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January 03, 2008
Big Sky Airlines, a Delta Connection Affiliate Air Carrier, Will Cease All Operations in the Northeast U.S.
Lehigh Valley, PA - Delta Air Lines confirmed today reports that their Delta Connection affiliate, Big Sky Airlines, will cease all operations in the Northeast U.S. effective at Midnight on January 8, 2008. Big Sky Airlines has provided non-stop service from Lehigh Valley International Airport (LVIA) to Boston as a Delta Connection carrier since July 15, 2007 using Beech 1900 turboprop aircraft. Delta reservations center staff will contact passengers booked on Big Sky to discuss their options.
Traffic reports furnished to the Lehigh Northampton Airport Authority (LNAA) from Big Sky Airlines indicate that over 6,000 passengers traveled between LVIA and Boston on their flights from July 15, 2007 through December 2007.
Delta Air Lines has indicated that they will work with the Airport Authority to evaluate re-entry into the Boston market with another Delta Connection affiliate; however, Delta further indicated that they do not have any available aircraft to immediately restore the service.
The Billings-based airline had been operating on the East Coast since April as a Delta Connection partner, serving 8 cities including the Lehigh Valley out of Boston's Logan International Airport. The decision to cease operations was mutually agreed to by Big Sky and Delta, according to an announcement made by the airline's parent company, Minneapolis-based MAIR Holdings.
"Our Eastern operations were dramatically affected by a combination of unusually bad weather, disappointing revenue and record-high fuel prices," Fred DeLeeuw, Big Sky's president, said in a news release. "We have great people, who have worked extraordinarily hard, but that factor could not overcome the challenges we faced, and we no longer believe that we can reach sustained profitability."
“We are disappointed that Big Sky was unable to overcome disappointing revenue, unusually bad weather and record-high fuel prices, obstacles which we now believe make it impossible to achieve sustained profitability,” said Paul F. Foley, MAIR’s president and chief executive officer.
Lehigh Valley International Airport is located near Allentown, Pennsylvania and is served by Air Canada’s Air Georgian, Allegiant Air, Continental Express, Delta Connection, Northwest, United Express and US Airways. LVIA serves a twelve county area with a population base of 3.6 million people. The Airport is easily accessible from communities in eastern Pennsylvania and northern New Jersey areas. The airport is entirely funded by user fees; no property tax dollars are used for the airport’s capital improvements or for its day-to-day operation.
For more information on LVIA, visit www.lvia.org.
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