Continental Micronesia

Continental Micronesia

IATA CS ICAO CMI Callsign AIR MIKE
Founded	1968 (as Air Micronesia)[1]
Commenced operations	May 16, 1968[1]
Hubs	Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport (Guam)
Frequent flyer program	OnePass
Member lounge	Presidents Club
Alliance	Star Alliance[2]
Fleet size	N/A
Destinations	25
Headquarters	Tamuning, Guam (U.S.)[3]
Key people	Charles Duncan (President)[4]
Website	http://www.continental.com

Continental Micronesia, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary airline of Continental Airlines. It operates daily flights to Honolulu, Hawaii, as well as international services to Asia, Micronesia and Australia from its base of operations at Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport on Guam^[5], a U.S. territory in the western Pacific Ocean. The airline, a Delaware corporation,^[6] is headquartered in Tamuning, Guam.^[3]

Code data

Continental Micronesia flights use the regular Continental "CO" code on ticketing systems and for frequent-flyer benefit accounting, but use its ICAO code "CMI" and callsign "Air Mike" with air traffic control authorities. In airport terminals, Continental Micronesia flights are listed separately (from Continental) with its IATA code "CS". Airports which have both "Air Mike" and mainline Continental presence are Tokyo and Honolulu.

Note: "Air Mike" and mainline Continental share flight numbers on the Guam-Honolulu-Houston (1, 2) and Guam-Tokyo-Houston (6, 7) routes. The segments to/from Guam are operated by "Air Mike", while the segments to/from Houston are operated by mainline Continental.

History

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Continental Micronesia Boeing 737-800 at Fukuoka Airport

The airline was established by Continental and other regional shareholders in the former U.S. Trust Territory and started operations on 16 May 1968 as Air Micronesia, hence the nickname and callsign "Air Mike". Service was started with a Boeing 727-100 and a Douglas DC-6. It also operated Grumman SA-16/ HU-16 Albatross amphibians to fly from Chuuk (Truk) to Pohnpei (Ponape), until an airfield could be built that could accommodate the 727. The 727's underside was coated with teflon, due to it having to operate on coral runways. Additionally, the plane had to carry spare parts and a mechanic, as well as open-water survival gear and (beginning in 1975) onboard doppler radar, then a rarity. In the early 1980s the airline started service from Guam to Japan. As Continental's share and roles in Air Mike changed, the airline's name became "Continental Air Micronesia" and eventually "Continental Micronesia" by the late 1990s. Continental now owns 100% of Air Mike.

In 1985 Air Micronesia was headquartered in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands.^[7]

With United Airlines exiting Guam in the mid 1990s, Continental Micronesia along with Northwest Airlines became the only American airlines to serve the two U.S. territories (Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands). Today, Continental Micronesia provides the only scheduled service directly between Guam and any point in the 50 United States (namely, to/from Honolulu, Hawaii).

As of January 2008, Continental Micronesia employs 1,500 people (Guam's largest private-sector employer) and operates 236 departures each week between 23 cities.^[8]

Massachusetts-based Cape Air began services in the Mariana Islands under the Continental Connection banner on July 1, 2004. Soon afterward, Continental Micronesia eliminated most jet services to Saipan in favor of Cape Air's smaller-sized aircraft and increased frequency.

A Houston Chronicle article in 2008 stated that expected subsequent military buildup and population growth could lead to an expansion of Continental Micronesia flights to and from Guam.^[9] However, on June 12, 2008, Continental's announcement of cuts of services, routes and destinations due to high fuel prices ^[10] included termination of Continental Micronesia flights to Hong Kong and Bali. Also among the cuts is the termination of the Saipan-Manila flights on July 15 which is the last remaining Air Mike flight for Saipan, the airline's original hub 40 years ago. With only Continental Connection/Cape Air services left, Continental closed its Saipan city ticket office on the same day. ^[11]

Destinations

Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport is the hub of Continental Micronesia

Fleet

Continental Micronesia operates 13 Boeing 737-800 and Boeing 767-400 aircraft (in Pacific Configuration) from Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport on Guam. The aircraft are all owned by Continental Airlines and are rotated to Continental Micronesia.^[8]

Former fleet

• Boeing 747 ^[12]
• Douglas DC-10^[12]
• Boeing 727^[12]

Accidents and incidents

• November 21, 1980: The aircraft on Continental Micronesia Flight 614, a Boeing 727, crashed in Yap. All of the passengers and crew survived the incident. ^[13]

References

External links

• Continental Airlines
• Continental Micronesia (Archive)