CalJet, a charter carrier operated by Idaho-based XTRA Airways, cut short its schedule of seasonal flights to Mazatlan, Mexico, from five U.S. gateways.
The flights will end Feb. 5 instead of April 7. Service began Jan. 9 from Denver, Houston, San Antonio, Los Angeles and Oakland, Calif.
The carrier cited "a decision by the Sinaloa Group of Mexico" to shorten the schedule, according to a message on CalJet's website.
The government of Sinaloa, the state where Mazatlan is located, had invested $2 million to promote the service. Load factors were lower than expected; it is not known if the carrier had asked Sinaloa for more marketing funds.
"Package sales were going very well, but the base for the program was the timeshare owners, and they did not buy the air-only portion as expected," said Julio Birrueta, marketing director of the Mazatlan Hotel Association.
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