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United Express To Cancel Flights at Local Airport

KEYT Producer

Story Created: Mar 16, 2010 at 11:30 AM PDT

Story Updated: Mar 16, 2010 at 9:46 PM PDT

The only commercial airliner to currently fly out of Ventura County, says it will stop service as early as this June. United Express, which is operated by SkyWest out of Oxnard Airport, says passenger levels are too low.

The airline says it has seen a progressive drop in passenger levels at Oxnard Airport for the past several years. United Express has been operating three flights a day since November. That's down from four flights a day in 2009 and five flights a day in 2005.

SkyWest believes the economy and the loss of a military contract are to blame for the drop in passenger levels.

Oxnard Airport hopes it won't be without commercial service for long. The airport's manager, Jorge Rubio, is reportedly already in talks with Delta, USAir and Horizon Airlines with the hope that the airport will have one of those airliners in place by the end of the year.

SkyWest also operates United Airlines' Santa Barbara service. It will also stop its direct route from Santa Barbara to San Jose this June.

For more on the announcement by United Express and the impacts it could have on Ventura County, watch KEY News tonight at 5 and 6.
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