Closures Include OAK, PSP, GRB
A change is gonna come... and for
some Continental Airlines hubs, it's gonna hurt. On Thursday, the
airline provided further details of its earlier announcement of
capacity cuts throughout its network, including the closure of
Continental's operations in Oakland, CA.
"Starting in September, at the conclusion of the peak summer
season, CO will reduce capacity from its hubs, resulting in an 11
percent decline of domestic mainline capacity (available seat
miles, or ASMs) in the fourth quarter, compared to the same period
last year," the airline said. "The changes will result in a 6.4
percent decline in consolidated (mainline plus regional) capacity
in the fourth quarter, compared to the same period last year."
Including earlier capacity cuts prior to September 3,
Continental will trim available seats from its hub in Houston, TX
by 7.9 percent; from Newark by 3.2 percent; and Cleveland by a
staggering 13 percent. Operations from Guam will be hit hardest, on
a percentage basis, with a 21.5 percent cut in capacity.
A number of outlying markets -- including Omaha, NE;
Albuquerque, NM; Salt Lake City, UT and Hartford, CT -- will see
some service to Continental hubs cut, with remaining routes only to
and from the closest hub.
Continental will also pull out completely from 15 cities:
Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia; Cali, Colombia; Chattanooga, TN;
Cologne, Germany; Green Bay, WI; Guayaquil, Ecuador; Monclova,
Mexico; Montgomery, AL; Palm Springs, CA; Reno, NV; Santiago,
Dominican Republic; Sarasota, FL; Tallahassee, FL; and Toledo,
OH.
As ANN reported last week, CO
will eliminate 3,000 positions across all work groups, including
management positions, through voluntary and involuntary
separations, with the majority of them expected to be through
voluntary programs. The specific number of involuntary furloughs
will not be determined until August, after the company knows how
many co-workers elect to take advantage of voluntary programs.
The company says it will work with furloughed/terminated
co-workers to provide information on benefits and other employment
opportunities available to them. In the case where suppliers and
vendors are affected by capacity reductions, the
airline will work with them to determine if there are other
job opportunities for their affected employees.
Continental customers who are currently booked on flights
previously scheduled to operate on or after September 3 that are
affected by the capacity reductions will be contacted by CO to make
alternate arrangements.