Emails: Albuquerque spent $1.6M on canceled Mexico flights
ALBUQUERQUE — The city of Albuquerque spent nearly $1.6 million to promote a Mexico-based airline that had promised — then canceled — regular international flights and city officials raced behind the scenes to unsuccessfully save the direct service amid uncertainty from the Mexican company, documents revealed.
Emails obtained through a public records request show Albuquerque officials panicked after hearing rumors that low-cost airline Volaris was planning to suddenly cancel the scheduled direct service to Mexico, the Albuquerque Journal reports .
Officials in the emails tried to seek answers to rumors that Volaris was scrapping the flights despite planned media events and fanfare which included Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller and Chihuahua, Mexico, Mayor María Eugenia Campos Galván taking a Volaris flight together.
“This news [of potential cancellation] comes to us on the eve of the inaugural flight. We have sent a delegation to Chihuahua, including the Albuquerque mayor and airport director, who plan to board the inaugural flight tomorrow,” assistant city attorney Peter Pierotti wrote in an email obtained by the Journal through a public records request. “As you know, the City of Albuquerque has made significant preparations to announce and promote both Volaris and the Chihuahua service.”
Read more: https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/emails-albuquerque-spent-m-on-canceled-mexico-flights/article_ff3f7973-4c8a-5063-b76b-68a99e0d137f.html