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US Airways Express
Founded1967 (1967)
(as Allegheny Commuter)
Commenced operations1989 (1989)
(as USAir Express)
Ceased operationsOctober 17, 2015 (2015-10-17)
(merged into American Eagle)
Hubs
Frequent-flyer programDividend Miles
Alliance
Parent company
Headquarters Tempe, Arizona, U.S.
Key people

US Airways Express was the brand name for the regional affiliate of US Airways, under which a number of individually owned commuter air carriers and regional airlines operate short and medium haul routes. This code sharing service was previously operated as USAir Express. Mainline carriers often outsource to regional airlines to operate services in order to increase frequency, serve routes that would not sustain larger aircraft, or for other competitive reasons. US Airways Express operations were conducted from smaller markets in the United States, Canada, and the Bahamas primarily centered on US Airways' major hubs and focus cities.

Upon the completion of US Airways' merger process with American Airlines, US Airways Express was rebranded as American Eagle on October 17, 2015. [2]

History

A US Airways Express Saab 340 in 2005

US Airways Express traced its beginnings to 1967, when Henson Airlines began operating as Allegheny Commuter, a feeder carrier for Allegheny Airlines, predecessor to US Airways. The initial route was Baltimore- Hagerstown. [3] This is generally credited as the industry's first code-share agreement and the first major airline to use another airline as its commuter partner. [4]

Throughout the 1970s, many other commuter airlines would join the Allegheny Commuter system providing feeder service from small communities for Allegheny Airlines. Allegheny Airlines was changed to USAir in 1979 however the feeder network still carried the name of Allegheny Commuter until 1989 when it was changed to USAir Express. In 1997 USAir changed its name again to US Airways at which time the feeder network became US Airways Express.

Two major carriers that merged into USAir in the late 1980s, Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) and Piedmont Airlines (1948-1989) had their corporate names retained to protect their trademarks. Henson Airlines later took on the name Piedmont Airlines and another USAir Express carrier, Jetstream International took on the name of PSA Airlines. The aircraft and other characteristics of the rebranded regional carriers bear no relation to their namesakes however many of the routes of Piedmont Airlines are former routes of the original Piedmont Airlines.

The aircraft livery of US Airways Express aircraft was identical to US Airways' mainline colors except for the word Express, which is attached to the basic US Airways livery.

In April 2013, an internal memo distributed to American Eagle employees at American Airlines Group's subsidiaries: (OW) Executive Airlines and American Eagle; indicated the US Airways Express banner and marketing brand, were expected to be discontinued although the remaining and independently operating airline subsidiaries, were expected to continue but operated with American Eagle branded colors. [5]

Operators and fleet

Fleet

Air Wisconsin's CRJ200 at the Portland International Jetport in 2009
Henson's Short 330 at Baltimore/Washington International Airport in September 1983 wearing the Allegheny Commuter livery
Piedmont's Dash 8-100 ready for boarding at Tweed New Haven Airport in December 2014
Republic E170 in the 1997 livery
Mesa CRJ900 in the final US Airways livery beginning in 2005
US Airways Express fleet [6] [7]
Airline IATA Service ICAO Code Callsign Aircraft In fleet Passengers Parent
F Y Total
Air Wisconsin ZW AWI Wisconsin Bombardier CRJ200 67 50 50 CJT Holdings
Mesa Airlines YV ASH Air Shuttle Bombardier CRJ900 47 9 70 79 Mesa Air Group
6 76
Piedmont Airlines PT PDT Piedmont Dash 8-100 30 37 37 US Airways Group
Dash 8-300 11 50 50
PSA Airlines OH JIA Blue Streak Bombardier CRJ200 35 50 50
Bombardier CRJ700 14 9 58 67
Republic Airways YX RPA Brickyard Embraer 170 17 9 60 69 Republic Airways Holdings
Embraer 175 38 8 72 80
SkyWest Airlines OO SKW SkyWest Bombardier CRJ200 12 50 50 SkyWest, Inc.
Bombardier CRJ900 4 6 70 76
Total 275

Historical regional jet fleet

The US Airways Express brand, through its various regional and commuter airline partners, operated a variety of twinjet aircraft over the years including the following types:

Historical turboprop fleet

The US Airways Express brand, through its various regional and commuter airline partners, operated a variety of twin turboprop aircraft over the years including the following types:

Accidents and incidents

See also

References

  1. ^ "US Airways to join oneworld on March 31, 2014". The Wall Street Journal. December 9, 2013.
  2. ^ "American to retire US Airways brand on Oct. 17".
  3. ^ "Aviation museum gives a glimpse of the WWII way of life for many". The Record Herald. Retrieved 26 May 2010.
  4. ^ "History of People Express". Century of Flight. Retrieved 26 May 2010.
  5. ^ American Eagle to employees: Be patient | Airline Biz Blog. Aviationblog.dallasnews.com (2013-04-09). Retrieved on 2013-08-16.
  6. ^ Fact sheets. US Airways. Retrieved on 2013-12-28.
  7. ^ "American Airlines Announces Large Regional Jet Purchase" (Press release). Fort Worth, TX: American Airlines, Inc. 2013-12-12. Retrieved 2014-05-22.
  8. ^ ASN Aircraft accident Beechcraft 1900C-1 N55000 Saranac Lake-Adirondack Airport, NY (SLK)
  9. ^ "NTSB- Air Midwest Flight 5481". NTSB. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
  10. ^ Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Beechcraft 1900D N240CJ Hyannis, MA". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2022-03-08.
  11. ^ Sarah Brumfield (January 1, 2011). "Pilot error prompts evacuation of U.S. Capitol building". thestar.com. Toronto. Retrieved 2011-02-10.
  12. ^ Mary Compton (January 1, 2011). "Jets Scrambled Over Capitol Hill Airspace Scare". ABC News. Retrieved 2011-02-10.
  13. ^ NBC News (May 18, 2013). "Plane makes belly landing at Newark Airport, no injuries reported". Retrieved May 20, 2013.