Continental drops NMI from web-based campaign

Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio yesterday expressed his disappointment again after learning that Continental Airlines has excluded the Northern Marianas from its web-based promotional campaign of Western Pacific island destinations.

“It’s very unfair and I’m very disappointed if that is the case and I hope that they would review their website and include also the CNMI unless they just don’t want to continue providing service to the CNMI,” he told reporters when sought for his comment.

The statement came just weeks after he protested the carrier’s exclusion of the island from its campaign that appeared in the quarterly issue of the OnePass Update newsletter for its OnePass customers.

Mr. Tenorio had written to Continental, Micronesia’s largest air carrier, after it apparently dropped the CNMI from the list of “tropical island getaways” it is promoting as Pacific island destinations in the region.

The campaign is marketing Guam, Ponhpei, Yap, Chuuk, Kosrae and Palau — islands it described as “emeralds of the Pacific” that are rich in “culture, language, history and stunning tropical attractions.” It can also be downloaded in its website at www.continental.com.

It came months after Continental scaled back direct flights to Saipan from key cities in Japan, the island’s main market, due to shrinking passenger haul.

The governor’s letter addressed to Gordon Bethune, chairman and CEO of the Houston-based carrier, in which he expressed his disappointment over the omission, had drawn lukewarm response from airline officials who said they would refer the matter to the OnePass marketing division.

Wally Dias, staff to the vice president for sales and promotions of Continental Micronesia, said last week that the exclusion might have been an oversight or a typographical error since there is no policy not to promote the CNMI as one of the destinations.

He also assured support by the Guam-based carrier in carrying out joint tourism campaign in Japan and other markets to boost traffic to the island.

“It’s very difficult to overlook [any error] after you provide service for many years, [but] I was informed that they would include CNMI as one of their destinations,” said Mr. Tenorio.

Continental has serviced Saipan for the last 30 years and Mr. Tenorio disclosed that he was part of the local delegation who went to Washington D.C. on New Year’s eve during the 1960’s to negotiate air rights for the carrier.