MARIANAS Southern Airways no longer offers a $99 one-way airfare to Guam after the CNMI government terminated the federally funded $8 million sole-source contract with Marianas Pacific Express which operates MSA.
The agreement, signed by then-Gov. Ralph DLG Torres in August 2022, aimed to subsidize MSA with American Rescue Plan Act or ARPA funds so the airline could offer low inter-island airfares.
According to Gov. Arnold I. Palacios, however, there are no more ARPA funds for the contract.
Asked about the recent fare changes, MSA vice president William Giles said, “The simple answer is that after having our agreement canceled, we could no longer provide our services for the same price. We are now offering three levels of pricing as seen on our website.”
According to its website (https://www.iflymarianas.com), MSA’s one-way air ticket to Guam now costs between $229 and $269 for the dates of March 7-9.
The return airfare from Guam to Saipan is also between $229 and $269.
United Airlines’ round-trip ticket for Saipan-Guam costs between $389 and $587 while Star Marianas Air charges $120.50 for its Rota-Guam flight, and $130.50 for Saipan-Rota.
Recently, an online petition (https://bit.ly/3ISxxYi) was launched by a CNMI resident to urge the Commonwealth Ports Authority, Marianas Southern Airlines and Star Marianas Air “to meet and agree on issues.”
As of Monday evening, 1,504 had already signed the petition.
