Big Sky Airlines, a commercial airline operating as a partner of the Delta Airlines Connection service, has announced its intention to cease its East Coast operations, including flights from Trenton-Mercer Airport, Mercer County officials announced.
The airline had been offering three roundtrip flights between Trenton and Boston’s Logan International Airport. Big Sky began operations out of Trenton-Mercer in April 2007 as a Delta Connection partner.
A legal notice filed by the company at the U.S. Department of Transportation in Washington, D.C. cited “severe financial distress due to continuing, extensive and unsustainable losses” in the competitive Northeast corridor as its reason for eliminating the Trenton-to-Boston service. The notice asked the federal Department of Transportation to approve its request and allow Big Sky to cease operating on Jan. 7, 2008.
“Our eastern operations were dramatically affected by a combination of unusually bad weather, disappointing revenue, and record high fuel prices,” Fred deLeeuw, Big Sky’s president, stated in a press release issued by the airline. “We have great people who worked extraordinarily hard, but that factor could not overcome the challenges we faced, and we no longer believe that we can reach sustained profitability.”
“Our airport staff and Mercer County as a whole have worked hard to ensure our airlines have all that they need to succeed at Trenton-Mercer Airport,” stated Mercer County Executive Brian M. Hughes in a release. “This news is disappointing, but the fact of the matter is Big Sky Airlines is one of many casualties in the air travel industry as a result of a sluggish economy, skyrocketing fuel prices, and the competition for travel dollars in the Northeast.”
Mercer County is anticipating receiving further information from Big Sky Airlines concerning potential transfers of service to another carrier, Mr. Hughes stated.
“We have contacted Delta and Big Sky to see what they are going to propose. This in no way diminishes our efforts to find the airline with the right fit for our facility, our residents, and our businesses,” Mr. Hughes stated. “We are committed to Trenton-Mercer Airport as an important part of the County’s economic engine.”
