Continental drops CNMI from marketing list

Continental Airlines, Micronesia’s largest air carrier, has dropped the Northern Marianas from the list of “tropical island getaways” it is promoting as Pacific island resort destinations in the region.

The exclusion of CNMI from the list came months after Continental scaled back flights to Saipan from key cities in Japan, the main source of visitors of the island government, due to declining passenger haul.

In its OnePass Update, a newsletter Continental sends to OnePass members, it listed 11 island destinations in the Western Pacific, except Saipan, that it is recommending as vacation sites.

A check in the Continental website showed that the airline is only 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 says Guam is the “major gateway to the Western Pacific,” Palau has the “finest wall diving,” Ponhpei “fits the typical South Sea island image,” Yap is “Micronesia’s most traditional district,” Chuuk is “colorful,” and Kosrae is “the least spoiled and least developed.”

However, Continental’s latest move has upset Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio, saying the omission of Saipan from the list would deeply hurt the island government’s efforts in luring travelers.

“I was very disappointed,” the governor wrote to Gordon Bethune, chairman and CEO of Continental Airlines.

“It is deeply disturbing to me, personally, to see our islands omitted from your listing of Pacific island resort destinations, especially after our long and mutually beneficial relationship and at a time when tourism is suffering throughout the Western Pacific region due to the Asian recession,” Mr. Tenorio said.

He further wrote: “After recently discontinuing direct flights to Saipan from most Japanese cities, are we to assume that Continental Airlines is going even further to be no longer truly interested in promoting our islands?”

Mr. Tenorio’s letter was referred to Arprell Walker, manager of Continental’s Customer Care Department. “Rather than decide for ourselves which issues should receive attention, we feel that our customers can best make the determination. . . Your specific comments have been forwarded to the OnePass Marketing division for review,”
the manager wrote to the governor.

Continental’s decision has also irked Marianas Visitors Authority Board Chair Dave M. Sablan, saying, “To me this was poorly handled by Continental. Even in the past, the actions by the people of the airline appeared to indicate they do not really care about what will happen to the CNMI.”

“For over 30 years we supported Continental and for some reasons they apparently forgotten the staunch support that we have given them,” Mr. Sablan said.

Continental Airlines began service to Saipan three decades ago and has been successful largely due to the Commonwealth’s unwavering support, Mr. Tenorio said.

After cutting back flights to Saipan, the Tenorio administration has created the Aviation Task Force whose role is to entice other airlines into servicing the CNMI.

The Commonwealth Ports Authority, in a separate move, has put in place incentives to encourage existing airlines providing air service to the Northern Marianas open new routes to boost tourist traffic.