Aug/25 Continental adds a mid-morning flight to Houston

By ANTHONY GRAY

Herald Staff Writer

#Continental Airlines will be adding an additional daily flight to Houston

from the Brownsville//South Padre Island International Airport.

The addition of the mid-morning flight is in response to recent demands for

more flights. Flights for July were about 60 percent full.

The expanded prop plane service will begin Sept. 7 and add one additional ATR

propeller plane flight.

The new flight schedule has six departures: 6 a.m., 9:35 a.m., 11:40 a.m.,

1:40 p.m., 5:05 p.m. and 7:05 p.m. The 6 a.m. flight and the 5:05 p.m. flight

will be serviced by DC-9 jets. The other flights will be serviced by the ATR

prop planes.

Currently, there is a nearly five-hour lapse between the 6 a.m. Houston

departure and the 11:40 a.m. departure.

Continental's Brownsville Operations Manager Joe McIntyre said the airline's

decision to expand the service is based on increased demand for flights to

Houston.

"It does add frequency. It's a big plus," he said.

Airport Manager Dan Weber believes the expanded Continental service makes

flying out of Brownsville more convenient than using other Rio Grande Valley

airports for mid-morning flights.

"There's one more opportunity for travelers to fly in and out," Weber said.

Houston fares depend on the length of time tickets are purchased in advance.

For instance, with a 14-day advance purchase, a round-trip coach ticket to

Texas' largest city is $78.

A seven-day, advance-purchase Continental ticket to Houston during the week is

$106 and a weekend ticket purchased on the day of travel is $118. A

first-class, round-trip ticket, however, is $320, regardless of advanced

purchase time.

The increase in local airline service also coincides with the possible

September renewal of the $52,000 monthly Greater Brownsville Incentives Corp.

subsidy the city pays Continental for flying into Brownsville.

"Basically, what we're getting for the money are the jets," said Chamber of

Commerce President Ed Weeks.