Jet America suspends Lansing flights for 31 days

Plans to offer low-cost flights out of Lansing this summer never left the ground after Jet America suspended flights and began refunding tickets earlier this month.

The carrier, which was supposed to begin service July 13, planned service to Lansing Capital Region International Airport with direct flights to Newark, N.J., as well as to Melbourne, Fla., near Orlando. The company announced July 3 a 31-day delay of all flights.

“We suspended sales and we’re refunding $900,000 in sales to all of our ticket holders,” said Bryan Glazer, a spokesman for Jet America.

Glazer declined to comment further about why the airline was suspending service, but a press release from the company stated the main reason for the suspensions was because of “unforeseen complications with landing and takeoff time slots at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.”

Robert F. Selig, executive director of Lansing Capital Airport, said the airport had a good working relationship with Jet America and the carrier had talked about resuming service to Lansing in October.

“It didn’t really affect the airport because (Jet America) never started service,” he said. “This particular (airline) is just not going to work out right now.”

Katie Szelc, an MSU alumna who graduated in 2001 and moved to Manhattan in 2005, said an airline such as Jet America would have made it possible to return to MSU for more football games.

“My sister just graduated, so I was up (in East Lansing) more frequently,” Szelc said. “It certainly would have been nice to have as an option.”

Travelers who purchased tickets from Jet America can call (727) 451-3970 for information on refunds. The release said credit card purchases would be refunded within seven to 14 days and special incentives would be offered to affected passengers who book flights at a future time.