08:18 PM PDT on Monday, September 24, 2007


By ROB PIERCY / KING 5 News


BELLINGHAM, Wash. -- A company that provides customer service and baggage handlers for Skybus airlines is accused of bouncing employee paychecks.

In the last few weeks, many of those service agents and baggage handlers have walked off the job and they say that could mean problems for passengers
When Skybus began daily flights into Bellingham, passengers were excited because ten seats on each and every flight are just $10.

It was shortly after Skybus started flying that Andrew Ward says there were problems. Ward was an employee of Pacific Western Aviation, the company handling baggage and customer service for Skybus in Bellingham.

"My paychecks just constantly started leaving my bank account, put me at a negative 200-something dollar balance," said Ward.

"You can't not pay your workers. It's absolutely ridiculous," said Jon Fox, another former worker. He tried taking his paychecks directly to Pacific Western Aviation's bank to cash them.

"There were a couple weeks where I went every other day and they said insufficient funds every time," said Fox.

Several workers got fed up and quit. Since then, they say it's been a bare bones operation with not enough workers to handle baggage and customers. They say it might not be long before there's no one doing those jobs, leaving Skybus in trouble.

"They just need to act really fast or it's going to affect them a lot," said Ward.

But a spokesperson for Skybus tells KING 5 News service shouldn't be affected and that the airline is prepared to send people from its headquarters in Ohio if necessary.

We spoke with a manger at Pacific Western Aviation who says the company is direct depositing money into the bank accounts of former employees. Remaining employees will be paid with cashiers checks. The manager also assured us there will be no disruption in service to passengers.

A spokesperson for Pacific Western Aviation says the company wasn't paid by another airline it used to work for and that's what led to the bounced checks.