Across the Southwest / Adam Schallau

Things are quiet now on the ExpressJet ramp. The airline ceased branded, scheduled service on September 1st, 2008, citing higher fuel costs as the main factor. According to xjet.com, ExpressJet will continue to provide charter services and will continue flying for Continental Airlines as Continental Express.

My wife and I have flown ExpressJet several times this past year in our trips back to Texas to see friends and family. A lot of them have asked why we don’t drive, after all Texas is the next state over. My answer; because it’s a 12-hour drive if you make ‘good’ time, and sometimes up to 14-hours just to get to San Antonio. Taking ExpressJet still required the 2-hour drive to Albuquerque, but it’s only an hour and 45 minutes by air.

Unfortunately, ExpressJet was the only airline that flew direct into San Antonio or Austin, from Albuquerque. Now if we want/need to fly, we have to connect through Denver, Dallas, or Houston, which adds a considerable amount of time and stress to the trip. Did I mention that it will now cost twice as much to fly on one of the ‘major’ airlines? That’s right, ExpressJet was twice as fast, and half the cost for a round trip fare.

I hate to see ExpressJet walk away from scheduled service, but I understand and appreciate the economics involved in their decision. We will definitely miss the convenience of flying ExpressJet, but most of all we will miss their excellent crews and service. Here’s to hoping that they will come back soon.

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