Your next low-fare carrier

[FreightPup]

UPDATED: Nov. 15, 2006

Economy-style service envisioned

Airline to announce plans to start here

JOHN STARK

Western Airlines has scheduled a press conference this morning to announce the start of service at Bellingham International Airport.
The exact date of the start of service, and the destinations to be served, won’t be known until after the 10 a.m. event at the Hotel Bellwether. Airline spokeswoman Leigh-Ann Campbell said officials will announce a flight schedule and fares as well as destinations and startup date.
In the past, Western Chairman Curt Tronsdal predicted the startup airline would launch Bellingham-based service in the first quarter of 2007, using aircraft in the 120- to 160- passenger size range. In recent weeks, Western has advertised for flight attendant positions, and the Port of Bellingham is moving ahead with plans to install a portable building at the airport to accommodate additional passenger traffic. The company’s corporate offices are at the Bellingham airport.
Tronsdal has also said he envisioned economy-style service to destinations in California, Arizona and Nevada.
Western first announced its plans in December 2005. The company is reviving the name of an airline that went out of existence via a merger with Delta Air Lines in 1987.

Reach John Stark at 715-2274 or john.stark@bellinghamherald.com.

 

[GogglesPisano]

Western? How original. Maybe someone will think up another good one like ... Eastern, or Braniff. Or National -- wait, someone already re-hashed National. How about ... Pan Am -- no, someone recycled that one twice.

 

[On Your Six]

More info on Western:

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Western, a public charter based in Bellingham, WA with flights operated by Xtra Airways of Elko, NV, is a low-cost provider of nonstop flights from Bellingham International Airport (BLI) to some of the western United States' most popular vacation destinations. The Company is owned and led by a team of successful airline industry veterans who have developed an innovative business model that emphasizes low costs, diversified revenue sources, and leisure traffic to important tourist destinations. This innovative strategy will allow Western to grow rapidly and to achieve attractive rates of profitability, even during the present climate of record high fuel costs.[/FONT]

 

[SSDD]

I can't believe that Delta did not hang on to the "Western" name!

 

[FreightPup]

More info on Western:

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The Company is owned and led by a team of successful airline industry veterans who have developed .....[/FONT]

I thought Curt owned a fabric shop in Mount Vernon?

 

[Hpilot]

I thought Curt owned a fabric shop in Mount Vernon?

He does, I almost fell over laughing when I read that post.

 

[Sparse]

I can't believe that Delta did not hang on to the "Western" name!

And why they didn't negotiate first righ t of refusall of the Pan Am name when they pumped millions into the remaining Pan Am and it's futile attempt to remian solvent in the Latin American Market. But then again, Delta managment has been succesful in destroying the premier airline in history. We do have to give them credit for that.

 

[Hpilot]

Well to be fair it is an aircraft interior fabric shop. I do wish them luck, in the current environment they're going to need it.

 

[FreightPup]

Well to be fair it is an aircraft interior fabric shop. I do wish them luck, in the current environment they're going to need it.

Right, I'm not a pilot. I'm a People Distribution Manager.

I do wish them luck!

 

[b757driver]

Western? How original. Maybe someone will think up another good one like ... Eastern, or Braniff. Or National -- wait, someone already re-hashed National. How about ... Pan Am -- no, someone recycled that one twice.

Hey G.P., you are absolutely right. You don't have to look far back in the history books to find this litany of start-ups all using previous defunct airline names. With the exception of one, Frontier, all met their respective demise, all were heralded as the next best thing on the market, we'll make a difference etc. etc. Well, guess what? In the vast majority of cases, it did not work out that.
So, I for one, will not be holding my breath. You need far more than market research, a business plan and a bunch of "industry veterans" to run an airline successfully nowadays.
As for the industry veterans, well, the less said, the better......:laugh:

 

[Andy Neill]

Here is their website:
http://www.iflywestern.com/

The jobs advertised were for a web developer and station managers for OAK, LAS, DEN, SLC, and Dallas (didn't specify DFW/DAL). Flights for which they are selling tickets (starting Jan 07) include ONT, SAN, and Mesa, AZ besides BLI.

 

[HA25]

what equipment do they use? is it new/old?

 

[b757driver]

what equipment do they use? is it new/old?

I believe it's 737s. Not sure if classics (-300/400s) or NG (-600 thru -900s).

The Xtra of Elko, NV is the old Casino Air Express of the 90s in which the parent holding company of Air Atlanta Icelandic, Avion Group is the majority stakeholder. Not sure how it all ties in with Western but nothing surprises me any more in this biz...................

 

[RJ Bum]

Xtra will be doing the flying with 400s. Western name was bought from DAL, the owner of Western is still looking for an operating cert.