Left The Company In May After 15 Years

The president and chief operating officer at Great Lakes Aviation has reportedly stepped down from that post.

Chuck R. Howell held the top post at the Cheyenne, WY-based regional carrier until May 17. The Wyoming Tribune-Eagle newspaper reports that on that date, Howell announced he was leaving the airline in a posting on LinkedIn.

The post was titled "Looking for the next Great Adventure". Howell wrote that he recently left Great Lakes "after 15 great years. Looking for another rewarding position using my management and people skills to contribute to an organization's development and growth."

The paper reports that the person who answered the phone at Great Lakes, who did not wish to be identified, said that Howell had "retired."

Howell served as COO of Great Lakes from August 2002 to December 2002. He was promoted to CEO, a post he held until September 8, 2015, when he was named president and continued to serve as COO until he left the company, according to information from Bloomberg.

Other details are scarce. When contacted by the paper, Jim Schell, deputy director of aviation at the Cheyenne Regional Airport said that he knew Howell had left Great Lakes but did not have any additional information.

Investor Alexander Fleiss, who at one time held 5 percent of Great Lakes, said the carrier had cut routes and flights over the past several years after the FAA passed rules requiring a significant increase in flight time for copilots. Airline officials said at the time that the new rule made it difficult for it to find qualified pilots to continue to serve all its routes.

The airline owes the Cheyenne Regional Airport some $124,000 in back lease payments, according to the report. Schell said the airport is continuing to work with the carrier to resolve the debt.

(Image from file)

FMI: Original Report