Canada: Skyservice Shuts Down

[canuckcruiser00]

Not sure if this would affect many cruisers, but Skyservice is no more:

 

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/skyservice-cancels-most-flights-from-toronto/article1518479/

 

Skyservice Airlines, which flies on behalf of tour operators, is shutting down.

 

 

The charter carrier will announce Wednesday that a receiver will be appointed to oversee the winding down of the debt-laden company, industry insiders said Wednesday.

 

 

The closing of Skyservice comes after Sunwing Travel Group, which has its own planes, merged recently with Signature Vacations. Sources say Sunwing had held talks with Skyservice for an early cancellation of the charter airline's deal to continue flying on behalf of Signature until 2013.

 

 

There have been concerns about the likely loss of the Skyservice-Signature contract in 2012 or earlier, an industry source said. Sunquest Vacations and Signature were the two-largest customers of the charter airline.

 

 

Founded in 1986, Skyservice employed more than 1,200 employees and operated more than 20 planes. Its fleet includes the Airbus A330, A320 and the Boeing B757.

 

 

Gibralt Capital Corp. acquired Skyservice in a leveraged buyout in 2007, but its role has diminished since then, with Sunquest recently becoming a major Skyservice creditor, an industry official said.

[twoputt.plusone]

That's a shame. We've flown Skyservice several times although not in the last two years and were very pleased with their service. Another one bites the dust. This is not good news for the flying Canadian public. :(

[HappiTravels]

I had fondly nicknamed them "SQUISH SERVICE". They were the tighest seats that I have ever flown on. They made Air Transat look roomy :confused: That is too bad though. I have quite a few friends away right now in the DR and 2 others at an AI in Jamaica. Hopefully they didnt go down there with SKy Service.

[Atomica]

Yet another Canadian airline bites the dust. That's too bad. We need more serious competition in the airline industry here.

[DougYWG]

Could it be that Canadian airlines keep going under because there is, in fact, too much competition? It seems that what the consumer wants and what the industry can provide are two different things.

[Globaliser]

Could it be that Canadian airlines keep going under because there is, in fact, too much competition?

Maybe we should assume the lotus position and hum the mantras "predatory pricing" and "bankruptcy protection".