Avantair's troubles mount: Employees furloughed, fleet grounded
(J. Thalji, 6/26/13,
Tampa Bay Times) The future of fractional airline Avantair grew dimmer on Wednesday when the company reported that it is furloughing pilots and workers, needs additional financing to start flying again and is even in danger of having some of its planes repossessed. On top of all that, the company also became the target of a class-action lawsuit filed in Oklahoma this week that could be joined by hundreds of other plaintiffs. Avantair employs around 500 people and operates out of St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport. It allows customers to buy shares of the company's fleet of private planes so they can schedule flights when they want to fly, skipping the hassles of commercial air travel...