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It's official: JetAmerica suspends operations



JetAmerica officially will not get off the ground in August. The airline announced in a press release this afternoon that it is "suspending sales to all markets and that it would immediately begin to notify affected customers and process refunds to all customers who have booked on the public charter flights." A spokesman for the company says JetAmerica would refund more than $900,000 in ticket reservations for flights since Aug. 14, which was JetAmerica's latest project launch date.
The Associated Press picks up the story, saying the "fledgling discount airline that garnered attention with $9 promotional fares, has folded without ever getting off the ground. ... Service was originally supposed to begin July 13 to underserved markets in Toledo, Ohio; South Bend, Ind.; Melbourne, Fla.; and Lansing, Mich. Flights were also scheduled to larger airports in Minneapolis and Newark, N.J."
The delay is not the first for JetAmerica. The carrier said on July 2 that would postpone its launch, a move that came just 11 days before the airline was to fly its first flight from Toledo to Newark. JetAmerica blamed the delay on unexpected delays in securing landing slots at Newark Liberty International Airport.
The airline said in today's press release that those problems also were the driving force behind today's decision to ground the carrier. "We are reluctantly suspending our public charter operations effective today," CEO John Weikle says in the release. Weikle also was one of the founders of now-defunct Skybus, an ultra-low-cost carrier that folded just several months after launching.
"Finalizing the slots required to support our charter program at Newark has taken longer than expected and we have decided to suspend our flights in order to refocus on different markets. We still strongly believe that there is an unmet need for affordable air service to secondary markets and we look forward to offering this option again in the near future," Weikle says in the release.
Bryan Glazer, a spokesman for JetAmerica, says: "This was unavoidable. I worked closely with the executives of JetAmerica for several months and know they did their very best to overcome the challenges that the slot situation posed. But in the end, the business plan never called for paying for more than a half million dollars for slots."
Still, Glazer suggested the JetAmerica team could make another attempt at launching a low-cost carrier. "Don't be surprised if JetAmerica comes back with new routes and new destinations," he says. Stay tuned ...

johnso29

Real big suprise.

Sailor

What!!!, oh my God!!!!! we weren't expecting that...

Sorry for the employees, Cut the CEO's testicles.

390SetBlue

And his head. Both are useless.....

Convairator

John Weikle is a clown. He did a huge disservice to these passengers, their families, JetAmerica's few employees (whomever actually worked there), Miami Air, and more than anything, the communities that were excited to get this air service. This was a huge embarassment to the entire airline industry, because the general public doesnt necesarily discern the difference between them and other airlines. Moreover, these airports did alot to ramp up capabilities to help support this operation. This causes massive headaches and logistical problems for alot more people than those whom were directly affected.

Who would have thought landing slots at EWR cost money? WOW, this guy really is an incredible visionary.

Wasnt Skybust enough for him? After that massive failure, he thought he'd try again? This man should be banned from aviation and deported to antarctica, where he can befriend penguins and live amongst them.

xtreme

Are there even anymore slots available to buy in any of the NY/NJ airports these days? I thought they were all locked down.

Fishfreighter

Wonder how much he skimmed off the top?