(Courtesy: The Lincoln Municipal Airport)
After making its inaugural flight to Orlando, Florida on a Thursday morning, June 8th, Lincoln’s airline service Red Way has announced it will be shutting down effective August 31st.
Confirmed on Facebook this morning, doors will close on the affordable direct-flight service after 84 days of operation.
The flight service expressed its gratitude for customers and community members who supported their operations.
Offering explanation for its closure, Red Way said, “We face insurmountable challenges as a small startup in our industry, and the compounding of costs and lack of resources have made it impossible for us to sustain operations.”
Red Way ensures that any customers who have booked flights for travel up to August 31st will have their flights honored. All flights booked after August 31st will be canceled, and affected customers will receive full refunds for their bookings. Customers do not need to do anything to initiate their refund, it will be done automatically, and are expected to be complete by the end of the week.
The Red Way customer service team will be available until August 31st; via email to customerservice@goflyred.com; via text or phone call to 531-289-3903; or via DM to Facebook or Instagram.
“You are the best there is,” Red Way concludes in their heavy-hearted goodbye, “We still believe wholeheartedly in a future where air service is modernized and provided to underserved communities, and that these lessons will become the building blocks for a better path forward. Thank you for the honor of flying with us.”
Signed, The Red Way Teams.
The Lincoln Airport Authority (LAA) released a statement on the matter shortly after the announcement.
“This is extremely disheartening for the airport after all the efforts the community, city, county, airport authority board members and employees have put towards bringing affordable, new air service to Lincoln,” the statement reads.
LAA Board Chair John Olsson said they’re “disappointed by the ultimate outcome of Red Way’s service in Lincoln.”
Further stating that LAA Board members have met to discuss the result of the service, actions necessary to both address this situation and chart future efforts.
Executive Director of the Lincoln Airport, David Haring, “Clearly we were hoping Red Way would have been successful long term. However, it was truly amazing to witness first-hand the level of excitement that access to destination markets brought to our customers, even in a short time.”
This is a developing story.