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St. Pete-Clearwater Airport loses another carrier

Jetsgo's means that after ATA's April pullout, the airport will have lost 80 percent of its commercial service.

By JEAN HELLER
Published March 11, 2005

St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport was hit again today by an airline bankruptcy when the Canadian carrier, Jetsgo, abruptly ceased operations, leaving 101 Toronto-bound passengers on the daily flight stranded. Forty-eight of them were able to purchase one-way tickets on a Skyservice flight that left at mid-morning. The rest were seeking seats on flights leaving from Tampa International Airport or on other carriers over the weekend.

This is the third blow to the mid-Pinellas airport in a litany that began late on the night of Nov. 30 when the Largo-based Southeast Airlines, a public charter, abruptly locked its door. Earlier this year, ATA, an Indianapolis-based carrier, announced it would sharply curtail its operations and would end all service to St. Petersburg on April 10.

SEAL carried 22 percent of St. Pete-Clearwater's passengers, ATA 50 percent. Jetsgo accounted for 6 percent. Its demise means that after ATA's April pullout, the airport will have lost 80 percent of its commercial service.

Offsetting that slightly is the planned startup of service by Lehigh Valley Airlines on March 24, providing five to six flights a week to Allentown, Pa.

[Last modified March 11, 2005, 14:25:02]