Phil, I just found your post and have been holding on to this dog awhile! This company is now called Air 21. It doesn't look good but have been unable to find any news after the 8th of January. It's long but here it is:
Fresno-based Air 21 reported a profit in August of $1,800 or 6 cents per passenger. This follows July's profit of $36,000, or $1.48 a passenger. Air 21 offers daily jet service in Durango and is a wholly owned subsidiary of International Jet Engine Supply, trading on the NASDAQ electronic bulletin board as FLYE. In other news, Air 21 has implemented a frequen flyer program, Club 21. After eight round-trips or 16 one-way flights within one year, the passangers will receive a free round trip certificate.
Air21 grounds flights again
Herald Staff Reports
-Dec. 22, 1996
Barely a week after Air21 resumed flights into Durango, the airline once again has canceled them. The most recent cancellation includes flights scheduled from last Friday through at least Monday.
A couple of weeks ago, the upstart carrier hit financial problems citing a dispute with Delta Air Lines, which handles Air21's ground operations in some cities. The airline reportedly owed the Fresno Yosemite International Airport $120,000. They owe the Durango-La Plata County Airport $2,250.
Passengers scheduled to fly on Air21 Friday and Saturday found a sign at the airline's unattended ticket counter noting the cancellation.
The airline announced Saturday afternoon that today's and Monday's flight have been canceled.
A recorded message on the airline's 800 number for reservations was the same as the sign at the ticket counter.
The message was that a merger between Pacific Southwest Airlines and Air21 had not been completed and, at the direction of the board, flights were canceled pending further negotiations. It also said decisions on further flights were being made on a day-by-day basis.
The airline said guests booked on canceled flights would be given a refund and those who were inconvenienced would be compensated, although no details were provided.
Ron Dent, director of aviation at the Durango-La Plata County Airport said he was unaware of Air21's latest woes, but he was not surprised.
The airline, formed Dec. 20, 1995, serves San Francisco, Los Angeles, Reno/Lake Tahoe, Palm Springs and Monterey in California; Las Vegas; Grand Junction and Durango, along with other cities in partnership with Reno Air.
Air 21 Cancels More Flights, Continues Merger Talks
By MATTHEW YI Associated Press Writer
Dec. 24, 1996
FRESNO, Calif. (AP) - All flights through Thursday will be canceled as financially troubled Air 21 continues to negotiate a merger deal with PSA, a company spokesman said.
Air 21 stockholders spent most of Monday meeting with representatives from Carlsbad, Calif.-based Pacific Southwest Airlines, also known as PSA, and a group of investors from Miami, headed by Stuart Klaskin.
By the end of the day, the stockholders rejected Klaskin's proposal and decided to continue negotiating with PSA, which is headed by investment banker David Walsh, Air 21 spokesman Peter Robertson said.
Walsh resurrected the PSA airline name in 1995.
Air 21 had said last week it was merging with PSA, but the official announcement was canceled Friday, the same day that the airline said it would cut fares to celebrate its first anniversary.
Instead, Air 21 canceled 17 flights on Friday and all flights from Saturday to Monday, affecting about 2,400 passengers.
Three more days of canceled flights will affect 1,700 additional travelers, Robertson said.
"With the holiday season our loads are very high right now and it's impacting a tremendous amount of guests. It's been an inconvenience to guests and we apologize for that," Robertson said. "We're basically at the mercy of this meeting."
Air 21's financial problems surfaced on Dec. 11 when the airline abruptly canceled its flights. Officials said the company was in a financial dispute with Delta Air Lines, which provides ground operations in some of the cities.
Klaskin had said Air 21 owed a significant amount of money to Delta.
Air 21 officials said at the time that they did not know of Klaskin or his intentions. Flights resumed on Dec. 13.
Two days later, the airline lost an agreement to connect with Reno Air jets flying to such points as Chicago or Seattle because Air 21 allegedly owed money to Reno Air. The agreement had allowed people to fly from Fresno to Reno on Air 21, then take a Reno Air jet to the Pacific Northwest or Midwest.
Air 21, which flies to San Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Reno, employs 180 people.
"The impact on the employees have been extremely stressful and emotional because we don't know what the future holds," Robertson said. "It's Christmas ... it's very difficult. There's been a lot of tear shed by the employees here."
Air21's trail of debt flew through county
By Dave Ojala
Herald Staff Writer
-Jan. 8, 1997
Air21, the financially failing commuter airline that stranded thousands of holiday travelers when it halted regular flights in December, left a trail of debt in Western Colorado before filing for bankruptcy.
The Fresno, Calif.-based airline filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in U.S. District Court at Fresno on Monday.
The bankruptcy filing did not list assets or liabilities but did list almost 300 creditors. USAir is the largest with a disputed claim of $1.1 million.
Air21 served Grand Junction and Durango with two flights a day to Las Vegas and Los Angeles.
The airline also left a trail of unpaid bills in Durango and Grand Junction.
Ron Dent, director of aviation at the Durango-La Plata County Airport, said Air21 owes the airport $7,098 for landing fees and terminal rental from October through the end of December.
The airline also owes the airport about $3,000 in passenger facility charges, Dent said. The $3 charge per passenger is calculated by the airline through the Federal Aviation Administration and Department of Transportation, he said, so the exact amount is still unknown.
Air21 owes Walker Field in Grand Junction passenger facility charges for November and December, spokesman John Thomas said, but no landing fees or other charges.
Air21 had promised refunds and compensation to people stranded when flights were halted at the start of the Christmas travel season, but customers have apparently been unable to contact anyone at the airline's offices, where all employees have been laid off.
Robb Heady, chief financial officer for World Media TV in Durango, said he and his wife, Kathi, flew to Los Angeles the week before Christmas and Air21 stopped flights over the weekend.
On Dec. 23, they had to book last-minute first class seats on Reno Air to get back to Durango for Christmas.
He's had no luck in getting a refund or compensation for the Reno Air ticket by calling the Air21 toll-free number.
"There is no way to get into contact with a person," Heady said.
He said he turned over the refund effort to his credit card company, but must wait through a one-month billing cycle to find out if their work is successful.
The airline's lone remaining director, Gottschalks department store chain mogul Joe Levy, held out hope that Air 21 can be revived.
"I'm not trying to build hopes up, but there remains a lot of enthusiasm for Air21," Levy said. "We're working on a plan to minimize liabilities for someone who might want to come in" with new investment money.
The Chapter 11 action can free a company from the threat of creditor's lawsuits while it reorganizes its finances, but any reorganization plan must be approved by creditors.
If you have any info please post or email me. Thanks
Jay |
