Chamber asks WestJet to reconsider

The Sault Ste Marie Chamber of Commerce has written the chief executive officer of WestJet, asking the airline to rethink its decision to halt service to Sault Ste. Marie.

The Chamber issued the following news release today:

**************************************************************** Sault Chamber urges WestJet to revisit plans for discontinuation of service

Sault Ste. Marie - The Sault Ste Marie Chamber of Commerce is urging WestJet Airlines to revisit its plans to discontinue service to Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury after September 9 of this year.

In a letter to WestJet Airlines' CEO Clive Beddoe, Ben Pascuzzi, president of the Sault Chamber, noted that the local business community was enthusiastic about the addition of WestJet's service to the city because of the carriers reasonable rates and good service.

He also noted that the Airline's direct service to Hamilton is heavily relied upon by local businesses. "Unfortunately the volume that WestJet was anticipating has not materialized," says Pascuzzi, president of the Sault Chamber.

"The carrier has been servicing sault Ste. Marie for only 15 months, however. We only hope that they have given this market enough time to adjust scheduling to meet actual demand and compete for the dollars that are here." Pascuzzi's letter also pointed out that 12 of those 15 months were during a critical restructuring period.

"That means that the purse strings were tightened throughout the community."

He adds: "We hope that they realize the gravity that timing plays in this case."

The letter noted that that the Chamber was aware of and sensitive to the continuous increases in expenses that air carriers have experienced.

The Sault Chamber has been very vocal in its lobbying of the government to drop or decrease its "air security charge."

The Chamber has maintained that the charge has discouraged air travel to smaller and medium-sized communities like Sault Ste. Marie and has lead to noticeable and negative direct and indirect impacts on the economies of these communities.

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