Continental Micronesia, Inc. (CMI"Commission File Number 0-9781." Continental Airlines. February 8, 2002. "[...]together with our wholly owned subsidiaries, ExpressJet Airlines, Inc. (formerly Continental Express, Inc. and referred to in this Form 10-K as "ExpressJet") and Continental Micronesia, Inc. ("CMI"), each a Delaware corporation,[...]") was an American company which was a wholly owned subsidiary of Continental Airlines. It operated daily flights to Honolulu, Hawaii, as well as international services to Asia, Micronesia and Australia from its hub at Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport on Guam,Flight International 3 April 2007 a U.S. territory in the western Pacific Ocean. During its final years, the airline, a Delaware corporation, was headquartered in the old terminal building at Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport in Tamuning, Guam."Docket No. SDWA-06-2005-1516." (Archive) United States Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved on February 5, 2009. ""CONTINENTAL MICRONESIA, INC. TAMUNING, GUAM"Letter . () United States Department of Transportation Office of Aviation Enforcement and Proceedings. May 23, 1997. Retrieved on October 4, 2010. "Continental Micronesia Old Terminal Bldg. P.O. Box 8778-G Tamuning, GU 96931-8778."
On December 22, 2010, as a result of the Continental-United Airlines merger earlier that year, the FAA approved the combination of Continental Micronesia's air carrier operations with Continental's under the single Part 121 operating certificate of Continental; although Continental Micronesia remained as a corporation, all flights were then operated directly by Continental Airlines. This step was intended to simplify future integration steps between Continental and United. The callsign, ICAO and IATA codes were changed to reflect the new operating certificate.
As of 2012, the Continental Micronesia employee group, now a subset of United Continental Holdings, had 1,222 employees."Company Information." () United Continental Holdings. Retrieved on November 16, 2012. The subsidiary was merged into United effective April 1, 2017. On June 27, 2019 the subsidiary's parent company name was changed from United Continental Holdings to United Airlines Holdings.
Code data Continental Micronesia flights used the regular Continental "CO" code on ticketing systems and for frequent-flyer benefit accounting, but used its ICAO code "CMI" and callsign "Air Mike" with air traffic control authorities. In airport terminals, Continental Micronesia flights were listed separately (from Continental) with its IATA code "CS". During the final decade, three airports had both "Air Mike" and mainline Continental present: Hong Kong, Tokyo and Honolulu.
History Before Air Micronesia
The islands of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI) were, before World War II, those of the pre-World War II South Seas Mandate of the Empire of Japan. From 1934 through 1941, the empire developed a commercial airline network in the mandate, though it was little used by Micronesians. After World War II, the TTPI was initially the responsibility of the US Navy, which provided civilian air transport with Martin PBM-5A Mariner and Douglas R4D (naval DC-3) aircraft. The PBM required JATO to take off at Yap.
As of July 1951, responsibility for the TTPI transferred to the Department of the Interior. From that date through May 1968, the TTPI ran its own airline, Trust Territory Air Service, using contractors to fly the aircraft. Contractors were responsible for flying aircraft and line maintenance; the TTPI owned the aircraft and took care of everything else. The contractors were: Transocean Air Lines from 1951 through its collapse in 1960. Transocean initially flew PBY Catalina amphibious aircraft, before transitioning to Grumman SA-16 amphibians. Pan American World Airways from 1960 through 1968. Pan Am took over the SA-16s and added Douglas DC-4s. The aircraft were branded "Trust Territory" (see photo).
Startup
The airline was established by Continental and other regional shareholders in the former U.S. Trust Territory and started operations on May 16, 1968, as Air Micronesia,"GAO-10-778T Issues Raised by the Proposed Merger of United and Continental Airlines." Government Accountability Office. Page 4. Retrieved on October 7, 2010. hence the nickname and callsign "Air Mike". Service was started with a Boeing 727-100 jetliner, number 475, which was nicknamed "Ju-Ju," and a Douglas DC-6B propliner. It also operated two 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. The airline also operated Boeing 727-100 Combi aircraft models which were capable of transporting freight pallets on the main deck of the jetliner just aft of the cockpit in addition to passengers seated in the rear coach compartment.http://www.departedflights.com, July 1, 1983 Worldwide Edition, Official Airline Guide (OAG), Honolulu flight schedules for Continental Micronesia By 1983, Continental Micronesia was operating all-passenger Boeing 727-100 and 727-200 aircraft in addition to mixed passenger/freight 727-100 Combi aircraft from its Guam hub.http://www.departedflights.com, July 1, 1983 Worldwide Edition, Official Airline Guide (OAG), Guam flight schedules for Continental Micronesia
William H. Stewart of the Saipan Tribune stated that the airline's foundation "in particular" "was probably the single most important factor in the future development of what were once remote and isolated islands in the Pacific." Stewart added that the jets "distorted the traveler's impression of time and distance and brought the islands closer to major market areas in Asia."Stewart, William H. "The NMI's recent economic history ." Saipan Tribune. Wednesday May 18, 2005. Retrieved on October 13, 2010. The airline had a virtual monopoly in the Micronesia region. In the 1970s, each district that the airline flew to had an entirely Micronesian employee base, with the exception of Saipan, which housed the airline's headquarters.International Organization and Conference Series, Issues 107-111. United States Department of State. Supt. of Docs., U.S. Govt. Print. Off., 1972. 85. Retrieved from Google Books on October 14, 2010. "In each district, except Air Micronesia's headquarters at Saipan, all Air Micronesia employees are Micronesian." William H. Stewart of the Saipan Tribune said the airline "was the only travel link many had with the world beyond the horizon."Stewart, William H. "A different time and place ." Saipan Tribune. Monday April 19, 2010. Retrieved on October 14, 2010.
The airline started service from Guam to Japan after New Tokyo International Airport (current Narita) opened in 1978. As Continental's share and roles in Air Mike changed, the airline's name became "Continental Air Micronesia." Eventually, Continental owned 100% of Air Mike, which at one point provided the only scheduled service directly between Guam and any point in the 50 United States (namely, to/from Honolulu, Hawaii) although other airlines, notably Pan Am, Braniff International and South Pacific Island Airways, had attempted to provide nonstop service between Guam and Honolulu.http://www.departedflights.com, July 1, 1983 Worldwide Edition, Official Airline Guide (OAG), Guam-Honolulu flight scheduleshttp://www.departedflights.com, July 1, 1979 Braniff International route map
Since May 1987, the company had the contract to provide passenger and cargo service from Honolulu and Guam to the states of Kosrae, Pohnpei, Chuuk and Yap.
Before being headquartered in Guam, Continental Micronesia was headquartered in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands."World Airline Directory." Flight International. March 30, 1985. 47." Retrieved on June 17, 2009. "PO Box 298, Saipan, Mariana Islands 96950, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands." As time passed, the airline's Saipan traffic decreased due to the 1986 breakup of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, which was subdivided into smaller political units. Because of the breakup, fewer people needed to travel to Saipan, which had been the capital of the trust territory.
In 1995, Continental Airlines acquired the 9% of the company that it did not already own for $72 million from a group headed by the late Larry Hillblom.
2000 to 2009
By 2003, the Guam International Airport Authority moved commuter airlines out of Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport's Commuter Terminal and leased the entire facility to Continental."Fiscal Year 2003 Overview ." () Guam International Airport Authority at Guam Chamber of Commerce. 3/4. Retrieved on October 13, 2010. "Movement of Operations from Commuter Terminal to Main Terminal As part of our streamlining, the Authority successfully moved the Commuter Terminal operations to the Main Terminal and leased the entire former Commuter Terminal to Continental Airlines." In 2003, it flew from Honolulu to Guam, and from Guam to numerous PacRim and Pacific island destinations.
As of 2004, most of the airline's employees were Guam-based, due to the location of the corporate headquarters and the airline's main hub. By 2005 Continental Micronesia's business on the island of Saipan had decreased, prompting layoffs in Saipan.Delano, Gaynor Dumat-ol. "Continental to downsize Oct. 4." Pacific Daily News. September 21, 2005. Local A1. Retrieved on October 13, 2010.
Continental Micronesia employed 1,500 people and was Guam's largest private-sector employer. It operated 236 departures each week between 23 cities.
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.
In 2008, Continental Micronesia generated profits, operating a "niche" Guam-Honolulu route. In addition Japanese tourists, wanting to save money, decided to travel to locations closer to Japan for vacation, so Continental Micronesia gained Japanese passengers. As of that year the airline's annual payroll in Guam was $90 million ($ when adjusted for inflation). Thirty percent of the airline's business came from its 4,300-mile island-hopper route, which began in Honolulu, made five stops and ended—14 hours and 10 minutes later—in Hagatna, Guam's capital city.