ROCKFORD — Equipment problems prompted Direct Air to cancel flights from Chicago Rockford International Airport to West Palm Beach, Fla., an airport official said.
Hundreds of travelers are affected by cancellation of service, which was supposed to begin Nov. 16. Flights have been canceled through January, the airport official said.
Rachel Bachrodt bought six tickets in September for a winter trip to Florida’s Atlantic coast.
She said Direct Air refused to give her a refund, telling her she could fly from Rockford to Punta Gorda airport near Fort Myers, 144 miles away on the Gulf coast, and rent a car.
“Well, I didn’t purchase the tickets to go to Fort Myers,” she said. “Offering tickets to another destination is not acceptable. They are simply not usable.”
Bachrodt said she would seek a refund by disputing the charge with her credit card company.
Several calls to Direct Air President Ed Warneck for comment were not returned. Direct Air is based in Myrtle Beach, N.C.
Zach Sundquist, air service analyst at the Rockford airport, said Direct Air was supposed to start seasonal service Nov. 16. But the airport was told it had aircraft problems.
“We’ve been getting some calls from people, venting frustration, but they understand that we’re the airport, not the airline,” he said.
Direct Air is a public charter. It does not own its planes. It leases them from other companies for Direct Air routes, Sundquist said.
Direct Air started twice weekly seasonal flights to Palm Beach last November.
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