, as the case may be.

          1. Representations and Warranties of the Company. The Company represents and warrants to the Underwriter as of the date hereof, the Applicable Time referred to in Section 1(b) hereof and as of the Closing Time referred to in Section 3(a) hereof, and agrees with the Underwriter that:

     (a) (A) At the time of the first filing of the Registration Statement, (B) at the time of the most recent amendment thereto for the purposes of complying with Section 10(a)(3) of the 1933 Act (whether such amendment was by post-effective amendment, incorporated report filed pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the 1934 Act or form of prospectus) and (C) at the time the Company or any person acting on its behalf (within the meaning, for this clause only, of Rule 163(c) of the 1933 Act Regulations) made any offer relating to the Securities in reliance on the exemption of Rule 163 of the 1933 Act Regulations, the Company was (as the case may be) a “well-known seasoned issuer” as defined in Rule 405 of the 1933 Act Regulations (“Rule 405”), including not having been an “ineligible issuer” as defined in Rule 405. As of the date hereof, the Company is not an “ineligible issuer” as defined in Rule 405. The Registration Statement is an “automatic shelf registration statement,” as defined in Rule 405, and the Securities, since their registration on the Registration Statement, have been and remain eligible for registration by the Company on a Rule 405 “automatic shelf registration statement”. The Company has not received from the Commission any notice pursuant to Rule 401(g)(2) of the 1933 Act Regulations objecting to the use of the automatic shelf registration statement form. The Company agrees to satisfy payment of the fees required by the Commission relating to the Securities within the time required by Rule 456(b)(1) of the 1933 Act Regulations without regard to the proviso therein and otherwise in accordance with Rules 456(b) and 457(r) of the 1933 Act Regulations.

          At the earliest time after the first filing of the Registration Statement at which the Company or another offering participant made a bona fide offer (within the meaning of Rule

164(h)(2) of the 1933 Act Regulations) of the Securities, the Company was not an “ineligible issuer,” as defined in Rule 405.

     (b) The Registration Statement first became effective upon filing under Rule 462(e) of the 1933 Act Regulations (“Rule 462(e)”) on April 24, 2009, and any post-effective amendment thereto also became effective upon filing under Rule 462(e). No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued under the 1933 Act and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or are pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, are contemplated by the Commission, and any request on the part of the Commission for additional information in connection with the Registration Statement has been complied with.

          Any offer that is a written communication relating to the Securities made prior to the first filing of the Registration Statement by the Company or any person acting on its behalf (within the meaning, for this paragraph only, of Rule 163(c) of the 1933 Act Regulations) has been filed with the Commission in accordance with the exemption provided by Rule 163 of the 1933 Act Regulations (“Rule 163”) and otherwise complied with the requirements of Rule 163, including without limitation the legending requirement, to qualify such offer for the exemption from Section 5(c) of the 1933 Act provided by Rule 163.

          At the respective times the first filing of the Registration Statement and each amendment thereto became effective, at each deemed effective date with respect to the Underwriter pursuant to Rule 430B(f)(2) of the 1933 Act Regulations and at the Closing Time, the Registration Statement complied and will comply in all material respects with the requirements of the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations, and did not and will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading.

          Neither the Prospectus nor any amendments or supplements thereto, at the time the Prospectus or any such amendment or supplement is first filed in accordance with Rule 424(b) and at the Closing Time, included or will include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or will omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

          As of the Applicable Time (as defined below), neither (x) the Issuer General Use Free Writing Prospectus(es) (as defined below) as of or prior to the Applicable Time, the Statutory Prospectus (as defined below) and the information included on Schedule II hereto, all considered together (collectively, the “General Disclosure Package”), nor (y) any individual Issuer Limited Use Free Writing Prospectus, when considered together with the General Disclosure Package, included any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

          As used in this subsection and elsewhere in this Agreement:

          “Applicable Time” means 5:00 p.m. (Eastern time) on August 6, 2009 or such other time as agreed by the Company and the Underwriter.

          “Issuer Free Writing Prospectus” means any “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433 of the 1933 Act Regulations (“Rule 433”), relating to the Securities.

          “Issuer General Use Free Writing Prospectus” means any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that is intended for general distribution to prospective investors, as evidenced by its being specified in Schedule III hereto.

          “Issuer Limited Use Free Writing Prospectus” means any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that is not an Issuer General Use Free Writing Prospectus.

          “Statutory Prospectus” means the Base Prospectus, as supplemented immediately prior to the Applicable Time including any document incorporated by reference therein as of the date of such supplement.

          Each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, as of its issue date and at all subsequent times through the completion of the public offer and sale of the Securities or until any earlier date that the issuer notified or notifies the Underwriter as described in Section 3(e), did not, does not and will not include any information that conflicted, conflicts or will conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus relating to the Securities, the Statutory Prospectus, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, including any document incorporated by reference therein and any preliminary or other prospectus deemed to be a part thereof that has not been superseded or modified.

          The representations and warranties in this paragraph (b) shall not apply to statements in or omissions from the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished to the Company in writing by the Underwriter expressly for use therein.

     (c) The Prospectus filed as part of the Registration Statement as originally filed or as part of any amendment thereto, or filed pursuant to Rule 424 under the 1933 Act, complied when so filed in all material respects with the 1933 Act and the 1934 Act and the Prospectus delivered to the Underwriter for use in connection with this offering will be identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.

     (d) The documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, at the time they were or hereafter are filed with the Commission, complied and will comply in all material respects with the requirements of the 1934 Act, and, when read together with the other information in the Prospectus, at the time the Registration Statement in the form first filed with

the Commission became effective, at the time the Prospectus was first filed with the Commission in accordance with Rule 424(b), the Applicable Time and at the Closing Time, did not and will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading.

     (e) Ernst & Young LLP, who have certified certain financial statements of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries and delivered their report with respect to the audited consolidated financial statements and schedules included or incorporated by reference in the Prospectus, are independent public accountants with respect to the Company within the meaning of the 1933 Act Regulations.

     (f) The financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package, and the Prospectus, together with the related schedules and notes, present fairly in all material respects the financial position of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries at the dates indicated and the statement of operations, stockholders’ equity and cash flows of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries for the periods specified; said financial statements comply as to form with the applicable accounting requirements of the 1933 Act and have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved, except as otherwise stated therein. The supporting schedules, if any, included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus present fairly in all material respects in accordance with GAAP the information required to be stated therein. The selected financial data and the summary financial information included in the Prospectus present fairly in all material respects the information shown therein and have been compiled on a basis consistent with that of the audited financial statements included in the Registration Statement.

     (g) Since the respective dates as of which information is disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, except as otherwise stated therein, (A) there has been no material adverse change in the condition (financial or otherwise), or in the earnings, business, properties or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business (a “Material Adverse Change”), (B) there have been no transactions entered into by the Company or any of its subsidiaries, other than those in the ordinary course of business, which are material with respect to the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole, and (C) except for regular dividends on the Common Stock in amounts per share that are consistent with past practice, there has been no dividend or distribution of any kind declared, paid or made by the Company on any class of its capital stock.

     (h) The Company has been duly organized and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware and has corporate power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement; and the Company is duly qualified as a foreign corporation to transact business and is in good standing in each other jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of business,

except where the failure so to qualify or to be in good standing would not reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or otherwise), or in the earnings, business, properties or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business (a “Material Adverse Effect”).

     (i) Each “significant subsidiary” of the Company (as such term is defined in Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X) (each a “Subsidiary” and, collectively, the “Subsidiaries”) has been duly organized and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation, has corporate power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus and is duly qualified as a foreign corporation to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of business, except where the failure so to qualify or to be in good standing would not result in a Material Adverse Effect; except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement, all of the issued and outstanding capital stock of each such Subsidiary has been duly authorized and validly issued, is fully paid and non-assessable and is owned by the Company, directly or through subsidiaries, free and clear of any security interest, mortgage, pledge, lien, encumbrance, claim or equity; none of the outstanding shares of capital stock of any Subsidiary was issued in violation of the preemptive or similar rights of any security holder of such Subsidiary. The only subsidiaries of the Company are (a) the subsidiaries listed on Schedule I hereto and (b) certain other subsidiaries which, considered in the aggregate as a single subsidiary, do not constitute a “significant subsidiary” as defined in Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X.

     (j) The shares of issued and outstanding capital stock of the Company have been duly authorized and validly issued and are fully paid and non-assessable; none of the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company was issued in violation of the preemptive or other similar rights of any security holder of the Company.

     (k) This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.

     (l) The Securities have been duly authorized for issuance and sale to the Underwriter pursuant to this Agreement and, when issued and delivered by the Company pursuant to this Agreement against payment of the consideration set forth herein, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable; the Common Stock conforms in all material respects to all statements relating thereto contained in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and such description conforms in all material respects to the rights set forth in the instruments defining the same; no holder of the Securities will be subject to personal liability for obligations of the Company solely by reason of being such a holder; and the issuance of the Securities is not subject to the preemptive or other similar rights of any security holder of the Company.

     (m) Neither the issue and sale of the Securities nor the consummation of any other of the transactions herein contemplated nor the fulfillment of the terms hereof will conflict with or

result in a breach or violation of or result in the imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries pursuant to (i) the charter or bylaws of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, (ii) the terms of any indenture, contract, lease, mortgage, deed of trust, note agreement, loan agreement or other agreement, obligation, condition, covenant or instrument to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or bound or to which its or their property is subject, or (iii) any statute, law, rule, regulation, judgment, order or decree applicable to the Company or any of its subsidiaries of any court, regulatory body, administrative agency, governmental body, arbitrator or other governmental authority having jurisdiction over the Company, any of its subsidiaries or any of either of their properties, except, with respect to clause (ii) or (iii) above, for such conflict, breach, violation or imposition that could not reasonably be expected to have (A) a material adverse effect on the performance by the Company of this Agreement or the consummation of any of the transactions contemplated hereby or (B) a Material Adverse Effect.

     (n) Except as set forth in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is in breach, violation or default of (i) any provision of its charter or bylaws, (ii) the terms of any indenture, contract, lease, mortgage, deed of trust, note agreement, loan agreement or other agreement, obligation, condition, covenant or instrument to which it is a party or bound or to which its property is subject, or (iii) any statute, law, rule, regulation, judgment, order or decree of any court, regulatory body, administrative agency, governmental body, arbitrator or other governmental authority having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any of either of their properties, as applicable, except, with respect to clause (ii) or (iii) above, for such breach, violation or default that could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

     (o) Except as set forth in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, no labor dispute with the employees of the Company or any subsidiary exists or, to the knowledge of the Company, is imminent, and the Company is not aware of any existing or imminent labor disturbance by the employees of the Company or any subsidiary that, in either case, may reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

     (p) No action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or any of its subsidiaries or its or their property is pending or, to the best knowledge of the Company, threatened that could reasonably be expected to have (i) a material adverse effect on the performance by the Company of this Agreement or the consummation of any of the transactions contemplated hereby or (ii) a Material Adverse Effect, except as set forth in or contemplated in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus (exclusive of any amendment or supplement thereto).

     (q) No consent, approval, authorization, filing with or order of any court or governmental agency or body is required in connection with the transactions contemplated herein except such as have been obtained under the 1933 Act and such as may be required under the 1933 Act or the blue sky laws of any jurisdiction in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Securities by the Underwriter in the manner contemplated herein and in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.

     (r) The Company and its subsidiaries possess such permits, licenses, approvals, consents and other authorizations (collectively, “Governmental Licenses”) issued by the appropriate federal, state, local or foreign regulatory agencies or bodies necessary to conduct the business now operated by them, and the Company and its subsidiaries are in compliance with the terms and conditions of all such Governmental Licenses, except where the failure so to possess such Government License or to comply would not, singly or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; all of the Governmental Licenses are valid and in full force and effect, except when the invalidity of such Governmental Licenses or the failure of such Governmental Licenses to be in full force and effect would not have a Material Adverse Effect; and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any such Governmental Licenses which, singly or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, would reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

     (s) The Company and its subsidiaries have good and marketable title to all material real property owned by the Company and its subsidiaries and good title to all other material properties owned by them, in each case, free and clear of all mortgages, pledges, liens, security interests, claims, restrictions or encumbrances of any kind except (a) such as are described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus or (b) such mortgages, pledges, liens, security interests, claims, restrictions or encumbrances as would not result in a Material Adverse Effect; and all of the leases and subleases of the Company and its subsidiaries and under which the Company or any of its subsidiaries holds properties described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, are in full force and effect, except where such failure to be in full force and effect would not result in a Material Adverse Effect, and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has any notice of any claim or claims of any sort that singly or in the aggregate would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect that has been asserted by anyone adverse to the rights of the Company or any of its subsidiaries under any of the leases or subleases mentioned above, or affecting or questioning the rights of the Company or such subsidiary to the continued possession of the leased or subleased premises under any such lease or sublease.

     (t) The Company is not and, after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Securities and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus will not be, an “investment company” as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.

     (u) Except as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and except as would not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect, (A) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is in violation of any federal, state, local or foreign statute, law, rule, regulation, ordinance, code, policy or rule of common law or any judicial or administrative interpretation thereof, including any judicial or administrative order, consent, decree or judgment, relating to pollution or protection of human health, the environment (including, without limitation, ambient air, surface water, groundwater, land surface or subsurface strata) or wildlife, including, without limitation, laws and regulations relating to the release or threatened release of chemicals, pollutants, contaminants, wastes, toxic

substances, hazardous substances, petroleum or petroleum products (collectively, “Hazardous Materials”) or to the manufacture, processing, distribution, use, treatment, storage, disposal, transport or handling of Hazardous Materials (collectively, “Environmental Laws”), (B) the Company and its subsidiaries have all permits, authorizations and approvals required under any applicable Environmental Laws and are each in compliance with their requirements, (C) there are no pending or threatened administrative, regulatory or judicial actions, suits, demands, demand letters, claims, liens, notices of noncompliance or violation, investigations or proceedings relating to any Environmental Law against the Company or any of its subsidiaries and (D) there are no events or circumstances that might reasonably be expected to form the basis of an order for clean-up or remediation, or an action, suit or proceeding by any private party or governmental body or agency, against or affecting the Company or any of its subsidiaries relating to Hazardous Materials or any Environmental Laws.

     (v) The Company is a “citizen of the United States” within the meaning of Section 40102(a)(15) of Title 49 of the United States Code, as amended, holding an air carrier operating certificate issued by the Secretary of Transportation pursuant to Chapter 447 of Title 49 of the United States Code, as amended, for aircraft capable of carrying 10 or more individuals or 6,000 pounds or more of cargo.

     (w) Except as set forth in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company maintains a system of internal accounting controls effective to provide reasonable assurances that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP and to maintain accountability for assets; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences.

     (x) Except as set forth in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus: (A) the Company maintains required “disclosure controls and procedures” (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the 1934 Act); and (B) the Company’s “disclosure controls and procedures” are designed to reasonably ensure that material information (both financial and non-financial) required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports that it files or furnishes under the 1934 Act is communicated to the Company’s management as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure and to make the certifications of the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the Company required under the 1934 Act with respect to such reports.

          Any certificate signed by any officer of the Company or any of its subsidiaries and delivered to the Underwriter or counsel for the Underwriter in connection with the offering of the Securities shall be deemed a representation and warranty by the Company, as to matters covered thereby, to the Underwriter.

          2. Purchase and Sale. (a) Subject to the terms and conditions and in reliance upon the representations and warranties herein set forth, the Company agrees to sell to the Underwriter, and the Underwriter agrees to purchase from the Company, at a price equal to $11.00 per share, all (but not less than all) the Securities.

     (b) [RESERVED]

          3. Delivery and Payment. (a) Payment of the purchase price for, and delivery of certificates for, the Securities shall be made at the offices of Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, One Liberty Plaza, New York, NY 10006, or at such other place as shall be agreed upon by the Underwriter and the Company, at 10:00 a.m. (Eastern time) on the third Business Day after the date hereof, or such other time not later than ten Business Days after such date as shall be agreed upon by the Underwriter and the Company (such time and date of payment and delivery being herein called “Closing Time”). “Business Day” shall mean any day other than a Saturday, a Sunday or a legal holiday or a day on which banking institutions or trust companies are authorized or obligated by law to close in The City of New York.

     Payment shall be made to the Company by wire transfer of immediately available funds to a bank account designated by the Company, against delivery to the Underwriter of certificates for the Securities to be purchased by the Underwriter.

     (b) Certificates for the Securities shall be in such denominations and registered in such names as the Underwriter may request in writing at least one full Business Day before the Closing Time. The certificates for the Securities will be made available for examination by the Underwriter in The City of New York not later than 10:00 a.m. (Eastern time) on the Business Day prior to the Closing Time. Notwithstanding the foregoing, delivery of the Securities is to be made through the facilities of the Depository Trust Company.

          4. Offering by Underwriter. It is understood that the Underwriter proposes to offer the Securities for sale to the public as set forth in the Prospectus.

          5. Agreements. The Company agrees with the Underwriter that:

     (a) Subject to Section 5(b), the Company will comply with the requirements of Rule 430B and will notify the Underwriter promptly, and confirm the notice in writing, during the period when the Prospectus is required to be delivered under the 1933 Act or the 1934 Act (i) when any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement or new registration statement relating to the Securities shall have been filed or become effective, or any supplement to the Prospectus or any amended Prospectus shall have been filed, (ii) of the receipt of any comments from the Commission, (iii) of any request by the Commission or its staff for any amendment to the Registration Statement, or the filing of a new registration statement that relates to the Securities or any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus or any document incorporated by reference therein or otherwise deemed to be a part thereof or for additional information, and (iv) of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or such new registration statement or of any order preventing or

suspending the use of any preliminary prospectus, or of the suspension of the qualification of the Securities for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, or of the initiation or threatening of any proceedings for any of such purposes or of any examination pursuant to Section 8(e) of the 1933 Act concerning the Registration Statement. The Company will promptly effect the filings necessary pursuant to Rule 424(b) and will take such steps as it deems necessary to ascertain promptly whether the form of Prospectus transmitted for filing under Rule 424(b) was received for filing by the Commission and, in the event that it was not, it will promptly file such Prospectus. The Company will make every reasonable effort to prevent the issuance of any such stop order or the suspension of any such qualification and, if issued, to obtain as soon as possible the withdrawal thereof. The Company will prepare a final term sheet, containing solely a description of the Securities, in a form approved by the Underwriter and will file such term sheet pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the 1933 Act within the time required by such Rule and will file promptly all other material required to be filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the 1933 Act.

     (b) The Company will give the Underwriter notice, during the period when the Prospectus is required to be delivered under the 1933 Act or the 1934 Act, of its intention to file or prepare any amendment to the Registration Statement or new registration statement relating to the Securities or any amendment, supplement or revision to the Base Prospectus, any preliminary prospectus or to the Prospectus, whether pursuant to the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act or otherwise, will furnish the Underwriter with copies of any such documents a reasonable amount of time prior to such proposed filing or use, as the case may be, and will not file or use any such document to which the Underwriter or counsel for the Underwriter shall object.

     (c) The Company has furnished or will, upon request, deliver to the Underwriter and counsel for the Underwriter, without charge, signed copies of the Registration Statement in the form first filed with the Commission and of each amendment thereto filed with the Commission during the period when the Prospectus is required to be delivered under the 1933 Act or the 1934 Act (including exhibits filed therewith or incorporated by reference therein and documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference therein) and signed copies of all consents and certificates of experts, and will also, upon request, deliver to the Underwriter, without charge, a conformed copy of the Registration Statement in the form first filed with the Commission and of each amendment thereto (without exhibits). The copies of the Registration Statement and each amendment thereto furnished to the Underwriter will be identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.

     (d) If, at any time prior to the filing of the Prospectus pursuant to Rule 424(b), any event occurs as a result of which the General Disclosure Package would include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary to make the statements therein in the light of the circumstances under which they were made at such time not misleading, the Company will (i) notify promptly the Underwriter so that any use of the General Disclosure Package may cease until it is amended or supplemented; (ii) amend or supplement the General Disclosure Package to correct such statement or omission; and (iii) supply any amendment or supplement to the Underwriter in such quantities as it may reasonably request.

     (e) The Company has delivered to the Underwriter, without charge, as many copies of any preliminary prospectus as the Underwriter reasonably requested, and the Company hereby consents to the use of such copies for purposes permitted by the 1933 Act. The Company will furnish to the Underwriter, without charge, during the period when the Prospectus is required to be delivered under the 1933 Act or the 1934 Act, such number of copies of the Prospectus (as amended or supplemented) as the Underwriter may reasonably request. The Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto furnished to the Underwriter will be identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.

     (f) The Company will comply with the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations and the 1934 Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission under the 1934 Act (the “1934 Act Regulations”) so as to permit the completion of the distribution of the Securities as contemplated in this Agreement and in the Prospectus. If at any time when a Prospectus is required by the 1933 Act or the 1934 Act to be delivered in connection with sales of the Securities (including in circumstances where such requirement may be satisfied pursuant to Rule 172 under the 1933 Act Regulations), any event shall occur or condition shall exist as a result of which it is necessary, in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriter or for the Company, to amend the Registration Statement or amend or supplement the Prospectus in order that the Prospectus will not include any untrue statements of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading in the light of the circumstances existing at the time it is delivered to a purchaser, or if it shall be necessary, in the opinion of such counsel, at any such time to amend the Registration Statement or to file a new registration statement or amend or supplement the Prospectus in order to comply with the requirements of the 1933 Act or the 1933 Act Regulations, the Company will (1) notify the Underwriter of any such event, (2) promptly prepare and file with the Commission, subject to Section 5(b), such amendment, supplement or new registration statement as may be necessary to correct such statement or omission or to comply with such requirements, and (3) furnish to the Underwriter such number of copies of such amendment, supplement or new registration statement as the Underwriter may reasonably request. If at any time when a Prospectus is required by the 1933 Act or the 1934 Act to be delivered in connection with sales of the Securities there occurred or occurs an event or development as a result of which an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus conflicted or would conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement relating to the Securities or included or would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or would omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances prevailing at that subsequent time, not misleading, the Company will promptly notify the Underwriter and will promptly amend or supplement, at its own expense, such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus to eliminate or correct such conflict, untrue statement or omission.

     (g) The Company will arrange, if necessary, for the qualification of the Securities for sale under the laws of such jurisdictions as the Underwriter may designate and will maintain such qualifications in effect so long as required for the distribution of the Securities; provided that in no event shall the Company be obligated to qualify to do business in any jurisdiction where it is not now so qualified or to take any action that would subject it to service of process in

suits, other than those arising out of the offering or sale of the Securities, or subject itself to taxation in any jurisdiction where it is not now so subject.

     (h) As soon as practicable, but not later than 16 months after the date hereof, the Company will make generally available to its security holders and to the Underwriter an earnings statement or statements of the Company and its subsidiaries which will satisfy the provisions of Section 11(a) of the 1933 Act and Rule 158 under the 1933 Act.

     (i) The Company will use the net proceeds received by it from the sale of the Securities in the manner specified in the Prospectus under “Use of Proceeds.”

     (j) The Company will not for a period of 45 days following the date of the Prospectus, without the prior written consent of the Underwriter, offer, sell or contract to sell or otherwise dispose of (or enter into any transaction that is designed to, or might reasonably be expected to, result in the disposition (whether by actual disposition or effective economic disposition due to cash settlement or otherwise) by the Company of), directly or indirectly, or announce the offering of, any shares of Common Stock (other than the Securities) or any securities convertible into, or exercisable or exchangeable for, shares of Common Stock; provided, however, that the foregoing sentence shall not apply to (A) the Securities to be sold hereunder, (B) any shares of Common Stock issued by the Company upon the exercise of an option or warrant or the conversion of a security outstanding on the date hereof and referred to in the Prospectus, (C) any shares of Common Stock issued or options to purchase Common Stock granted pursuant to existing employee benefit plans of the Company or (D) any shares of Common Stock issued pursuant to any non-employee director stock plan or dividend reinvestment plan. In addition, the Company shall obtain for the benefit of the Underwriter the agreement (a “Lock-Up Agreement”), in the form set forth as Exhibit A-1 hereto, of each of the following officers of the Company: the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, the President, the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, each other Executive Vice President, the General Counsel and the Senior Vice President — Finance and Treasurer.

     (k) The Company will use its best efforts to effect the listing of the Securities on the New York Stock Exchange.

     (l) The Company, during the period when the Prospectus is required to be delivered under the 1933 Act or the 1934 Act, will file all documents required to be filed with the Commission pursuant to the 1934 Act within the time periods required by the 1934 Act and the 1934 Act Regulations.

     (m) Until the completion of the distribution of the Securities, the Company will not take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or which has constituted or which might reasonably be expected to cause or result, under the 1934 Act or otherwise, in the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Securities; provided nothing herein shall prevent the Company from filing or submitting reports under the 1934 Act or the issuance of press releases and press statements in the ordinary course of business.

     (n) The Company represents and agrees that, unless it obtains the prior consent of the Underwriter, and the Underwriter represents and agrees that, unless it obtains the prior consent of the Company, except for one or more term sheets relating to the Securities that do not require the Company to file any material pursuant to Rule 433(d) except for the final term sheet prepared and filed pursuant to Section 5(a) hereof, until the distribution of the Securities contemplated hereby is complete, each such party has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Securities that would constitute an “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433, or that would otherwise constitute a “free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 405. Any such free writing prospectus relating to the Securities consented to by the Company and the Underwriter is hereinafter referred to as a “Permitted Free Writing Prospectus.” The Company represents that it has complied and will comply with the requirements of Rule 433 applicable to any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, including timely filing with the Commission where required, legending and record keeping.

     (o) The Company agrees to pay the following expenses incident to the performance of its obligations under this Agreement, whether or not the transactions contemplated hereby are consummated: (i) the preparation, printing and filing of the Registration Statement (including financial statements and exhibits) as originally filed and of each amendment thereto, (ii) the preparation, printing and delivery to the Underwriter of this Agreement and such other documents as may be required in connection with the offering, purchase, sale, issuance or delivery of the Securities, (iii) the preparation, issuance and delivery of any certificates for the Securities; (iv) any stamp or transfer taxes in connection with the issuance and sale of the Securities; (v) any registration or qualification of the Securities for offer and sale under the securities laws or blue sky laws of the several states and any other jurisdictions specified pursuant to Section 5(f) (including filing fees and the reasonable fees and expenses of counsel for the Underwriter relating to such registration and qualification); (vi) the fees and expenses of the Company’s accountants and the fees and expenses of counsel (including local and special counsel) for the Company; (vii) the printing and delivery to the Underwriter of copies of the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto; (viii) the preparation, printing and delivery to the Underwriter of copies of the blue sky survey and any supplement thereto; (ix) the fees and expenses of any transfer agent or registrar for the Securities; and (x) the fees and expenses incurred in connection with the listing of the Securities on the New York Stock Exchange.

          6. Conditions to the Obligations of the Underwriter. The obligation of the Underwriter to purchase the Securities shall be subject to the accuracy of the representations and warranties on the part of the Company contained herein as of the time of the execution of this Agreement and the Closing Time, to the accuracy of the statements of the Company made in any certificates delivered by the Company to the Underwriter pursuant to the provisions hereof, to the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder and to the following additional conditions:

     (a) The Registration Statement has become effective and at the Closing Time no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any notice objecting to its use shall have been issued under the 1933 Act or proceedings therefor initiated or threatened by the

Commission, and any request on the part of the Commission for additional information from the Company shall have been complied with to the reasonable satisfaction of counsel to the Underwriter. A prospectus containing the Rule 430B Information shall have been filed with the Commission in the manner and within the time period required by Rule 424(b) without reliance on Rule 424(b)(8) (or a post-effective amendment providing such information shall have been filed and become effective in accordance with the requirements of Rule 430B).

     (b) At the Closing Time, the Underwriter shall have received (i) the favorable opinion, dated as of the Closing Time, of Vinson & Elkins L.L.P., counsel for the Company, in form and substance satisfactory to counsel for the Underwriter, to the effect set forth in Exhibit A-2 hereto and to such further effect as counsel to the Underwriter may reasonably request, and (ii) the favorable opinion, dated as of the Closing Time, of the General Counsel of the Company, with responsibility for the legal affairs of the Company and its subsidiaries, in form and substance satisfactory to counsel for the Underwriter, to the effect set forth in Exhibit A-3 hereto and to such further effect as counsel to the Underwriter may reasonably request.

     (c) At the Closing Time, the Underwriter shall have received the favorable opinion, dated as of the Closing Time, of Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, counsel for the Underwriter, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriter. In giving such opinion such counsel may rely, as to all matters governed by the laws of jurisdictions other than the law of the State of New York and the federal law of the United States and the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, upon the opinions of counsel satisfactory to the Underwriter. Such counsel may also state that, insofar as such opinion involves factual matters, they have relied, to the extent they deem proper, upon certificates of officers of the Company and its subsidiaries and certificates of public officials.

     (d) The Underwriter shall have received a certificate of the President or a Vice President of the Company and of the chief financial or chief accounting officer of the Company, dated as of the Closing Time, to the effect that (i) there has been no Material Adverse Change since the date hereof, (ii) the representations and warranties in Section 1 hereof are true and correct with the same force and effect as though expressly made at and as of the Closing Time, (iii) the Company has complied with all agreements and satisfied all conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied at or prior to the Closing Time, and (iv) no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any notice objecting to its use has been issued and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or are pending or are contemplated by the Commission.

     (e) At the Closing Time, the Underwriter shall have received from Ernst & Young LLP a letter, dated as of the Closing Time, in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriter containing statements and information of the type ordinarily included in accountants’ “comfort letters” to the Underwriter with respect to the financial statements and certain financial information contained in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.

     (f) [RESERVED]

     (g) At the Closing Time, there shall not have been, since the date hereof or since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Prospectus and the General Disclosure Package, any material adverse change, or any development involving a prospective material adverse change, in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business, prospects, properties or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business, that, in the reasonable judgment of the Underwriter, makes it impracticable to market the Securities on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Prospectus.

     (h) At the Closing Time, the Securities shall have been approved for listing on the New York Stock Exchange, subject only to official notice of issuance.

     (i) The Underwriter shall have received each of the signed Lock-Up Agreements referred to in Section 5(j) hereof, and each such Lock-Up Agreement shall be in full force and effect at the Closing Time.

     (j) [RESERVED]

     (k) At the Closing Time, counsel for the Underwriter shall have been furnished with such documents and opinions as they may require for the purpose of enabling them to pass upon the issuance and sale of the Securities as herein contemplated, or in order to evidence the accuracy of any of the representations or warranties, or the fulfillment of any of the conditions, herein contained; and all proceedings taken by the Company in connection with the issuance and sale of the Securities as herein contemplated shall be satisfactory in form and substance to the Underwriter and counsel for the Underwriter.

     (l) If any condition specified in this Section shall not have been fulfilled when and as required to be fulfilled, this Agreement may be terminated by the Underwriter by notice to the Company at any time at or prior to the Closing Time and such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except as provided in Section 5(n) and except that Sections 1, 7, 8, 9 and 11 shall survive any such termination and remain in full force and effect.

     (m) Subsequent to the execution and delivery of this Agreement and prior to the Closing Date there shall not have occurred any downgrading, nor shall any notice have been given of any intended or potential downgrading or of any surveillance or review for a possible change with negative implications or that does not indicate the direction of the possible change, in the rating accorded the Company or any of the securities of the Company or in the rating outlook for the Company by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization,” as such term is defined for purposes of Rule 436(g)(2) under the Securities Act.

     The documents required to be delivered by this Section 6 will be delivered at the office of counsel for the Underwriter, at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, One Liberty Plaza, New York, NY 10006, on the Closing Time.

          7. Reimbursement of Expenses. If the sale of the Securities provided for herein is not consummated because any condition to the obligations of the Underwriter set forth in Section 6 hereof is not satisfied or because of any refusal, inability or failure on the part of the Company to perform any agreement herein or comply with any provision hereof other than by reason of a default by the Underwriter, the Company will reimburse the Underwriter on demand for all expenses (including reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel) that shall have been incurred by them in connection with the proposed purchase and sale of the Securities.

          8. Indemnification. (a) The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Underwriter, the directors, officers, employees and agents of the Underwriter and each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act as follows:

     (i) against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever, as incurred, arising out of or based on any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement in the form first filed with the Commission (or any amendment or supplement thereto thereto) or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; or arising out of any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact included in the Base Prospectus, the Statutory Prospectus, any preliminary prospectus relating to the Securities, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or any “issuer information” filed or required to be filed pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the 1933 Act Regulations or the Prospectus (or in any amendment or supplement thereto), or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading;

     (ii) against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever, as incurred, to the extent of the aggregate amount paid in settlement of any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or of any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue statement or omission, or any such alleged untrue statement or omission provided that any such settlement is effected with the written consent of the Company; and

     (iii) against any and all expense whatsoever, as incurred (including the fees and disbursements of counsel chosen in accordance with Section 8(c) below), reasonably incurred in investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue statement or omission, or any such alleged untrue statement or omission, to the extent that any such expense is not paid under (i) or (ii) above;

provided, however, that this indemnity agreement shall not apply to any loss, liability, claim, damage or expense to the extent arising out of any untrue statement or omission or

alleged untrue statement or omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information relating to the Underwriter furnished to the Company by the Underwriter expressly for use in the Registration Statement (or in any amendment thereto) including the Base Prospectus, the Statutory Prospectus, any preliminary prospectus relating to the Securities, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto).

     (b) The Underwriter agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its directors, each of its officers and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense described in the indemnity contained in subsection (a) of this Section (including without limitation, any legal or other expenses incurred in connection with defending or investigating any such claim), as incurred, but only with respect to untrue statements or omissions, or alleged untrue statements or omissions, made in the Registration Statement (or in any amendment thereto), the Base Prospectus, the Statutory Prospectus, any preliminary prospectus relating to the Securities, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) in reliance upon and in conformity with written information relating to the Underwriter furnished to the Company by or on behalf of the Underwriter expressly for use in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), the Base Prospectus, the Statutory Prospectus, any preliminary prospectus relating to the Securities, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto).

     (c) Each indemnified party shall give notice as promptly as reasonably practicable to each indemnifying party of any action commenced against it in respect of which indemnity may be sought hereunder, but failure to so notify an indemnifying party shall not relieve such indemnifying party from any liability hereunder to the extent it is not materially prejudiced as a result thereof and in any event shall not relieve it from any liability which it may have otherwise than on account of this indemnity agreement. In the case of parties indemnified pursuant to Section 8(b) above, counsel to the indemnified parties shall be selected by the Underwriter (provided, however, that such counsel shall be reasonably satisfactory to such indemnified parties), and, in the case of parties indemnified pursuant to Section 8(a) above, counsel to the indemnified parties shall be selected by the Company (provided, however, that such counsel shall be reasonably satisfactory to such indemnified parties). An indemnifying party may participate at its own expense in the defense of any such action; provided, however, that counsel to the indemnifying party shall not (except with the consent of the indemnified party) also be counsel to the indemnified party. In no event shall the indemnifying parties be liable for fees and expenses of more than one counsel (in addition to any local counsel) separate from their own counsel for all indemnified parties in connection with any one action or separate but similar or related actions in the same jurisdiction arising out of the same general allegations or circumstances. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified parties, settle or compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever in respect of which indemnification or contribution could be sought under this Section 8 or Section 9 hereof (whether or not the indemnified parties are actual or potential parties thereto), unless such settlement, compromise or consent (i) includes an

unconditional release of each indemnified party from all liability arising out of such litigation, investigation, proceeding or claim and (ii) does not include a statement as to or an admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of any indemnified party.

          9. Contribution. If the indemnification provided for in Section 8 hereof is for any reason unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party in respect of any losses, liabilities, claims, damages or expenses referred to therein, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to the aggregate amount of such losses, liabilities, claims, damages and expenses incurred by such indemnified party, as incurred, (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriter on the other hand from the offering of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause (i) is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) above but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and of the Underwriter on the other hand in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, liabilities, claims, damages or expenses, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations.

     The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriter on the other hand in connection with the offering of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the total net proceeds from the offering of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement (before deducting expenses) received by the Company and the total underwriting discount received by the Underwriter, as set forth on the cover of the Prospectus.

     The relative fault of the Company on the one hand and the Underwriter on the other hand shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether any such untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company or by the Underwriter and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission.

     The Company and the Underwriter agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 9 were determined by pro rata allocation or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to above in this Section 9. The aggregate amount of losses, liabilities, claims, damages and expenses incurred by an indemnified party and referred to above in this Section 9 shall be deemed to include any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission.

     Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 9, the Underwriter shall not be required to contribute any amount in excess of the underwriting discount or commission applicable to the Securities purchased by the Underwriter.

     No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the 1933 Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.

     For purposes of this Section 9, each person, if any, who controls the Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act shall have the same rights to contribution as the Underwriter, and each director of the Company, each officer of the Company who signed the Registration Statement, each employee or agent of the Underwriter, and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act shall have the same rights to contribution as the Company.

          10. Termination of Agreement. The Underwriter may, at its sole election, terminate this Agreement, by notice to the Company, at any time at or prior to Closing Time (i) if there has been, since the time of execution of this Agreement, any material adverse change, or any development involving a prospective material adverse change, in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business, prospects, properties or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business, or (ii) if there has occurred any material adverse change in the financial markets in the United States or in the international financial markets, any outbreak of hostilities or escalation thereof or other calamity or crisis or any change or development involving a prospective change in national or international political, financial or economic conditions, in each case the effect of which is such as to make it, in the judgment of the Underwriter, impracticable or inadvisable to market the Securities or to enforce contracts for the sale of the Securities, or (iii) if trading in any securities of the Company has been suspended or materially limited by the Commission or the New York Stock Exchange, or if trading generally on the American Stock Exchange or the New York Stock Exchange or in the Nasdaq National Market has been suspended or materially limited, or minimum or maximum prices for trading have been fixed, or maximum ranges for prices have been required, by any of said exchanges or by such system or by order of the Commission, the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. or any other governmental authority, or (iv) a material disruption has occurred in commercial banking or securities settlement or clearance services in the United States, or (v) if a banking moratorium has been declared by either Federal or New York authorities.

          11. Representations and Indemnities to Survive. The respective agreements, representations, warranties, indemnities and other statements of the Company or its officers and of the Underwriter set forth in or made pursuant to this Agreement will remain in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of the Underwriter, the Company or any of the officers, directors, employees, agents or controlling persons referred to in Sections 8 or 9 hereof, and will survive delivery of and payment for the Securities. The provisions of Sections 7, 8 and 9 hereof shall survive the termination or cancellation of this Agreement.

          12. No Advisory or Fiduciary Responsibility. The Company acknowledges and agrees that: (i) the purchase and sale of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement, including the determination of the offering price of the Securities and any related discounts and commissions, is an arm’s-length commercial transaction between the Company on one hand and the

Underwriter, on the other hand, and the Company is capable of evaluating and understanding and understands and accepts the terms, risks and conditions of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement; (ii) in connection with each transaction contemplated hereby and the process leading to such transaction the Underwriter is and has been acting solely as principal and is not an agent or fiduciary of the Company or its affiliates, stockholders, creditors or employees or any other party; (iii) the Underwriter has not assumed or will assume an advisory or fiduciary responsibility in favor of the Company with respect to any of the transactions contemplated hereby or the process leading thereto (irrespective of whether the Underwriter has advised or is currently advising the Company on other matters) or any other obligation to the Company except the obligations expressly set forth in this Agreement; (iv) the Underwriter and its affiliates may be engaged in a broad range of transactions that involve interests that differ from those of the Company and that the Underwriter has no obligation to disclose any of such interests by virtue of any fiduciary or advisory relationship; and (v) the Underwriter has not provided any legal, accounting, regulatory or tax advice with respect to the offering contemplated hereby and the Company has consulted its own legal, accounting, regulatory and tax advisors to the extent they deemed appropriate.

          13. Notices. All communications hereunder shall be in writing and effective only on receipt, and, if sent to the Underwriter, shall be mailed to 85 Broad Street, New York, NY 10004, Attention: Registration Department; and notices to the Company shall be directed to it at 1600 Smith Street, HQSTY, Houston, Texas, 77002, attention of the Chief Financial Officer and at 1600 Smith Street, HQSLG, Houston, Texas, 77002, attention of the General Counsel.

          14. Successors. This Agreement will inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the parties hereto and their respective successors and the indemnified persons referred to in Section 8 hereof and their respective successors, and no other person will have any right or obligation hereunder.

          15. Applicable Law. This Agreement will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York applicable to contracts made and to be performed within the State of New York. The parties hereto each hereby waive any right to trial by jury in any action, proceeding or counterclaim arising out of or relating to this Agreement.

          16. Counterparts. This Agreement may be signed in one or more counterparts, each of which shall constitute an original and all of which together shall constitute one and the same agreement.

          17. Headings. The section headings used herein are for convenience only and shall not affect the construction hereof.

[Signature page follows.]

     If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of our agreement, please sign and return to us the enclosed duplicate hereof, whereupon this letter and your acceptance shall represent a binding agreement between the Company and the Underwriter.

		Very truly yours,
		CONTINENTAL AIRLINES, INC.
		By		/s/ Gerald Laderman   Name: Gerald Laderman
				Title: Senior Vice President — Finance & Treasurer

The foregoing Agreement is hereby
confirmed and accepted as of the
date first above written.

Goldman, Sachs & Co.

By		/s/ Goldman, Sachs & Co.

SCHEDULE I

List of Subsidiaries

Air Micronesia, Inc.

Continental Micronesia, Inc.

SCHEDULE II

Continental Airlines, Inc.
($.01 Par Value Per Share)

Securities: 14,400,000 shares of Common Stock

Public Offering Price Per Share: $11.20

Purchase Price Per Share to Underwriter: $11.00

SCHEDULE III

List of Issuer General Use Free Writing Prospectuses

None.

Exhibit A-1

FORM OF LOCK-UP AGREEMENT

Lock-Up Agreement

August 6, 2009

Goldman, Sachs & Co.

85 Broad Street

New York, New York 10004

Ladies and Gentlemen:

          This Lock-Up Agreement is being delivered to you in connection with the proposed Underwriting Agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”) to be entered into by Continental Airlines, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and you with respect to the public offering (the “Offering”) of shares of Class B common stock, par value $0.01 per share, of the Company (the “Common Stock”).

          In order to induce you to enter into the Underwriting Agreement, the undersigned agrees that, for a period (the “Lock-Up Period”) beginning on the date hereof and ending on, and including, the date that is 45 days after the date of the prospectus supplement relating to the Offering, the undersigned will not, without the prior written consent of Goldman, Sachs & Co., offer, sell or contract to sell or otherwise dispose of (or enter into any transaction that is designed to, or might reasonably be expected to, result in the disposition (whether by actual disposition or effective economic disposition due to cash settlement or otherwise) by the undersigned of), directly or indirectly, or announce the sale of, any shares of Common Stock or any securities convertible into, or exercisable or exchangeable for, shares of Common Stock.

          In addition, the undersigned hereby confirms and agrees that he or she does not have and during the Lock-Up Period will not have any right to require registration of Common Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock, or warrants or other rights to purchase Common Stock or any such securities.

          If (i) the Company notifies you in writing that it does not intend to proceed with the Offering, (ii) the registration statement filed with the Commission with respect to the Offering is withdrawn or (iii) for any reason the Underwriting Agreement shall be terminated prior to the Closing Time (as defined in the Underwriting Agreement), this Lock-Up Agreement shall be terminated and the undersigned shall be released from his or her obligations hereunder.

		Yours very truly,
		Name:

Exhibit A-2

FORM OF OPINION OF COMPANY’S COUNSEL
TO BE DELIVERED PURSUANT TO
SECTION 6(b)

     (i) The Company is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware, with full corporate power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties, to conduct its business as described in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, to issue the Securities and to enter into and perform its obligations under the Underwriting Agreement.

     (ii) The authorized capital stock of the Company is as set forth in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus; the Securities have been duly and validly authorized and, when issued and delivered to and paid for by the Underwriter pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement, will be validly issued and fully paid and non-assessable and no holder of the Securities is or will be subject to personal liability for obligations of the Company solely by reason of being such a holder; the holders of outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company are not entitled to statutory preemptive rights, or preemptive rights pursuant to the charter or bylaws of the Company, to subscribe for the Securities.

     (iii) The information in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus under the caption “Description of Common Stock and Preferred Stock,” and in the Registration Statement under Item 15, insofar as such statements purport to summarize certain provisions of the Company’s charter and bylaws and matters of Delaware General Corporation Law, is correct in all material respects.

     (iv) The Registration Statement in the form first filed with the Commission became effective upon filing under Rule 462(e) on April 24, 2009 and any post effective amendment thereto became effective upon filing under Rule 462(e) under the 1933 Act; any required filing of the Prospectus pursuant to Rule 424(b) has been made in the manner and within the time period required by Rule 424(b); and, to the best of our knowledge, no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued under the 1933 Act and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or are pending or threatened by the Commission; the Registration Statement, the Prospectus, excluding the documents incorporated by reference therein, and each amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement and Prospectus, excluding the documents incorporated by reference therein, as of their respective effective or filing dates (other than the financial statements and supporting schedules included therein or omitted therefrom, as to which we need express no opinion) appeared on their face to have been appropriately responsive in all material respects to the requirements of the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations.

     (v) The Underwriting Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.

     (vi) The Company is not, and after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Securities and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, will not be, an “investment company”, as such term is defined in the 1940 Act.

     (vii) No filing with, or authorization, approval, consent, license, order, registration, qualification or decree of, any United States or Texas court or governmental authority or agency (other than under the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations, which have been obtained, or as may be required under the securities or blue sky laws of the various states, as to which we need express no opinion) is necessary or required in connection with the due authorization, execution and delivery of the Underwriting Agreement or for the offering, issuance, sale or delivery of the Securities.

In addition, such counsel shall include a statement to the following effect:

Because the primary purpose of such counsel’s engagement was not to establish or confirm factual matters or financial or accounting matters and because of the wholly or partially non-legal character of many of the statements contained in the Prospectus, such counsel is not passing upon and does not assume any responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or fairness of the statements contained in the Prospectus, and such counsel has not independently verified the accuracy, completeness or fairness of such statements. Such counsel has participated in conferences with officers and other representatives of the Company and representatives of the independent public accountants of the Company, and with the Underwriter’s representatives and legal counsel, at which conferences the contents of the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and related matters were discussed. Such counsel has also reviewed certain corporate documents furnished to such counsel by the Company. Based on such participation and review (relying as to matters of fact upon statements made to us by representatives of the Company), and subject to the limitations described above, nothing has come to such counsel’s attention that would lead such counsel to believe that the (A) Registration Statement or any amendment thereto (except for (i) financial statements and schedules contained therein, including the notes thereto and the auditors’ reports thereon, (ii) the other financial or statistical information contained therein, incorporated by reference therein, or omitted therefrom and (iii) the exhibits thereto, as to which we have not been asked to comment), at the time the Registration Statement in the form first filed with the Commission or any amendment thereto became effective, contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, (B) the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto (except for (i) financial statements and schedules contained therein, including the notes thereto and the auditors’ reports thereon, (ii) the other financial or statistical information contained therein, incorporated by reference therein, or omitted therefrom and (iii) the exhibits thereto, as to which we have not been asked to comment), as of its issue date or on the Closing Time, included or includes an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or omits to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, and (C) the documents specified in Exhibit B to this letter consisting of those documents

included in the General Disclosure Package (except for (i) financial statements and schedules contained therein, including the notes thereto and the auditors’ reports thereon, (ii) the other financial or statistical information contained therein, incorporated by reference therein, or omitted therefrom and (iii) the exhibits thereto, as to which we have not been asked to comment), as of the Applicable Time and as of the date hereof, contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading.

In rendering such opinion, such counsel may rely, as to matters of fact (but not as to legal conclusions), to the extent they deem proper, on certificates of responsible officers of the Company and public officials. Such opinion shall not state that it is to be governed or qualified by, or that it is otherwise subject to, any treatise, written policy or other document relating to legal opinions, including, without limitation, the Legal Opinion Accord of the ABA Section of Business Law (1991).

Exhibit A-3

FORM OF OPINION OF JENNIFER L. VOGEL, ESQ.,
TO BE DELIVERED PURSUANT TO
SECTION 6(b)

     (i) The Company is duly qualified as a foreign corporation to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of business, except where the failure so to qualify or to be in good standing would not result in a Material Adverse Effect.

     (ii) To her knowledge and except as set forth in the Prospectus, no options, warrants or other rights to purchase, agreements or other obligations to issue, or rights to convert any obligations into or exchange any securities for, shares of capital stock of or ownership interests in the Company are outstanding, except as may have been issued or may exist under the Company’s employee benefit or similar plans disclosed in the Prospectus.

     (iii) To her knowledge, there is not pending or threatened any action, suit, proceeding, inquiry or investigation, to which the Company or any subsidiary is a party, or to which the property of the Company or any subsidiary is subject, before or brought by any court or governmental agency or body, domestic or foreign, of a character required to be disclosed in the Registration Statement which is not adequately disclosed in the Prospectus.

     (iv) Each subsidiary of the Company named Schedule I to the Underwriting Agreement has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation, has corporate power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Prospectus and is duly qualified as a foreign corporation to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of business; except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement, all of the issued and outstanding capital stock of the Company issued subsequent to May 2001 has been duly authorized and validly issued, is fully paid and non-assessable and all of the issued and outstanding capital stock of each such subsidiary has been duly authorized and validly issued, is fully paid and non-assessable and is owned by the Company, directly or through subsidiaries, free and clear of any security interest, mortgage, pledge, lien, encumbrance, claim or equity.

     (v) The documents incorporated by reference in the Prospectus (other than the financial statements and supporting schedules included therein or omitted therefrom, as to which such counsel need express no opinion), when they were filed with the Commission

complied as to form in all material respects with the requirements of the 1934 Act and the 1934 Act Regulations.

     (vi) To her knowledge, neither the Company nor any subsidiary is in violation of its charter or by-laws and no default by the Company or any subsidiary exists in the due performance or observance of any obligation, agreement, covenant or condition contained in any contract, indenture, mortgage, loan agreement, note, lease or other agreement or instrument that is described or referred to in the Registration Statement, (except for such defaults that are not reasonably expected to have a Material Adverse Effect).

     (vii) The execution, delivery and performance of the Underwriting Agreement and the consummation of the transactions contemplated in the Underwriting Agreement, in the Registration Statement (including the issuance and sale of the Securities and the use of the proceeds from the sale of the Securities as described in the Prospectus under the caption “Use of Proceeds”) and compliance by the Company with its obligations under the Underwriting Agreement do not and will not, whether with or without the giving of notice or lapse of time or both, to her knowledge, conflict with or constitute a breach of, or default under or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company or any subsidiary pursuant to any contract, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan or credit agreement, note, lease or any other agreement or instrument to which the Company or any subsidiary is a party or by which it or any of them may be bound, or to which any of the property or assets of the Company or any subsidiary is subject (except for such conflicts, breaches or defaults or liens, charges or encumbrances that are not reasonably expected to have a Material Adverse Effect), nor will such action result: (A) in any violation of the provisions of the charter or by laws of the Company or any subsidiary, or (B) to her knowledge, in any violation of any applicable law, statute, rule, regulation, judgment, order, writ or decree of any government, government instrumentality or court, domestic or foreign, having jurisdiction over the Company or any subsidiary or any of their respective properties, assets or operations.

     (viii) Except as set forth in the Prospectus, no holders of securities of the Company have rights to the registration of such securities under the Registration Statement.

EXHIBIT 5.1

August 10, 2009

Continental Airlines, Inc.
1600 Smith Street, HQSLG
Houston, Texas 77002

Ladies and Gentlemen:

     We acted as counsel for Continental Airlines, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), in connection with the preparation of the prospectus dated April 24, 2009 and the prospectus supplement dated August 6, 2009 with respect to the Registration Statement on Form S-3 (Registration No. 333-158781) (the “Registration Statement”) filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), relating to the issuance and sale of 14,400,000 shares of the Company’s Class B common stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Shares”). The Shares are being offered, issued and sold in an underwritten public offering pursuant to an underwriting agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”) between the Company and the underwriter of such offering.

     In our capacity as counsel for the Company for the matter referred to above, we have examined or are familiar with the certificate of incorporation and bylaws of the Company, each as amended to date, and have examined the originals, or copies certified or otherwise identified, of the Underwriting Agreement and corporate records of the Company, including minute books of the Company as furnished to us by the Company, certificates of representatives of the Company, and other instruments and documents, as a basis for the opinions hereinafter expressed. In giving such opinions, we have relied upon certificates of officers of the Company with respect to the accuracy of the material factual matters contained in such certificates. In making our examination, we have assumed that all signatures on documents examined by us are genuine, that all documents submitted to us as originals are authentic and that all documents submitted to us as certified or photostatic copies conform to the original copies of such documents.

     On the basis of the foregoing, and subject to the assumptions, limitations and qualifications set forth herein, we are of the opinion that the Shares, when issued and delivered against payment therefor as provided in the Underwriting Agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.

Vinson & Elkins LLP Attorneys at Law		First City Tower, 1001 Fannin Street, Suite 2500
Abu Dhabi Austin Beijing Dallas Dubai Hong Kong Houston		Houston, TX 77002-6760
London Moscow New York Shanghai Tokyo Washington		Tel 713.758.2222 Fax 713.758.2346 www.velaw.com

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		August 10, 2009

     This opinion is limited in all respects to the Constitution of the State of Delaware and the Delaware General Corporation Law, as interpreted by the courts of the State of Delaware and the United States.

     We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to a Current Report on Form 8-K of the Company and to the incorporation by reference of this opinion into the Registration Statement. In giving this consent, we do not admit that we are within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act and the rules and regulations thereunder.