Speeches

Continental Airlines Company Launch 

Brooke DeMontluzin, Economic Officer
United States Embassy

Senator, The Honorable Franklyn Khan, Minister of Works and Transport
Senator, The Honorable Howard Chin Lee, Minister of Tourism
Mr. Luis Cruz and Mr. Frank Galan, Continental Airlines
Members of the Media
Distinguished guests
Ladies and Gentlemen

Good evening, on behalf of US Ambassador Dr. Roy L. Austin, I am pleased to welcome you this evening to celebrate Continental’s inaugural flight into the country. I am delighted that Continental has decided to expand their routes to include Trinidad. With Continental being the third carrier to offer service between the US and Trinidad, a new era of competition is launched and, you, the consumer has an even greater choice of air service. The US Embassy would like to congratulate both the Government of Trinidad and Tobago and Continental Airlines for working so hard to bring this new service to Piarco Airport. Other partnerships between US companies and Trinidad have resulted in significant achievements and I believe the launch of this new service we are here to welcome tonight will have a prosperous and lasting future.

As the world’s seventh largest airline, Continental has much to offer. In addition to being ranked second on Fortune magazine’s list of most admired global airlines, Continental was also named one of the 100 best companies to work for in America. Here in Trinidad, I hope the employees will feel the same way. In the new Port of Spain office, all of the Continental staff are Trinidadians. In fact, Continental employs approximately 100 Trinidadians in its offices around the world. This latest service will bring innovative business opportunities and additional economic growth to ensure that Trinidad and Tobago remains the economic powerhouse in the region. The new flight will also offer access to the rest of the world through Continental’s hub in Newark, and hopefully in the future will include service to its other hubs in Houston and Cleveland.

The entire globe is still feeling the aftershocks of the September 11th terrorist attacks and the more recent SARS epidemic. International financial systems, as well as trade and tourism, have all been hurt and airlines in particular suffered tremendous losses. However, we have started to see a comeback in the travel industry and this new endeavor by Continental is but one example. The Caribbean in particular is doing very well in the tourism sector when compared to other parts of the world. Americans are traveling to the Caribbean over other foreign destinations, in part because of its close proximity to the US. As Ambassador Jerry Narace mentioned to me the other day Trinidad and Tobago is not just our third border, it is our third neighbor. And, I have to say that I definitely agree with his sentiment that Trinidad is indeed our third neighbor along with the rest of the Caribbean.

The U.S. wants its neighbors to be prosperous. We realize that prosperity in the region promotes political and economic stability, which benefits us all. The launch of Continental’s service into Piarco airport is a step in the right direction for Trinidad and Tobago to move forward with its vision to become a fully developed nation by the year 2020. After all it is well known that there is no greater boost to economies and individual companies than good, old fashioned competition.

To aid in that plan, The US Embassy is committed to working with the government of Trinidad to make Piarco Airport safer and more secure. Numerous government aviation officials from the United States have visited Trinidad to assist local authorities improve aviation standards. The U.S. is very impressed with the level of commitment that the government of Trinidad and Tobago has shown in addressing these areas of concern. The US Embassy is also dedicated to helping the government regain its Category One status by working with the Civil Aviation Authority to revamp their aviation legislation. And, I have high hopes that Parliament will pass this legislation quickly.

Another project the US Embassy is interested in continuing is the development of an open skies agreement. Such an agreement would create a free market for aviation services and provide substantial benefits for travelers and airlines alike. Bilateral open skies agreements give the airlines of both countries the right to operate air services from any point in one country to any other location in the other nation, as well as to and from third countries. These rights enable airlines to network using strategic points across the globe. Currently, the United States has 60 bilateral open skies agreements, and I hope that Trinidad and Tobago will be number 61.

In closing, I want to thank the government of Trinidad and Tobago and in particular Minister Khan and his staff for their hard work in making this project a reality. It is my sincere hope that we will continue to work well together and forge ahead with key projects: such as open skies agreements and the reinstatement of Piarco to Category One status. Once again, I welcome Continental to Trinidad and hope they will enjoy their time here as much as I have enjoyed mine. By allowing Continental Airlines to fly into Trinidad, the government has shown its commitment to our shared values of free market and competition.

Thank you.