‘Star Marianas is still here’

Cape Air may have already left the Saipan-Rota route after United Airlines dropped its code-share agreement with the regional airline, but a different airline company, Star Marianas Aviation, is still here and taking up the slack.

Yet one can’t blame Star Marianas for feeling like its services are being overlooked. Last Friday, when several media outlets published the disheartened statements of CNMI officials about the absence of air service to Rota, Star Marianas president Shaun Christian pointed out that there are still daily Saipan-Rota, Rota-Saipan, and Saipan-Guam flights.

“Watching all the media coverage regarding Cape Air’s departure, I’m a little surprised that the local leadership and [the Marianas Visitors Authority] doesn’t seem to understand…” he said.

According to Christian, Star Marianas is a commuter regional terminal “…meaning we can (and do) operate flights on a scheduled basis. …Our airplanes are capable of flying directly between Guam and Saipan,” he added.

Many speculate that Star Marianas chooses its aircrafts to accommodate the training of pilots who are still garnering experience, but Christian said that is not the case. Rather, it is to accommodate a smaller market and for its versatility, he said.

“We didn’t select our aircraft type because that’s all we know how to operate, but because the markets we fly into often don’t have enough customers to fill up a larger aircraft. In addition, they do not require TSA screening, meaning shorter wait times at the airport,” he said.

Aside from daily flights to Rota, Star Marianas also operates direct charter flights between Saipan and Guam for medical referral patients.

Star Marianas, based on Tinian, is the only airline based in the CNMI and employs over 125 people across Saipan, Tinian, Rota, and Guam.

“We carry more than 85 percent of the total air cargo into and out of Rota…We operate nearly 200 flights every day, making us one of the busiest airlines in terms of movements in the Pacific,” he said.

Christian also touched base on the many issues, locally, that make airline operations very difficult, to outright discouraging.

“…. There are many charges imposed on airlines here that are not charged in other places. We would love to open a constructive dialog on how certain polices could be implemented or changed that would encourage more flights and more airlines to serve the region,” he said.

United Airlines still flies the Guam-Saipan route but using its own jet and only once a day.