Mel Malloe, manager of cargo operations for Continental Airlines, admitted there is a delay.
He said the backlog depends on when the mail for Saipan comes in and how much they can send out.
This is the second time the cargo division has received inquiries about backlogged mail.
He said as of 12:30 p.m. yesterday, there was no mail held back, but this would change when the mail arrived from the Honolulu-Guam flight in the evening. That flight came in at 5:55 p.m.
“There’s always backlog, but depends on when you call and it depends on how much mail you get. All the mail will be backlogged because they can’t move it until 8 p.m.,” he said. “We work the mail off the Honolulu flight and we would consider that a backlog until it leaves on the 8 p.m. flight to Saipan.”
He said there are days when the backlog lasts only a day but sometimes this can last for two days.
“The mail is a high priority, but it also depends on how much mail can be sent out,” he said.
For the Honolulu flight that came in last night, his records indicated there were about 2,011 pounds of mail bound for Saipan.
Malloe said the mail would be loaded on the 8 p.m. flight, but if there is not enough space then only a portion would go and the rest would be on the 2:45 a.m. flight that left this morning.
“So those times will be the very best opportunities. We see what space is available and then we load up the mail,” Malloe said. “We just don’t know. It depends on the flights to Saipan and the space that’s available. It’s a backlog if there’s more mail than they can move onto the flights bound for Saipan.”
There will also be a delay if there are more passengers on the plane or if the weather is bad.
“We have to make sure the airline is operating safely first before anything else can happen,” Malloe said. “We’re not just going to compromise the safety of the flight.”
