Chicago-EJ TimesFighting the holiday traffic and pending winter weather, passengers of EastJet Flt702 boarded for non-stop service to Boston on December 23rd. After laying off 500 employees and closing its doors suddenly last February, EastJet Virtual is yet again in the skies. Flight 702 boarded on time and departed Chicago despite a pending winter storm that snarled most air traffic in the Chicago area during the Christmas holidays. "We were looking for a last minute deal after deciding to go to my families for the holidays. We had heard about EastJet coming back to Chicago and the prices were just right so we booked it. So far so good." passenger Jan Lawford said as she boarded the first commercial flight since EastJet's return with her two kids. "We have brought a good, hometown brand to Chicago. We are here to stay and transport this community into the next decade and beyond." CEO Shawn Fitts said as he addressed the crowd at Gate A3. EastJet managed to complete 92% of its flight the first week, a good average despite the massive amounts of snow that hit the Midwest and Plains last week.
Operating 5 Boeing 737-700 aircraft to cities on the East and West coast, EastJet Virtual offers nonstop service to Tampa, L.A., Boston, San Francisco, Cincinnati, and more. Priding itself in Southwest style turn around times and a positive, professional customer service staff, EastJet Virtual has recalled some 270 of its previous employees and seek to hire some 200 more in the coming months.
CEO Shawn Fitts held a conference call earlier today to give the media a update of EastJet's operations. Asked about new destinations, Mr. Fitts answered "Right now we are utilizing every seat and aircraft we can to fly the schedule we have in place. We are looking to exercise the 5 leasing options we have through our financier but that is still some weeks away. Our employees are pushing every minute they can to get our passengers off to their destination as fast as possible and we are using that to squeeze as much time as possible out of the on the ground time."
EastJet Virtual has some ways to go to continue its upwards swing. Fighting other carriers for a decline in passengers isn't east however. The cash on hand isn't known at this time but EastJet managed to turn a profit after just a few short months under Mr. Fitts' guidance. Starting with 5 planes, 270 employees, and a desire to do nothing but succeed, EastJet Virtual looks to be Chicago's new underdog airline of 2010.
To learn more about EastJet Virtual, or to join visit www.eastjetvirtual.com!
