re seata
I do apologize for putting the SAETA news un the board the other day without quoting the source. I should have known better. I hadn't returned until now, and I see a few people have reacted.
Just to clear up a few things - the last thing I'd want to do is make things more difficult for 'a small airline'. I posted the message in this thread (and NOT eg in the general news) to warn people planning a mileage run of the situation, because I wouldn't want people stuck in Ecuador with a ticket nobody accepts.
I did read the message posted by sidneyjb on the 6th feb, and it concerned something completely different. This was new, probably superceding what he heard on the sixth. I also tried to call SAETA, but didn't manage to get through. I'm glad he managed and confirmed that they are not operating for the time being.
I also read the spanish article posted - a bit confusing to say the least. I checked the hoy website, and there is no news on SAETA - in spite of the message just posted by sidneyjb. The airline website itself is 'under construction'
I did say in my message: check with the airline before you leave, but perhaps my form of words may have caused confusion (I am not a native English speaker), so when I said "I understand", what I meant was, "I have read, but not personally confirmed". However, I cannot confirm all that I read, and I treat some sources as reliable. My mistake was I should have mentioned the source, so other people can decide for themselves whether that source is reliable . This leads me to the source. I read the article on a subscription aviation news service called Air Transport Intelligence. I have copied the article below. It is even more pessimistic that I was, which is partly why I didn't put it here in the first place.
Finally, as I said I have e-mailed latinpass and guy booth yesterday. So far I have received no reply, but I am sure they will. I will put the reply on the board when I get it.
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Equador's SAETA ceases flight operations
Ecuadorian carrier SAETA and its domestic subsidiary SAN, have cancelled all flights with effect from 8 February.
Last September the carrier took its first step in restructuring operations by returning to its lessor the Airbus A320 used on routes from Ecuador to Miami and Bogotá.
However, SAETA did not receive FAA authorisation to resume services on the profitable Miami route with a Boeing 737-300,
because of the country's Category II safety rating.
In recent months SAETA has exclusively operated a fleet of Boeing 727 aircraft on the air shuttle between Quito and Guayaquil, to the Galapagos and Lima.
Local reports suggest TAME, the airline's pool partner in the Quito-Guayaquil air shuttle, has stopped accepting SAETA tickets because of lack of payment, effectively terminating the joint exploitation of Ecuador's busiest route. TAME has already increased its capacity on the air shuttle and Galapagos routes and is reportedly evaluating operations to Lima.
ATI's phone calls to SAETA's headquarters in Guayaquil and its Miami office were not answered, but industry sources say it is unlikely that SAETA will return to the air. Ecuador is suffering its worst economic crisis in decades which, combined with the eruption of two volcanoes, has caused a drop in tourism and business travel.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence