GLEN Hunter, the governor’s special assistant for broadband policy & development, is calling on residents and those off-island to sign a petition demanding that United Airlines reduce the price of its Saipan-Guam flight service.
Hunter began the petition on April 4.
In its call to action, the petition expressed “profound dissatisfaction” over the “exorbitant airfare prices charged by United Airlines for flights between Saipan International Airport and Guam.”
Hunter said United Airlines’ “monopoly” is detrimental to island residents.
“Central to the petition’s concerns is the monopoly maintained by United Airlines on this route, largely due to cabotage restrictions that stifle competition,” Hunter said. “This monopoly has seemingly enabled unchecked price hikes, significantly impacting the ability of residents to partake in essential activities like family visits, health-related travel, business engagements, and educational pursuits.”
He said the change of airfare from $274 to $580 for a 25-minute flight “has raised eyebrows and sparked outrage among the community.” He said the same flight costs 40,000 in United Airlines’ award travel miles, when it used to cost only 16,000 miles.
Hunter wants United Airlines and regulatory bodies to take immediate action to drop the ticket prices.
His petition is “a plea for the reconsideration of airfare pricing on the Saipan-Guam route to reflect fairness and reasonableness in alignment with the actual distance traveled. Secondly, a call for a thorough review and reform of existing cabotage regulations that impede competition and accessibility within CNMI.”
As of Monday evening, 2,729 people had electronically signed the petition, which is available at: https://chng.it/W6rhwWhxcr/.
United Airlines earlier said that it considers “historical sales data, available inventory, local events and even our competitor’s pricing to determine our own fares. These factors are monitored daily so we can remain competitive and make any adjustments if needed. Prices can fluctuate and are offered in real-time availability.”
United Airlines also said that it offers Guam and CNMI residents “access to a resident fare of $302 roundtrip for basic economy and $402 roundtrip for standard economy, excluding taxes and fees.”
