New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said Monday that he wants to know why United Airlines is pulling out of Atlantic City on Dec. 3, less than eight months after introducing service there. Last year, Christie was in attendance when United announced it was starting nonstop service between Atlantic City International Airport and Chicago O'Hare and Houston Bush Intercontinental, joining Spirit Airlines, the airport's only other carrier. Increased air service is seen as a key to helping the destination attract more meetings and conventions.
"I'm going to be reaching out to the [United Airlines] CEO and sit down and talk to them about what their reasoning was for all of that, (but) again, they make business decisions both to come in and to leave--we can't control that," Christie said during the dedication of a new soccer field in Atlantic City on Monday, according to NJ.com. "But I'd certainly like to have a deeper explanation than the one I have gotten so far, which is none....I just heard about it when it was announced. We didn't really get much of a heads up from them."
Christie said he isn't turning his back on Atlantic City, which is struggling this year with the closure of four casinos and indications that the Taj Mahal Casino Resort may be next. Christie recently signed a bill boosting tax incentives for non-gaming projects in the city.