From the Wednesday 9/1/10 Daily News Update:
Jeff reaffirms commitment to CLE and denounces distortion of facts
Jeff today reaffirmed CO’s commitment to CLE and denounced legal maneuvers by a plaintiffs’ lawyer aimed at distorting the facts.
“Continental is firmly committed to Cleveland and will remain so after its merger with United,” Jeff said. He referred to reports insinuating that CO would drastically reduce its service to CLE as a result of the merger with United Airlines (UA).
The reports were based on one of many simulations analyzed before the merger was announced, and modeled the most severe recession or disaster scenario. The simulation was promoted by the plaintiffs’ attorney in the trial of a lawsuit filed in California challenging the merger.
“Other simulations showed Cleveland maintaining its size and others showed it growing,” Jeff said. “This was never a plan for Cleveland or any of our hubs.”
“We are meeting with Mayor Jackson and business leaders on an on-going basis to ensure Cleveland maintains excellent air service after the merger. We consider Cleveland an important hub and one of our hometowns and resent this attempt to cause concern among our customers and employees,” Jeff said.
He reiterated that he expects the merger will have minimal impact on front-line employees, “including our co-workers in Cleveland.”