Continental Airlines, the only direct air link between the Dominican Republic and Newark, New Jersey, says that it is concentrating on increasing its participation in the Latin American market. According to operations chief Peter Hernández and regional manager Alex Santana, the Latin American market is growing 8 to 10% per year, and Continental hopes to increase its share of this traffic. Continental operates some 2,000 flights a month to and from Latin American countries. He says the service on board caters to the Latin American passenger that requires more space to move around in the cabin and usually carries lots of luggage. 75% of the personnel serving Latin American routes are Spanish-speaking. The Continental executives announced the incorporation of new Boeing 737-700 jets to the Santo Domingo-Newark route as of April. These modern airlines provide more comfort to passengers. He said that Continental is purchasing 200 new jets within the next two years. 20% of Continental’s employees are of Latin origin. The Continental Newark flight is attractive to the 1,200,000 million Dominicans that live in the New York, New Jersey, Washington, Providence, Rhode Island and Boston area.
