Western (airline)

:"This article is about the the airline that operated for a short time in 2007. See Western Airlines for information on an unrelated airline that merged with Delta Air Lines."

Infobox_Airline
airline=Western
logo=Westernlogo.pnglogo_size=150
fleet_size=1 (at time of demise)
destinations=4 (at time of demise)
IATA=XP
ICAO=CXP
callsign=RUBY MOUNTAIN
parent=
founded=2006
commenced=January 18, 2007
ceased=February 7, 2007
headquarters=Bellingham, Washington
key_people=Jerry Welch (President)
Curt Tronsdal (Chairman)
hubs=Bellingham International Airport
focus_cities=
frequent_flyer=
lounge=
alliance=
company_slogan=Still the only way to fly
website= http://www.iflywestern.com/

Western was an American low-cost airline headquartered in Bellingham, Washington, and operated from a hub at Bellingham International Airport.

History

On November 16, 2006, Western announced that they would begin flights in January from Bellingham International Airport to four vacation destinations; the fourth announced destination of Reno, Nevada was cancelled before the airline began service. Service began on January 18, 2007, with a flight from Bellingham to Ontario, California. Western operated as a "scheduled charter" service, with aircraft wet leased from Xtra Airways and was working through the process of gaining FAA approval as a commercial airline.

On February 7, 2007, Western suspended further operations due to outstanding debts to suppliers including Xtra Airways and the fuel vendor in Bellingham. Xtra Airways continued to return Western's passengers to their originating airport. Xtra Airways officials stated that flights have had to stop in Seattle, Washington to take on fuel, though a Western spokesperson claimed that only one flight has had to stop, and that was due to a higher than expected fuel burn on the flight to Bellingham. [cite news | url=http://www.bellinghamherald.com/102/story/48210.html | title=New airline short of cash, cancels flight | first=John | last=Stark | work=The Bellingham Herald | date=2007-02-07 | accessdate=2007-02-07]

Western officials traced the problem to difficulties with credit card payments. The company had been running into problems obtaining a merchant identification number, which was needed before banks would deposit money into the airline's account. The airline stated it was working out an arrangement with PayPal, which would allow credit card payments to be processed and sent to the airline without a merchant identification number. The airline expected to resume flights once the problem was resolved. [cite news| title=Airline aims to fly again | url=http://www.bellinghamherald.com/255/story/48312.html | first=John | last=Stark | work=The Bellingham Herald | date=2007-02-08 | accessdate=2007-02-08]

Destinations

Western flew to four destinations in the United States:

United States

Arizona

*Mesa/Phoenix (Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport)

California

*Ontario (LA/Ontario International Airport)
*San Diego (San Diego International Airport)

Washington

*Bellingham (Bellingham International Airport) Hub

Fleet

At the time of Western's demise on February 7, 2007, the airline had 1 aircraft in its fleet consisting of:

References

External links

* [http://www.iflywestern.com www.iflywestern.com]