e425
Filed by Continental Airlines, Inc.
Pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act of 1933
and deemed filed pursuant to Rule 14a-12
under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Subject Company: Continental Airlines, Inc.
Commission File No.: 1-10323
Important Information For Investors And Stockholders
This communication does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy
any securities or a solicitation of any vote or approval. The proposed merger of equals transaction
between UAL Corporation (UAL) and Continental Airlines, Inc. (Continental) will be submitted to
the respective stockholders of UAL and Continental for their consideration. In connection with the
proposed transaction, UAL has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) a
registration statement on Form S-4 that includes a preliminary joint proxy statement of Continental
and UAL that also constitutes a prospectus of UAL. UAL and Continental also plan to file other
documents with the SEC regarding the proposed transaction. UAL AND CONTINENTAL URGE INVESTORS AND
SECURITY HOLDERS TO READ THE PRELIMINARY JOINT PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS AND OTHER RELEVANT
DOCUMENTS THAT WILL BE FILED WITH THE SEC (INCLUDING THE DEFINITIVE JOINT PROXY
STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS) CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY
CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION. Investors and stockholders may
obtain free copies of the preliminary joint proxy statement/prospectus and other documents
containing important information about UAL and Continental (including the definitive joint proxy
statement/prospectus), once such documents are filed with the SEC, through the website maintained
by the SEC at www.sec.gov. Copies of the documents filed with the SEC by UAL will be
available free of charge on UALs website at www.united.com under the tab Investor
Relations or by contacting UALs Investor Relations Department at (312) 997-8610. Copies of the
documents filed with the SEC by Continental will be available free of charge on Continentals
website at www.continental.com under the tab About Continental and then under the tab
Investor Relations or by contacting Continentals Investor Relations Department at (713)
324-5152.
UAL, Continental and certain of their respective directors and executive officers may be
deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies in connection with the proposed
transaction. Information about the directors and executive officers of Continental is set forth in
its proxy statement for its 2010 annual meeting of stockholders, which was filed with the SEC on
April 23, 2010, and the preliminary joint proxy statement/prospectus related to the proposed
transaction, which was filed with the SEC on June 25, 2010. Information about the directors and
executive officers of UAL is set forth in its proxy statement for its 2010 annual meeting of
stockholders, which was filed with the SEC on April 30, 2010, and the preliminary joint proxy
statement/prospectus related to the proposed transaction, which was filed with the SEC on June 25,
2010. These documents can be obtained free of charge from the sources indicated above. Additional
information regarding the participants in the proxy solicitation may also be included in the
definitive joint proxy statement/prospectus and other relevant materials to be filed with the SEC
when they become available.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This communication contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor
provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that are not limited to
historical facts, but reflect Continentals and UALs current beliefs, expectations or intentions
regarding future events. Words such as may, will, could, should, expect, plan,
project, intend, anticipate, believe, estimate, predict, potential, pursue,
target, continue, and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking
statements. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, Continentals and UALs
expectations with respect to the synergies, costs and other anticipated financial impacts of the
proposed transaction; future financial and operating results of the combined company; the combined
companys plans, objectives, expectations and intentions with respect to future operations and
services; approval of the proposed transaction by stockholders and by governmental regulatory
authorities; the satisfaction of the closing conditions to the proposed transaction; and the timing
of the completion of the proposed transaction.
All forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause
actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements, many of which are
generally outside the control of Continental and UAL and are difficult to predict. Examples of
such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, (1) the possibility that the proposed
transaction is delayed or does not close, including due to the failure to receive required
stockholder or regulatory approvals, the taking of governmental action (including the passage of
legislation) to block the transaction, or the failure of other closing conditions, and (2) the
possibility that the expected synergies will not be realized, or will not be realized within the
expected time period, because of, among other things, significant volatility in the cost of
aircraft fuel, the high leverage and other significant capital commitments of Continental and UAL,
the ability to obtain financing and to refinance the combined companys debt, the ability of
Continental and UAL to maintain and utilize their respective net operating losses, the impact of
labor relations, global economic conditions, fluctuations in exchange rates, competitive actions
taken by other airlines, terrorist attacks, natural disasters, difficulties in integrating the two
airlines, the willingness of customers to travel by air, actions taken or conditions imposed by the
U.S. and foreign governments or other regulatory matters, excessive taxation, further industry
consolidation and changes in airlines alliances, the availability and cost of insurance and public
health threats.
UAL and Continental caution that the foregoing list of factors is not exclusive. Additional
information concerning these and other risk factors is contained in Continentals and UALs most
recently filed Annual Reports on Form 10-K, subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, recent
Current Reports on Form 8-K, and other SEC filings. All subsequent written and oral
forward-looking statements concerning Continental, UAL, the proposed transaction or other matters
and attributable to Continental or UAL or any person acting on their behalf are expressly qualified
in their entirety by the cautionary statements above. Neither Continental nor UAL undertakes any
obligation to publicly update any of these forward-looking statements to reflect events or
circumstances that may arise after the date hereof.
*****
The following memorandum from Jeffery Smisek, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
of Continental Airlines, Inc., was circulated via email to certain management and clerical
employees of Continental on June 23, 2010:
To: Management & Clerical Co-workers
From: Jeff
Date: July 23, 2010
Re: Talent Selection for Management and Clerical Co-workers
Yesterday in Houston, I spoke to COs senior leadership about the process for organization design
and talent selection of CO and UA management and clerical co-workers for the combined airline. I
want to share with you the details that I gave them about that process.
As Ive said before, I expect the impact of the merger on front-line employees to be minimal and
that any effect on front-line co-workers should be minimized or eliminated through retirements,
attrition and voluntary programs.
As Ive also said, the merger will affect some management and clerical positions in Houston and
Chicago. But I want you to understand that this is a long process and that no management and
clerical positions, other than those for officers, will be eliminated as a result of the merger
before March 31, 2011. The timing of job impacts following March 31, 2011 will depend on the
integration plan for each business area, and those impacts will occur over the course of 2011 and
into 2012.
Heres what will happen between now and then. I expect to soon name the senior officers who will
report directly to me. After that, Ill work with those officers on the design for the new
officer-level organization, and I will then name the rest of the officer group. Meanwhile, the
functional integration teams are working on the organizational structure for the different
departments, which will be finalized by the officers overseeing each area.
Our Talent, Organization and Culture team is currently working on a process for selecting other
management and clerical co-workers for the new airline, and well announce more details about that
process this fall.
For some groups, particularly those focused on the operation, the talent selection process is
likely to extend into 2012, depending on when we expect to obtain a single operating certificate.
Decisions about people, organization and culture are among the most important decisions we will
make during the merger integration process, and were working hard to make the right decisions for
the combined company. Because this transaction is a merger of equals, rather than an acquisition,
there is much to consider and it takes time to make sure the decisions are the right ones, and that
the decision making process itself treats people with dignity and respect. I know that you want
more information, particularly about how the merger will affect you. As we have answers, well
communicate with you directly, openly, and honestly, just like we always have and always will.