PeoplExpress, the reincarnation of the 1980s low fare juggernaut that made the mistake of growing too big, too fast the first time around has already suspended service, though they airline says they plan to fly again soon. They've only been flying since June 30th of this year.
According to a statement released today by PeoplExpress, the hiatus is planned to end on October 16th. The statement also said they have flown 55,000 people on 817 flights since June 30th, which puts an average of only 67 people on each flight. That means their Boeing 737s are flying at just under half-full — and they'll never make any money at that rate. The airline also placed blame on other issues, including:
"Recent aircraft and crew availability and maintenance issues, including an aircraft recently damaged by a vendor's truck, an engine change and a lack of a promised spare aircraft, have made it challenging to operate a full schedule, preventing us from delivering the passenger experience we are striving for."
People I've spoken to never thought PeoplExpress would last very long to begin with, and questioned the wisdom of creating their hub at Newport News, Virginia. We'll see if they return to flight at all. I'm not holding my breath. Have any of you flown the new PeoplExpress, and if so, what did you think?
Top photo via @Carfield76 on Twitter