MetJet cancelling flights through Oct (NE WI)

[SaraJayne]

For those that had booked Met Jet out of Austin Straubel (GRB)l, unless your flight is in Oct or later, you're out of luck.

De Pere - A new air service provider, based in De Pere, cancels its first four months of flights. It announced in February that it would offer inexpensive round-trip flights from Green Bay to Orlando, Florida and Minneapolis, Minnesota starting May 25, 2012. Austin Straubel Airport's director says Orlando is the top destination for Northeast Wisconsin residents.

MetJet is now in the process of notifying the thousands of passengers who have booked vacations. Staff spent Tuesday morning printing, folding and sending out cancellation notices.

"We made the decision to cancel these flights, rather than string our customers along," says MetJet CEO Mike Heisman.

In a letter, Heisman explains what lead to the current events.

It reads in part, "Recently, our credit card processor notified us that due to the risks associated with processing tickets for flights, they made the decision to stop serving MetJet ... This would have created a scenario where MetJet would quickly use all of its money and would have to cease operations."

Heisman explains further. "I wanted the letter to go into detail about what we were facing and what we tried to do to avoid the situation."

http://www.wbay.com/story/17740461/...-flights-due-to-lack-of-credit-card-processor

Since their primary market is Orlando, I wanted to post so people would be aware of the change.

 

[pigletto]

I am very sorry for anyone this inconveniences.
I have to say though that I give them kudos for advising their passengers of a problem with enough notice to make alternate arrangements, as well as refunding them.
Directair could have taken a lesson here.

 

[Jajone]

Yikes, we just booked with them for October. Hopefully everything works out and our flights go off without a hitch then.

 

[SaraJayne]

I am very sorry for anyone this inconveniences.
I have to say though that I give them kudos for advising their passengers of a problem with enough notice to make alternate arrangements, as well as refunding them.
Directair could have taken a lesson here.

I agree with you. I think it was very professional of them to notify customers, giving them ample notice to try and make other plans.

 

[Started By A Mouse]

That's what happens when you try and book a no-name company to save a few bucks Hopefully it works out for everyone!

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Yikes, we just booked with them for October. Hopefully everything works out and our flights go off without a hitch then.

Things might work out for you, but I would be proactive now by making alternative arrangements. They're planning to start flights on Ocober 10th, but I wouldn't risk my vacation. They have been trying to fly since 2007! A good reason not to deal with charters.

 

[Lewisc]

Directair could have taken a lesson here.

Probably it's the credit card processor which learned a lesson from Directair. When a small airline goes out of business there isn't enough money to refund the passengers fares and the credit card processor winds up paying.

The "solution" is for the credit card processor delay paying the airline until the passenger flies. Obviously whatever terms the credit card processor was offering with respect to how large a "hold back" they'd require wasn't acceptable to MeJet.

One of the small airlines, (Independence Air ?) went under when the credit card processor decided the risk was too great and was going to hold back 100% of the money until the passenger flied.

 

[pigletto]

I have no doubt that you are correct on this one.

However, it's still a way classier move to let your customers know to make arrangements for other flights than to tell them to get off the plane because you have no fuel.

 

[Lewisc]

I have no doubt that you are correct on this one.

However, it's still a way classier move to let your customers know to make arrangements for other flights than to tell them to get off the plane because you have no fuel.

Maybe but there is a big difference between a new airline delaying the start of operating and an existing airline canceling some flights but still hoping to stay in business.

Once Directair did anything to cancel blocks of existing reservations new bookings would disappear.

It sounds nice to say the airline was classier but the reality is the airline might not have had any say in the matter.

 

[jsilvers]

Probably it's the credit card processor which learned a lesson from Directair. When a small airline goes out of business there isn't enough money to refund the passengers fares and the credit card processor winds up paying.

Note that MetJet is technically not an airline but a charter operator, which should routinely be escrowing passenger funds. Of course, that's also what Direct Air was supposed to be doing (but we now know that it wasn't), which is why Direct Air's credit card processor found itself in trouble - and, as you say, is probably why MetJet's processor is now on alert.

[...]

One of the small airlines, (Independence Air ?) went under when the credit card processor decided the risk was too great and was going to hold back 100% of the money until the passenger flied.

You're probably thinking of Frontier. See http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/11/BUAP10489J.DTL. But Delta also had a problem with its processor shortly before it went bankrupt in 2005. See http://www.thestreet.com/_yahoo/markets/rosssnel/10237240_2.html.

 

[Lewisc]

My memory was the final nail in the coffin for either Independence Air or Skybus was the credit card processor insisting on holding back 100% of the fare until the customer flew.

As you note other airlines have also had issues with the credit card processor and hold backs.

Note that MetJet is technically not an airline but a charter operator, which should routinely be escrowing passenger funds. Of course, that's also what Direct Air was supposed to be doing (but we now know that it wasn't), which is why Direct Air's credit card processor found itself in trouble - and, as you say, is probably why MetJet's processor is now on alert.

[...]



You're probably thinking of Frontier. See http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/11/BUAP10489J.DTL. But Delta also had a problem with its processor shortly before it went bankrupt in 2005. See http://www.thestreet.com/_yahoo/markets/rosssnel/10237240_2.html.