Jaunted - Tag: continental

Venezuela Fires Back at US over Flights

pbb — 2008-09-11T12:15:25-05:00

After the US government announced earlier this week that it can't vouch for the safety of flights leaving the country, Venezuela has ordered American carriers to cut back on service starting September 28. American Airlines, Delta and Continental operate about 70 of the close to 90 weekly flights between the two countries, and how many flights they'll have to trim still isn't known.

Venezuelan aviation chief Jos� Mart�nez Bravo told the newspaper El Universal that the cuts are a result of an "imbalance in favor of American companies." But a letter to the three affected carriers mentions that:

The TSA insists on and maintains a policy of discrediting [Venezuela].

And so we wait for the (probably inevitable) next play in the governmental pissing match: Stepped-up border crossing regulations.

Related Stories:
· INAC Reducing Flights by US Airlines [El Universal, in Spanish]
· Flights from Venezuela May Not Be Safe [AP, via Google]
· UK Stepping Up Its Immigration Game [Jaunted]

[Photo of CCS in Caracas: inti]

DOT to Airlines: Sorry, Losers

pbb — 2008-07-07T17:00:12-05:00

In late 2007 and into 2008, a group of airlines petitioned the Department of Transportation for permission to fly to Colombia--a move they had to take because flights there are regulated by treaty. But thanks to recent astronomical price increases on jet fuel, some carriers no longer want to go there--at least for now. So last month, a bunch of airlines filed with the DOT asking if they could keep their slots while delaying their entry into the US-Colombia market. (That's called a dormancy waiver.)

With so many airlines asking, it seemed like the DOT would grant the waiver, but it didn't. The agency's decision basically says "Sorry. Start flying or loose your slots." The DOT will continue to evaluate stuff like this on a case-by-case basis, but on this big one, the department made a pro-consumer call.

Spirit Airlines, which broke industry ranks and filed with the DOT against the waiver, will undoubtedly release some sort of tasteless fare sale soon to celebrate the finding.

Related Stories:
· DOT Rejects Blanket Dormancy Waiver [Travel Industry]
· JetBlue Travel: Colombia's out but Spanish Is in [Jaunted]
· New Routes: Open Skies over Colombia [Jaunted]

[Photo of El Dorado International Airport in Bogot�: aguno]

Rome: Tony Bourdain Flies Continental

pbb — 2008-06-23T11:45:27-05:00

At least he did on his latest trip into Rome. From our new favorite iPhone-carrying tipster:

Saturday. 8 am Rome time. At Fiumincino, Anthony Bourdain gets his and his family's luggage. The stars are just like us. Flew Continental from Newark, my flight, saw him on it.

Clearly Bourdain should be happy that checked bags are free on transatlantic flights. Maybe he's in town to check out the awesome eats?

Related Stories:
· Airport Photo Shoots coverage [Jaunted]
· Anthony Bourdain coverage [Jaunted]

Adventures of Link: Delta Introducing Cell Phone Check-in

pbb — 2008-06-17T18:05:12-05:00

You'll only be able to try it at LaGuardia for now, but Delta has rolled out its first e-boarding pass. You'll now be able to check in and get past the TSA screeners using nothing more than your web-capable mobile.

Of course, a few airlines already have this service--including Air Canada, Continental and Japan Airlines. But it looks like it's really starting to catch on in the States, which begs an important reminder: Charge those phones before you head to the airport!

[Photo: NYT]

Now Cutting Its Way to Profits: Continental

pbb — 2008-06-05T08:45:55-05:00

That didn't take long. After yesterday's capacity cuts by United, Continental has announced that it will trim domestic departures by 16 percent by the end of 2008. The carrier will lose about 3,000 jobs in the process, through both lay offs and buyouts.

Like other airlines that are slashing service, Continental also plans to retire some of its fleet. The carrier will get rid of 67 of its 737s by the end of 2009, and six have already been mothballed this year.

The Wall Street Journal also reports that the painful cuts are going straight to the top: Chairman and Chief Executive Larry Kellner and President Jeff Smisek are both giving up their salaries and bonuses for the rest of the year.

Related Stories:
· Rumors Confirmed: United Planning Massive Cuts [Jaunted]
· Continental Cuts Jobs, Fleet [WSJ]
· Continental coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: hyku]

Airline Mergers: An Across-the-Board Update

pbb — 2008-05-14T16:05:01-05:00

Forgive us if we haven't been breathlessly reporting all the latest merger gossip: All these rumors and anonymous sources have us more than skeptical. But since everyone seems to be involved in something these days, here's a cheat sheet for all the merger mania swirling in the industry:

Delta and Northwest: These two are getting together, pending approval from the US government. You can keep up on both carrier's plans at the pompously named newglobalairline.com. Oh, and before you believe the hype that nothing will change when they get together, Northwest CEO Doug Steenland just announced that, yes, they probably will be cutting some service.

New Continental Website No Longer Pointless

pbb — 2008-04-28T10:30:01-05:00

Well. Two days after we call out Continental for throwing together a pointless website, the carrier releases a pretty definitive statement updating the world on its merger plans. Here's what the airline had to say:

You must be nuts to think we're hitching ourselves to a dumpy, cash-hemorraghing legacy carrier who's only hope for survival is us.

Wait. No. The real statement was much more measured, and despite its firm dismissal of a merger, Continental didn't say it would never happen. Here's the real word from CEO Larry Kellner and President Jeff Smisek:

In the current industry environment, the best course for Continental is to not merge with another airline at this time...[We] very carefully considered all the risks and benefits of a merger with another airline, and determined that the risks of a merger at this time outweigh the potential rewards, as compared to Continental's prospects on a standalone basis.

Nice that the carrier is making use of the new website, but couldn't this just go out as a regular press release? And will Continental ever set up RSS feeds on the merger page, or do we just have to keep going back and refreshing the page for further updates?

Related Stories:
· Continental Abandons Merger Talks [NYT]
· So Far, Continental's New Merger Website Is Pointless [Jaunted]
· Airline Mergers coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Vox Efx]