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    Independence Air to Reduce its Flights

    Dec. 15, 2005
    Independence Air will terminate service at Jacksonville; O'Hare International Airport in Chicago; Buffalo, N.Y.; and Manchester, N.H., on Jan. 5.

    Source Tampa Tribune (Florida)

    TAMPA -- Independence Air, which filed for bankruptcy protection in November, will eliminate flights at four cities in January and trim service four days a week between Tampa International Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport.

    Independence Air will terminate service at Jacksonville; O'Hare International Airport in Chicago; Buffalo, N.Y.; and Manchester, N.H., on Jan. 5, director of corporate communications Rick DeLisi said Tuesday.

    The Dulles, Va.-based airline will reduce its daily Tampa flights from three to two on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, he said. It will continue to operate three Tampa-Washington round-trips daily on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays.

     "We are reducing departures systemwide from 210 a day to 170 in a continuing move to save operating expenses," DeLisi said.

    Larger competitors have matched Independence Air's low fares from route to route, creating difficulties for the airline that originally relied on 82 50-passenger regional jets, which became cost-inefficient when fuel prices soared. The airline reduced its fleet of 50-passenger regional jets to 30 by November, relying more on a dozen 132-passenger A319s.

    Under Independence Air's bankruptcy plan, the airline has three options: find investors, sell assets or find a buyer.

    "The plan is not set to any timeline," DeLisi said.

    Aviation experts urge passengers to use credit cards to book flights on airlines in bankruptcy to ensure protecting their purchases. Airlines by law cannot use funds from credit card purchases until flights have been completed.

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