Flight Options Downsizes, Terminates Pilots

By Chad Trauvetter

May 27, 2008
Fractional

Ohio-based Flight Options on Friday closed its maintenance facility at Cleveland Cuyahoga Airport and dismissed about 200 employees, 68 of whom were pilots, according to IBT Local 1108, which represents the fractional provider’s pilots. A pilot union spokesman told AIN that the flight crew eliminations were done regardless of seniority and were based on “performance.

A Flight Options spokeswoman confirmed, “We did have a reduction–they were terminations, not layoffs–[and] the Cleveland maintenance facility has been closed. In a statement, the company said poor economic conditions and a “reduction in demand” have caused it “to scale the business to match current and future needs and to maintain the overall health of the company.

Fractional industry analysts Mike Riegel of Fractional Insider and Kevin O’Leary of Jet Advisors both said Flight Options’ net sales were down about three aircraft year-to-date, with Riegel telling AIN that Flight Options has been the “worst performer by far” of the major fractionals this year. The pilot union spokesman said there are roughly 500 pilots remaining and about 125 aircraft still in the fleet.

In December, Flight Options said it had 140 aircraft in its fleet. The Flight Options spokeswoman would not confirm the number of remaining employees or the number of aircraft in its fleet, nor would she comment on any possible further personnel or aircraft fleet reductions.

Back

ImperialJet adding more jets to fleet November 17, 2008 Beirut-based ImperialJet plans to add airplanes to its charter and management fleet at an impressive rate in the next six months as the... [more]
EAS Acquires FSJet November 01, 2008 Fractional provider Executive AirShare (EAS) has acquired Fort Worth, Texas-based FSJet, which has an order for 14 Embraer Phenom 100s. Some of... [more]
OurPlane Makes Play for Former DayJet Eclipse 500s October 23, 2008 London, Ontario-based OurPlane–a fractional provider of “new light aircraft,” including Cirrus SR22 piston singles and one Eclipse 500–today... [more]
Jet Republic Throws Down Gauntlet to NetJets Europe September 23, 2008 Jet Republic today announced the launch of a major new European fractional ownership, lease and block charter program and revealed itself as the... [more]
FAA Fishing for Sentient/TAG Connection September 04, 2008 The FAA Eastern Region counsel’s office is trying to find out if employees of the former Sentient Jet Holdings were connected via payroll and... [more]