Direct Air hopes to land more business soon

(NECN: Jennifer Eagan, Worcester, Mass.) – As NECN first reported last week, Direct Air has canceled 15 flights out of Worcester Regional Airport, blaming the move on low seasonal ridership and the economic downturn. Worcester News Tonight’s Jennifer Eagan spoke with the airline’s president about the decision. Some passenger planes running out of the airport are booked at just a fraction of their capacity. Company President Ed Warneck blames the economic slowdown. Almost 330 passengers will be asked to accept a refund or switch their flight to a different date because of the cancellations. Direct Air, which charters planes through other airline companies, started flying out of Worcester last fall. The flights go to three destinations: two airports in Florida and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Warneck admits Direct Air’s operation out of Worcester has lost a few million dollars over the past several months, but he says, that loss is part of start up costs and he hopes to land more business soon.