newswatcher

From AP(6/11):

"National Airlines, which flew tourists to the nation's gambling capital, said it was ceasing operations Wednesday after nearly two years in bankruptcy court. A $2 million financing deal that would have kept the carrier flying fell apart last month.

"We kept fighting and a lot of people kept working with us," National spokesman Dik Shimizu said. "But the airline industry is still hemorrhaging red ink and obviously it's not an easy task to attract new capital."

The Las Vegas-based airline began service in May 1999, billing itself as a hometown carrier that would deliver tourists to its Las Vegas hub. National flew to a dozen cities with a fleet of 18 leased Boeing 757s.

National filed for bankruptcy in December 2000. It was unable to develop its reorganization plan after the Air Transportation Stabilization Board denied its request for a federal loan guarantee in August.

National said it would offer no refunds on tickets, and was telling customers to contact their credit card companies. The company's Web site also was shut down.

The company had 1,500 employees and flew to Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Newark, N.J., New York, Philadelphia, Reno, Nev., San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C."

AlanM

Have to say that I flew with them to SFO from Vegas Sep 2000 and they were not the best I had seen!

The flight attendants were kids really, and openly chewing gum with there mouths open which was lovely!! Seat pitch was awful and the sort of service only us Brits normally put up with, let alone the Americans!

Can't say I am overly surprised, but oddly enough the aircraft was full. The ticket was about £90 one way each which is bloody expensive for us used to Buzz/EasyJet etc.