Edinburg, Glasgow flights to U.S. to continue after airlines merge

CONTINENTAL Airlines made a firm commitment yesterday to keep its year-round Edinburgh and Glasgow flights to the US going as it ties up loose ends in a multi-billion pound merger with United Airlines.

It (Scotland to US service) has done really well, said Charles Duncan, vice-president sales for United s transatlantic, Middle East and India division. Our commitment has never wavered.

The air link is highly beneficial to Scotland. VisitScotland, the tourism agency, estimates US visitors contributed more than £185 million to the economy north of the Border last year.

Continental, which has been flying out of Scotland since 1998, will soon take on the United name and the distinctive livery on its planes will disappear. Tickets issued to Scottish customers will carry the Continental logo for a few more months and then be rebranded as United.

United officials told The Herald that the company is not leaving Scotland like some of other airlines have done in recent years. Bmi provoked outrage earlier this year when it stopped flying from Glasgow airport to Heathrow in London.

Mr Duncan said United can keep its Glasgow and Edinbugh services to Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey as it flies medium-sized Boeing 757 aircraft that carry about 175 passengers. He also said the Newark terminal, near New York City, serves as a hub for flights to elsewhere in the US, which aids transfers.

United plans to lure more Scottish business travellers by offering seats with more leg room. The company already has transatlantic flights with seats that unfold in beds for overnight trips.

Mr Duncan acknowledged that the merged airline faces considerable challenges ahead such as rising fuel costs, a worsening economic picture in the United States and Britain as well as the UK Government passenger tax that adds about £60 on to the cost of an economy flight.

Continental and United are loss-making at present but Mr Duncan said the merged carrier should perform better in the months to come. We should be profitable this year, he stated.The merger, announced in 2010, should be completed later this year. The loss-making companies have said they expected the deal, worth $3.2bn (£2.1bn), to deliver savings of more than $1bn (£636 million) a year.

Combining the two companies will create the world s biggest airline, based on the total number of passenger-miles flown.

The merged company will have 80,000 employees and 12,000 aircraft.

Continental will celebrate its one millionth customer on the Edinburgh to Newark route in a ceremony at Edinburgh Airport today.