This is truly sad and not good news for the city at all. The worst will be having to hear CATCH say I told you so.
WestJet slashes Hamilton flights again
June 24, 2010
STEVE ARNOLD
WestJet is slashing its services from Hamilton airport again.
In a news release this morning, the airline said it will cut its local flights by almost two-third effective November 1. The number will be slashed from 42 flights a week to only 16.
WestJet spokesman Robert Palmer said the decision was a hard one, but Hamilton simply wasn’t producing enough passengers to maintain that level of service.
Gone are daily flights to Moncton, Winnipeg, Halifax and Edmonton.
The decision also means the airline’s staff in Hamilton will be cut by half, from 30 full-time equivalents to 15, although all affected employees have been offered other positions in the company.
In a news release, Hamilton airport spokesperson Karen Medwith said airport operators were disappointed, but understand the forces behind the decision.
“Although we are disappointed with this decision, we understand WestJet’s need to manage profitability in this fragile recovering economy,” she said in a news release. “We appreciate WestJet’s on-going use of our airport and expect them to return next summer with the full complement of flights.”
Regular services to Calgary, which include 13 scheduled weekly flights, will continue as will WestJet flights to Cancún, Mexico; Punta Cana, Dominican Republic and Orlando, Florida. WestJet intends to return in summer 2011.
See the full story in tomorrow’s Hamilton Spectator