Airline Suspends Flights Into / Out Of Jamestown, North Dakota -- Cites Pilot Shortage

NOTE: due to difficulty accessing the internet earlier, I was late to replying to some of the questions / comments over at the discussion group. Sorry. I am now caught up. And I am going to lunch. See you all later. If the spirit moves me.

Oh, before I go to lunch: one more plug for the eBook for mineral rights owners in North Dakota. I received a very nice note from one individual who has bought the eBook and was delighted with it. The website (it's at the sidebar, also, near the top).

Again, I have no connection with that website, the author, or the book. My only purpose is to help folks understand the Bakken.

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The Wall Street Journal is reporting:

The problems are evident in recent announcements from two U.S. airlines at opposite ends of the spectrum. Great Lakes Aviation Ltd., a 32-year-old carrier based in Cheyenne, WY, says it suspended flights to six small cities in the Upper Midwest on Saturday "due to the severe industry-wide pilot shortage and its relative acute impact."

The airline is the sole carrier on those routes, which include such towns as Jamestown, ND, and Mason City, IA. It said it hopes to resume flights when it can "rebuild our staff of pilots in order to provide reliable service."

Meanwhile, United Continental Holdings Inc. said Saturday that it plans to cut 60% of its flights from its Cleveland hub by June. Big airlines have been shutting their smallest hubs for financial reasons for years, and United blamed the decision partly on weak demand in Cleveland, which it said hasn't been profitable in more than a decade.

This was reported in the blog yesterday:

The canary at the Cleveland hub: United Continental plans to cut operations this spring at its loss-making Cleveland hub by about 36% based on seats offered, leading to a reduction of 470 jobs.