01/08/09, 01:59:10 UTC

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Grounded commuter airline wants to fly in state again, seeks pilots

dailymail.com

RegionsAir Inc., the commuter airline grounded this spring amid a dispute with authorities over pilot certification, is advertising for pilots to fly in the United States, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic and is asking former employees to reapply for their jobs.

The Smyrna-based airline hasn't thrown in the towel yet on becoming airborne again and has posted a note on its Web site that reads, "We, the new management of RegionsAir, have set as our goal to bring back this company to life for our valued customers."

Besides advertising for new pilots, RegionsAir is asking former employees to reapply for their jobs and discuss their feelings about the airline's problems in an online forum. The airline had about 250 employees.

RegionsAir lawyer Michael Moulis said the airline's assets are being sold to a holding company for an undisclosed sum. He declined to identify the buyers but said, "It's a whole new group."

RegionsAir had worked this spring with Great Lakes Aviation Ltd. of Cheyenne, Wyo., which is replacing the carrier as the AmericanConnection in six cities in Illinois, Iowa and Missouri. Great Lakes' CEO, Chuck Howell, co-founded RegionsAir in the 1990s.

RegionsAir, which offered connecting service for American and Continental airlines in seven states, halted operations in March after the Federal Aviation Administration questioned the carrier's line-check airman certification and training program.

Before it stopped flying, RegionsAir carried travelers from small communities in the Midwest and West Virginia to airline hubs in St. Louis and Cleveland. Many of the routes were reassigned to other carriers.

Howell has said he hoped RegionsAir could resume its former routes until Great Lakes could hire more pilots and acquire more planes, but because RegionsAir was no longer flying, most of its pilots had quit.

Moulis, who is representing RegionsAir in a lawsuit against the federal government, said Howell and Great Lakes are no longer involved with the company.

RegionsAir is suing the U.S. government and seeking $11.6 million plus interest in a lawsuit filed last week in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims in Washington _ claiming breach of contract and fair dealing, as well as an unconstitutional taking of property without compensation.

Last month, the FAA said the airline "no longer employs any pilots or other personnel required to operate an airline" and canceled its air carrier certificate, effectively shutting it down.

In the lawsuit, RegionsAir claims management was pressured to sign the consent agreement with the FAA and the agreement was "nothing other than a pretense" to put it out of business.

 Printable Version  | published Aug 14, 2007