aha! Airlines ceases all operations just 7 months after starting Palm Springs service
Nearly 7 months after starting a nonstop service from Reno to Palm Springs, the discount airline aha! will cease all operations.
aha!'s parent company, ExpressJet Airlines, filed for bankruptcy protection on Tuesday, stopping all flights, laying off most of its employees, and furloughing 1,300 pilots. The company plans to try to sell the operating certificate it received from federal regulators.
ExpressJet said it faced lower-than-expected revenue because demand for travel weakened with new COVID-19 variants. It also said it was burdened with high costs, particularly for jet fuel.
On Tuesday, aha!'s website had a message that the airline was unable to help stranded travelers make other travel arrangements and that customers booked on future flights should contact their credit card company for refunds.
In the filing, a company executive said ExpressJet ceased all operations, including charter flights, and laid off most of its employees and will return its planes to leasing companies.
Aha! flew to about a dozen cities on the West Coast from its base in Reno, Nevada. The nonstop service in Palm Springs began in January.
"Our thoughts are with aha's staff and their passengers whose travel plans have been disrupted during this difficult time. We were pleased to have aha! and their staff and passengers at PSP since January 2022, and we will miss the nonstop service they provided to Reno," reads a statement from Daniel Meier, Deputy Director of Aviation Marketing at PSP.
