Continental boosted revenues in Latin America by 9.9 percent last year to $1.9 billion. That was higher than the airline's overall revenue growth of 8.4 percent. "We are very pleased with our Latin American and Caribbean business," says John Slater, the airline's managing director for Latin America. "We serve more destinations in Mexico and in Central America than any other U.S. carrier.”

Just as important: Continental leads rivals when it comes to load factor, according to Robert Booth, chairman of U.S.-based consultancy AvGroup. Continental last year had a load factor of 80.1 percent, versus 76.1 percent for Delta Airlines and 72.9 percent for American Airlines.  “Continental has the highest load factor ….which is an indication it is doing something right,” he says.

LATIN AMERICA: INTERNATIONAL LINCHPIN

Continental now operates approximately 1,250 weekly flights to Latin America and the Caribbean, which represents around 55 percent of its...

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Keywords: Argentina, Brazil, Central America, Houston, Mexico, New York, Nicaragua, Panama