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| Continental Under Fire....Again; Loses unaccompanied kids | |
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| Topic Started: Jun 18 2009, 02:36 PM (591 Views) | |
| CrisisMan | Jun 18 2009, 02:36 PM Post #1 |
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It seems Continental just can't stay out of trouble...or at least controversy. The latest problem for the troubled airline involves losing two unaccompanied minor passengers. A 10-year-old girl flying from Boston to Cleveland ended up in Newark, and an eight-year-old girl flying from Houston to Charlotte ended up in Fayeteville, Ark. A spokesperson for the airline said in a prepared statement that "Continental has clear procedures to assist children traveling alone, and we take the responsibility very seriously. We have also taken immediate action to reinforce to airport representatives that they must closely adhere to established procedures." I don't think they said: "We're sorry we lost your kids." A poll by a Detroit TV station Wednesday morning found two third of parents would still let their kids fly unaccompanied, even after Continental's fiasco. I believe both incidents - within the same week - involved Continental's commuter airlines. If you recall, it was also a Delta Connection commuter that crashed near Buffalo, NY earlier this year killing everyone aboard. |
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| Allison Combs | Jun 18 2009, 02:41 PM Post #2 |
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I saw a clip on that this morning on the Today Show. It's also on local TV in Houston: Continental's home base. Apparently the mom of one of the minor passengers says she's getting the runaround from Continental. Here's what local TV reported: http://www.khou.com/news/local/stories/khou090617_mp_airline-mistakes.8f44a950.html |
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| Dstevens | Jun 18 2009, 03:49 PM Post #3 |
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It just won't stop for Continental. This just in on the Associated Press: NEWARK, N.J. – A Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman has confirmed that a Continental Airlines pilot has died in mid-flight. Spokeswoman Arlene Salac says the airline alerted the FAA around 10:30 Thursday morning that Flight 61 from Brussels to Newark was being flown by two co-pilots. Salac says the plane, a Boeing 777, will receive priority handling when it lands around noon. |
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| Allison Combs | Jun 22 2009, 03:36 PM Post #4 |
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From the Houston Chronicle today regarding the the missing minor passengers: "Jonathan Kamens, who figured out his 10-year-old daughter was in Newark before Continental did, says he finds it hard to believe that back-to-back episodes of the same mistake were just freak occurrences. “When this number of employees messes up, you don’t just have a training problem; your corporate policies have made it too difficult for people to do the right thing or too easy to mess up,” he wrote in his blog. "It is a big deal’ A Continental spokeswoman, said the airline has “refunded the ticket prices and the fees and provided additional compensation to the families.” |
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| CrisisMan | Aug 10 2009, 11:40 AM Post #5 |
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Continental Airlines just can't seem to get it right. This time it involves another of its commuter airlines. An ExpressJet plane (carrying Continental markings on it) was supposed to fly from Houston to Minneapolis earlier this month, but - because of thunderstorms - had to land in Rochester, MN instead. Okay, so far? Well, not for the passengers. All 47 passengers in this small commuter jet were trapped inside the plane for nine hours at the Rochester airport because the airline wouldn't let them off. The airline said its regulations prevented letting passengers off the plane. No food, smelly toilets, etc. No options offered by ExpressJet. "This was a sardine can, with a single row of seats on one side of the plane and two rows of seats on the other...It was a nightmare," the AP quoted one passenger as saying. Now for the good part. Continental Airlines, which issued the tickets for Flight 2816, referred inquiries to Express Jet Airlines. So where is Continental Airlines on this? Link Christin, a passenger, said, "My boarding pass has a huge headline saying 'Continental.' The flight attendant said. "Thank you for flying Continental." Not sure what others think, but if Continental won't take responsibility for problems with the planes that carry its name on the side, perhaps it should take its name off of them. |
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| Dstevens | Aug 11 2009, 01:44 PM Post #6 |
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"The long night stuck aboard Flight 2816," was the front page headline in this morning's USA Today. The lead paragraph: "The situation on board was horrendous: babies were screaming, odor from a toilet filled the cramped plane and passengers couldn't escape." And, the paper reported that the ordeal suffered by 49 passengers was all avoidable. Apparently, the passengers could have gotten off the plane and gone inside the airport, had Continental allowed them to. Delta Airlines ground handlers made numerous calls to Continental Express dispatchers, but that their offer to deplane the passengers were refused. The airport manager also said that Continentals claims that there were no TSA agents on duty because of the late hour were irrelevant. Passengers, he said, could have been kept in an area of the airport where security processing isn't required. Meanwhile, USA Today said Continental and Express Jet Airlines have apologized to passengers and what happened was unacceptable. They offered passengers a refund for their tickets and a certificate for a future flight. I'm just wondering how many of those passengers would really want to fly Continental again. |
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| Allison Combs | Aug 19 2009, 04:16 PM Post #7 |
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USA Today was at it again this morning with more coverage of that awful Continental flight 2816. "Too little, too late," seemed to be the attitude of the passengers regarding Continental's apology and compensation for their troubles. By accepting the compensation, they apparently were signing away their right to sue Continental. Seems Continental has a problem in saying, "I'm sorry." |
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| Dstevens | Nov 25 2009, 02:09 PM Post #8 |
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US Transportation Secty. Ray Lahood said he hopes the $175,000 in fines levied against Continental and two other airlines this week sends a signal to the rest of the airline industry. "Respect the rights of air travelers." Consumer advocates and passengers seemed pleased with the fines. 51 passengers were stranded on the Continental Express Jet plane for 6 hours on August 7 in Rochester, MN. The plane was diverted from landing in MSP due to weather. While there, ExpressJet asked Delta subsidiary Mesaba for assistance and was told there were no security screeners on duty and passengers had to stay on the plane. Continental and ExpressJet were fined $100,000 and Mesaba was fined $75,000 for giving out the inaccurate information that left passengers on the plane. Continental Spokesperson Mary Clark said Continental agreed to the fines rather than spend money on legal fees to fight them. Mesaba denied any wrongdoing, saying it acted in good faith. |
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