Stranded passengers wait out typhoon

Hundreds of passengers were stranded on Saipan as all airlines cancelled their flights starting late Tuesday evening.

Commonwealth Ports Authority executive director Carlos Salas said air carriers operating at the Saipan International Airport stopped flying shortly after Tuesday midnight due to zero visibility.

The flights were still grounded as of 5pm yesterday. The international service scheduled to leave yesterday are three flights bound for Tokyo and one each bound for Osaka, Seoul, Manila, Nagoya, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.

Continental Micronesia’s service between Taipei and Guam, which includes one stop on Saipan, was also canceled.

At 4pm, Continental issued an advisory that it was planning for regular flight operations today, Sept. 1.

All commuter flights were also cancelled due to the heavy winds and strong rain. Continental said it anticipated resuming Continental Connection service to the CNMI as field conditions permit.

For its part, Asiana Airlines reportedly suspended flights until tomorrow, Sept. 2.

The rest of the airlines were expected to resume operations as soon as Saipan is downgraded from typhoon condition 1, Salas said. He added that essential CPA employees were instructed to remain at the airport so that flight operations could resume as soon as the typhoon subsides.

Aqua Resort Club had 15 room reservations extended for a night due to canceled flights.

Len Bernardo, the hotel’s room reservation supervisor, said Aqua Resort offered “typhoon” rates to the stranded guests, cutting hotel room prices by about a third. Entertainment was also provided to the guests who had no choice but to remain indoors.

She said there were still some rooms available Wednesday night, but room supply was expected to be tighter tonight.

At the World Resort Saipan, close to a hundred guests were forced to return to the hotel due to cancelled flights yesterday, according to rooms division officer Sally Alonzo. She said that guests extended their stay for another day and are set to leave today.

So far, the guests’ only complaint has been the cable shutdown. Alonzo said guests have been calling their desk to complain and ask about the resumption of cable TV.

Hotel Nikko Saipan also experienced the same thing, with more than 50 guests re-checking into the hotel because of cancelled flights, according to the hotel’s rooms division officer. Guests were also complaining about the absence of any programming on TV.

Hyatt Regency Saipan food and beverage director Sam Cheng said the hotel’s restaurants have been extra busy yesterday as guests stayed indoor. He said they had to extend lunchtime to 3:30pm to accommodate the customers.

Usually, Kili Café & Terrace and Miyako Restaurant lunch buffet begin at 11am to 2pm.

“The restaurants are busy. We even opened Miyako for breakfast. DJ Corner is also busy because people just buy ready-to-eat food like noodles, sandwiches, fruits, and pastries,” said Cheng.

He said there are no stranded tourists in the hotel because those scheduled to leave did so in the early morning flight, just before the bad weather set in.

He said that local residents checked in yesterday due to lack of power in their houses. “Some local residents preferred to stay here because they have no power at home,” he said.

Cheng said overall hotel operations have been normal except for the cancellation of the second day of a three-day Emergency Management Office training, as well as a beachfront barbecue party for Japanese guests.

Meanwhile, the seaports at all three islands were shut down since 4:30pm Tuesday in anticipation of the typhoon.

It is CPA’s policy to follow a higher typhoon condition for the seaport than the actual declaration. For instance, if a typhoon has been declared under typhoon condition 3, the seaport prepares for condition 2.

All concerned vessel owners or operators were instructed to activate their typhoon emergency plan. Vessels that needed to leave the dock were also told to expedite their departure to prevent them from incurring any typhoon-related damage. (With Marconi Calindas and Liberty Dones)