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Continental Airlines to slash number of seats available to Mexico

2009-05-01 18:42:38 (GMT) (Caymanmama.com - Travel News)

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Sign marking entrance to Continental Center I, headquarters in Houston.

Atlanta, Georgia (CaymanMama.com) –  Continental Airlines, the largest American airline carrier to Mexico, announced Friday it will cut in half the number of seats it flies to Mexico in light of the swine flu pandemic that has started to keep travelers home.

The change will take effect on Monday, and Continental said it will work with travelers to get them to their ultimate destinations, even if that means that schedules and routes could change.

According to the AP, “It said it would fly smaller planes on its routes and reduce frequencies, but would keep at least some flights going to all 29 Mexican cities it serves. It also extended its waiver policy, allowing customers with trips booked for Mexico to change their itineraries without penalty by the end of the month.”

Continental said the Mexican flight reductions will slash departures by approximately 40 percent. The reductions make up for nearly 2 percent of the company’s scheduled May capacity. Prior to the announcement, Continental made an average of 450 flights per week to Mexico.

Many travelers have opted to stay home and avoid travel to Mexico due to the swine flu outbreak, which has taken the lives of 12 and sickened some 300 more people in Mexico. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has strongly urged the public against travel to Mexico if at all possible.

“We were already experiencing soft market conditions due to the economy, and now our Mexico routes in particular have extra weakness,” Chairman and Chief Executive Larry Kellner said in a statement.



eMama · Filed Under Travel 

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