MAJURO, Marshall Islands (4 Oct 2001) -- A reduction in service to the Marshall Islands and Micronesia by Continental is under consideration as a result of the heavy losses that the airline has sustained since the September 11 terrorist attacks, according to Continental's station manager. The airline is canceling many of its Japan, Taiwan and Philippines flights, and consideration is being given to dropping one of the three weekly "island hopper" flights, Continental Micronesia manager Leo Sion told a Marshall Islands Airport Authority-sponsored public hearing last week Friday. The Wednesday-Thursday Guam-Honolulu-Guam island hopper flight would be the flight that gets cut if the decision is made to drop one of the three flights currently serving Majuro and Kwajalein, he said. | | Sion said that he had earlier thought the island stations would be spared staff cutbacks that are laying off thousands of Continental workers nationwide. However, he indicated that each station in Micronesia will have to lay off one worker as part of the overall reduction to cut costs. SOURCE - Marshall Islands Journal |
