DAN Weiss, a United Airlines official, has informed Senate President Edith Deleon Guerrero and Speaker Edmund S. Villagomez that the airline company has reduced its Saipan-Guam resident fares to $299 for basic economy and to $399 for standard economy, inclusive of taxes and fees.
The managing director for global government and regulatory affairs of United Airlines, Weiss, in a letter dated April 10, 2024, said the lower fares became available on April 8, 2024, U.S. mainland time.
He said, “These fare categories carry some restrictions but also allow travelers to purchase air travel that excludes the cost of amenities the traveler may not want, such as but not limited to advanced seat assignments and/or checked bags.”
He said with the revised resident fares, United offers a ticket price of $281 “less than the ticket price we see being quoted in the community of $580.”
Additionally, he said, United has adjusted the mileage required to purchase a reward ticket on the Saipan-Guam route to 15,000 miles per direction or a total of 30,000 miles roundtrip.
He said the rate of 15,000, generally, is among the lowest mileage requirement that United offers on domestic segments within the U.S. mainland. This mileage reduction for reward booking took effect on April 9, 2024, he said.
“Because I recently provided the CNMI Legislature with United travel information, I felt it important to send these updates. United hopes these price changes will be viewed positively by the CNMI Legislature and community at large, and as an attempt by United to partner with our communities,” Weiss said.
In his first letter to the Senate president and speaker on April 1, 2024, Weiss said United offered local residents a fare of $302 roundtrip for basic economy and $402 for standard economy.
He said he was compelled to bring this to the Legislature’s attention, after seeing media reports about the CNMI lawmakers’ discussion on United’s $580 to $600 round-trip tickets.
