National Airlines II Bites the Dust
Or is this the third National Airlines?
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National Airlines Ceases Operations
The Associated Press
Wednesday, November 6, 2002; 8:33 PM
LAS VEGAS –– National Airlines, which flew tourists to the nation's gambling capital, planned to cease operations Wednesday after nearly two years in bankruptcy court. The Las Vegas-based carrier said Wednesday would be its last day of business.
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 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 flew to Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Newark, N.J., New York, Philadelphia, Reno, Nev., San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C.