Today is also a sad day for travelers in the Washington metro area. Independence Air provided great competition for United, resulting in lower prices and more options for consumers.
I flew Independence a number of times and always experienced great customer services both on the ground and in the air. I actually think United is a pretty decent airline and I haven't had the horror stories that others have, but I still chose Independence whenever I could because I wanted to support them.
I will miss the attractive A319s and RJs, the new and clean aircraft interiors (last night I flew MIA-IAD on a ratty, stinky old AA 757, far cry from FlyI), and the sometimes irreverent and friendly FAs and GAs.
Yes, yes, business is business and the model was doomed. But that doesn't mean you can't be sorry it failed. I, for one, am going to miss it, and I appreciate the fact that they tried hard. I wish their employees all the best.
I hope JetBlue, which I consider to me something of a soulmate to Independence, will step into some of the Independence routes.