Origins of Continental Micronesia Division
Jun 16, 2000, 5:51 pm
#1
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Join Date: Jun 1999
Location: Metuchen, NJ USA
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Origins of Continental Micronesia Division
Does anyone know the origins of this part of Continental? I'm flying them next year and wanted to know something about them.
Jun 17, 2000, 6:46 am
#2
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Coppell, Texas
Posts: 1,014
Todd go to Continental Web page then look for company info. they have a continental section called continental micronesia very interesting use to be a airline called AiR Mic
Jun 17, 2000, 1:38 pm
#3
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I've flown them a bit, mostly to the scuba destinations, particularly Palau. My personal experience is that, at least with respect to Micronesia service, they are a great carrier with relaxed attitude and friendly service.
One of the most interesting things I ever did is to take the "island hopper" flight from Guam to Honolulu. It stops at 5 or 6 islands - Majuro, Johnson, Kosrae, etc. This was a 13 hour ordeal - but its cool because there is enough time to get off and get your passport stamped, have a local drink, make a small purchase at each destination. The views into and out of (and just over) this route are spectacular - there are a ton of islets you can see from the air that are quite remote, and quite beautiful.
Over the 13 hours or so of this flight, the flight attendants gave us a variety of information about each destination. Best I can remember, CO flies this route under subsidy from the US government, as they are the only air service to the majority of these destinations which include several US military establishments at Kwajalein and Johnson Island.
Kwaj evidently used to be very top secret, and the passengers were required to close their window shades and not look out onto the island. This was not the case in '94 when I did this run, however an armed military person did board the plane and stand guard at the door during our time on the ground. Evidently Kwaj is called the "catcher's mit" - its a large atoll with a big lagoon into which they launch test missles from Nevada. They even set the time on Kwaj to Nevada time, because of some incidents of confusion over missle launch times.
Anyway, not to drag on, but this is a cool experience if you ever get the chance. You have to love being on a plane for a full day, though.
One of the most interesting things I ever did is to take the "island hopper" flight from Guam to Honolulu. It stops at 5 or 6 islands - Majuro, Johnson, Kosrae, etc. This was a 13 hour ordeal - but its cool because there is enough time to get off and get your passport stamped, have a local drink, make a small purchase at each destination. The views into and out of (and just over) this route are spectacular - there are a ton of islets you can see from the air that are quite remote, and quite beautiful.
Over the 13 hours or so of this flight, the flight attendants gave us a variety of information about each destination. Best I can remember, CO flies this route under subsidy from the US government, as they are the only air service to the majority of these destinations which include several US military establishments at Kwajalein and Johnson Island.
Kwaj evidently used to be very top secret, and the passengers were required to close their window shades and not look out onto the island. This was not the case in '94 when I did this run, however an armed military person did board the plane and stand guard at the door during our time on the ground. Evidently Kwaj is called the "catcher's mit" - its a large atoll with a big lagoon into which they launch test missles from Nevada. They even set the time on Kwaj to Nevada time, because of some incidents of confusion over missle launch times.
Anyway, not to drag on, but this is a cool experience if you ever get the chance. You have to love being on a plane for a full day, though.
Jun 19, 2000, 9:41 am
#4
Join Date: Jun 1999
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 622
I echo thesilb's comments about the island hopper. Wow what a trip.
I did it back in 97 and stayed on Pohnpei and Palau both islands are wonderful places to visit. I could spend a great deal of time in Palau definately worth the trip, look at the CO site and see the wonders that are there. I think CO bought Air Mike back in the 70's early 80's and it managed to survive both trips to Bankruptcy. It is has really good service and has much of the flavor of an Asian airline.
BSL
I did it back in 97 and stayed on Pohnpei and Palau both islands are wonderful places to visit. I could spend a great deal of time in Palau definately worth the trip, look at the CO site and see the wonders that are there. I think CO bought Air Mike back in the 70's early 80's and it managed to survive both trips to Bankruptcy. It is has really good service and has much of the flavor of an Asian airline.
BSL
Jun 19, 2000, 9:58 am
#5
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About 3 years ago, I had been traveling in Asia for a few weeks. I boarded a Continental Micronesia flight in *** bound for GUM. It was a really strange feeling. After being in strange places and on strange airlines for awhile, I immediately felt at home once on board. Everything was very familiar: aircraft interior, flight attendant uniforms, even the in-flight magazine. The sensation was so strong that I had to keep reminding myself that I wasn't home! And I even got my elite bonus miles :-)
[Addendum: In case you were wondering, the *** airport code above was originally typed as the actual airport code of a certain city in southern Japan. Apparently, this board or one of its managers finds certain IATA airport codes to be offensive, and changed it to *** without telling me. Don't you just love censorship? And no, you can't have the luggage tag that I saved.
Did the IATA not consider this situation? Perhaps they should exclude from assignment all 3-letter combinations that are close to an offensive word in any language used in any country where any IATA carrier operates. This would ensure that nobody would be offended. Actually, I just wrote a program on my HP calculator that figured out which codes would be available. Considering all of the languages used around the world and all the bad words in each of them, it computed that QQQ is the only combination that would not offend anyone. Actually, this would greatly simplify things, as each airport would have the same code. You'd never forget the correct code for your destination again!]
[This message has been edited by Steve M (edited 06-19-2000).]
[Addendum: In case you were wondering, the *** airport code above was originally typed as the actual airport code of a certain city in southern Japan. Apparently, this board or one of its managers finds certain IATA airport codes to be offensive, and changed it to *** without telling me. Don't you just love censorship? And no, you can't have the luggage tag that I saved.
Did the IATA not consider this situation? Perhaps they should exclude from assignment all 3-letter combinations that are close to an offensive word in any language used in any country where any IATA carrier operates. This would ensure that nobody would be offended. Actually, I just wrote a program on my HP calculator that figured out which codes would be available. Considering all of the languages used around the world and all the bad words in each of them, it computed that QQQ is the only combination that would not offend anyone. Actually, this would greatly simplify things, as each airport would have the same code. You'd never forget the correct code for your destination again!]
[This message has been edited by Steve M (edited 06-19-2000).]
Jun 19, 2000, 10:31 am
#6
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Continental Micronesia got its start as Air Micronesia (and is affectionally known as 'Air Mike') by Continental Airlines in the 60's, starting with DC-6 prop airliners, later upgrading to jets. They are practically the only link between the many islands of Micronesia and the rest of the world.
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AlphaSigOU
Causa latet vis est notissima - the cause is hidden, the results are well-known.
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AlphaSigOU
Causa latet vis est notissima - the cause is hidden, the results are well-known.
Jun 22, 2000, 7:17 am
#7
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AAH. Air Mike. I did the island hopper FOUR times. "1st class" in an old 727, only 8 seats in 1st in those days. From Sydney to Hon took about 25 hours that way via Guam, and 8 hours on the direct flight!
CO used to have INSANE times from GUAM - the flight to Sydney left at 3am for insance. flights from Japan were coming in at 2am, 4am, and the famous F*U*K designated flight mentioned above was one of them. Air Mike used to fly to places like Port Moresby in PNG and to Nauru etc. They still fly to Bali I think.
CO used to allow you to choose either route to HON using points, and if you had the time, the posts above really do sum it up. I got out at Kwajelin Atoll (rumored to be a US nuclear dump or test site) with some military staff in Mufti. I was sitting in what turned out to be a debreifnig room when no-one recognised me, thus grilled me and was marched back to plane by 2 armed MPs! Boy there is a big US military presence on the island.
I had a photo of the "Chuuk Intenrational airport" which looks like a condemned maintainence hanger at Newark! Glen
CO used to have INSANE times from GUAM - the flight to Sydney left at 3am for insance. flights from Japan were coming in at 2am, 4am, and the famous F*U*K designated flight mentioned above was one of them. Air Mike used to fly to places like Port Moresby in PNG and to Nauru etc. They still fly to Bali I think.
CO used to allow you to choose either route to HON using points, and if you had the time, the posts above really do sum it up. I got out at Kwajelin Atoll (rumored to be a US nuclear dump or test site) with some military staff in Mufti. I was sitting in what turned out to be a debreifnig room when no-one recognised me, thus grilled me and was marched back to plane by 2 armed MPs! Boy there is a big US military presence on the island.
I had a photo of the "Chuuk Intenrational airport" which looks like a condemned maintainence hanger at Newark! Glen
Jun 26, 2000, 1:58 pm
#8
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Originally posted by ozstamps:
... I got out at Kwajalein Atoll (rumored to be a US nuclear dump or test site) with some military staff in Mufti. I was sitting in what turned out to be a debreifnig room when no-one recognised me, thus grilled me and was marched back to plane by 2 armed MPs! Boy there is a big US military presence on the island.
... I got out at Kwajalein Atoll (rumored to be a US nuclear dump or test site) with some military staff in Mufti. I was sitting in what turned out to be a debreifnig room when no-one recognised me, thus grilled me and was marched back to plane by 2 armed MPs! Boy there is a big US military presence on the island.
Kwajalein Atoll is home to the US Army Missile Command's test range. ICBM tests from Vandenberg AFB on the California coast usually drop their (inert) warheads offshore. Some of the far-flung islands in the atoll are uninhabitable, because they were once used as ground zero for some nuclear tests in the 1950s.
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AlphaSigOU
Causa latet vis est notissima - the cause is hidden, the results are well-known.
Jun 26, 2000, 2:12 pm
#9
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I heard a rumor today that NW might take over "Air Mike" as part of a deal that would let CO take over NW's majority stock intrest in CO.
Jun 27, 2000, 8:23 pm
#10
Join Date: Feb 2000
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Posts: 641
Old Gold:
Please tell me this is a rumor you yourself have engendered as a joke...
As a concerned frequent traveller and loyal CO customer (i.e., all of which = NW hater), I do not want NW getting anywhere near "Air Mike."
Air Mike is a highly successful niche-operation for CO. To even consider ceding any part of it to NW (only to be run into the ground with NW's labor problems, customer service issues, and generally poor management) is too counterproductive and imprudent to be considered.
Denial ain't just a river in Egypt... If you see someone banging a shoe on the podium at the next shareholder meeting...
[This message has been edited by FQTV (edited 06-27-2000).]
Please tell me this is a rumor you yourself have engendered as a joke...
As a concerned frequent traveller and loyal CO customer (i.e., all of which = NW hater), I do not want NW getting anywhere near "Air Mike."
Air Mike is a highly successful niche-operation for CO. To even consider ceding any part of it to NW (only to be run into the ground with NW's labor problems, customer service issues, and generally poor management) is too counterproductive and imprudent to be considered.
Denial ain't just a river in Egypt... If you see someone banging a shoe on the podium at the next shareholder meeting...
[This message has been edited by FQTV (edited 06-27-2000).]
Jun 27, 2000, 10:05 pm
#11
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I've heard that same rumor before. Supposedly, that was an offer CO made to NW in order to get the stock back. Whether there's any truth to it is another matter.
Jun 27, 2000, 11:22 pm
#12
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Just wish one or the other of them would start flying to Sydney again from GUM - or anywhere! Was a Gold flyer for 4 years straight as I recall, and they pulled the plug on the route half way thru my 5th year!
Not sure if CO still does it, but back then, about mid 90s, CO made you a lifetime Gold if you qualified for 5 straight. Does that still happen?
Then was made Gold with Northwest, who ALSO pulled out of Sydney route a year or so later. And then KLM did the same soon after! United has the Sydney-USA market sewn up TIGHT. In an Olympic year in Sydney this is DUMB management by CO methinks.
[This message has been edited by ozstamps (edited 08-31-2000).]
Not sure if CO still does it, but back then, about mid 90s, CO made you a lifetime Gold if you qualified for 5 straight. Does that still happen?
Then was made Gold with Northwest, who ALSO pulled out of Sydney route a year or so later. And then KLM did the same soon after! United has the Sydney-USA market sewn up TIGHT. In an Olympic year in Sydney this is DUMB management by CO methinks.
[This message has been edited by ozstamps (edited 08-31-2000).]
Jun 28, 2000, 3:29 pm
#13
Join Date: Feb 2000
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Posts: 641
Ok, so I've been Egypt before, and I will gently float down that river...
Gordon Bethune and his cohorts have done too admirable of a job suggesting a level of clarity and competence that would preclude any steps to "throw out the baby with the bathwater" in ceding any part of CO as productive as Micronesia.
Can we get NW voodoo dolls from Easter Island?
Gordon Bethune and his cohorts have done too admirable of a job suggesting a level of clarity and competence that would preclude any steps to "throw out the baby with the bathwater" in ceding any part of CO as productive as Micronesia.
Can we get NW voodoo dolls from Easter Island?
Jun 28, 2000, 10:48 pm
#14
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Boondocks of SE CO, USA
Posts: 247
Yes, the Island Hopper is an incredible experience. My husband and I took it HNL-GUM in March, on an itenerary to TPE "just for the ride". (My trip report is posted at <www.trip.com> under Travel Reports.) We were told that "Air Mike" is planning to retire the old 727-200's this fall and start using the 737-800 on the route. The FA who told us this said they will no longer need to stop at Kwaj, as that was basically a refueling stop anyway. It just won't be the same. BTW, they still carry a mechanic on the route--I wonder if that will continue when the 737 is introduced.
Jun 29, 2000, 4:57 am
#15
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I posted a detailed report on one of these Micronesia trips up at my travel website:
www.GlenStephens.com/travel.html
Some may find it amusing! Lots of other totally weirdo trips in detaisl up there too. Antarctica for NYE this year etc.
www.GlenStephens.com/travel.html
Some may find it amusing! Lots of other totally weirdo trips in detaisl up there too. Antarctica for NYE this year etc.