MBM3

From here: http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix....805&highlight=

Continental Airlines Announces New Nonstop Service Between Los Angeles and Three Mexico Destinations
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL) announced it will begin daily nonstop service on Dec. 16 between Los Angeles International Airport and three Mexican destinations -- Aguascalientes, Leon-Guanajuato, and Morelia -- pending government approval. Continental will be the only airline with daily non-stop service from Los Angeles to these three cities throughout the year.

The new Los Angeles-Mexico flights complements Continental's existing service to these markets from Houston, Texas. Continental serves 28 Mexican destinations -- more than any other U.S. airline.

"We are pleased to continue our commitment to Mexico by offering these new non-stop flights from Los Angeles," said Pete Garcia, Staff Vice President, Latin America, Continental Airlines. "Our nonstop flights will facilitate travel for Los Angeles-area passengers visiting family and friends in Mexico, as well as passengers conducting business there."

Tentative flight schedules are:

From To Departs Arrives
Los Angeles Aguascalientes 1:10 a.m. 6:15 a.m.
Aguascalientes Los Angeles 8:15 p.m. 9:45 p.m. Mo/We/Th/Su
7:30 a.m. 8:55 a.m. We/Sa/Su

Los Angeles Leon-Guanajuato 12:45 a.m. 6:00 a.m.
Leon-Guanajuato Los Angeles 7:00 a.m. 8:45 a.m. Mo/Tu/Th/Fr
8:10 p.m. 9:55 p.m. Tu/Fr/Sa

Los Angeles Morelia 3:30 p.m. 8:55 p.m.
Morelia Los Angeles 8:30 p.m. 10:20 p.m.

The Continental schedule will complement existing SkyTeam partner Aeromexico service between both Aguascalientes and Leon-Guanajuato and Los Angeles.

Continental Express will utilize the 50-passenger Embraer regional jet on its nonstop service on each of the new routes. The RJs feature a fully equipped galley, a spacious lavatory, and a comfortable interior with only window and aisle seating.

Continental Airlines serves 63 destinations in 24 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Continental offers a number of Spanish-language services, including bilingual flight attendants on many flights to Latin America; and bilingual airport personnel, reservations agents and signage. Passengers may make reservations in Spanish at 1-800-537-9222. Continental Airlines has been named for seven consecutive years to Hispanic Magazine's list of "100 Best Companies for Hispanics" (1998-2004).

Continental Airlines is the world's sixth-largest airline with more than 2,900 daily departures throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. Continental serves 149 domestic and 119 international destinations -- more than any other airline in the world -- and nearly 200 additional points are served via SkyTeam alliance airlines. With 42,000 employees, the airline has hubs serving New York, Houston, Cleveland and Guam, and carries approximately 51 million passengers per year. In 2004, Continental has earned awards and critical acclaim for both its operation and its corporate culture. FORTUNE ranks Continental one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America, an honor it has earned for six consecutive years, and also ranks Continental as the top airline in its Most Admired Global Companies in 2004. The carrier won major awards at the 2004 OAG Airline of the Year Awards including "Airline of the Year," "Best Airline Based in North America" and "Best Executive/Business Class." For more company information, visit continental.com.

SOURCE Continental Airlines
-0- 10/04/2004
/CONTACT: Corporate Communications of Continental Airlines,
+1-713-324-5080, or [email protected] /
/Web site: http://www.continental.com
http://www.continental.com/company/news /
(CAL)

CO: Continental Airlines; Los Angeles International Airport; Continental
Express; SkyTeam; Aeromexico
ST: California, Texas, Mexico
IN: AIR TRA LEI
SU: PDT HSP

JC-AP
-- DAM012 --
1574 10/04/2004 13:30 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com

dsimon

Interesting flight times departing Los Angeles. A couple of 1200+ mile red-eye flights on regional jets.

MBM3

I thought so as well. I am also interested to see where these JungleJets will be based.

Arcolaio99

Not right. A few hundred miles is ok, but not 1200+. Although RJ is better tthen no service at all. I avoid all RJ. YMMV

dsimon

They have obviously done their market research, but I wonder what the bookings on these flights are going to be like.

Paulo

Seriously. An RJ in the middle of the night is better than no service at all, but it's not better than an MD-80 or 737 (yes even on Aeromexico) in the middle of the day when normal people fly.

FlyerTim

Actually, I'd expect these flights to be virtual gold mines - the timings allow for maximum connectivity on both ends, not to mention the fact that these are decent O&D markets with sky-high airfares year-round. At the end of the day, most pax tend not to care about what eqp type they're flying, and in any event, it's no excuse for offering a 120+ seat plane if the market cannot support it.

Bookexp

Copa has a direct flight from LAX to PTY at 12:50 AM. Most flights from LA to Asia or Australia are at odd night hours. The timing might be strange, but it works with connection.
This is a smart move by CO. LAX - Mexico is underserved, considering the huge Mexican population here. I hope CO develops more Express Jet service from LAX to Sacramento and bay area. I am sick of flying Southwest.

MBM3

This is an interesting thought. There are enough connections to warrant a codeshare with american eagle, so one could surmise that expanding COex out of LAX could be fruitful. And frankly, those short California flights are perfect for the JungleJet.

BenjaminNYC

I agree with you on the demand here.

I also find it funny that CO burried the fact that they're flying RJ's until the end of the press release! Yes I know that the aircraft is usually saved until the end, but still...

Hopefully, if the demand is there, they'll put some 737's (perhaps 735/3's?) on the route. Would be nice to get the upgrade or use the 3x3 in the back to sleep. I have a home near BJX (Leon), and I'm often on the West Coast, so this will be helpful.

BenjaminNYC

How about UA??? Good mainline service, I think. And UA, in my experience (as UA 1K) provides good service.

jmp

This also answers the question from this thread about what a Jungle Jet would be doing at LAX.

Say what you will about redeyes, but they make for an efficient use of aircraft. CO doesn't make money by leaving the planes on the ground any more than they have to, at least not as long as they can fill them.

If these routes start filling with anything more than bottom of the barrel fares, I'd bet we'll see mainline aircraft serving them. I also wouldn't be surprised if this is part of an attempt for ST (or perhaps just CO) to establish a beachead in LA...
-JMP

mbluecpa

Interesting, indeed...IIRC, Aeromexico has two or three daily redeyes from LAX also. At first these looked like long ground times in Mexico, but I'm guessing these aircraft will run LAX-Mexico-IAH on some days.

I thought I recalled the familiar date - the same day COEx is starting LAX-MTJ service, too.