Horizon Loses EAS at Pendleton
Horizon Air will discontinue flights from Pendleton, Ore., after Dec. 1 following the Department of Transportation's decision to award an Essential Air Service (EAS) contract to another airline.
"We're very disappointed. We went to great lengths to craft a bid that offered multiple air service options -- each addressing specific needs expressed by the community, and doing so with our state-of-the-art, 76-seat Q400s," said Dan Russo, Horizon's vice president of marketing and communications.
Horizon currently offers daily flights from Pendleton to Portland and Pasco. Starting Oct. 28, Horizon will serve Pendleton with flights to Seattle -- through Dec. 1, the last day it will provide service to Pendleton.
Travelers from Eastern Oregon will be able to continue to use Horizon to connect to the national transportation system by taking the airline's Seattle-bound flights from nearby airports at Walla Walla (48 miles away) or Pasco, Wash. (69 miles away). "We look forward to continuing to serve our Pendleton customers from Walla Walla or Pasco, where they will enjoy the same warm welcome they've experienced since we began service to Pendleton in 1982," Russo said. "Our three daily flights from Walla Walla and six from Pasco will offer plenty of convenient options."
Horizon currently has seven employees in Pendleton, and they are all being given the opportunity to apply for openings elsewhere in Horizon's route system.
"They have worked tirelessly to provide the very best service to the people of Pendleton," Russo said. "We are deeply grateful for their years of dedicated service and will do all we can to find other opportunities in the company for those who'd like to stay with Horizon."

Porter at Two
With its second anniversary last week, Porter proved that it is not subject to the terrible twos, having grown steadily since successfully introducing a new model for premium, short-haul air travel. The airline has achieved milestones of operating more than 23,000 one-way flights and travelling over 6.6 million miles with 463 million available seat miles during the two years.
“The ability to offer passengers real competition in the markets we serve while at the same time doing so in a way that provides unique levels of convenience and customer service is what everyone at Porter is most proud of over this time,” said Robert Deluce, president and CEO. “The strength of Porter’s business model has been proven as we have maintained profitability and continued to grow during a period of record-high fuel prices and economic uncertainty. From an initial start with two aircraft and one route, I’m proud of the efforts of all Porter employees for continually delivering on our ‘Flying refined’ brand promise. I’d also like to thank our passengers for their ongoing support.”
Porter operates from its base at Toronto City Center Airport (TCCA), one of the most convenient urban airports in the world, and serves regional destinations in Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City, Halifax, New York (Newark), Chicago (Midway) and Mont Tremblant, Que. Further growth is planned in the next year with the delivery of eight new Bombardier Q400 aircraft and the start-up of additional routes. U.S. destinations such as Washington, Boston and Philadelphia are priorities in the short term.
In its second year, Porter successfully introduced service to Mont Tremblant, Quebec City and New York. Flights to Chicago begin Nov. 12. The airline’s new VIPorter frequent flyer program is also adding further value to the Porter experience.

XJT Chosen for Band from TV
The star-studded charity cover band created from a polyglot of tv stars known as Band from TV, named ExpressJet's Corporate Aviation Division as its official private charter provider. ExpressJet will fly the band to concerts nationwide ensuring Band from TV's continued success at raising awareness and funding for the charities that benefit from The Band from TV Global Charity Trust, said the airline. Created by Greg Grunberg (NBC's Heroes), the band consists of some of TV's biggest names including James Denton (ABC's Desperate Housewives), Jesse Spencer (Fox's House), Adrian Pasdar (NBC's Heroes) and Bob Guiney (TLC's Date My House). Other celebrities that have joined Band from TV on stage include Hugh Laurie (Fox's House), Teri Hatcher (ABC's Desperate Housewives), Hayden Panettiere (NBC's Heroes), Jorge Garcia (ABC's Lost), Zach Levi (NBC's Chuck) and more. Not just your average celebrity band, Band from TV founded The Band from TV Global Charity Trust which donates all proceeds from their performances for several charities including the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Pediatric Epilepsy Project, Save the Children, and The Art of Elysium.
"We are incredibly grateful to ExpressJet for providing transportation for our band all throughout America,” said Grunberg. “All of the money saved from ExpressJet providing this service goes straight to the charities and we are beyond thankful." Echoes ExpressJet's Sr. Manager of Marketing, John Yeng, "We are proud to associate our expertise in aviation with the talented actors and musicians of Band from TV. We couldn't be happier to do our part in raising money for the very worthy charities that each celebrity has chosen."
ExpressJet (ExpressJet Holdings, Inc.) offers an innovative approach to charter air travel by providing fully customizable travel experience for groups of up to 50.