Well, when you operate only two airplanes, this was bound to happen.
PeoplExpress, the start-up airline that began operations in June and patterned itself after an upstart airline of the same name from the 1970s, has temporarily suspended operations.
The airline, based in Newport News, Va., and trying to fill a low-budget carrier void in that area, cannot use one of its two planes and therefore suspended flights until Oct. 16.
PeoplExpress began flying on June 30 and offered flights to seven destinations from Newport News on two Boeing 737 aircraft.
It issued this statement on Friday:
"PEOPLExpress today announced that it is temporarily suspending service effective immediately and plans to resume service on or about Oct. 16.
Recent aircraft and crew availability and maintenance issues, including an aircraft recently damaged by a vendor's truck, an engine change and a lack of a planned spare aircraft, have made it challenging to operate a full schedule, preventing us from delivering the passenger experience we are striving for.
We are currently processing refunds for passengers for flights booked through Oct. 15, which will take five to seven business days. For reservations beyond Oct. 15, passengers will receive a notification by e-mail as soon as our service resumption plans are in place.
PEOPLExpress has successfully served 55,000 passengers on 817 flights since launching service on June 30, demonstrating the need for additional non-stop air service to underserved markets as a result of airline industry consolidation.
Our customers have been very receptive and supportive of our service from the beginning but not being able to complete all of our scheduled flights has been inconsistent with our brand promise to provide a fun, creative and innovative approach to air travel. This difficult business decision affects thousands of loyal customers, and we apologize for the sudden nature of our temporary suspension and thank people for their understanding and support.
We are still committed to restoring the concepts of respect, value and excitement to the air travel experience but to do so successfully we need to enhance our platform to operate aircraft not just safely but also with the ability to provide consistently outstanding schedule integrity. "
The airline also posted this video on their Twitter feed:
JetBlue Airways has offered relief for those PeoplExpress passengers impacted by the suspended flights.
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