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‘Rota flight shortage solved by April’
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Posted on Feb 26 2005
The current shortage of flight seats to Rota is being seen as resolved by April this year following Cape Air’s assurance that it would bring in a bigger aircraft by that time.
Rota senator Paul Manglona said yesterday that based on a tourism meeting attended by Cape Air last Friday on Rota, the airline would use a 40-seater plane by April.
Currently, Cape Air, a partner of Continental Airline, reportedly uses a nine-seater plane to bring passengers to and from Rota.
“Beginning April, they [Cape Air] are going to start using a bigger plane for Rota commuters,” said Manglona.
Complaints about the shortage of flight seats to Rota came shortly after Pacific Island Aviation shut down its operations in the Marianas early this month. Rota is being served now by Cape Air and Freedom Air, which fly the Guam-Rota-Saipan routes daily.
Earlier, the Rota legislative delegation wrote the two remaining carriers to increase the number of their flights to avoid any adverse impact on the Rota economy.
The delegation said the lack of available seats has caused people to cancel their meetings and appointments outside Rota. It said the situation also hampers the trips of tourists and medical referral patients needing off-island treatment.
Figures on the number of daily travelers to and from Rota were not immediately available.
Manglona said local authorities have not met with Freedom Air representatives yet.
Over a week ago, Gov. Juan N. Babauta met with Northwest Airlines executives to convince them to participate again in the inter-island airline business. PIA was using Northwest Air Link aircraft for its Saipan-Rota-Guam flights.
Babauta said Northwest could bring in a stateside commuter plane that can fly under the Northwest group.
Babauta met on island with Northwest manager for Guam and Saipan Richard Parsons and managing director for Asia operations James Muller over a week ago.
The airline executives said the proposal “sounds promising.”
