Colorado Springs Airport will lose nonstop service to three California destinations in September with the partial shutdown of ExpressJet Airlines, the airport said Wednesday.
Houston-based ExpressJet announced Tuesday it will stop flying under its own name and also will discontinue its regional flights for Delta Air Lines. It will continue to fly for Continental Airlines.
The airline blamed record fuel prices, which have pushed some smaller carriers out of business and are forcing others to slash flights.
ExpressJet flies between Colorado Springs and San Diego, Ontario and Sacramento, Calif. The service’s last day will be Sept. 1. Customers with tickets after that date are asked to call the airline for refunds.
ExpressJet flew about 7 percent of the airport’s passengers, so the loss is not significant, Colorado Springs aviation director Mark Earle said. Eight airlines, including the majors, serve the airport.
But the loss represents a troubling trend for the airport and yet another blow for the nation’s small and midsized airports, Earle said.
“Small to medium-sized airports are taking the brunt of the capacity reductions,” Earle said. “We’ve been fortunate up to now, but it was inevitable that it would hit us.”
Frontier Airlines began flying to Colorado Springs in April, which has helped the airport maintain its passenger traffic this year. Earle said the loss of ExpressJet revenue will not significantly hurt the airport’s finances.
The airport is interested in adding the California destinations back to its route map.
“Not many airlines are in a position to add service now. ExpressJet showed those are viable markets for Colorado Springs as nonstops,” he said. “We hope to get some of those cities back when the carriers are ready to move.”
ExpressJet flew a fleet of 39 regional jets between small and midsized airports, mainly in the Western U.S.
Greg Griffin: 303-954-1241 or ggriffin@denverpost.com
Airline turbulence hits Colorado Springs
Several U.S. airlines have announced national cutbacks and additional charges recently, including regional airline ExpressJet’s decision to stop three routes from Colorado Springs Airport:
American: Last week said it expects to cut 8 percent of its workforce, about 6,800 jobs.
Continental: 3,000 job cuts.
Frontier: Will cut capacity by 17 percent and trim 456 jobs in September.
United: Will lay off 100 baggage handlers and 50 customer-service representatives at Denver International Airport over the next two weeks.
ExpressJet: Houston-based airline announced it would stop flying under its name as well as its regional service for Delta.
Northwest: Will lay off 2,500 employees and begin charging $15 for each piece of checked baggage.
