Pan Am suspends Stewart service
Pan Am Clipper Connection Friday announced that it would suspend its flights from Stewart Airport at Newburgh from September 6 to November 15. The Airline said it would return with its flights to Sanford Orlando and Tampa St. Pete on November 15.
The airline has been flying from Stewart for only about six weeks.
Stewart spokeswoman Tanya Vanasse said airline officials assured her they would be back, but they suspended service in the Hudson Valley and from Ohio, the other US city they serve, for the time being.
Vanasse said Pan Am said this is the slow season for Florida travel and bookings have been poor. Increasing fuel prices were also a factor in their decision, she said. But with the large amount of financial backing the airline has, she is confident it will return.
Vanasse said any traveler who was booked for a flight during the time during which the airline will not fly will receive a refund.
Stewart Airport Commission Chairman James Wright said the combination of this announcement coupled with Delta Connection leaving the airport at the end of the month and Independence Air facing the possibility of bankruptcy, airport operator National Express ''must really intensify their efforts'' to attract airlines the Jet Blue, AirTran, Spirit or Southwest Airlines.
John D'Ambrosio, president of the Orange County Chamber of Commerce, said he hoped the airline can get its internal structure repairs and return because the region needs the Florida service.
Richard O'Beirne, a leader in the Stewart Regional Alliance, said he was "disappointed" that another airline was pulling out.
Pan Am Clipper Connection is in the midst of debate with the US Department of Transportation, seeking permission to add two more aircraft to their operational fleet. The DOT has yet to certify them and the airline maintains it is having a difficult time functioning with only thee airplanes. That could account for the fact that many department and arriving flights at Stewart have experienced significant delays.
Pan Am Clipper Connection Friday announced that it would suspend its flights from Stewart Airport at Newburgh from September 6 to November 15. The Airline said it would return with its flights to Sanford Orlando and Tampa St. Pete on November 15.
The airline has been flying from Stewart for only about six weeks.
Stewart spokeswoman Tanya Vanasse said airline officials assured her they would be back, but they suspended service in the Hudson Valley and from Ohio, the other US city they serve, for the time being.
Vanasse said Pan Am said this is the slow season for Florida travel and bookings have been poor. Increasing fuel prices were also a factor in their decision, she said. But with the large amount of financial backing the airline has, she is confident it will return.
Vanasse said any traveler who was booked for a flight during the time during which the airline will not fly will receive a refund.
Stewart Airport Commission Chairman James Wright said the combination of this announcement coupled with Delta Connection leaving the airport at the end of the month and Independence Air facing the possibility of bankruptcy, airport operator National Express ''must really intensify their efforts'' to attract airlines the Jet Blue, AirTran, Spirit or Southwest Airlines.
John D'Ambrosio, president of the Orange County Chamber of Commerce, said he hoped the airline can get its internal structure repairs and return because the region needs the Florida service.
Richard O'Beirne, a leader in the Stewart Regional Alliance, said he was "disappointed" that another airline was pulling out.
Pan Am Clipper Connection is in the midst of debate with the US Department of Transportation, seeking permission to add two more aircraft to their operational fleet. The DOT has yet to certify them and the airline maintains it is having a difficult time functioning with only thee airplanes. That could account for the fact that many department and arriving flights at Stewart have experienced significant delays.
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