Post by Yar on Mar 11, 2005 17:19:43 GMT -5
Winnipeg travellers stranded by Jetsgo shutdown
Last Updated Mar 11 2005 08:01 AM CST
CBC News
WINNIPEG – Dozens of travellers found themselves stuck at the Winnipeg airport early Friday morning after discount airline Jetsgo went out of business overnight.
Jetsgo issued an announcement just after midnight, advising travellers to find another way to get to their destination while it seeks bankruptcy court protection. The company blamed the decision on "difficult market conditions and competitive pressures."
In Winnipeg, travellers expecting to take a Jetsgo flight arrived at the airport with luggage in tow to find their airline no longer exists. No Jetsgo employees were on site; the Jetsgo sign had even been removed from the ticket counters.
Two flights scheduled to depart Friday morning are affected: a 7:50 a.m. flight to Toronto and Montreal has been cancelled, as has an 11:30 a.m. flight to Saskatoon and Edmonton. It's the same story for inbound flights; flight from Toronto scheduled for 10:50 a.m. and 4:25 p.m. won't arrive, nor will a 3:50 flight inbound from Edmonton and Saskatoon.
Passengers are being advised to make alternate travel arrangements as no Jetsgo staff or aircraft will be available at airports. Travellers looking to return from a trip must book with other airlines.
Both WestJet and Air Canada say they will not honour Jetsgo tickets, but representatives say they will try to make room for JetsGo passengers on their planes.
"The unfortunate thing is that Jetsgo made no previous arrangements with Air Canada to accept their customers' tickets, so, what we're doing is we're trying to make our everyday low fares available to as many people as possible," says Laura Cook, a spokeswoman for Air Canada.
"You've got to appreciate this is the first day of March break and we were already very, very busy, so space is at a premium. As I said, we're going to try to make all of the lowest fares available, but on some flights there's only executive class seats left."
Jetsgo president 'deeply regrets' action
In a statement, Jetsgo president Michel Leblanc says he "deeply regrets" that this had to happen. "The decision to cease operations was only taken after difficult deliberation. We are very concerned about our customers and the significant hardship that this action causes," he says.
Leblanc founded the company in June 2002 from the ashes of Canada 3000 Inc., which collapsed after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks caused a downturn in air travel. Although the Montreal-based airline flew primarily between Canadian cities, Jetsgo also provided flights to New York, Las Vegas and destinations in Mexico and Florida.
Jetsgo had recently filed a $50-million lawsuit against WestJet Airlines and two of its executives, alleging that its competitor had managed to get information to "gain an unfair competitive advantage over Jetsgo and prey upon Jetsgo's business and operations by targeting both profitable and vulnerable routes, flight times and fares."
The company said clients who have paid for Jetsgo tickets should contact the Canadian Transportation Agency: 1-888-222-2592.
More information on incoming and outbound Jetsgo flights can be found on the Winnipeg Airports Authority website. Tickets for WestJet and Air Canada can be bought directly at the counter, or by visiting the websites of those airlines.
Last Updated Mar 11 2005 08:01 AM CST
CBC News
WINNIPEG – Dozens of travellers found themselves stuck at the Winnipeg airport early Friday morning after discount airline Jetsgo went out of business overnight.
Jetsgo issued an announcement just after midnight, advising travellers to find another way to get to their destination while it seeks bankruptcy court protection. The company blamed the decision on "difficult market conditions and competitive pressures."
In Winnipeg, travellers expecting to take a Jetsgo flight arrived at the airport with luggage in tow to find their airline no longer exists. No Jetsgo employees were on site; the Jetsgo sign had even been removed from the ticket counters.
Two flights scheduled to depart Friday morning are affected: a 7:50 a.m. flight to Toronto and Montreal has been cancelled, as has an 11:30 a.m. flight to Saskatoon and Edmonton. It's the same story for inbound flights; flight from Toronto scheduled for 10:50 a.m. and 4:25 p.m. won't arrive, nor will a 3:50 flight inbound from Edmonton and Saskatoon.
Passengers are being advised to make alternate travel arrangements as no Jetsgo staff or aircraft will be available at airports. Travellers looking to return from a trip must book with other airlines.
Both WestJet and Air Canada say they will not honour Jetsgo tickets, but representatives say they will try to make room for JetsGo passengers on their planes.
"The unfortunate thing is that Jetsgo made no previous arrangements with Air Canada to accept their customers' tickets, so, what we're doing is we're trying to make our everyday low fares available to as many people as possible," says Laura Cook, a spokeswoman for Air Canada.
"You've got to appreciate this is the first day of March break and we were already very, very busy, so space is at a premium. As I said, we're going to try to make all of the lowest fares available, but on some flights there's only executive class seats left."
Jetsgo president 'deeply regrets' action
In a statement, Jetsgo president Michel Leblanc says he "deeply regrets" that this had to happen. "The decision to cease operations was only taken after difficult deliberation. We are very concerned about our customers and the significant hardship that this action causes," he says.
Leblanc founded the company in June 2002 from the ashes of Canada 3000 Inc., which collapsed after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks caused a downturn in air travel. Although the Montreal-based airline flew primarily between Canadian cities, Jetsgo also provided flights to New York, Las Vegas and destinations in Mexico and Florida.
Jetsgo had recently filed a $50-million lawsuit against WestJet Airlines and two of its executives, alleging that its competitor had managed to get information to "gain an unfair competitive advantage over Jetsgo and prey upon Jetsgo's business and operations by targeting both profitable and vulnerable routes, flight times and fares."
The company said clients who have paid for Jetsgo tickets should contact the Canadian Transportation Agency: 1-888-222-2592.
More information on incoming and outbound Jetsgo flights can be found on the Winnipeg Airports Authority website. Tickets for WestJet and Air Canada can be bought directly at the counter, or by visiting the websites of those airlines.