On Monday, the young all-business-class airline MAXjet filed for bankruptcy protection and ceased all operations, “leaving jets on tarmacs and stranding passengers on Christmas Eve.” To compensate, the airline has been booking hotel rooms through early January 2008 in the four cities it served, and trying to arrange for other airlines to take on their passengers—”Continental Airlines and Silverjet Aviation Ltd., another all-business class carrier, said they would honor limited numbers of MAXjet tickets.”

MAXjet cited high fuel prices and a deteriorating credit market as reasons they went belly up. They only served London, New York, Las Vegas and Los Angeles, and operated a fleet of five Boeing 767s. After two years of operation, they were unable to attract enough customers from existing business-class programs on other carriers, and didn’t have any alternative passenger revenue streams to offset their struggling business-class ticket sales.

The MAXjet website says they’re contacting passengers in priority order based on date of departure, so if you’ve got a ticket with them and haven’t heard anything yet, you can try one of the following sets of contact information. In either case, “please have your contact information and either a confirmation number or flight date/number ready.”

IF YOU HAVE STARTED YOUR TRAVEL
Please contact MAXjet Customer Care at:
US phone number: 1-866-837-9880
UK phone number: 44 (0)1279 216 478
Email: intransit@maxjet.com

IF YOU HAVE NOT YET BEGUN YOUR TRAVEL, BUT HAVE BOOKED TICKETS
Seek a refund directly from your point of purchase (credit card or travel agency). For further information, passengers who have not yet begun travel may contact:
US phone number: 1-888-435-9629;
UK phone number: 44 (0)1279 216 428
Email: info@maxjet.com

“All-business class MAXjet files for bankruptcy protection, ceases operations” [StarTribune]
(Thanks to Owen!)

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