PenAir is officially a part of Ravn. On Friday, the sale of PenAir’s assets to the company that owns Ravn Air Group was finalized. What Ravn is calling “new PenAir” has been reformed under the auspices of Ravn Air Group.
In a statement, Ravn president and CEO Dave Pflieger said, “This is a big win for Ravn Air Group, as well as for PenAir and all our team members, customers, and Alaska communities.”
According to Ravn, neither PenAir nor Ravn’s destinations or flight schedules has changed. Under frequently asked questions on Ravn’s website, the answer to, “will airfares increase?” is non-committal. Ravn simply states, “Both PenAir and Ravn will continue to provide customers exceptional value.”
The sale comes after PenAir filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last August.
It was the largest air carrier in Southwest Alaska at the time. For decades, it was the primary — and often only — service to Anchorage from many Bristol Bay and Aleutian-Pribilof communities. The Seybert family has owned PenAir since 1955. According to Ravn, former PenAir CEO Danny Seybert’s employment was terminated earlier this month. It did not state the cause.
A snag in the transition caused concern in the community of St. Paul last week that flight service to could be interrupted until February. According Ravn, a solution has been found, and service to the remote Pribilof community will continue uninterrupted.
