Continental Airlines suspends New York - Hong Kong flights

Continental Airlines today announced that it will temporarily suspend its five-times-weekly service between its New York hub, Newark Liberty International Airport, and Hong Kong due to a dramatic reduction in traffic on the route.

The airlines said that although traffic from Hong Kong has remained stable, passenger demand from the United States has plummeted.

Continental attributed the weak demand to government and health organization travel advisories recommending that travelers postpone Hong Kong travel due to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak.

Continental will continue to operate the flight through Thursday, April 10 (New York- Hong Kong) and Saturday, April 12 (Hong Kong-New York).

The service, the only nonstop flight between Hong Kong and New York, is to be reinstated on June 2, 2003, and the airline is continuing to take bookings for summer travel.

In the interim, Continental has said it will continue to provide U.S. - Hong Kong service by transporting customers to Tokyo and providing connecting service with Northwest Airlines for the Tokyo-Hong Kong segment. In addition, Continental will continue to operate two flights per week on the Hong Kong-Guam route.