Big Sky Airlines to Cease East Coast Operations
Big Sky Airlines, a wholly-owned subsidiary of MAIR Holdings, Inc., today announced that its east coast operations will cease service at Midnight on January 7, 2008. Big Sky will continue to operate in Montana while it works to transition its services to another carrier.
“Our eastern operations were dramatically affected by a combination of unusually bad weather, disappointing revenue and record high fuel prices,” said Fred deLeeuw, Big Sky’s president. “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.”
Big Sky began its eastern operations in April 2007 as a Delta Connection codeshare partner, primarily operating out of Boston’s Logan Airport. The decision to cease operations was mutually agreed to by Big Sky and Delta. Customers holding reservations on flights scheduled after the cessation of operations will be contacted by Delta regarding accommodation options.
The jobs of approximately 140 Big Sky employees — primarily located in Boston, Watertown, NY and Covington, KY — will be eliminated. The company has engaged a broker to assist in the sale of the aircraft used in the eastern operations.
ABOUT THE COMPANY
Big Sky Transportation Co. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of MAIR Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAIR). Following the discontinuance of its eastern operations, Big Sky will serve 15 communities in 5 states with a fleet of 19-passenger Beechcraft 1900D aircraft. Big Sky is based in Billings, Montana and has codeshare agreements with Northwest Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Horizon Air and US Air which allows customers the convenience of traveling with one ticket, through baggage checking and economical through fares, to destinations throughout the world. Big Sky is a provider of air service under the Essential Air Service program administered by the Department of Transportation. Big Sky maintains a web site at www.bigskyair.com.