Flight Options LLC has fired almost 200 people nationwide, including about 75 pilots and other employees at its base at the Cuyahoga County Airport in Richmond Heights.
The company provides fractional ownership and flights in a fleet of luxury jets, a business that has slumped in the soft economy - off an estimated 15 percent from a year ago - as businesses pull back on discretionary flying. One source of pain is the price of jet fuel, an expense Flight Options passes on directly to customers.
A spokesman would not say how many jobs were eliminated. But a list obtained by The Plain Dealer shows 198 people were let go companywide.
"Due to poor economic conditions over the past few months, Flight Options has experienced a reduction in demand," the company said in a statement. "We anticipate that prevailing economic conditions will continue."
Flight Options said scaling down would better position the $600 million aviation company for better days ahead. The company had about 550 employees at the county airport before the downsizing.
The move rekindled talk that Flight Options would leave the county airport because of objections over its 5,000-foot runway. The company wants at least 6,000 feet so that it doesn't have to divert flights to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport during snowy and icy weather. |
