Passengers win with new flights

The passengers are clearly the winner in the ongoing competition within the inter-island travel industry that resulted from the recent addition of Continental Connection to the market.

Launched on July 1, Continental Connection has made travel between Guam, Saipan, and Rota not only more convenient, but also more comfortable and affordable.

Continental Connection—a partnership between two of the nation’s leading airlines—offers up to seven flights between the Marianas islands. Five of the flights are serviced by new 46-seat ATR aircraft, while the two others are operated with the bigger Boeing 737-800 jet aircraft.

With the new service offered by Continental Micronesia and Cape Air, business people may now travel back and forth between Guam, Saipan, and Rota within a day. Continental Connection’s Guam-bound flights depart Saipan starting 4:30am until 7:45pm. From Guam, flights leave starting at 7:15am until 7:20pm.

The approximate flight time is only 40 minutes.

“With our old schedule, it was very inconvenient for business people to travel back and forth between Guam and Saipan. But we couldn’t put another flight into the market because we operated only [Boeing 737s], which are too big and hard to fill up given the amount of people that were [using the service],” said Wally Dias, Continental Micronesia’s vice president for sales and marketing.

The new ATR aircraft have made it cost-effective to provide more frequent flights, he added.

Further, Continental Connection has reduced fares by as much as 38 percent. The current roundtrip airfare from Guam to Saipan or Rota is as low as $106 per passenger. The airline has also eliminated 3-day advance purchase fares, allowing customers to buy tickets a day before departure.

Dias said airfares are 100 percent refundable, and carry no other restrictions.

“In addition, we’ve restructured our airfare so that the next lowest fare for the market will be a $140 roundtrip between Saipan and Guam. That will be a much more affordable airfare than what we’ve had in the marketplace,” he said.

Although this introductory price offer will be effective only until Sept. 30, the airline assured passengers that the low fare would remain. Discounts and incentives would also be available for frequent travelers.

Passengers are also assured of a comfortable flight aboard Continental Connection, as the ATR-42 aircraft servicing the new service are equipped with Continental coach seats, a pressurized cabin, and a lavatory. (AED)