Great Lakes Airlines shuts down operations indefinitely, begins laying off employees

Great Lakes Airlines discontinued (28-Mar-2018) scheduled passenger flight services, effective immediately. The carrier has commenced employee layoffs and plans to sell its remaining assets to interested parties. Critical staff members needed to support the scheduled airline certificate, repair station certificate, reservation platform and maintain the fleet will be kept onboard until the airline's assets can be sold. Great Lakes attributed its decision to suspend operations to the 2015 change in pilot qualifications, which led to the end of service to small cities in the US upper midwest and western regions due to its inability to employ pilots. [more - original PR]