Peoples Express again?

[Flash]

NEWPORT NEWS — People Express airlines has signed a purchase agreement to buy an unnamed charter airline, a company official said, potentially launching the rebirth of the 1980s airline out of the Newport News-Williamsburg International Airport.
In an email, People Express president Michael Morisi told the Daily Press that the purchase agreement had been signed, and that a $500,000 refundable loan that was used to help finance the purchase was returned to taxpayers.
Morisi declined to immediately answer further questions, saying that more details will be announced on Monday once employees of the charter airline are notified. Morisi has previously said that charter operations will continue, but also five jets in the purchase would be used for discount commercial flights by People Express originating from Newport News. Morisi has told the Daily Press that he expects operations to begin before summer begins.
The Regional Air Service Enhancement Committee, or RAISE, granted the short-term loan to help People Express complete the purchase. The airport committee collects taxpayer funds from a number of localities on the Peninsula

 

[Ty Webb]

Interesting . . . . PHF was a successful city for AirTran, but SWA pulled the plug, in favor of ORF.

 

[Flyer1015]

Is Phil Trenary the CEO? What could possibly go wrong.

 

[Andy]

Interesting . . . . PHF was a successful city for AirTran, but SWA pulled the plug, in favor of ORF.

I can see why they wouldn't want to serve both airports - they're less than 50 miles apart.

This is a bad time to launch a new carrier in an area heavily dependent on defense dollars. With the sequester, travel budgets have likely been cut significantly.

 

[fandango]

guesses?

SkyKing, or XTRA?

 

[Old School 737]

SkyKing, or XTRA?

It the one named after the gum!!!

 

[captfred]

Spearmint?

 

[Old School 737]

Ill give it 6-8 months as people express .. Sched service .. Then they will just go back to charters..

 

[Humblepilot]

Swift Air is my guess.

 

[LearLove]

big deal - no new airline here just a charter ops rebranded.

 

[Old School 737]

big deal - no new airline here just a charter ops rebranded.

It will have new management .. / Owners ... Old planes and cert! What can go wrong !!!

 

[B727FA]

Think "going the ______ mile." Out on a limb here: but going with a majority control investment rather than outright purchase.

 

[climbhappy]

big deal - no new airline here just a charter ops rebranded.

Allegiant Air was just a charter airline with 2 planes in 2003....with good mgt look at 'em....pace OTOH, had 25 at the time, look at 'em.....

what i love is how this new group borrowed the money to finance the purchase....real sharks would never risk their own capital....brilliant and btw, priceless

 

[Humblepilot]

Changing guess to Xtra, Swift is buried in problems.

 

[bcp7]

My vote would be SkyKing - LinkedIn shows the PeopleXpress OCC Manager to have been previously employed at SkyKing, within the last month.

 

[B727FA]

Nope...it's Xtra.

 

[Flyer1015]

Xtra........ Xtra........ Read all about it!

 

[climbhappy]

the garbage man told me that his brother's stepson said it was Xtra Airways...and the PHF folks loaned them 500k to do the deal with xtra......

 

[bafanguy]

So, Vision Airlines will do the initial flying for the new PEOPLExpress. What became of the pilots hired in response to this ad ?:

http://www.aviationjobs.me/2014/03/b737-rated-and-non-type-rated-captains-peoplexpress-us.html

Or were any pilots actually hired directly by PEOPLExpress ?

Vision will do the initial flying. Then what ?

http://www.flypex.com/