What Occurred To Continental Micronesia?

Immediately we’re going to try what turned of the airline Continental Micronesia. The Guam-based service was an necessary hyperlink to the US by Hawaii and have become a well-liked vacation spot due to its proximity to Asia as effectively. Here is a glance again.

Nevertheless, earlier than we soar into the airline, it’s best to grasp just a little about Micronesia. Extremely contested throughout the Second World Warfare between the Japanese and america, Micronesia is part of Oceania that’s made up of two,000 small islands. The 4 predominant archipelagos of Micronesia embody the Caroline Islands, the Gilbert Islands, and the Mariana Islands.

Owned by Continental Airways

Based in 1968, Continental Micronesia was a wholly-owned subsidiary of Continental Airways. Primarily based at Antonio B. Received Pat Worldwide Airport (GUM) on the island of Guam, the airline provided each day flights between america territory and Hawaii. The airline started life with a Boeing 727-100, a Douglas DC-6, and two Grumman SA-16 Albatross flying boats.

From its inception, the airline had a monopoly within the Micronesia area and was the one journey hyperlink individuals had with the world past the horizon. Apart from these within the airline’s headquarters on the island of Saipan, all of the airline’s staff have been Micronesian.

Within the early Eighties, the airline expanded its footprint with flights from Guam to Japan to entice Japanese vacationers to the tropics. By 1983, Continental Micronesia was working Boeing 727-100, 727-200, and 727-combi freight flights from its Guam Airport hub.

At one level, Continental Micronesia was Guam’s largest personal employer, with 1,500 staff and 236 departures every week from its house base. On July 1, 2004, Continental Micronesia made a cope with Massachusetts-based Cape Air to supply flights to the Mariana Islands, together with Saipan.

By the late 2000s, Continental Micronesia had a monopoly on flights between Guam and Honolulu and profited from Japanese vacationers trying to trip nearer to house. In 2009, Continental Micronesia expanded its community with continuous flights between Honolulu and Nadi in Fiji.

In December 2010, Continental Airways merged with United Airways, which resulted within the termination of Continental Micronesia’s working certificates. On April 1, 2017, after being a subsidiary of United Continental Holdings, Continental Micronesia turned part of United Airways. Since then, all flights to Micronesia have been operated by United Airways’ mainline model.

Continental Micronesia locations

Apart from working flights between the islands, Continental Micronesia linked the area with america with its each day flight to Hawaii. Continental Micronesia’s second-largest market was Japan, from the place it introduced vacationers to the islands from 9 Japanese cities.

The airline additionally operated a five-stop 4,300-mile island hopper route between Honolulu and Guam. The flight lasted 14 hours and 10 minutes and wanted a 3rd pilot because of the period. Because the merger, United has taken over lots of the service’s routes utilizing a Boeing 737.

Continental Micronesia’s route community linked up with its mother or father firm in Honolulu, the place passengers might join on Continental flights to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, and Newark. Due to Micronesia’s small inhabitants, many interisland flights solely operated a couple of times every week, with the one each day flights departing Guam for Honolulu, Manila, Palau, Fukuoka, Nagoya, and Tokyo.

Continental Micronesia’s fleet

In response to the aviation information and statistics web site ATDB-aero Continental Micronesia operated a fleet of the next plane:

2 x Douglas DC-6

6 x Boeing 727-100s

23 x Boeing 727-200s

8 x Douglas DC-100s

4 x Boeing 747-200s