Continental Airlines posted a fourth-quarter net profit of $85 million, reversing a $269 million net loss from a year earlier.

For full-year 2009, the company lost $282 million--less than half the full-year loss from 2008--and collected nearly 19 percent less passeger revenue. "While we are seeing some business traffic increasing, we likely have a long and slow road to recovery," according to Continental CEO Jeff Smisek.