Continental Airlines August revenue rises

NEW YORK, Sept 4 (Reuters) - Continental Airlines Inc (CAL.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said on Tuesday that consolidated passenger revenue per available seat mile, or unit revenues, in August rose between 6.5 percent and 7.5 percent, helped by fuller planes and higher capacity.

Continental, the No. 4 U.S. airline, said its consolidated load factor -- the percentage of seats filled with paying passengers -- rose 2.9 points from a year earlier to 85.3 percent.

Traffic, as measured by revenue passenger miles, rose 8.1 percent in August, while capacity, as measured by available seat miles, increased 4.4 percent. (Reporting by Bill Rigby)