South Carolina-based public charter airline Direct Air has canceled all flights for the next two months. The cancellations will affect flights at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport.
Direct Air is the main service provider for commuter air traffic at Lakeland Linder. The airline also services Orlando Sanford International Airport.
Direct Air posted the following message on their website:
Direct Air finds it necessary to suspend flight operation from Tuesday, March 13, 2012 until May 15, 2012. This decision was made to address operational matters. We are currently evaluating strategic alternatives for Direct Air.
Direct Air is committed to our passengers, employees, and the communities we serve.
Please check back here for more details.
Very Truly Yours,
Direct Air
A spokesperson for Lakeland Linder says Direct Air told them the reason behind the hiatus is because a fuel supplier had cut off the company.
More than 130 passengers were left stranded at Lakeland Linder on Monday and some were still stranded Tuesday morning. They were told their jet would not be leaving for Springfield, Illinois. No explanation was given at the time.
"We are all like, what are we going to do?" passenger Gloria Middleton said.
"By this time there had been some beer and whatever and people were irate," passenger Barbara Turner said.
Lakeland Linder spent $5,000 to put passengers up in area hotels.
The several week hiatus will likely inconvenience a lot of people headed to Lakeland.
"From today through the end of April we have nearly 14,000 people booked," said Gene Conrad, the airport director. "That's just from Niagara alone."
The airline serves 17 cities in the Midwest, East and South, including Lakeland, Sanford and West Palm Beach.
Information in this story was taken from the Associated Press.