wiki143 - User contributions [en]

Starlux Airlines

2025-06-29T15:21:13Z

182.232.34.176: /* Destinations */

{{Short description|Airline of Taiwan}}
{{About|the current Taiwan-based airline company|the defunct French airline|XL Airways France|the defunct Alaska-based airline|Star Air Service}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{infobox airline
| airline = Starlux Airlines {{nobold|{{lang|zh-hant|星宇航空}}}}
| logo = STARLUX Airlines logo.svg
| logo_size = 250
| image = File:STARLUX AIRLINES A330-941 B-58302.jpg
| | caption = A STARLUX Airlines A330neo
| image_size = 300
| alt =
| fleet_size = 28
| IATA = JX
| ICAO = SJX
| callsign = STARWALKER
| founded = {{start date and age|2018|05|02|df=yes}}
| commenced = {{start date and age|2020|01|23|df=yes}}
| aoc = SJX-01<ref>{{cite web|title=Starlux Airlines Co., Ltd. - Exemption/Foreign Air Carrier Permit - Taiwan-U.S.|publisher=[[United States Department of Transportation]]|url=https://www.regulations.gov/docket/DOT-OST-2020-0253/document|access-date=December 14, 2020}}</ref>
| bases =
| hubs = [[Taoyuan International Airport]]
| focus_cities = [[Taichung International Airport]]
| frequent_flyer = Cosmile
| alliance =
| subsidiaries =
| traded_as = {{TSE|2646}}
| destinations = 31<ref>{{Cite web |title=Starlux Airlines on ch-aviation |url=https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/airline/SXU |access-date=2025-02-11 |website=ch-aviation |language=en}}</ref>
| parent =
| revenue = {{increase}} [[New Taiwan dollar|NT$]] 35.54 billion (2024)
| operating_income = {{increase}} [[New Taiwan dollar|NT$]] 2.37 billion (2024)
| assets = {{increase}} [[New Taiwan dollar|NT$]] 119 billion (2024)
| equity = {{increase}} [[New Taiwan dollar|NT$]] 29.83 billion (2024)
| num_employees = 5,125 (2024)
| key_people = {{bulleted list|
| Chang Kuo-wei (founder & [[chairman]])
| Glenn Chai ([[General Manager]] & [[Chief executive officer|CEO]])}}
| headquarters = [[Taipei]], [[Taiwan]]
| website = {{URL|www.starlux-airlines.com}}
}}

'''Starlux Airlines''' ({{lang-zh|t=星宇航空|p=Xīngyǔ Hángkōng|w=}}, styled '''STARLUX''') is a Taiwanese full service carrier headquartered in [[Taipei]], Taiwan, which operated its first flight from Taipei to [[Macau]] on 23 January 2020.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.cna.com.tw/news/ahel/202001170121.aspx|title=星宇航空23日開航下半年擬開日本航線|website=[[Central News Agency (Republic of China)|Central News Agency]]|publisher=中央社|date=17 January 2020|access-date=25 January 2020|language=ZH-TW|trans-title=Starlux Airlines to launch flights on 23 January, plans to open Japan routes in six months}}</ref> Currently, it uses [[Taoyuan International Airport]] as its hub airport.<ref>{{Cite web |title=STARLUX Airlines Airline Profile {{!}} CAPA |url=https://centreforaviation.com/data/profiles/airlines/starlux-airlines-jx |access-date=2024-08-02 |website=centreforaviation.com}}</ref>

==History==
The company name "STARLUX" is derived from the Chinese character "星宇," named by the founder {{ill|Chang Kuo-wei|zh|張國煒}}. The character "星" (star) refers to his father, [[Chang Yung-fa]], founder of the [[Evergreen Group]], who used to navigate by looking at the stars before the advent of GPS. The character "宇" (universe) reflects Chang Kuo-wei's own aspirations. Together, these characters symbolize the company's hope to soar into the universe without limits.

The company was registered in 2016 with the [[Ministry of Economic Affairs (Taiwan)|Taiwanese Ministry of Economic Affairs]]. Chang Kuo-wei, the former chairman of Taiwanese airline [[EVA Air]] and the son of [[Evergreen Marine Corporation|Evergreen]]'s founder, confirmed the registration on 30 November 2016.<ref>{{cite web|title=王子復仇記？張國煒將創「星宇航空」再戰航空業|url=https://www.storm.mg/article/195956|date=2016-11-30|accessdate=2023-08-11|author=陳煜|publisher=風傳媒|language=zh-tw|archive-date=2023-08-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230811125852/https://www.storm.mg/article/195956}}</ref> The airline registered with the [[Civil Aeronautics Administration (Taiwan)|Taiwanese Civil Aeronautics Administration]] in the first half of 2017,<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.ettoday.net/news/20161130/821129.htm |script-title=zh:王子復仇記？張國煒籌設星宇航空長榮：會很辛苦|trans-title=Revenge? Jeremy Duong prepares to establish Starlux Airlines; EVA says it will be difficult|newspaper=ETToday|date=30 November 2016 |language=zh-TW|access-date=20 December 2016}}</ref> and it was planned in late 2016 that the airline would commence operations in 2018.<ref name="SA1">{{Cite news|url=http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3041136|title=Former EVA chairman plans new airline|newspaper=Taiwan News|access-date=2016-12-20}}</ref> The [[Ministry of Economic Affairs (Taiwan)|Taiwanese Ministry of Economic Affairs]] received the formal application for establishing the airline under the name "'''Starlux Airlines'''" on 22 May 2017.<ref>{{cite news|last1=汪|first1=淑芬 |script-title=zh:星宇航英文名Starlux天空閃亮豪華一顆星|trans-title=The English name of Xingyuhang is Starlux. A shining star in the sky.|url=http://www.cna.com.tw/news/ahel/201705230190-1.aspx|access-date=31 May 2017|agency=[[Central News Agency (Republic of China)|Central News Agency]] |language=zh-tw |date=23 May 2017}}</ref> In an interview in 2017, the airline was expected to start operations by the end of 2019,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Tan |first1=Jason |title=Ousted EVA Airways chairman retaliates with new airline |url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Companies/Ousted-chairman-of-EVA-Air-launching-new-airline |access-date=16 January 2019 |work=Nikkei Asian Review |date=4 October 2017}}</ref> though in January 2019, Chang stated that Starlux would launch in January 2020.<ref name="launch-2020">{{cite news |last1=Wang |first1=Shu-fen |last2=Huang |first2=Frances |title=StarLux Airlines be launched in January 2020: founder |url=http://focustaiwan.tw/news/aeco/201901160027.aspx |access-date=16 January 2019 |agency=Central News Agency |date=16 January 2019}}</ref>

In March 2019, Chang signed an order for 17 [[Airbus A350 XWB]] aircraft, which was also the country's largest single Airbus purchase agreement.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}} In September 2019, the airline announced the first destinations to be launched, consisting of [[Da Nang]], [[Macau]], and [[Penang]] to begin on 23 January 2020.<ref>{{cite web |title=Starlux Airlines Plans Launch|url=https://aeronauticsonline.com/starlux-airlines-plans-launch/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190913155434/http://aeronauticsonline.com/starlux-airlines-plans-launch/ |url-status=usurped |archive-date=13 September 2019 |last=Anderson |first=Zaref |access-date=10 October 2019 |website=Aeronautics |date=10 September 2019}}</ref> On 25 October 2019, the airline's first aircraft, an [[Airbus A321neo]], was delivered from [[Hamburg, Germany|Hamburg]], Germany, before the plane arrived at the airline's hub at [[Taoyuan International Airport]] on 29 October after making stops in Dubai and Bangkok.<ref name="A321neo delivery">{{cite web|url=https://airwaysmag.com/airlines/starlux-receives-maiden-aircraft-ahead-of-2020-launch/ |title=Starlux Receives Maiden Aircraft Ahead of 2020 Launch |last=Sander |first=Daniel |website=Airways Magazine |publisher=Airways International, Inc |date=28 October 2019 |access-date=21 August 2020}}</ref> On 10 December 2019, Starlux received its [[air operator's certificate]] (AOC) from the Taiwanese Civil Aeronautics Administration, followed by the formal opening of reservations on 16 December 2019 for the start of services the following month.<ref>{{cite news |title= Taiwanese start-up Starlux Airlines has been approved to fly |url= https://www.businesstraveller.com/business-travel/2019/12/11/taiwanese-start-up-starlux-airlines-has-been-approved-to-fly/ |last=Chen |first=Jackie |access-date=11 December 2019 |website=Business Traveller |publisher=Panacea Media Limited |date=11 December 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Yu |first1=Hsiao-han |last2=Huang |first2=Frances |title=StarLux Airlines to start selling tickets next week |url=http://focustaiwan.tw/news/aeco/201912130016.aspx |access-date=13 December 2019 |agency=Central News Agency |date=13 December 2019}}</ref>

Due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] and its [[Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on aviation|impacts on aviation]], which began to occur within months of the airline's inauguration, Starlux announced the suspension of most of its services except to Da Nang.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3884932|title=Taiwan's StarLux Airlines to suspend Penang flights amid coronavirus outbreak|date=4 March 2020|publisher= Taiwan News}}</ref> Subsequently, in March 2020 the airline suspended all of its operations until 2 June 2020,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://onemileatatime.com/starlux-airlines-suspends-operations/|title=Starlux Airlines Suspends Operations|last=Schlappig|first=Ben|date=18 March 2020|website=One Mile At a Time|publisher=PointsPros, Inc}}</ref> after which the airline resumed its three-weekly services to Macau.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2020/05/16/2003736470|title=StarLux to resume limited operations next month|last=Kao|first=Shih-ching|date=16 May 2020|publisher=The Taipei Times}}</ref> Before the airline resumed service, it received clearance in May 2020 to begin services to [[Naha]] as its first destination in Japan, with a start date no earlier than 1 July, but the airline said that the timeline for Naha's service inauguration depended on the pandemic's developments.<ref name="Cebu delay">{{cite web|url=https://focustaiwan.tw/business/202006110009|title=StarLux delays launch of Cebu flights due to COVID-19|publisher=Focus Taiwan|date=11 June 2020}}</ref> Subsequently, due to the pandemic, the airline additionally delayed the launch of its [[Cebu City, Philippines|Cebu]] services twice, and indefinitely postponed the launch of its services to Naha.<ref name="Cebu delay"/>
[[File:STARLUX Airlines Headquarters (Taoyuan).jpg|thumb|Starlux Airlines office in [[Taoyuan, Taiwan]]]]

In August 2022, Starlux announced its plan to expand its services to North America in April 2023 as the travel industry started to recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, along with services to Indonesia in the future.<ref>{{Cite web |last=ETtoday新聞雲 |title=星宇航空9月30日正式掛牌公司看好印尼、泰國等沒有北美直飛航班市場 |url=https://finance.ettoday.net/news/2347211 |access-date=2023-02-12 |website=finance.ettoday.net |language=zh-Hant-TW}}</ref> In September 2022, the airline announced its strategy to connect [[Southeast Asia]]n cities to the U.S. via Taipei Taoyuan Airport.<ref>{{Cite web |last=ETtoday新聞雲 |title=東南亞多國飛北美要多４-5小時航程因此缺直飛航班有利星宇發展轉機業務 |url=https://finance.ettoday.net/news/2347275 |access-date=2023-02-12 |website=finance.ettoday.net |language=zh-Hant-TW}}</ref>

In February 2023, the airline confirmed its plans to introduce North American services, with regular flights to Los Angeles set for 26 April 2023, following the delivery of the first two Airbus A350s in October 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |title=StarLux to launch direct flights to Los Angeles on April 26 - Focus Taiwan |url=https://focustaiwan.tw/business/202302110014 |access-date=2023-02-12 |website=focustaiwan.tw |date=11 February 2023 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Starlux takes delivery of first A350 |url=https://www.airbus.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2022-10-starlux-takes-delivery-of-first-a350 |access-date=2023-02-12 |website=Airbus|date=31 October 2022 }}</ref>

In March 2023, Starlux announced a multi-year sponsorship with the [[National Basketball Association|NBA]]'s [[Los Angeles Clippers]] team. Starting from June 2023, Clipper-branded in-flight amenities will be available on the Starlux LAX - TPE route.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Taiwan's Starlux Airlines joins NBA's Clipper Nation with sponsorship deal [u] |url=https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4838483 |access-date=2023-05-08 |website=Taiwannews|date=17 March 2023 }}</ref>

In April 2023, Starlux announced a strategic partnership with [[Alaska Airlines]], enabling travelers to earn rewards through the other airline's loyalty program and book connecting flights on a single ticket.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Starlux Airlines Announces First Airline Partner — Inks Strategic Partnership with Alaska Airlines [u] |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/starlux-airlines-announces-first-airline-130000944.html |access-date=2023-05-08 |website=YahooFinance|date=27 April 2023 }}</ref> Both Starlux and Alaska Airlines expanded their partnership following US DOT's approval of codesharing in July 2024 and its first flight to Seattle in August 2024.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/240729-asjxcodeshare|title=Etihad Airways signs codeshare partnership with STARLUX Airlines|work=Aeroroutes|accessdate=29 July 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Cortez |first=Joe |date=2024-08-16 |title=FlyerTalk - The world's most popular frequent flyer community |url=https://www.flyertalk.com/articles/alaska-launches-partnership-with-starlux-with-planned-codeshare.html |access-date=2024-08-20 |website=FlyerTalk - The world's most popular frequent flyer community |language=en-US}}</ref> The airline partnered with [[Hong Kong Tramways]] in anticipation of its Taoyuan–[[Chek Lap Kok Airport|Chek Lap Kok]] route in mid July 2024.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1760214-20240704.htm | title=STARLUX hopes to add more Hong Kong-Taipei flights - RTHK }}</ref>

In December 2023, Starlux celebrated the opening of a new office in Taichung, with future plans to operate out of [[Taichung International Airport]] in the second quarter of 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chua2023-12-07T04:04:00+00:00 |first=Alfred |title=Starlux opens Taichung base; Asia low-cost carriers expand regional network |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/airlines/starlux-opens-taichung-base-asia-low-cost-carriers-expand-regional-network/156128.article |access-date=2023-12-22 |website=Flight Global |language=en}}</ref>

On 14 June 2024, the founder and chairperson of Starlux Airlines, Chang Kuo-wei, confirmed that the airline had been pursuing [[Oneworld]] membership.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-06-15 |title=星宇航空擬加入「寰宇一家」張國煒：花2年促成 |url=https://news.cts.com.tw/cts/life/202406/202406152337744.html |access-date=2024-11-19 |website=CTS |language=zh-Hant-TW}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-06-15 |title=星宇航要加入「寰宇一家」達人點3張信用卡累積哩程 |url=https://finance.ettoday.net/news/2761882 |access-date=2024-11-19 |website=Ettoday |language=zh-Hant-TW}}</ref> The airline has been a codeshare partner of Oneworld member [[Alaska Airlines]] since March 2023.<ref>https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/alaska-airlines-welcomes-starlux-airlines-to-seattle-our-hometown-airport-302101655.html; https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/alaska-airlines-launches-partnership-with-starlux-airlines-301807742.html</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=最新消息 - STARLUX Airlines |url=https://www.starlux-airlines.com/en-TW/about-us/media-center/news/2023/202304271 |access-date=2024-08-02 |website=www.starlux-airlines.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2024-03-28 |title=Alaska Airlines welcomes STARLUX Airlines to Seattle, our hometown airport |url=https://news.alaskaair.com/alaska-airlines/alaska-airlines-welcomes-starlux-airlines-to-seattle/ |access-date=2024-08-02 |website=Alaska Airlines News |language=en-US}}</ref> The CEO of Oneworld, Nat Pieper, played down the possibility of Starlux's membership.<ref>{{Cite news |author=李明珠 |date=2024-06-17 |script-title=zh:寰宇一家CEO談聯盟優勢讚港航空樞紐地位獨特擬開拓兩大地區 |url=https://www.hk01.com/%E8%B2%A1%E7%B6%93%E5%BF%AB%E8%A8%8A/1028894/%E5%AF%B0%E5%AE%87%E4%B8%80%E5%AE%B6ceo%E8%AB%87%E8%81%AF%E7%9B%9F%E5%84%AA%E5%8B%A2-%E8%AE%9A%E6%B8%AF%E8%88%AA%E7%A9%BA%E6%A8%9E%E7%B4%90%E5%9C%B0%E4%BD%8D%E7%8D%A8%E7%89%B9-%E6%93%AC%E9%96%8B%E6%8B%93%E5%85%A9%E5%A4%A7%E5%9C%B0%E5%8D%80 |access-date=2024-08-02 |work=[[HK01]] |language=zh-Hant}}</ref> ''Business Weekly'', a local Taiwanese business magazine, indicated that [[Cathay Pacific]], one of the founding members of Oneworld whose destinations overlaps with Starlux Airlines, is the main possible obstacle of its application.<ref>{{Cite magazine |script-title=zh:星宇上市熱爆》張國煒下個逆襲大招：找「最強靠山」、搶轉機客？ |url=https://tw.news.yahoo.com/%E6%98%9F%E5%AE%87%E4%B8%8A%E5%B8%82%E7%86%B1%E7%88%86%E3%80%8B%E5%BC%B5%E5%9C%8B%E7%85%92%E4%B8%8B%E5%80%8B%E9%80%86%E8%A5%B2%E5%A4%A7%E6%8B%9B%EF%BC%9A%E6%89%BE%E3%80%8C%E6%9C%80%E5%BC%B7%E9%9D%A0%E5%B1%B1%E3%80%8D%E3%80%81%E6%90%B6%E8%BD%89%E6%A9%9F%E5%AE%A2%EF%BC%9F-005449438.html |access-date=2024-11-30 |magazine={{ill|Business Weekly (Taiwan)|zh|商業周刊 (臺灣)}} |via=Yahoo News |language=zh-Hant |author=韓化宇 |date= 2024-10-24 }}</ref>

On 16 September 2024, Starlux announced that it plans to apply to join the Oneworld alliance by the end of 2025.<ref>{{Cite news |title= Starlux Airlines to apply to join Oneworld alliance.|date=September 18, 2024 |url= https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2024/09/18/2003823969 |access-date=September 19, 2024|website=Taipei Times|language=en}}</ref>

==Destinations==
{{As of|2025|06}}, Starlux Airlines flies (or has flown) to the following destinations:<ref name="Routes">{{cite web|url=https://www.starlux-airlines.com/en-Global/experience/walk-into-starlux/route-map|title=Route Map|website=Starlux Airlines|date=2 June 2023}}</ref>

{|class="wikitable sortable"
!Country/territory
!City
!Airport
!Notes
!class="unsortable"|Ref
|-
|[[Guam]]||[[Hagåtña, Guam|Hagåtña]]||[[Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport]]||{{Airline seasonal|Charter}}||align=center|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/230421-jxgum|title=Starlux Airlines extends Guam charters to late-July 2023|last=Liu|first=Jim|website=AeroRoutes|date=April 21, 2023|access-date=May 24, 2023}}</ref>
|-
|[[Hong Kong]]||Hong Kong||[[Hong Kong International Airport]]||align=center| ||align=center|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.starlux-airlines.com/zh-Global/about-us/media-center/news/2024/20240527|title=「香」約去旅行跟著星宇航空來場「輕奢之旅」！ 7月16日起每日兩班往返台北-香港|website=Starlux Airlines|date=May 27, 2024|access-date=June 10, 2024}}</ref>
|-
|[[Indonesia]]||[[Jakarta]]||[[Soekarno–Hatta International Airport]]||align=center| ||align=center|<ref>{{cite web |title=Starlux Airlines Plans Taipei – Jakarta Sep 2024 Launch |url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/240527-jxsep24id |website=Aeroroutes |access-date=27 May 2024}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="13" |[[Japan]]||[[Fukuoka]]||[[Fukuoka Airport]]||align=center| ||align=center|<ref>{{cite web |title=Starlux Taipei-Fukuoka Route to be Launched in February 2022 |url=https://www.starlux-airlines.com/en-TW/about-us/media-center/news/2021/news-20211124 |website=Starlux Airlines |language=en |date=24 November 2021}}</ref>
|-
|[[Hakodate]]||[[Hakodate Airport]]||align=center| ||align=center|<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nukina |first=Keishi |date=2023-12-26 |title=Starlux Adds Taipei - Hakodate and Taichung - Macau in February and March 2024 |url=https://knaviation.net/starlux-new-routes-q1-2024/ |access-date=2023-12-26 |website=KN Aviation |language=en-US}}</ref>
|-
|[[Kobe]]||[[Kobe Airport]]||align=center| ||align=center| <ref>{{cite web|title=Starlux Airlines Schedules mid-April 2025 Kobe Launch|url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/250115-jxns25ukb|website=Aeroroutes |access-date=15 January 2025}}</ref>
|-
|[[Kumamoto]]||[[Kumamoto Airport]]||align=center| ||align=center|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/230529-jxsep23kmj|title=Starlux Airlines plans Taipei - Kumamoto launch in Sep 2023|last=Liu|first=Jim|website=Aeroroutes|date=29 May 2023}}</ref>
|-
|[[Nagoya]]||[[Chubu Centrair International Airport]]||align=center| ||align=center|<ref name="JX">{{cite web|url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/230905-jxnw23|title=Starlux Airlines NW23 service changes: San Francisco Dec 2023 launch|last=Liu|first=Jim|website=AeroRoutes|access-date=September 5, 2023}}</ref>
|-
|[[Naha]]||[[Naha Airport]]||align=center| ||align=center|
|-
|[[Osaka]]||[[Kansai International Airport]]||align=center| ||align=center|<ref name="Dec2020">{{cite web|url=https://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/294571/starlux-airlines-schedules-network-expansion-in-dec-2020/|title=Starlux Airlines schedules network expansion in Dec 2020|last=Liu|first=Jim|date=26 October 2020|website=Routesonline|publisher=Informa Markets}}</ref>
|-
|[[Sapporo]]||[[New Chitose Airport]]||align=center| ||align=center|
|-
|[[Sendai]]||[[Sendai Airport]]||align=center| ||align=center|<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/230109-jxsdj|title=Starlux Airlines schedules Sendai launch in 2Q23|last=Liu|first=Jim|date=9 January 2023|website=AeroRoutes}}</ref>
|-
|[[Shimoji-shima|Shimojishima]]||[[Shimojishima Airport]]||{{Coming soon|Begins 22 August 2025}}
|align="center" | <ref>{{Cite web |title=Starlux Airlines Plans Taipei – Shimojishima Aug 2025 Launch |url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/250502-jxaug25shi |access-date=2025-05-06 |website=AeroRoutes |language=en-CA}}</ref>
|-
|[[Takamatsu]]||[[Takamatsu Airport]]||align=center| ||align=center|<ref name="Takamatsu Charter Flights">{{cite web|url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/231225-jxns24rmqmfm|title=Starlx Flies Taichung – Macau NS24 Schedule – 24Dec23|website=AeroRoutes|date=28 December 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/241014-jxdec24rmqtak|title=StarluxAirlines plans regular Taichung-Takamatsu service from Dec 2024|website=AeroRoutes|date=14 October 2024}}</ref>
|-
|[[Tokushima Prefecture|Tokushima]]||[[Tokushima Airport]]||{{Airline seasonal|Charter}}||align=center|<ref name="Tokushima Charter Flights">{{cite web|url=https://centreforaviation.com/news/starlux-airlines-commences-taiwan-taoyuan-tokushima-charter-service-1234225|title=Starlux Airlines commences Taiwan Taoyuan-Tokushima charter service|website=CentreforAviation (CAPA)|date=28 November 2023}}</ref>
|-
|[[Tokyo]]||[[Narita International Airport]]||align=center| ||align=center|<ref name="Dec2020"/>
|-
|[[Macau]]|||Macau||[[Macau International Airport]]||align=center| ||align=center|<ref name=COVID-19/><ref name="COVID19 Resumption">{{cite web|date=15 May 2020|publisher=Informa Markets |website=Routesonline |last=Liu |first=Jim |url= https://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/291290/starlux-airlines-outlines-reduced-operation-in-june-2020/|title= Starlux Airlines outlines reduced operation in June 2020}}</ref>
|-
|rowspan="2"|[[Malaysia]]||[[Kuala Lumpur]]||[[Kuala Lumpur International Airport]]||align=center| ||align=center|<ref name="Jan 2021">{{cite press release|url=https://www.starlux-airlines.com/en-US/StarluxTravelAlerts/003a8001-95f3-41ea-be5a-360bb6e25596/|title=Starlux will expand network to Kuala Lumpur!|date=27 November 2020|website=Starlux Airlines}}
</ref><ref name="Taiwan News">{{cite web|title=Taiwan's StarLux launch flights to Kuala Lumpur on Jan. 5|url=https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4063743|website=Taiwan News|date=28 November 2020}}</ref>
|-
|[[Penang]]||[[Penang International Airport]]||{{Terminated}}||align=center|<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/250304-jxmar25pen|title=Starlux Airlines Discontinues Penang Service in late-March 2025|website=Aeroroutes|access-date=4 March 2025}}</ref><ref name="First Destination" /><ref name="COVID-19" /><ref name="COVID19 Resumption" />
|-
|rowspan="3"|[[Philippines]]|||[[Cebu City|Cebu]]||[[Mactan–Cebu International Airport]]||align=center| ||align=center|<ref>{{cite web |title=Starlux Airlines NW23 Philippines service adjustment – 13Oct22 |url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/221013-jxnw22ph |website=AeroRoutes |access-date=October 13, 2022}}</ref>
|-
|[[Clark Freeport and Special Economic Zone|Clark]]||[[Clark International Airport]]||align=center| ||align=center|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/230509-jxaug23crk|title=Starlux Airlines Plans Taipei – Clark Service From August 2023|last=Liu|first=Jim|website=AeroRoutes|date=9 May 2023}}</ref>
|-
|[[Manila]]||[[Ninoy Aquino International Airport]]||{{Terminated}}||align=center|<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aviationupdatesph.com/2021/06/starlux-to-launch-taipei-manila.html?m=1|title=Starlux Airlines to launch Taipei-Manila flights next month|last=Salcedo|first=Dirk Andrei|website=Aviation Updates Philippines|date=9 June 2021 |access-date=June 10, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.facebook.com/share/p/t4stqSKfw74EuuqG/?mibextid=oFDknk|title=Starlux Airlines axes Taipei-Manila flights|website=Aviation Updates Philippines|access-date=March 31, 2024}}</ref>
|-
|[[Singapore]]||Singapore||[[Changi Airport]]||align=center| ||align=center|<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.executivetraveller.com/news/starlux-planning-flights-to-singapore-manila|title=Starlux planning flights to Singapore, Manila|last=Flynn|first=David|website=Executive Traveller|date=31 May 2021 |access-date=August 6, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.routesonline.com/news/29/breaking-news/296447/50-new-routes-starting-in-august-2021/|title=50 new routes starting in August 2021|last=Casey|first=David|website=Routesonline|date=2 August 2021}}</ref>
|-
|rowspan="2"|[[Taiwan]]||[[Taichung]]||[[Taichung International Airport]]||align=center| ||align=center|<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=689924159916261&set=pcb.689924213249589|title=Starlux Airlines to launch Taichung-Macau flights on 31st March 2024|website=Starlux Official Facebook Page|date=26 December 2023}}</ref>
|-
|[[Taipei]]||[[Taoyuan International Airport]]||{{Airline hub}}||align=center|<ref name="First Destination" />
|-
|rowspan="2"|[[Thailand]]||[[Bangkok]]||[[Suvarnabhumi Airport]]||align=center| ||align=center|<ref name="Dec2020"/>
|-
|[[Chiang Mai]]||[[Chiang Mai International Airport]]||align=center| ||align=center|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/231002-jx1q24cnx|title=Starlux Airlines plans Taipei - Chiang Mai mid-Jan 2024 launch|last=Liu|first=Jim|date=2 October 2023|website=AeroRoutes}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="4" |[[United States]]||[[Los Angeles]]||[[Los Angeles International Airport]]||align=center| ||align=center|<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mainlymiles.com/2023/02/09/starlux-launching-airbus-a350-first-class-to-los-angeles-on-26-april/|title=Starlux launching Airbus A350 First Class to Los Angeles on 26 April|website=Mainly Miles|date=9 February 2023|access-date=9 February 2023}}</ref>
|-
|[[Ontario, California|Ontario]]||[[Ontario International Airport]]||align=center| ||align=center|<ref>{{Cite web |date=6 February 2025 |title=Starlux Airlines plans Taipei – Ontario June 2025 Launch |url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/250206-jxns25ont |website=aeroroutes.com}}</ref>
|-
|[[San Francisco]]|| [[San Francisco International Airport]]||align=center| ||align=center|<ref name="JX" />
|-
|[[Seattle]]||[[Seattle–Tacoma International Airport]]||align=center| ||align=center|<ref>{{cite web |title=Starlux Airlines Schedules mid-August 2024 Seattle Launch |url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/240307-jxaug24sea |access-date=7 March 2024 |publisher=AeroRoutes}}</ref>
|-
|rowspan="4"|[[Vietnam]]||[[Da Nang]]||[[Da Nang International Airport]]||align=center| ||align=center|<ref name="First Destination">{{cite web|url=https://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/288090/starlux-airlines-outlines-operational-schedules-in-1q20/|access-date=12 December 2019|date=11 December 2019|title=Starlux Airlines outlines operational schedules in 1Q20 |last=Liu |first=Jim |website=Routesonline |publisher=Informa Markets}}</ref><ref name=COVID-19>{{cite web|url=https://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/290356/starlux-airlines-suspends-operation-21mar20-30apr20/|title= Starlux Airlines suspends operation 21Mar20 – 30Apr20 |last=Liu |first=Jim |date=18 March 2020 |website=Routesonline |publisher=Informa Markets}}</ref>
|-
|[[Hanoi]]||[[Noi Bai International Airport]]||align=center| ||align=center|<ref>{{cite web |title=Starlux Airlines Plans Hanoi Jan 2023 Launch |url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/221117-jxjan23han |website=AeroRoutes |last=Liu |first=Jim |access-date=17 November 2022}}</ref>
|-
|[[Ho Chi Minh City]]||[[Tan Son Nhat International Airport]]||align=center| ||align=center|<ref>{{Cite press release|url=https://www.starlux-airlines.com/en-US/StarluxTravelAlerts/2c1d3f5e-9ac1-4e2e-9e01-de90e73ea1f6|title=Starlux will expand network to Ho Chi Minh City!|website=Starlux Airlines|date=24 March 2021|access-date=25 March 2021}}</ref>
|-
|[[Phú Quốc]]||[[Phu Quoc International Airport]]||align=center| ||align=center|<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2023/12/26/2003811193|title=Starlux charter service is available to Phu Quoc in Vietnam|website=Taipei Times|date=27 February 2024|access-date=26 December 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.starlux-airlines.com/en-TW/about-us/travel-advisories/advisories/latest-news/fly-to-PQC|title=Fly with Starlux to and from Phu Quoc Island starting from July 1st.|website=Starlux Airlines|date=20 March 2020|access-date=20 March 2020}}</ref>
|}

=== Codeshare agreements ===
Starlux Airlines [[Codeshare agreement|codeshares]] with the following airlines:

*[[Alaska Airlines]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/240729-asjxcodeshare|title=ALASKA AIRLINES BEGINS STARLUX AIRLINES CODESHARE FROM AUG 2024}}</ref>
*[[Etihad Airways]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://travelradar.aero/etihad-airways-signs-codeshare-partnership-with-starlux-airlines/|title=Etihad Airways signs codeshare partnership with STARLUX Airlines}}</ref>

=== Interline agreements ===
* Hahn Air<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.hahnair.com/en/partner-carriers | title=Partner Carriers | Hahn Air Lines }}</ref>

==Fleet==
===Current fleet===
{{As of|2025|06}}, Starlux Airlines operates an all-[[Airbus]] fleet composed of the following aircraft:
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; margin:auto;"
|+ '''Starlux Airlines fleet'''
|-
! rowspan="2" | Aircraft
! rowspan="2" | In service
! rowspan="2" | Orders
! colspan="5" | Passengers
! rowspan="2" | Notes
! rowspan="2" | References
|- style="background:#87cefa;"
! <abbr title="First Class">F</abbr>
! <abbr title="Business Class">C</abbr>
! <abbr title="Premium Economy Class">W</abbr>
! <abbr title="Economy Class">Y</abbr>
! Total
|-
|[[Airbus A321neo]]
|13
|6<ref name="A321neo">{{cite web|url=https://tw.stock.yahoo.com/news/%E6%93%B4%E5%A4%A7%E8%88%AA%E7%B6%B2%E8%BF%8E%E5%95%86%E6%A9%9F-%E6%98%9F%E5%AE%87%E8%88%AA%E5%86%8D%E7%A7%9F6%E6%9E%B6%E5%AE%A2%E6%A9%9F-201000867.html|title=擴大航網迎商機星宇航再租6架客機機|trans-title=Starlux convert three A330-900neo to six A321neo due to forecasted delivery delays|language=ZH-TW|website=Yahoo News|date=22 May 2024|access-date=22 May 2024}}</ref>
|—
|8
|—
|180
|188
|
|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/taiwans-starlux-airlines-in-talks-for-up-to-24-airc-446709/ |access-date=13 March 2018|date=13 March 2018|title=Starlux Airlines reconfirms and upsizes its order for 10 A321neo|last=Toh|first=Mavis|website=[[FlightGlobal]]|publisher=DVV Media International Limited|url-access=registration}}</ref><ref name="First Destination"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.businesstraveller.com/business-travel/2019/10/29/starlux-airlines-receives-its-first-airbus-a321neo/|access-date=29 October 2019|date=29 October 2019|title=Starlux Airlines receives its first Airbus A321neo|last=Chen|first=Jackie|website=Business Traveller|publisher=Panacea Media Limited}}</ref><ref name="A330neo">{{cite web|url=https://tw.appledaily.com/life/20200910/NRFVF4KKIJGR5AE2YX36R4XHOA/|title=【獨家】疫情影響A350購機延後！星宇另租8架A330-900neo 明年第4季起交機|trans-title=(Exclusive) Pandemic delays A350 purchase! Starlux leases 8 A330-900neo, to be delivered in the fourth quarter of next year|language=ZH-TW|website=Apple News|date=10 September 2020|access-date=11 September 2020}}</ref>
|-
|[[Airbus A330-900]]
|5
|6<ref name="A321neo"/>
|—
|28
|—
|269
|297
|
|<ref name="A330neo" /><ref>{{cite web |author1=David Flynn |title=Starlux sets February 2022 for first Airbus A330neo delivery |url=https://www.executivetraveller.com/news/starlux-airbus-a330neo-delivery |website=Executive Traveller |language=en |date=22 September 2021}}</ref><ref name="centreforaviation.com">{{cite web|title=Starlux Takes Delivery of First A330neo B-58301 |url=https://centreforaviation.com/members/direct-news/starlux-takes-delivery-of-first-a330neo-b-58301-597770 |website= CAPA - Centre For Aviation |language=en |date=18 February 2022}}</ref><ref name="Airbus">{{cite web | url=https://www.airbus.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-02-starlux-orders-a350f-and-more-a330neo-widebodies | title=Starlux orders A350F and more A330neo widebodies | date=2024-02-21|access-date=2024-02-21|publisher=Airbus}}</ref>
|-
|[[Airbus A350-900]]
|10
|—
|4
|26
|36
|240
|306
|rowspan=2|Order with 10 options.
|rowspan=2|<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.starlux-airlines.com/en-TW/about-us/media-center/news/2019/news-20190319 | title=Starlux Signs Official Agreement Purchasing 17 A350 XWBs with 10 options to Expand Long-Haul Routes| date=2019-03-19|access-date=2024-02-25|publisher=Starlux Airlines}}</ref>
|-
|[[Airbus A350-1000]]
|—
|18
|4
|40
|36
|270
|350
|-
!colspan="10"|Cargo fleet
|-
|[[Airbus A350F]]
|—
|10
|colspan="5" |<abbr title="No seats, cargo configuration">Cargo</abbr>
|
|<ref name="Airbus"/>
|-
! Total
! 28
! 40
! colspan="7" |
|}

===Gallery===
<gallery mode="packed">
File:B-58201 STARLUX Airlines Airbus A321-252NX Final Approaching TSA RW10 20191203-5(3x4).jpg|[[Airbus A321neo]]
File:STARLUX AIRLINES A330-941 B-58302.jpg|[[Airbus A330-900]]
File:Starlux Airlines Airbus A350-941 B-58501 (52488729985).jpg|[[Airbus A350-900]]
</gallery>

===Fleet development===
In March 2019, Starlux announced it would start operations for select destinations in Asia, and to Europe and North America. Its inaugural fleet consisted of 17 Airbus aircraft, which included five [[Airbus A350-900]]s and 12 [[Airbus A350-1000]]s. The airline later planned to add 10 [[Airbus A321neo]]s to its fleet to serve their Asian routes.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aerotelegraph.com/starlux-airlines-kauft-definitiv-17-airbus-a350|title=Starlux Airlines kauft definitiv 17 Airbus A350|trans-title=Starlux Airlines will definitely buy 17 Airbus A350s|date=19 March 2019|website=AeroTelegraph|language=de|access-date=19 March 2019}}</ref> In November 2019, Starlux decided to swap four Airbus A350-1000 orders to four A350-900s. Therefore, at the start of 2020, the orders stood at 9 A350-900s and 8 A350-1000s.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

Starlux had also considered the addition of the [[Airbus A330neo]] to its fleet.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://airlinegeeks.com/2019/10/06/starlux-airlines-unveils-cabin-crew-uniforms-and-cabin-products-in-taipei/ |title=StarLux Airlines Unveils Cabin Crew Uniforms and A321neo Cabin Products in Taipei |last=Kuan |first=Albert |access-date=10 October 2019 |website=Airline Geeks |date=6 October 2019}}</ref> This was followed by the airline placing an order for 8 [[Airbus A330neo|Airbus A330-900]]s, alongside three additional [[Airbus A320neo family|A321neos]] and one leased [[Airbus A350 XWB|A350-900]] to its order backlog on 10 September 2020.<ref name="A330neo" /> Starlux also announced during September 2020 that its Airbus A350s would feature a first class cabin.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://focustaiwan.tw/business/202009060013|title=StarLux to offer first class in new A350 wide-body aircraft|last1=Wang|first1=Shu-fen|last2=Shang|first2=Yi-ching|website=Focus Taiwan - CNA English News|date=6 September 2020|access-date=11 September 2020}}</ref>

As part of the plans, Starlux was to become the first Taiwanese airline to fly the [[Airbus A321neo]], [[Airbus A330-900]], and [[Airbus A350-1000]],<ref name="A321neo delivery" /><ref>{{cite news |last1=Huang |first1=Tzu-ti |title=Taiwan's StarLux Airlines to launch first flights January 2020 |url=https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3724947 |access-date=15 June 2019 |work=Taiwan News |date=15 June 2019}}</ref><ref name="A330neo"/> but the remaining A350-1000 orders were later converted to the -900 variant instead.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}} In October 2022, Starlux received their first [[Airbus A350-900]] at Airbus Headquarters in Toulouse, France. Their chairman personally flew this aircraft back to Taiwan.<ref>{{Cite press release |title=Starlux Takes Delivery of First A350-900 |url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/starlux-takes-delivery-of-first-a350-900-301662756.html |access-date=2022-10-28 |website=PRNewswire}}</ref> The airline became the first to take delivery of the next generation of Airbus A350 aircraft, which notably features wider cabins and electronically tinted windows by default.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2022-11-04 |title=TheDesignAir –Starlux gives a masterclass in cabin design with its new A350s |url=https://thedesignair.net/2022/11/04/starlux-gives-a-masterclass-in-cabin-design-with-its-new-a350s/ |access-date=2023-02-12 |website=TheDesignAir |language=en}}</ref>

In late 2023, Starlux Airlines entered into a leasing agreement with [[Avolon|Avolon Aerospace Leasing]], an Irish lessor, acquiring three Airbus A330-900 aircraft, according to a filing submitted to the Taiwan stock exchange.

[[File:(SGP-Singapore) STARLUX Airlines Airbus A330-941neo B-58303 @ Singapore Airshow 2024-02-25.jpg|thumb|A330neo (B-58303) featured in the Airbus static display during the 2024 Singapore Airshow.]]

During the [[Singapore Airshow|2024 Singapore Airshow]], Starlux finalised a deal to buy three additional A330neo aircraft and five new A350Fs (with options of five more A350F), marking its first purchase of freighters for the Starlux Cargo Division. The A350F order would later be increased by an additional five planes in January 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-01-08 |title=STARLUX orders five more A350F freighters {{!}} Airbus |url=https://www.airbus.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2025-01-starlux-orders-five-more-a350f-freighters |access-date=2025-01-12 |website=www.airbus.com |language=en}}</ref> In addition, Starlux opted to revert the purchase order from 2020 to acquire eight A350-1000 aircraft for routes serving the east coast of the United States, as confirmed by Airbus Orders and Deliveries in January 2024.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

In light of the increasing travel demands observed within the geographical regions of Japan and Southeast Asia, Starlux has introduced strategic modifications to its aircraft leasing arrangements from Air Lease Corporation (ALC). Initially scheduled to acquire eight A330-900 aircraft in the year 2020, the company has chosen to amend this arrangement in response to unanticipated delivery delays. As a result, the revised agreement, effective as of May 22, 2024, involves the acquisition of five A330-900 aircraft alongside a supplementary allocation of six A321neo aircraft.<ref name="A321neo"/>

==Cabins and services==
{{promotional|date=February 2024}}

===In-flight entertainment===
[[In-flight entertainment]] (IFE) is provided through seatback touchscreen systems using the Safran RAVE Ultra Plus system, which are equipped with a USB power port and contain a selection of audio and [[video on demand]] (AVOD), as well as a live position mapping system. Starlux commissioned smooth jazz guitarist [[Peter White (musician)|Peter White]] to provide a soundtrack for the entertainment system, which was commercially released on 29 November 2019 as ''Music for Starlux Airlines''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://peterwhitemusic.wordpress.com/2019/11/18/peter-white-soars-with-a-new-album/|title=Peter White Soars with a New Album|website=Peter White News|date=18 November 2019}}</ref> The airline also offers in-flight internet access through satellite [[Wi-Fi]].<ref name="A321 Interior" />

=== First class ===
First class is offered only on [[Airbus A350-900]] aircraft, with cabins featuring four seats in a 1-2-1 configuration. The seats can be converted into a fully lie-flat setting and features a door along with a 60-inch (152 cm) high partition.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Starlux A350-900 Cabin Class Reveal Setting New Standards for Airlines Cabin |url=https://www.starlux-airlines.com/en-TW/about-us/media-center/news/2022/20221104 |access-date=2023-02-12 |website=www.starlux-airlines.com |language=en}}</ref> The seats include a personal mini-bar along with a 32 in (81.3 cm) video screen and a personal wardrobe.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |date=2023-01-17 |title=Starlux reveals inaugural Airbus A350 routes - Executive Traveller |url=https://www.executivetraveller.com/news/starlux-a350-first-routes |access-date=2023-02-12 |website=www.executivetraveller.com |language=en}}</ref> The cabin notably features no bulkhead separation with the business class cabin behind.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Alkema |first=Becca |date=2022-11-11 |title=Starlux first to brand front-row business-plus as first class on A350 |url=https://runwaygirlnetwork.com/2022/11/starlux-business-plus-first-class-on-a350/ |access-date=2023-02-12 |website=Runway Girl |language=en-US}}</ref> First Class passengers departing from [[Taoyuan International Airport|Taoyuan Airport]] are chauffeured to and accommodated by the Huan Yu VIP Terminal.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Huan Yu VIP Terminal - Starlux Airlines |url=https://www.starlux-airlines.com/en-TW/experience/walk-into-starlux/first-class/huanyuvipterminal |access-date=2023-12-02 |website=www.starlux-airlines.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Starlux Airlines First Class - A350 Inaugural Flight Taipei to LA | date=29 April 2023 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2eA4s1Zdiw |access-date=2023-12-02 |language=en}}</ref>

===Business class===
[[File:STARLUX Airlines BUSINESS Airbus A321-200NEO B-58203 (49501345237).jpg|thumb|Starlux's Airbus A321neo business class cabin configuration]]

The [[Airbus A350-900]] business class cabin features 26 Collins Aerospace Elements seats in a 1-2-1 configuration that can be converted into a fully flat bed. The seats each features a 48.5 inch (123.2 cm) door and partition and are individually equipped with a 24-inch (61 cm) video screen.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" />

On the [[Airbus A330-900]], the business class cabin features 28 [[Safran]] Skylounge Core seats configured in a 1-2-1 seating layout.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-06-02 |title=Safran's Skylounge Core Seats makes first flight on Starlux Airlines |language=en |work=Safran |url=https://www.safran-group.com/pressroom/safran-s-skylounge-core-seats-makes-first-flight-starlux-airlines-2022-06-02 |access-date=2023-02-12}}</ref> The seats can be converted into fully flat beds and are each equipped with a {{cvt|17.3|in|cm}} 4K IFE touchscreen.<ref name="centreforaviation.com" />

The [[Airbus A321neo]] business class cabin has eight [[Collins Aerospace|Collins]] Diamond seats in a 2-2 configuration. The seats are {{convert|20.19|in|cm}} wide and can be converted into an {{cvt|82|in|cm}} fully flat bed, featuring a {{cvt|15.6|in|cm}} IFE touchscreen.

Wi-Fi internet access, meals, refreshments, and amenities including noise-cancelling headphones and blankets are provided complimentary to all business class passengers.<ref name="A321 Interior" /><ref name="Seat Width">{{cite web|url=https://www.businesstraveller.com/business-travel/2019/10/09/starlux-airlines-unveils-cabin-design-and-seat-products-for-its-a321neo/ |title=Starlux Airlines unveils cabin design and seat products for its A321neo |last=Chen |first=Jackie |website=Business Traveller |publisher=Panacea Media Limited |access-date=16 December 2019}}</ref>

=== Premium Economy class ===
Premium economy class is offered only on the [[Airbus A350-900]], featuring 36 [[Recaro]] PL3530 seats in a 2-4-2 configuration.<ref name=":1" /> The seats feature a {{convert|40|in|cm|1|adj=on}} pitch and are individually equipped with calf rests and footrests, along with a {{convert|15.6|in|cm|1|adj=on}} IFE touchscreen monitors.<ref name=":2" />

===Economy class===

The [[Airbus A350-900]] and the [[Airbus A330-900]] shares a similar economy class cabin featuring Recaro CL3710 seats in a 3-3-3 and 2-4-2 configuration, respectively. The seats are each equipped with a 13.3-inch (33 cm) IFE touchscreen monitor.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Miller |first=Seth |date=2022-05-04 |title=Peek inside the Starlux A330neo |url=https://paxex.aero/starlux-a330neo-seats-interior/ |access-date=2023-02-12 |website=PaxEx.Aero |language=en-US}}</ref>

On the [[A321neo]], the economy class cabin has 180 seats in a 3-3 configuration featuring Collins Aerospace Meridian seats. The seats are {{convert|18.36|in|cm}} wide, each with a {{cvt|10.1|in|cm}} IFE touchscreen and fitted with a leather headrest. Meals and some amenities such as pillows and headsets are complimentary, whereas Wi-Fi internet access is provided to all economy class passengers free of charge (albeit restricted to in-flight messaging) with increased bandwidth and faster connection speeds available for an additional fee.<ref name="A321 Interior">{{cite web|url=https://www.executivetraveller.com/news/starlux-airlines-taiwan-airbus-a321neo-business-class-launching-2020 |title=Starlux promises premium experience for regional Asia business travel |last=Flynn |first=David |website=Executive Traveller |publisher=Business Travel Media Pty Ltd |date=8 October 2019 |access-date=8 October 2019}}</ref><ref name="Seat Width" />

==Financial and operational statistics==
Starlux's financial results are shown below:

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; "
|-
!
!style="width:40px;" | 2018
!style="width:40px;" | 2019
!style="width:40px;" | 2020
!style="width:40px;" | 2021<ref name="Starlux 2022 Annual Report">{{cite web|title=Starlux 2022 Annual Report |url=https://doc.twse.com.tw/pdf/2022_2646_20230630F04_20240309_110317.pdf |website=Taiwan Stock Exchange Corporation |publisher=Starlux |date=2 May 2023|access-date=1 July 2023}}</ref>
!style="width:40px;" | 2022<ref name="Starlux 2022 Annual Report" />
!style="width:40px;" | 2023<ref name="Starlux 2023 Annual Report">{{cite web|title=Starlux 2023 Annual Report |url=https://doc.twse.com.tw/pdf/2023_2646_20240614F04_20250106_212440.pdf |website=Taiwan Stock Exchange Corporation |publisher=Starlux |date=16 April 2024|access-date=15 June 2024}}</ref>
|-
| align="left"| [[Revenue|Operating revenue]] (NT$ billion)
| {{n/a}}
| 0.010
| 0.391
| 0.795
| 3.362
| 22.472
|-
| align="left"| [[Net profit]] (NT$ billion)
| {{color|red|−0.39}}
| {{color|red|−1.14}}
| {{color|red|−2.60}}
| {{color|red|−3.01}}
| {{color|red|−5.27}}
| 0.149
|-
| align="left"| [[Asset|Total assets]] (NT$ billion)
| 5.69
| 12.26
| 18.15
| 24.39
| 57.08
| 79.07
|-
| align="left"| [[Liability (financial accounting)|Total liabilities]] (NT$ billion)
| 0.07
| 7.68
| 13.68
| 19.95
| 51.18
| 68.00
|-
| align="left"| [[Equity (finance)|Total equity]] (NT$ billion)
| 5.61
| 4.58
| 4.47
| 4.43
| 5.90
| 11.06
|-
| align="left"| [[Available seat miles|Available seat kilometres]] (ASK) ('000)
| {{n/a}}
| {{n/a}}
| {{n/a}}
| 840,925
| 2,074,087
| 8,310,358
|-
| align="left"| Revenue passenger kilometres (RPK) ('000)
| {{n/a}}
| {{n/a}}
| {{n/a}}
| 65,076
| 726,369
| 6,348,072
|-
| align="left" | [[Passenger load factor]] (%)
| {{n/a}}
| {{n/a}}
| {{n/a}}
| 7.74
| 35.02
| 76.39
|-
| align="left" |Number of passengers carried
| {{n/a}}
| {{n/a}}
|34,784
|41,419
|329,790
|2,666,544
|-
| align="left"| Fleet size (at year end)
| 0
| 2
| 5
| 6
| 18
| 21
|-
| align="left"| Number of employees (at year end)
| {{n/a}}
| {{n/a}}
| {{n/a}}
| 1,346
| 2,528
| 4,073
|}

==See also==
* [[List of airports in Taiwan]]
* [[List of airlines of Taiwan]]
* [[List of companies of Taiwan]]
* [[Transportation in Taiwan]]
* [[Transport in Taiwan#Air transport|Air transport in Taiwan]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category-inline}}
*[https://www.starlux-airlines.com/en-Global Official website]

{{Portalbar|Taiwan|Companies|Aviation}}
{{Airlines of Taiwan}}
{{Oneworld}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:STARLUX Airlines}}
[[Category:Airlines of Taiwan]]
[[Category:Taiwanese brands]]
[[Category:Companies based in Taipei]]
[[Category:Proposed Oneworld members]]
[[Category:Airlines established in 2016]]
[[Category:Taiwanese companies established in 2016]]

Chubu Centrair International Airport

2025-06-29T15:09:26Z

182.232.34.176:

{{Short description|Primary airport serving Nagoya, Japan}}
{{For|the domestic airport serving Nagoya|Nagoya Airfield}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{Infobox airport
| name = {{nowrap|Chubu Centrair International Airport}}
| nativename-a = {{nobold|{{Nihongo2|中部国際空港}}}}
| nativename-r = {{nobold|{{transliteration|ja|Chūbu Kokusai Kūkō}}}}
| image = セントレア.svg
| image-width = 250
| image2 = Chubu Central Airport aerial view.jpg
| image2-width = 250
| caption2 = Aerial photo from 2009, before Terminal 2 and the Flight of Dreams were built
| IATA = NGO
| ICAO = RJGG
| type = Public
| owner-oper = Central Japan International Airport Co., Ltd. (CJIAC)
| city-served = [[Chūkyō metropolitan area]]
| location = [[Tokoname, Aichi|Tokoname]], [[Aichi Prefecture]], [[Japan]]
| opened = {{start date and age|2005|02|17|df=yes}}
| hub =
| focus_city = {{ubl|class=nowrap
| [[All Nippon Airways]]
| [[Japan Airlines]]
| [[Polar Air Cargo]]}}
| operating_base = {{nowrap|[[Jetstar Japan]]}}
| elevation-f = 12
| coordinates = {{coord|34|51|30|N|136|48|19|E|region:JP-23|display=it}}
| pushpin_map = Japan Aichi Prefecture#Japan#Asia
| pushpin_label = '''NGO'''/RJGG
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Aichi Prefecture##Location in Japan##Location in Asia
| website = {{URL|www.centrair.jp/en/index.html|www.centrair.jp}}
| metric-rwy = yes
| r1-number = 18/36
| r1-length-m = 3,500
| r1-surface = Concrete/[[Asphalt concrete|asphalt]]
| stat-year = 2023 FY (4/2023-3/2024)
| stat1-header = Passengers
| stat1-data = 9,182,369
| stat2-header = Total cargo (metric tonnes)
| stat2-data = 130,713
| stat3-header = Aircraft movements
| stat3-data = 84,833
| footnotes = Source: Japanese [[Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Chubu International Airport|url=http://www.mlit.go.jp/common/001141840.pdf|publisher=Japanese [[Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism]]|access-date=7 January 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161021205147/http://www.mlit.go.jp/common/001141840.pdf|archive-date=21 October 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.centrair.jp/assets/doc/en/corporate/media-center/result/2023results_en.pdf|title=Chubu International Airport Data For Fiscal Year 2023|website=centrair.jp|accessdate=April 21, 2025}}</ref>
}}

{{nihongo|'''Chubu Centrair International Airport'''|中部国際空港|Chūbu Kokusai Kūkō}} {{airport codes|NGO|RJGG}} is an [[international airport]] on an [[artificial island]] (which also houses the {{ill|Aichi International Exhibition Center|ja|愛知県国際展示場}}) in [[Ise Bay]], [[Tokoname|Tokoname City]] in [[Aichi Prefecture]], {{convert|35|km|abbr=on}} south of [[Nagoya]] in central Japan.<ref name="AIP">[https://web.archive.org/web/20110722105350/https://aisjapan.mlit.go.jp/ AIS Japan]</ref> The airport covers about 470 [[hectares]] (1,161 [[acres]]) of land and has one {{Cvt|3500|m}} runway.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mlit.go.jp/koku/15_hf_000034.html|title=Chubu International Airport Specs and Stats|website=mlit.go.jp|accessdate= October 15, 2023}}</ref>

Centrair is classified as a [[List of airports in Japan|first-class airport]] and is the main international gateway for the [[Chūbu region|Chubu]] ("central") region of Japan. The name {{nihongo|"Centrair"|セントレア|Sentorea}} is an abbreviation of '''Central Japan International Airport''', an alternate translation used in the English name of the airport's operating company, {{nihongo|Central Japan International Airport Co., Ltd.|中部国際空港株式会社|Chūbu Kokusai Kūkō Kabushiki-gaisha}}.

12.35 million people used the airport in 2018, ranking [[List of the busiest airports in Japan|8th busiest in the nation]], and 212,797 tons of cargo was moved in 2018.

In 2019, the airport was ranked the fifth-best airport in the world by [[Skytrax]]’s World’s Top Airports 100, and received the World’s Best Regional Airport and the Best Regional Airport in Asia.

==History==
[[File:JAL & ANA - Chubu International Airport.jpg|thumb|JAL and ANA operations at Chubu International Airport]]

Chubu Centrair serves the [[List of metropolitan areas in Japan by population|third largest metropolitan area]] in Japan, centered around the city of [[Nagoya]]. The region is a major manufacturing centre, with the headquarters and production facilities of [[Toyota|Toyota Motor Corporation]] and production facilities for [[Mitsubishi Motors]] and [[Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://press.jal.co.jp/en/release/200502/000720.html|title=Feb 10, 2005 GOODBYE & AND THANK YOU KOMAKI AIRPORT|access-date=7 June 2015}}</ref> The [[Cargo airline|cargo]] handling capacity of the existing [[Nagoya Airfield|Nagoya Airport]] was not enough to satisfy the demands from the regional economy, and the airport was hampered by its location in a residential area of Aichi Prefecture, limiting the number of flights that can use the airport, as well as the hours in which they could operate.

With much lobbying by local business groups such as Toyota, especially for 24-hour cargo flights, construction started August 2000, with a budget of [[Japanese yen|JPY¥]]768 billion (€5.5 billion, US$7.3 billion), but through efficient management nearly ¥100 billion was saved.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.civilprojectsonline.com/mega-civil-projects/airports/central-japan-international-airport/ |title=Central Japan International Airport |access-date=23 March 2014|date=23 April 2010 }}</ref> [[Penta-Ocean]] Construction was a major contractor.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.airport-technology.com/projects/central_asia/ |title=Centrair Profile and History |website=airport-technology.com |access-date=23 March 2014}}</ref>{{Unreliable source?|reason=domain on WP:BLACKLIST|date=June 2016}}

According to Japanese media sources, [[Kodo-kai]], a [[yakuza]] faction in the [[Yamaguchi-gumi]] group, earned an immense amount of money by being the sole supplier, via a front company called Samix, of [[Land reclamation|dirt, rock, sand, and gravel]] for the airport construction project. Although several Samix executives were criminally indicted for [[racketeering]], the prosecutions were later dropped. According to the sources, Kodo-kai had informants working within the Nagoya police who fed the organization inside information which allowed them to stay a step ahead of investigating authorities.<ref>''Sentaku Magazine'' (reprinted in the ''[[Japan Times]]''), "[http://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2015/10/23/commentary/japan-commentary/kodokai-still-raking-funds-despite-tougher-yakuza-laws/ Kodo-kai still raking in funds despite tougher yakuza laws]", 23 October 2015</ref>

When Chubu Centrair opened on 17 February 2005, it took over almost all of the existing Nagoya Airport's commercial flights, and relieved Tokyo and Kansai areas of cargo shipments. As a replacement for Nagoya Airport, it also inherited its [[International Air Transport Association airport code|IATA airport code]] '''NGO'''. The airport opened in time to service the influx of visitors for [[Expo 2005]], located near Nagoya.

===Route withdrawals===
There were several withdrawals from Chubu Centrair after the airport commenced its operation. [[American Airlines]] operated a route to [[Chicago O'Hare International Airport|Chicago]] for less than seven months in 2005, but said the service was "not as profitable as we had hoped".<ref>{{cite news|last=Skertic|first=Mark|title=American Airlines to end flights to Nagoya, Japan|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2005/10/01/american-airlines-to-end-flights-to-nagoya-japan/|access-date=13 December 2013|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=1 October 2005}}</ref> In 2008, after a few years of service from Chubu Centrair, several airlines cancelled certain flights and put others on hiatus, including [[Malaysia Airlines]]' suspension of flights to [[Kuala Lumpur International Airport|Kuala Lumpur]],<ref>{{cite news|title=LCC eyes Nagoya-Kuala Lumpur runs|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/09/13/business/lcc-eyes-nagoya-kuala-lumpur-runs/#.Uqp4MNIW1_0|access-date=13 December 2013|newspaper=Kyodo|date=13 September 2013}}</ref> [[Jetstar]] ending its airport operation, [[Continental Airlines]] stopping its [[Honolulu International Airport|Honolulu]] flight and [[United Airlines]]' suspension of flights to [[San Francisco International Airport|San Francisco]], citing low premium cabin demand. This flight also continued to Chicago until 2007.<ref>{{cite news|last=Brown|first=Steven|title=United Airlines to stop flying to Nagoya from S.F.|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2008/07/21/daily43.html|access-date=13 December 2013|newspaper=San Francisco Business Times|date=22 July 2008}}</ref> [[Emirates (airline)|Emirates]] and [[HK Express]] left the airport in 2009, although HK Express resumed service from September 2014. [[Japan Airlines]] also ended its flights to [[Charles de Gaulle Airport|Paris]] in 2009 and [[Suvarnabhumi Airport|Bangkok]] in 2020. [[Garuda Indonesia]] ended service from [[Ngurah Rai International Airport|Denpasar]] in March 2012, returned to Nagoya with the opening of direct flights from [[Soekarno–Hatta International Airport|Jakarta]] in March 2019, then suspended services once again in March 2020. [[EVA Air]] left the airport in June 2012. [[TransAsia Airways]] subsidiary [[V Air]] withdrew from Centrair and ended operations in October 2016.

[[Northwest Airlines]] operated routes from Nagoya to [[Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport|Detroit]], [[Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport|Guam]], [[Ninoy Aquino International Airport|Manila]], [[Saipan International Airport|Saipan]], and [[Narita International Airport|Tokyo–Narita]] prior to its 2009 merger with [[Delta Air Lines]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2005-03-22 |title=Northwest's Nagoya flights now flying from 'Centrair' |url=https://www.saipantribune.com/index.php/a2d836aa-1dfb-11e4-aedf-250bc8c9958e/ |access-date=2023-01-24 |website=Saipan Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref> Delta took over this operation and added a [[Daniel K. Inouye International Airport|Honolulu]] route in 2010, growing to nine daily flights at Nagoya, but cancelled most of these services over the next decade. Delta's last two routes at Nagoya, Detroit and Honolulu, were suspended due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic in Japan|COVID-19 pandemic]] in 2020. The Detroit route resumed on a weekly basis in April 2021, but Delta announced its permanent cancellation in 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Delta is pulling out of Nagoya, leaving Japanese city with no flights from North America |url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/delta-is-pulling-out-of-nagoya-leaving-japanese-city-with-no-flights-from-north-america/ar-AA16GNWL |access-date=2023-01-24 |website=MSN |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Finnair]] suspended its flights from [[Helsinki]] to Nagoya during the COVID-19 pandemic but resumed the route in 2024, becoming the only European airline to operate flights to Nagoya.{{cn|date=June 2025}}

=== Aichi Sky Expo ===
An exposition center on the airport's island was opened on August 30, 2019. The exposition center has six exhibition halls each being {{Cvt|10000|m2}}.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://travel.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/1198251.html |script-title=ja:セントレア直結の国際展示場「Aichi Sky Expo」公開。ビッグサイト、メッセ、インテックスに次ぐ規模|last=Hirazawa|first=Toshiyasu|date=2019-07-25|website=トラベル Watch|publisher=株式会社インプレス|language=ja|access-date=2019-11-01}}</ref> Events held at the venue include the 2019 edition of the Wired Music Festival on September 7 and 8.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000002.000041557.html |script-title=ja:開催5周年にして初の2DAYS開催でパワーアップ「WIRED MUSIC FESTIVAL'19」|date=2019-02-01|website=PR Times|language=ja|access-date=2019-12-04}}</ref>

==Future developments==
===Second runway===
Aichi Governor [[Hideaki Ōmura|Hideaki Omura]] announced in December 2021 that two new runways were planned at the airport: a {{Cvt|3290|m}} parallel runway to the east of the existing runway, to be completed in 2027, and after the landfill expansion work on the west side of the airport, a {{Cvt|3500|m}} runway there, which would replace the existing runway.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-12-14 |title=Chubu Airport to Build Two New Runways to Increase Capacity by 60% |url=https://www.aviationpros.com/aoa/runway-management/news/21250110/chubu-airport-to-build-two-new-runways-to-increase-capacity-by-60 |access-date=2023-01-25 |website=www.aviationpros.com}}</ref>

[[Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism]] of Japan has begun preparations for construction of Chubu Centrair Airport's second runway in 2024. The new {{Convert|3290|m|abbr=on}} runway will be built {{Convert|210|m|abbr=on}} east of the current runway. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2025 and be completed in 2027.

==Terminals and other major buildings==
[[File:Chubu Centrair2.JPG|thumb|Main hall of arrival, at the conjuncture of the T-shaped building]]

===Terminal 1===
[[File:Centrair Sky Town.jpg|thumb|Entrance to Centrair's 4th Floor Sky Town]]
[[File:Chubu Centrair4.JPG|thumb|Shops in traditional Japanese style]]
Terminal 1 is the main terminal of the airport. The northern side of the terminal holds domestic flights, while the southern side holds international flights, each with dedicated ticket counters, security checkpoints and baggage carousels, and for international flights, immigration and customs facilities. Arrivals are processed on the second floor, and departures on the third. The lower level is used for maintenance, catering, and other ground operations, as well as for passenger buses to hardstands in the middle of the airport ramp. There are thirteen gates for domestic flights (including three bus gates), and fourteen for international flights (including three bus gates).

Sky Town Shopping Center is on the fourth floor, accessible to the general public, with 61 shops and restaurants, organized into two "streets", Renga-dori<ref>[http://enjoy.centrair.jp/en/floor-map/flm-4/flm-brick/index.html Renga-dori] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060901151717/http://enjoy.centrair.jp/en/floor-map/flm-4/flm-brick/index.html|date=1 September 2006}}</ref> and Chochin-yokocho.<ref name="chochin-yokocho">[http://enjoy.centrair.jp/en/floor-map/flm-4/flm-lantern/index.html Chochin-yokocho] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060901151852/http://enjoy.centrair.jp/en/floor-map/flm-4/flm-lantern/index.html|date=1 September 2006}}</ref> The Chochin-yokocho shops are individually themed to have an authentic Japanese look.<ref name="chochin-yokocho" />

===Terminal 2===
Terminal 2 caters to both domestic and international flights for [[budget airline]]s, with 11 gates for international flights and nine gates for domestic flights.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.centrair.jp/en/kikaku/doc/1_centrairairport_jp.pdf|title=エアポートガイド|publisher=Chubu Centrair International Airport|access-date=13 December 2013}}</ref> There is a shuttle bus connecting Terminals 1 and 2.<ref>{{cite web |title=Free Shuttle Bus for Terminal 2 - Terminal2 |url=https://www.centrair.jp/en/access/terminal2/bus.html |website=Chubu Centrair International Airport, Nagoya |access-date=15 December 2023 |language=en}}</ref>

The terminal opened on September 20, 2019.

===Flight of Dreams===
[[File:FLIGHT OF DREAMS4.jpg|thumb|A [[Boeing 787 Dreamliner]] at the Flight of Dreams section of the airport]]

A [[Seattle]]-themed retail complex called "Flight of Dreams" opened in 2018, with the first-ever prototype [[Boeing 787 Dreamliner]] as a display centerpiece.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-10-10 |title=A taste of Seattle and Boeing in Japan as first Dreamliner goes on display |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/business/boeing-aerospace/a-taste-of-seattle-and-boeing-in-japan/ |access-date=2023-01-25 |website=The Seattle Times |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Boeing]] started in Seattle and many of its planes are still built in the area. Some components of the Boeing 787 are manufactured in Japan and are flown out of the airport to Seattle for final assembly.

===Access Plaza===
{{Unreferenced section|date=May 2024}}

An access plaza contains the [[Central Japan International Airport Station]] as well as other services. It is located in front of and connected to Terminal 1 and provides access through the P1 parking lot passage to the Flight of Dreams and Terminal 2.

=== Boeing facilities ===
The [[Boeing Dreamlifter]] Operations Center is located on the airport's apron, to the south of the main terminal. This facility is used to store Japanese components of the [[Boeing 787 Dreamliner|Boeing 787]] aircraft, including wings, while awaiting airlift to the assembly facility in the US.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=1 June 2017 |title=Chubu Centrair International Airport Information |script-title=ja:中部国際空港セントレアのご案内 |url=http://www.centrair.jp/corporate/information/pdf/pamph_jpn.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170414145501/http://www.centrair.jp/corporate/information/pdf/pamph_jpn.pdf |archive-date=2017-04-14 |access-date=2017-10-17 |website=Chubu Centrair International Airport}}</ref> Dreamlifter aircraft have operated from Centrair since 2007 and make several trips a week to Boeing's 787 assembly plant at [[Charleston International Airport]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=2020-02-13 |title=A peek inside Boeing's gargantuan Dreamlifter cargo plane at Japan's Centrair airport |language=en |work=Mainichi Daily News |url=https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20200213/p2a/00m/0bu/008000c |access-date=2023-12-20}}</ref>

==Statistics==
{{Airport-Statistics|iata=NKM NGO}}

==Airlines and destinations==
===Passenger===

{{Airport-dest-list

| [[Aero K]] | [[Cheongju International Airport|Cheongju]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Aero K Dec 2024 – Feb 2025 Network Additions |url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/241231-rfdec24 |website=Aeroroutes |access-date=31 December 2024}}</ref>

| [[Air China]] | [[Beijing Capital International Airport|Beijing–Capital]],<ref name="ChinaNS23">{{cite web |title=Mainland Chinese Carriers NS23 International / Regional Network – 23APR23 |url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/230424-cnns23 |website=Aeroroutes |access-date=24 April 2023}}</ref> [[Shanghai Pudong International Airport|Shanghai–Pudong]]

| [[Air Do]] | [[Hakodate Airport|Hakodate]], [[New Chitose Airport|Sapporo–Chitose]]

| [[All Nippon Airways]] | [[Fukuoka Airport|Fukuoka]], [[New Ishigaki Airport|Ishigaki]], [[Miyako Airport|Miyako]], [[Haneda Airport|Tokyo–Haneda]], [[Narita International Airport|Tokyo–Narita]] '''Seasonal:''' [[Asahikawa Airport|Asahikawa]]{{cn|date=April 2025}}

| [[ANA Wings]] | [[Akita Airport|Akita]], [[Fukuoka Airport|Fukuoka]], [[Matsuyama Airport|Matsuyama]], [[Nagasaki Airport|Nagasaki]], [[Naha Airport|Naha]], [[New Chitose Airport|Sapporo–Chitose]], [[Sendai Airport|Sendai]], [[Haneda Airport|Tokyo–Haneda]] '''Seasonal:''' [[Hakodate Airport|Hakodate]]{{cn|date=April 2025}}

| [[Asiana Airlines]] | [[Incheon International Airport|Seoul–Incheon]]

| [[Cathay Pacific]] | [[Hong Kong International Airport|Hong Kong]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://centreforaviation.com/news/cathay-pacific-to-resume-hong-kong-nagoya-service-from-jan-2023-1167863|title=Cathay Pacific to resume Hong Kong-Nagoya service from Jan-2023|publisher=CAPA|access-date=31 October 2022}}</ref> [[Taoyuan International Airport|Taipei–Taoyuan]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Cathay Pacific to resume Taipei – Nagoya service in NW23 |url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/230519-cxnw23tpengo |website=Aeroroutes |access-date=19 May 2023}}</ref>

| [[Cebu Pacific]] | [[Ninoy Aquino International Airport|Manila]]

| [[China Airlines]] | [[Taoyuan International Airport|Taipei–Taoyuan]]

| [[China Eastern Airlines]] | [[Lanzhou Zhongchuan International Airport|Lanzhou]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=2024年冬航季航班时刻来啦 |url=https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/OjJRe90AlxUMPadVV4i9jA |access-date=26 October 2024}}</ref> [[Shanghai Pudong International Airport|Shanghai–Pudong]],<ref name="May">{{cite web |title=Mainland Chinese Carriers NS23 International / Regional Network – 14MAY23 |url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/230516-cnns23intl |website=Aeroroutes |access-date=16 May 2023}}</ref> [[Xi'an Xianyang International Airport|Xi'an]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://english.news.cn/20241121/140082ca480b4fe3b601bf7da3cc7812/c.html|title=Direct flight to link China's Shaanxi with Japan's Nagoya|publisher=Xinhua News|date=22 November 2024|accessdate=22 November 2024}}</ref> [[Yantai Penglai International Airport|Yantai]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/240723-musep24yntngo|title=CHINA EASTERN RESUMES YANTAI – NAGOYA IN SEP 2024|publisher=AeroRoutes|access-date=23 July 2024}}</ref>

| [[China Southern Airlines]] | [[Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport|Dalian]],<ref name="ChinaNS23"/> [[Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport|Guangzhou]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/241101-cznw24ngo|title=China Southern Resumes Guangzhou – Nagoya Service in Dec 2024}}</ref> [[Shanghai Pudong International Airport|Shanghai–Pudong]], [[Shenyang Taoxian International Airport|Shenyang]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/240814-czsep24shengo|title=CHINA SOUTHERN RESUMES SHENYANG – NAGOYA SERVICE FROM LATE-SEP 2024|publisher=AeroRoutes|access-date=14 August 2024}}</ref>

| [[Finnair]] | '''Seasonal:''' [[Helsinki Airport|Helsinki]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/231108-ayns24ngo|title=FINNAIR RESUMES NAGOYA SERVICE FROM LATE-MAY 2024|publisher=AeroRoutes|date=8 November 2023|accessdate=8 November 2023}}</ref>

| [[Fuji Dream Airlines]] | [[Izumo Airport|Izumo]],<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.fujidream.co.jp/company/press/doc/240112.pdf |title=『名古屋(中部)＝出雲』線の新規開設・『静岡＝出雲』線の再開について
}}</ref> [[Kōchi Airport|Kōchi]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/230118-jhngo|title=Fuji Dream Airlines adds Nagoya Chubu Service in late-1Q23|publisher=AeroRoutes|date=18 January 2023|accessdate=18 January 2023}}</ref>

| [[HK Express]] | [[Hong Kong International Airport|Hong Kong]]

| [[Hong Kong Airlines]] | [[Hong Kong International Airport|Hong Kong]] (ends 6 July 2025)<ref>{{cite web |title=Hong Kong Airlines Adds Nagoya / Yonago Service From July 2023 |url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/230523-hxjul23ngoygj |website=Aeroroutes |access-date=23 May 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Hong Kong Airlines Discontinues Nagoya Service in early-July 2025 |url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/250626-hxjul25ngo |website=Aeroroutes |access-date=26 June 2025}}</ref>

| [[Ibex Airlines]] | [[Fukuoka Airport|Fukuoka]], [[Kagoshima Airport|Kagoshima]],<ref>{{cite web |last1=Liu |first1=Jim |title=IBEX Airlines W20 operation changes |url=https://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/293231/ibex-airlines-w20-operation-changes/ |website=Routesonline |access-date=20 August 2020}}</ref> [[Oita Airport|Ōita]], [[Sendai Airport|Sendai]]

| [[Japan Airlines]] | [[Daniel K. Inouye International Airport|Honolulu]], [[New Chitose Airport|Sapporo–Chitose]], [[Taoyuan International Airport|Taipei–Taoyuan]], [[Tianjin Binhai International Airport|Tianjin]], [[Haneda Airport|Tokyo–Haneda]], [[Narita International Airport|Tokyo–Narita]] '''Seasonal:''' [[Tokachi–Obihiro Airport|Obihiro]]{{cn|date=April 2025}}

| [[Japan Transocean Air]] | [[Naha Airport|Naha]] '''Seasonal:''' [[New Ishigaki Airport|Ishigaki]],{{cn|date=April 2025}} [[Miyako Airport|Miyako]]{{cn|date=April 2025}}

| [[Jeju Air]] | [[Incheon International Airport|Seoul–Incheon]]

| [[Jetstar Japan]] | [[Fukuoka Airport|Fukuoka]], [[Kagoshima Airport|Kagoshima]], [[Naha Airport|Naha]], [[New Chitose Airport|Sapporo–Chitose]]

| [[Jin Air]] | [[Gimhae International Airport|Busan]], [[Incheon International Airport|Seoul–Incheon]]<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20230707040600003?input=1195m|title=진에어, 9월에 인천~나고야 노선 신규 취항|trans-title=Jin Air, launches Incheon~Nagoya on September|publisher=Yonhap News Agency|date=7 July 2023}}</ref>

| [[Juneyao Air]] | [[Nanjing Lukou International Airport|Nanjing]], [[Shanghai Pudong International Airport|Shanghai–Pudong]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Juneyao Airlines Resumes Shanghai – Nagoya Service From August 2023 |url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/230717-hoaug23ngo |website=Aeroroutes |access-date=17 July 2023}}</ref>

| [[Korean Air]] | [[Gimhae International Airport|Busan]],<ref name="KE">{{cite web |title=Korean Air Resumes Additional Busan – Japan Service From late-Sep 2023 |url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/230719-kesep23pus |website=Aeroroutes |access-date=19 July 2023}}</ref> [[Incheon International Airport|Seoul–Incheon]] '''Charter:''' [[Muan International Airport|Muan]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/230505-kemay23mwx|title=Korean Air May/June 2023 Muan-Nagoya charter operations|website=Aeroroutes|access-date=5 May 2023}}</ref>

| [[Oriental Air Bridge]] | [[Akita Airport|Akita]], [[Fukuoka Airport|Fukuoka]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Oriental Air Bridge NW23 Service Increases |url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/230921-ocnw23 |website=Aeroroutes |access-date=21 September 2023}}</ref> [[Miyazaki Airport|Miyazaki]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Oriental Air Bridge Adds Nagoya and ATR42-600 Service in NS23 |url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/230123-ocns23 |website=Aeroroutes |access-date=23 January 2023}}</ref>

| [[Peach Aviation|Peach]] | [[Naha Airport|Naha]],<ref>{{cite web |last1=Liu |first1=Jim |title=Peach expands Nagoya Chubu service in late-Dec 2020 |url=https://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/294522/peach-expands-nagoya-chubu-service-in-late-dec-2020/ |website=Routesonline |access-date=22 October 2020}}</ref> [[New Chitose Airport|Sapporo–Chitose]], [[Sendai Airport|Sendai]], [[Gimpo International Airport|Seoul–Gimpo]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Peach Adds Seoul Gimpo Service in NS25|url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/250220-mmns25gmp}}</ref> [[Taoyuan International Airport|Taipei–Taoyuan]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Peach NS23 Taiwan Network Expansions |url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/230202-mmtw |website=Aeroroutes |access-date=2 February 2023}}</ref>

| [[Philippine Airlines]] | [[Ninoy Aquino International Airport|Manila]]

| [[Qingdao Airlines]] | [[Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport|Qingdao]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Chinese Carriers 2Q25 Asia Network Additions |url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/250430-cn2q25asia |website=Aeroroutes |access-date=30 April 2025}}</ref>

| [[Shanghai Airlines]] | [[Shanghai Pudong International Airport|Shanghai–Pudong]]

| [[Shenzhen Airlines]] | [[Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport|Shenzhen]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Shenzhen Airlines Adds Nagoya Service From late-March 2024 |url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/240321-zhns24ngo |website=Aeroroutes |access-date=21 March 2024}}</ref>

| [[Singapore Airlines]] | [[Changi Airport|Singapore]]

| [[Skymark Airlines]] | [[Kagoshima Airport|Kagoshima]], [[Naha Airport|Naha]], [[New Chitose Airport|Sapporo–Chitose]]

| [[Solaseed Air]] | [[Kagoshima Airport|Kagoshima]], [[Miyazaki Airport|Miyazaki]], [[Naha Airport|Naha]]

| [[Spring Airlines]] | [[Shanghai Pudong International Airport|Shanghai–Pudong]]<ref name="May"/>

| [[StarFlyer]] | [[Fukuoka Airport|Fukuoka]], [[Taoyuan International Airport|Taipei–Taoyuan]]

| [[Starlux Airlines]] | [[Taoyuan International Airport|Taipei–Taoyuan]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/230905-jxnw23|title=STARLUX AIRLINES NW23 SERVICE CHANGES: SAN FRANCISCO DEC 2023 LAUNCH|publisher=Aeroroutes|access-date=September 5, 2023}}</ref>

| {{nowrap|[[Thai AirAsia X]]}} | [[Don Mueang International Airport|Bangkok–Don Mueang]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://newsroom.airasia.com/news/thai-airasia-x-to-move-all-flight-operations-back-to-don-mueang-airport-from-1-october-2024#gsc.tab=0|title=Thai AirAsia X to move all flight operations back to Don Mueang Airport from 1 October 2024|date=16 July 2024|website=newsroom.airasia.com}}</ref>

| {{nowrap|[[Thai Airways International]]}} | [[Suvarnabhumi Airport|Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi]]

| [[Thai Lion Air]] | [[Taoyuan International Airport|Taipei–Taoyuan]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Thai Lion Air Plans Taipei – Nagoya Service in NS25 |url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/250227-slns25ngo |website=Aeroroutes |access-date=27 February 2025}}</ref>

| [[Tianjin Airlines]] | [[Tianjin Binhai International Airport|Tianjin]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Mainland Chinese Carriers N23 Japan Operation – 02APR23 |url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/230404-cnjp |website=Aeroroutes |access-date=4 April 2023}}</ref>

| [[Tigerair Taiwan]] | [[Kaohsiung International Airport|Kaohsiung]],<ref>{{cite web |title=tigerair Taiwan NW22 Operation Changes – 13OCT22 |url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/221013-itnw22?rq=tigerair |website=Aeroroutes |access-date=27 October 2022}}</ref> [[Taichung International Airport|Taichung]],<ref>{{cite web |title=tigerair Taiwan Adds Taichung – Northeast Asia Service in 3Q24 |url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/240514-it3q24rmq |website=Aeroroutes |access-date=14 May 2024}}</ref> [[Taoyuan International Airport|Taipei–Taoyuan]]

| [[Toki Air]] | [[Niigata Airport|Niigata]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-09-16 |title=Toki Air Schedules Niigata – Nagoya Launch in late-Sep 2024|url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/240916-bvsep24ngo|access-date=2024-09-16}}</ref>

| [[United Airlines]] | [[Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport|Guam]]

| [[VietJet Air]] | [[Noi Bai International Airport|Hanoi]],<ref>{{cite web |title=VietJet Air July 2022 Japan Network Expansion |url=https://aeroroutes.com/eng/220509-vjjul22jp |website=Aeroroutes |access-date=9 May 2022}}</ref> [[Tan Son Nhat International Airport|Ho Chi Minh City]]<ref>{{cite web |last1=Liu |first1=Jim |title=VietJet Air 2Q25 Japan Network Additions |url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/250317-vj2q25jp |website=aeroroutes.com |publisher=Aeroroutes |access-date=18 March 2025 |date=18 March 2025}}</ref> '''Charter:''' [[Da Nang International Airport|Da Nang]]

| [[Vietnam Airlines]] | [[Noi Bai International Airport|Hanoi]], [[Tan Son Nhat International Airport|Ho Chi Minh City]]

| [[XiamenAir]] | [[Fuzhou Changle International Airport|Fuzhou]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=‌福州机场2025年夏秋航季换季航班全新启航！ |url=https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/nxlX3ORHygoZ5XPc3nmdqg |access-date=1 April 2025}}</ref> [[Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport|Hangzhou]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/240729-mfsep24hghngo|title=XIAMEN AIRLINES ADDS HANGZHOU – NAGOYA FROM LATE-SEP 2024|work=Aeroroutes|accessdate=29 July 2024}}</ref>
}}

===Cargo===
{{unreferenced section|date=February 2024}}
{{Airport-dest-list

| [[Air Hong Kong]] | [[Hong Kong International Airport|Hong Kong]]

| [[Atlas Air]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Schedule |url=https://jumpseat.atlasair.com/travel/schedule.asp |access-date=2025-04-22 |website=jumpseat.atlasair.com}}</ref> | [[Charleston International Airport|Charleston (SC)]], [[Daniel K. Inouye International Airport|Honolulu]]

| [[China Airlines|China Airlines Cargo]] | [[O'Hare International Airport|Chicago–O'Hare]], [[Taoyuan International Airport|Taipei–Taoyuan]]

| [[DHL Air UK]] | [[Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport|Cincinnati]], [[Hong Kong International Airport|Hong Kong]]

| [[Japan Airlines|JAL Cargo]] | [[Incheon International Airport|Seoul–Incheon]], [[Shanghai Pudong International Airport|Shanghai–Pudong]], [[Taoyuan International Airport|Taipei–Taoyuan]], [[Narita International Airport|Tokyo–Narita]]

| [[Kalitta Air]] | [[Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport|Cincinnati]], [[Hong Kong International Airport|Hong Kong]], [[Los Angeles International Airport|Los Angeles]], [[Incheon International Airport|Seoul–Incheon]]

| [[Shandong Airlines|Shandong Airlines Cargo]] | [[Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport|Qingdao]]

| [[Singapore Airlines Cargo]] | [[Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport|Cincinnati]], [[Los Angeles International Airport|Los Angeles]], [[Changi Airport|Singapore]], [[Taoyuan International Airport|Taipei–Taoyuan]]

}}

==Ground transportation==
===Train===
[[File:Meitetsu 2000 system and 2200 system trains.jpg|thumb|Meitetsu's ''μSky'' Limited Express (right) and Limited Express (left)]]
[[Central Japan International Airport Station]], the train station for Centrair is located on the [[Meitetsu Airport Line]] operated by [[Nagoya Railroad]] (Meitetsu). The fastest "μSky Limited Express" service connects the airport to [[Meitetsu Nagoya Station]] in 28 minutes. All μSky Limited Express are operating at a max speed of 120 km/h by [[Meitetsu 2000 series|2000 series]] trains, which have all seats designated and it is required to purchase an extra 360 yen "special limited express ticket".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.meitetsu.co.jp/train/centrair/mu_sky/|script-title=ja:名鉄空港特急「ミュースカイ」 – 電車のご利用案内 {{!}} 名古屋鉄道|website=www.meitetsu.co.jp|access-date=2019-08-30}}</ref> [[Meitetsu Nagoya Station]] is adjacent to [[Central Japan Railway Company|JR]] [[Nagoya Station]], allowing transfers to [[Tōkaidō Shinkansen|Shinkansen]] bullet trains bound for not only [[Tokyo]] and [[Osaka]] but also many major cities, as well as JR, Meitetsu, and [[Kintetsu Railway|Kintetsu]] local trains, and the [[Nagoya Municipal Subway]].

There is a proposal for a JR line linking Centrair to Nagoya Station and the JR network through [[Taketoyo Line]]'s [[Okkawa Station]]. However, no actual construction works have been implemented at the moment.

There is also a proposal for [[Aonami Line|Aonami line]] linking Centrair to Nagoya Station by constructing a tunnel or bridge. Nagoya municipal government acted the assessment of feasibility in 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASL9P4SM0L9POIPE012.html|script-title=ja:名古屋・あおなみ線、中部空港まで延びる？市が検討へ|last=関謙次|website=朝日新聞|date=25 September 2018|language=ja|access-date=2019-10-03|archive-date=2 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191002202034/https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASL9P4SM0L9POIPE012.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Bus===
Centrair Limousine provides direct bus service to and from central Nagoya, Sakae, and major hotels.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.centrair.jp/en/centrair-limousine/index.html|title=Centrair Limousine – Chubu Centrair International Airport, Nagoya|access-date=7 June 2015}}</ref> It is operated by a private bus company in Mie Prefecture. High-speed buses to the neighboring prefectures for 3,000 yen to [[Kyoto]] via Mie Prefecture have been operating.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sanco.co.jp/foreign/english/airportbus/|title=AIRPORT BUS|access-date=10 February 2018|archive-date=10 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210180414/http://www.sanco.co.jp/foreign/english/airportbus/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.centrair.jp/resource/multi/travel/kyoto_bus/en/|title=Nonstop Express Limousine Bus Service|access-date=1 April 2018}}</ref>

===Ferry===
A ferry connects to the passenger terminal in [[Tsu, Mie|Tsu]] – a 40-minute trip.

===Car===
A toll road, the [[Chitaōdan Road]], links Centrair and the mainland.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Aichi Road Concession Co., Ltd. |url=https://www.arcc.jp/en/ |access-date=2024-02-28 |website=「ROAD」 to future, connected REGION and FUTURE |language=en}}</ref>

===Bicycle===
Bicycles are not allowed on the Centrair Bridge toll road to the mainland. Cyclists departing the airport must either take a [[Meitetsu]] local train one stop to [[Rinkū Tokoname Station]] or a taxi across the bridge to the Rinkū Interchange north of Aeon Mall Tokoname.

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{commons category-inline|Chubu International Airport}} 
{{Wikivoyage inline|Chubu Centrair International Airport}}
* {{in lang|en}} {{official website|www.centrair.jp/en/index.html}}
* [[Japan Mint]]: [https://web.archive.org/web/20071031024225/http://www.mint.go.jp/eng/coin/international/commemorative/page03.html The Opening of CHUBU CENTRAIR International Airport 500 Yen Commemorative Silver Proof Coin]
* {{NWS-current|RJGG}}
* {{ASN|NGO}}
* {{Osmway|54717812}}

{{Portalbar|Japan|Transport|Aviation}}
{{Japanese airports}}
{{Nagoya transit}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chubu Centrair International Airport}}
[[Category:Airports established in 2005]]
[[Category:Airports in Aichi Prefecture]]
[[Category:Artificial island airports]]
[[Category:Artificial islands of Japan]]
[[Category:Transport in Nagoya]]
[[Category:Tokoname]]
[[Category:2005 establishments in Japan]]

Kumamoto Airport

2025-06-29T15:08:25Z

182.232.34.176:

{{Short description|Airport in Mashiki, Japan}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}
{{Infobox airport
| name = Kumamoto Airport
| nativename =
| nativename-a = {{nobold|{{Nihongo2|熊本空港}}}}
| nativename-r = {{nobold|{{transliteration|ja|Kumamoto Kūkō}}}}
| image = Kumamoto Airport 2023.JPG
| image-width = 300
| IATA = KMJ
| ICAO = RJFT
| type = Public
| owner =
| operator =
| city-served = [[Kumamoto]]
| location = [[Mashiki, Kumamoto|Mashiki]], [[Kumamoto Prefecture]]
| elevation-f = 632
| coordinates = {{coord|32|50|14|N|130|51|19|E|region:JP|display=inline,title}}
| pushpin_map = Japan Kumamoto Prefecture#Japan
| pushpin_label = '''KMJ'''/RJFT
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Kumamoto Prefecture##Location in Japan
| website = https://www.kumamoto-airport.co.jp/en/
| metric-rwy = Y
| r1-number = 07/25
| r1-length-m = 3,000
| r1-surface = [[Asphalt concrete]]
| stat-year = 2015
| stat1-header = Passengers
| stat1-data = 3,241,633
| stat2-header = Cargo (metric tonnes)
| stat2-data = 16,538
| stat3-header = Aircraft movement
| stat3-data = 41,924
| footnotes = Source: Japanese [[Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Kumamoto Airport|url=http://www.mlit.go.jp/common/001141840.pdf|publisher=Japanese [[Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism]]|access-date=7 January 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161021205147/http://www.mlit.go.jp/common/001141840.pdf|archive-date=21 October 2016}}</ref>
}}

{{nihongo|'''Kumamoto Airport'''|熊本空港|''Kumamoto Kūkō''}} {{airport codes|KMJ|RJFT}}, also known as {{nihongo|'''Aso Kumamoto Airport'''|阿蘇くまもと空港|''Aso Kumamoto Kūkō''}}, is an airport in [[Mashiki, Kumamoto|Mashiki]], [[Kumamoto Prefecture]], [[Japan]].

==History==
The first Kumamoto Airport opened in 1960 on the site of a former [[Imperial Japanese Army]] air base and had a 1,200 m runway. It was replaced by the current Kumamoto Airport in 1971. The new airport's originally had a 2,500 m runway which allow jet aircraft to operate there unlike the previous airport. The runway was later extended to 3,000 m in 1980.<ref>{{cite web|title=会社概要|url=http://www.kmj-ab.co.jp/profile.html|publisher=Kumamoto Airport Building Co., Ltd.|access-date=4 April 2014|archive-date=28 May 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140528142108/http://kmj-ab.co.jp/profile.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Kumamoto was one of three nationally owned airports to turn a profit in fiscal year 2011 (along with [[New Chitose Airport]] and [[Komatsu Airport]]).<ref>{{cite news|title=国管理の空港、９割が赤字 11年度|url=http://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXNASGC1001D_Q3A910C1EE8000/|access-date=4 April 2014|newspaper=Nihon Keizai Shimbun|date=10 September 2013}}</ref> In 2013, the government passed legislation aimed at eventually allowing the sale of an operating concession at the airport.<ref>{{cite news|title=国の28空港、民間委託可能に新法案を閣議決定|url=http://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXNASFB04022_V00C13A4MM0000/|access-date=4 April 2014|newspaper=Nihon Keizai Shimbun|date=5 April 2013}}</ref>

[[China Airlines]] charter service to [[Kaohsiung]] was announced in 2014 in order to cater to packaged tours from [[Taiwan]].<ref>{{cite news|title=熊本―台湾・高雄、定期チャーターで合意|url=http://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXNZO69291790S4A400C1LX0000/?n_cid=kobetsu|access-date=4 April 2014|newspaper=Nihon Keizai Shimbun|date=3 April 2014}}</ref>

In March 2018, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism decided to outsource the operation to a private company from April 2020 in order to accelerate the recovery from the Kumamoto earthquakes and to promote utilization and improve services by making use of private sector know-how.{{cn|date=September 2024}} The operator is Kumamoto International Airport Co., Ltd., which is funded by a consortium of 11 companies led by Mitsui Fudosan.{{cn|date=September 2024}}

Following the [[2016 Kumamoto earthquakes]], which severely damaged the airport, Kumamoto International Airport Co., Ltd. began developing a new terminal building which was planned to withstand strong earthquakes. It was also made to integrates both domestic and international flights. The new terminal building officially opened on 23 March 2023.<ref>{{Cite news |date=March 20, 2023 |title=３月２３日　新旅客ターミナルビルオープン！ |trans-title="March 23, New passenger terminal will open!"|website=阿蘇くまもと空港 |url=https://www.kumamoto-airport.co.jp/info/terminal-building-new-open/ |access-date=November 7, 2023}}</ref>

==Airlines and destinations==

{{Airport-dest-list

| [[All Nippon Airways]] | [[Itami Airport|Osaka–Itami]], [[Haneda Airport|Tokyo–Haneda]]

| [[Amakusa Airlines]] | [[Amakusa Airfield|Amakusa]], [[Itami Airport|Osaka–Itami]]

| [[ANA Wings]] | [[Naha Airport|Naha]], [[Itami Airport|Osaka–Itami]]

| [[Asiana Airlines]] | [[Incheon International Airport|Seoul–Incheon]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Asiana Airlines Expands Kyushu Service in NW24 |url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/240902-oznw24jp |website=Aeroroutes |access-date=2 September 2024}}</ref>

| [[China Airlines]] | [[Kaohsiung International Airport|Kaohsiung]],<ref>{{cite web|title=China Airlines Resumes Kaohsiung – Kumamoto in 1Q25|url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/241129-ci1q25khhkmj}}</ref> [[Taoyuan International Airport|Taipei–Taoyuan]]<ref>{{cite web |title=China Airlines Schedules Taipei – Kumamoto Service in 2H23 |url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/230616-cisep23kmj |website=Aeroroutes |access-date=16 June 2023}}</ref>

| [[China Eastern Airlines]] | [[Shanghai Pudong International Airport|Shanghai–Pudong]] (begins {{date|2025-7-11}})<ref>{{cite web|title=China Eastern Schedules Shanghai – Kumamoto 3Q25 Launch
|url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/250506-mu3q25kmj}}</ref>

| [[Eastar Jet]] | [[Gimhae International Airport|Busan]]<ref>{{cite web |title=EastarJet Schedules New Busan – Japan Routes in late-Dec 2024 |url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/240920-zedec24pus |website=Aeroroutes |access-date=20 September 2024}}</ref>

| [[Fuji Dream Airlines]] | [[Nagoya Airfield|Nagoya–Komaki]]

| [[Hong Kong Airlines]] | [[Hong Kong International Airport|Hong Kong]] (ends 1 July 2025)<ref>{{cite web |title=Hong Kong Airlines Resumes Kumamoto Service From Dec 2023 |url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/230929-hxdec23kmj |website=Aeroroutes |access-date=29 September 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Hong Kong Airlines 3Q25 Japan Service Changes |url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/250610-hxjul25jp |website=Aeroroutes |access-date=11 June 2025}}</ref>

| [[Ibex Airlines]] | [[Chubu Centrair International Airport|Nagoya–Centrair]]

| [[J-Air]] | [[Itami Airport|Osaka–Itami]]

| [[Japan Airlines]] | [[Haneda Airport|Tokyo–Haneda]]

| [[Jetstar Japan]] | [[Kansai International Airport|Osaka–Kansai]], [[Narita International Airport|Tokyo–Narita]]

| [[Korean Air]] | [[Incheon International Airport|Seoul–Incheon]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/241016-kenw24kmj|title=Korean Air Resumes Kumamoto Service in NW24|last=Liu|first=Jim|date=16 October 2024|website=AeroRoutes}}</ref>

| [[Solaseed Air]] | [[Haneda Airport|Tokyo–Haneda]]

| [[Starlux Airlines]] | [[Taoyuan International Airport|Taipei–Taoyuan]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Starlux Airlines Plans Taipei – Kumamoto Launch in Sep 2023 |url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/230529-jxsep23kmj |website=Aeroroutes |access-date=29 May 2023}}</ref>

| [[T'way Air]] | '''Seasonal:''' [[Incheon International Airport|Seoul–Incheon]]{{cn|date=January 2025}}

}}

==Statistics==
{{Airport-Statistics|iata=KMJ}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category inline}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20081206200321/http://www.kmj-ab.co.jp/eng/index.html Kumamoto Airport] {{in lang|en}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060823063309/http://www.kmj-ab.co.jp/ Kumamoto Airport] {{in lang|ja}}

{{Portalbar|Japan|Transport|Aviation}}
{{Japanese airports}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:Airports in Kyushu]]
[[Category:Transport buildings and structures in Kumamoto Prefecture]]
[[Category:Airports established in 1960]]
[[Category:1960 establishments in Japan]]

{{Japan-airport-stub}}
{{Kumamoto-geo-stub}}

Phu Bai International Airport

2025-06-29T14:56:01Z

182.232.34.176:

{{Short description|Airport serving Hue, Vietnam}}
{{Redirect|Hue Airport|the airport in Ethiopia with IATA code “HUE”|Humera Airport}}
{{Infobox airport
| name = Phu Bai International Airport
| nativename = {{lang|vi|Sân bay Quốc tế Phú Bài}}
| image = Phu Bai International Airport.jpg
| image2 = Flugzeug von Vietjetair landet.jpeg
| image-width = 250
| caption =
| IATA = HUI
| ICAO = VVPB
| pushpin_map = Vietnam
| pushpin_map_caption = Location of airport in Vietnam
| pushpin_label = '''HUI'''/VVPB
| type = Public
| owner =
| operator = Middle Airport Authority
| city-served = [[Huế]]
| location = [[Hương Thủy]], [[Huế]], [[Vietnam]]
| operating_base =
| metric-elev = yes
| elevation-f = 49
| elevation-m = 15
| coordinates = {{coord|16|24|06|N|107|42|10|E|type:airport|display=inline,title}}
| website =
| metric-rwy = yes
| r1-number = 09/27
| r1-length-f = 8,858
| r1-length-m = 2,700
| r1-surface = [[Asphalt concrete|Concrete]]
| stat-year = 2019
| stat1-header = Total passengers
| stat1-data = 1,931,939 {{increase}}5.5%
| footnotes = Source: Taseco Airs<ref name="TASECO AIRS 2019 BÁO CÁO THƯỜNG NIÊN">{{cite web |title=TASECO AIRS 2019 BÁO CÁO THƯỜNG NIÊN |url=https://tasecoairs.vn/bao-cao-thuong-nien/bao-cao-thuong-nien-2019.html |website=Taseco Airs |language=vi |access-date=17 January 2020}}</ref>
}}

'''Phu Bai International Airport''' {{airport codes|HUI|VVPB}} is located just south of the central city of [[Huế]], the former capital of [[Vietnam]].

== History ==
[[File:Phòng chờ sân bay Phú Bài 2013.jpg|thumb|right|Indoor terminal]]
On October 30, 2005, Phú Bài Airport officially welcomed its first international flight since it was allowed to receive international flights by Vietnamese government in 2002. The charter flight operated by [[Austrian Airlines]] carried Austrian tourists from [[Luang Prabang]], [[Laos]].
On May 24, 2007, Changi Airports International (CAI) announced that it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the People's Committee of Thua Thien Hue Province for the development of Phu Bai–Hue International Airport. This MOU was signed as part of the Vietnamese government's launch of a tourism master plan to develop Thua Thien Hue Province as the next international tourism destination of Vietnam.

The MOU was signed by Mr. Nguyen Xuan Ly, Chairman of People's Committee of Thua Thien Hue Province and Mr. Chow Kok Fong, Chief Executive Officer of CAI in Vietnam. The event was witnessed by officials from the [[Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam]] (CAAV).<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.cai.sg/press/press_release.htm#24May2007 |title=Changi Airports International |access-date=2007-09-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725121030/http://www.cai.sg/press/press_release.htm#24May2007 |archive-date=2011-07-25 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

On February 23, 2013, Phú Bài Airport was expected to close for eight months for runway repairs and upgrades, estimated between 500 and 600 billion Vietnam Dong.<ref name=reopening>{{cite web |url=http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news13/18-HueAirport.shtml |title=Phu Bai International Airport in Vietnam to Reopen on 20 September 2013 |date=2013-08-01 |access-date=2014-12-14}}</ref> The airport was actually closed from March 20 to September 20, two months less than planned.<ref name=reopening /><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thanhniennews.com/travel/vietjet-air-increases-flights-to-hue-for-airports-reopening-1697.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422160642/http://www.thanhniennews.com/travel/vietjet-air-increases-flights-to-hue-for-airports-reopening-1697.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 22, 2016|title=VietJet Air increases flights to Hue for airport's reopening|date=July 29, 2013|website=Thanh Nien Daily}}</ref> During this period, tourists who wished to travel to Hue by air had to use [[Da Nang International Airport]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.caa.gov.vn/Default.aspx?tabid=0&catid=419.435&articleid=9147|title = CỤC HÀNG KHÔNG VIỆT NAM | Cục hàng không Việt Nam}}</ref>

A new terminal invested by The [[Airports Corporation of Vietnam]] with total investment of about VNĐ2.250 trillion (US$96.9 million) will cover about 10,118sq.m and have capacity of five million passengers per year by 2020 and up to 6.5-7 million passengers by 2025. This terminal is scheduled to be finished by the end of 2021.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://vietnamnews.vn/society/570501/phu-bai-intl-airport-to-have-new-passenger-terminal.html|title=Phú Bài int'l airport to have new passenger terminal|publisher=Vietnam News|date=2019-12-30|access-date=2019-12-31}}</ref>
==Terimal 2==
Terminal T2 has two floors, of which the first floor includes the arrival hall, baggage conveyor belt, immigration area, port authority, customs, VIP waiting room, lost luggage room, security control. The second floor is the area for domestic and international check-in procedures, security control, departure, and waiting to board the plane. The terminal also has two waiting areas for businessmen and VIP passengers.
Terminal T2 is connected to the aircraft parking area by 4 telescopic bridges, including 3 code C bridges and one double telescopic bridge, which can handle one code E aircraft or 2 code C aircraft at the same time. In addition, there are also auxiliary facilities such as car, taxi, bus, and convoy parking lots built in front of the terminal.

== Airlines and destinations ==

{{Airport-dest-list


|[[Hai Au Aviation]] | [[Da Nang International Airport|Da Nang]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/77404-viet-nams-hai-au-aviation-to-launch-coastal-air-taxis|title=Viet Nam's Hai Au Aviation to launch coastal air taxis|website=ch-aviation}}</ref>

|[[Pacific Airlines]] | [[Noi Bai International Airport|Hanoi]], [[Tan Son Nhat International Airport|Ho Chi Minh City]]

|[[VietJet Air]] | [[Noi Bai International Airport|Hanoi]], [[Tan Son Nhat International Airport|Ho Chi Minh City]]

|[[Vietnam Airlines]] | [[Noi Bai International Airport|Hanoi]], [[Tan Son Nhat International Airport|Ho Chi Minh City]]

}}
== See also ==
{{Portal|Aviation}}
* [[List of airports in Vietnam]]

==References==

{{reflist}}

{{Airports in Vietnam}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Airports in Vietnam]]
[[Category:Huế]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Huế]]

{{Vietnam-airport-stub}}

Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport

2025-06-29T14:47:15Z

182.232.34.176:

{{Short description|Airport serving Xiamen, Fujian, China}}
{{redirect|Xiamen Airport|the new airport under construction|Xiamen Xiang'an International Airport}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2014}}
{{Infobox airport
| name = {{nowrap|Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport}}
| nativename-a = {{lang|zh-hans|{{nobold|厦门高崎国际机场}}}}
| image = Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport Terminal 4 (20170121145528).jpg
| image-width = 300
| caption =
| IATA = XMN
| ICAO = ZSAM
| type = Public
| owner =
| operator = Xiamen International Airport Group Co., Ltd.(XIAGC)
| city-served = [[Xiamen]]
| location = [[Huli, Xiamen|Huli]], Xiamen, [[Fujian]], [[China]]
| opened = {{start date and age|1983|10|22|df=yes}}
| hub = {{nowrap|[[XiamenAir]]}}
| focus_city = {{ubl|class=nowrap
| [[China Eastern Airlines]]<ref>[http://news.xmnn.cn/xmnn/2020/07/26/100757711.shtml 建设国际航空枢纽迈出重要一步东航成厦门第三家基地航空公司]</ref>
| [[Shandong Airlines]]
| [[Spring Airlines]]}}
| metric-elev = yes
| elevation-f =
| elevation-m = 18
| coordinates = {{coord|24|32|39|N|118|07|40|E|type:airport_region:CN-35|display=it}}
| image_map = ZSAM-1.pdf
| image_map_caption = CAAC airport chart
| website =
| pushpin_map = China Fujian#China
| pushpin_label = '''XMN'''/ZSAM
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Fujian##Location in China
| metric-rwy = yes
| r1-number = 05/23
| r1-length-m = 3,400
| r1-surface = [[Asphalt concrete|Asphalt]]
| stat-year = 2024<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.caac.gov.cn/XXGK/XXGK/TJSJ/202403/P020241227527614591507.xlsx |title=2023年民航机场吞吐量排名|language=zh|format=XLS|access-date=2025-01-20}}</ref>
| stat1-header = Passengers
| stat1-data = 27,906,946
| stat2-header = Aircraft movements
| stat2-data = 193,268
| stat3-header = Cargo
| stat3-data = 375,652.9
| footnotes = Source: [[List of the busiest airports in the People's Republic of China]]
}}

{{Infobox Chinese
| s = 厦门高崎国际机场
| t = 廈門高崎國際機場
| p = Xiàmén Gāoqí Guójì Jīchǎng
| w = Hsia4-mên2 Kao1-ch'i2 Kuo2-chi4 Chi1-ch'ang2
| poj = Ē-mn̂g Kò-kiâ Kok-chè Ki-tiû
| showflag = poj
| order = st
}}

[[File:Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport Terminal 3 20170729.jpg|thumb|right|Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport Terminal 3]]
[[File:Aerial photography Xiamen Island.JPG|alt=|thumb|Aerial view of Xiamen Island. Gaoqi Airport can be seen in the bottom left of the island.]]
[[File:201708 Baggage Claim Area of XMN T4.jpg|alt=|thumb|Baggage claim area of T4 in 2017]]
[[File:Boeing 787 of Xiamen Airlines at Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport.jpg|alt=|thumb|Boeing 787 of XiamenAir at Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport]]

'''Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport''' {{airport codes|XMN|ZSAM}} is an [[international airport]] serving the city of [[Xiamen]] in [[East China]]’s [[Fujian]] province. It is the main airline hub for [[XiamenAir]] and [[TAECO]], an aircraft maintenance provider. The airport is located on the north side of [[Xiamen Island]]. Construction of a new terminal (Terminal 4) started in October 2011 and was completed in 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.carnoc.com/list/302/302649.html |language=zh-cn |script-title=zh:图片厦门机场28日启动双楼运行厦航还在老地方_民航新闻_民航资源网 |publisher=Carnoc |access-date=1 June 2015}}</ref>

In 2024, Xiamen airport was the [[China's busiest airports by cargo traffic|14th busiest]] airport in China in terms of cargo traffic, and the [[China's busiest airports by passenger traffic|17th busiest]] in terms of passenger traffic with 27,906,946 passengers and the [[China's busiest airports by traffic movements|19th busiest]] airport by traffic movements.

==History==
===New destinations===
[[KLM]] began the first intercontinental air route out of Xiamen, to [[Amsterdam]], on 27 March 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.klm.com/travel/hk_en/plan_and_book/special_offers/new_route_from_china_xiamen.htm |title=New route: Xiamen to Amsterdam direct!|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140919090739/https://www.klm.com/travel/hk_en/plan_and_book/special_offers/new_route_from_china_xiamen.htm|archive-date=2014-09-19|access-date=2023-09-09}}</ref> Since then, long-haul traffic has expanded, with XiamenAir launching flights to [[Amsterdam]], [[Sydney]], [[Melbourne]], [[Vancouver]], [[Los Angeles]], [[Paris]] and [[Doha]] after taking delivery of the [[Boeing 787]].

===New airport===
Following the opening of Terminal 4 in 2014, Gaoqi airport had little room to expand. As such, a new airport is currently under construction on Dadeng Island, Xiang'an District, currently known as [[Xiamen Xiang'an International Airport]]. When completed it will have two new runways, a 550,000 sq meter terminal, and be able to handle up to 45 million passengers, and have subway links to [[Xiamen railway station]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://centreforaviation.com/data/profiles/newairports/xiamen-xiangan-airport | title=Xiamen Xiangan Airport New Airport Profile | CAPA}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.chinaaviationdaily.com/news/34/34036.html |title = New Xiamen Airport Expected to Open in 2020}}</ref>

==Airlines and destinations==
===Passenger===

{{Airport destination list
| [[9 Air]] | [[Guiyang Longdongbao International Airport|Guiyang]]

| [[Aero Dili]] | [[Dili Airport|Dili]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.tatoli.tl/2025/02/14/horta-congratulates-aero-dili-for-successful-launch-of-direct-route-between-dili-and-xiamen/16/|title=Horta congratulates Aero Dili for successful launch of direct route between Dili and Xiamen|publisher=en.tatoli.tl|date=14 February 2025|accessdate=15 February 2025}}</ref>

| [[Air Chang'an]] | [[Ezhou Huahu Airport|Ezhou]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=鄂州花湖机场2024冬春航季航班时刻表 |url=https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/nHkwnTKY2VRoiaEYkYcLrw |access-date=3 March 2025}}</ref> [[Xi'an Xianyang International Airport|Xi'an]], [[Xinyang Minggang Airport|Xinyang]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=航班换季 {{!}} 信阳机场2024年冬春季航班时刻表出炉 |url=https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/bOuN9EdnN7QfvO9cERZC9A |access-date=2 March 2025}}</ref>

| [[Air China]] | [[Beijing Capital International Airport|Beijing–Capital]], [[Beijing Daxing International Airport|Beijing–Daxing]], [[Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport|Chengdu–Shuangliu]], [[Chengdu Tianfu International Airport|Chengdu–Tianfu]], [[Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport|Chongqing]], [[Guiyang Longdongbao International Airport|Guiyang]], [[Tianjin Binhai International Airport|Tianjin]], [[Wuhan Tianhe International Airport|Wuhan]], [[Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport|Zhengzhou]]

| [[Air Guilin]] | [[Guilin Liangjiang International Airport|Guilin]],<ref name=KWLNS24>{{Cite web |title=【好消息】桂林机场计划新增5条航线 |url=https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/K2vJffbAfrEVmG6RLeHTLQ |access-date=5 August 2024}}</ref> [[Taiyuan Wusu International Airport|Taiyuan]]<ref name=KWLNS24/>

| [[Air Macau]] | [[Macau International Airport|Macau]]

| [[Air Travel (airline)|Air Travel]] | [[Sunan Shuofang International Airport|Wuxi]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=‌无锡机场最新发布！ |url=https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/VrleDDcDI91anwd7Nl0crg |access-date=5 June 2025}}</ref>

| [[Batik Air Malaysia]] | [[Kuala Lumpur International Airport|Kuala Lumpur–International]]<ref name="aeroroutes.com">{{cite web|title=Batik Air Malaysia NS25 Mainland China Network Additions|url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/241216-odns25cn}}</ref>

| [[Beijing Capital Airlines]] | [[Beijing Daxing International Airport|Beijing–Daxing]], [[Huangshan Tunxi International Airport|Huangshan]], [[Lijiang Sanyi Airport|Lijiang]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=夏秋换季上新，首都航空计划新开加频多条航线满足旅客出行需求|url=https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/f2--OrnwFbDWQIwbsRgORA |access-date=1 March 2023}}</ref> [[Shenyang Taoxian International Airport|Shenyang]],<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.caacnews.com.cn/1/6/201903/t20190321_1269735.html |language=zh-cn |script-title=zh:夏秋航班换季北京首都航空新增近20条航线-中国民航网 |publisher=[[Civil Aviation Administration of China]] News}}</ref> [[Urumqi Diwopu International Airport|Urumqi]], [[Xi'an Xianyang International Airport|Xi'an]], [[Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport|Zhengzhou]]

| [[Cathay Pacific]] | [[Hong Kong International Airport|Hong Kong]]

| [[Chengdu Airlines]] | [[Chengdu Tianfu International Airport|Chengdu–Tianfu]], [[Dazhou Jinya Airport|Dazhou]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=新航季 {{!}} 成都航空夏秋航季全新开启 |url=https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/cluMTRvCqq5ZvHnpxuyBSw |access-date=18 June 2024}}</ref> [[Jinggangshan Airport|Jinggangshan]]

| [[China Eastern Airlines]] | [[Beijing Daxing International Airport|Beijing–Daxing]], [[Changzhou Benniu Airport|Changzhou]], [[Chengdu Tianfu International Airport|Chengdu–Tianfu]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=武当山机场2022-2023年冬春航季航班时刻表出炉！ |url=https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/GYLqr0-FHkjzRDiP6xs2IQ |access-date=December 26, 2022}}</ref> [[Hefei Xinqiao International Airport|Hefei]], [[Kunming Changshui International Airport|Kunming]], [[Lanzhou Zhongchuan International Airport|Lanzhou]],<ref name=2022MUGANSU>{{Cite web |title=【收藏】东航甘肃分公司2022年冬春季航班时刻表正式发布 |url=https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s?__biz=MjM5MTMwNDQwMw==&mid=2651718759&idx=1&sn=e899d4770285f5e8a25e58d14b27ca4f&chksm=bd4d3bdb8a3ab2cd6d3a06b236936a586653b0e82b6d937d5614e2370de8751b88b7caadebbe&mpshare=1&scene=24&srcid=1013iME0a2sMnZzLtv5AnGpC&sharer_sharetime=1665762997676&sharer_shareid=275fabed52b93ab9d0c7ba5b0db7a2c6&ascene=14&devicetype=android-30&version=28001cc7&nettype=cmnet&abtest_cookie=AAACAA%3D%3D&lang=zh_CN&exportkey=n_ChQIAhIQOyCTRgdTaEjsHwdX85OMgRLaAQIE97dBBAEAAAAAAC07ExrweGoAAAAOpnltbLcz9gKNyK89dVj0CRJCTiy4IPD09MuRA1J3XmXjd8h%2BG6VNGQNyaQ3WkPvyln6AbSPOzEPlXDTgLzmvZ3lB66AloGV4GDNVLIKKgRctuuDpg1091mZ4XtMwMmxGSq6QvFgk95zvxl64hrfzSBG1acIVX63XrUn6VtOYEsmohmopEVjZorOveiAlJXHoXoI2W70NLF6WKU61dEFC3DWyhTbyHvPt8Q6K2r6afnAeVr1rCzyMch%2BUE5iecRAVfBs1&pass_ticket=filfx8PNog5fEgBD5f2xSyu35zwzhvIWX9Aa4akahX%2FhMz9Paqfcrj6M%2BvvhyQ9T&wx_header=3 |access-date=November 1, 2022}}</ref> [[Nanjing Lukou International Airport|Nanjing]], [[Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport|Shanghai–Hongqiao]], [[Shiyan Wudangshan Airport|Shiyan]], [[Taiyuan Wusu International Airport|Taiyuan]], [[Wuhan Tianhe International Airport|Wuhan]], [[Sunan Shuofang International Airport|Wuxi]], [[Xi'an Xianyang International Airport|Xi'an]], [[Yantai Penglai International Airport|Yantai]],<ref name="2019xmn">{{cite web |url=https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/pY8_SZ9bl6hirygJkZpMeQ |language=zh-cn |script-title=zh:知否知否，东航新增航班都挺好 |publisher=China Eastern Xiamen Sales |website=WeChat}}</ref> [[Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport|Zhengzhou]],<ref name=2022MUGANSU/> [[Zhoushan Putuoshan Airport|Zhoushan]]<ref name="2019xmn"/>

| [[China Express Airlines]] | [[Chengdu Tianfu International Airport|Chengdu–Tianfu]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=寻龙五千年，华夏航空2024夏秋航季全新启航 |url=https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/CaRlyf752LfJifFNskNXAQ |access-date=6 June 2024}}</ref> [[Xi'an Xianyang International Airport|Xi'an]],<ref name=XFN_W24>{{Cite web |title=襄阳机场2024年冬春航班换季！ |url=https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/6lPTbmfj_XYMx_Q7lk8xBw |access-date=4 March 2025}}</ref> [[Xiangyang Liuji Airport|Xiangyang]]<ref name=XFN_W24/>

| {{nowrap|[[China Southern Airlines]]}} | [[Beijing Daxing International Airport|Beijing–Daxing]], [[Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport|Dalian]], [[Enshi Xujiaping Airport|Enshi]], [[Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport|Guangzhou]], [[Guiyang Longdongbao International Airport|Guiyang]], [[Haikou Meilan International Airport|Haikou]], [[Harbin Taiping International Airport|Harbin]], [[Nanning Wuxu International Airport|Nanning]], [[Shenyang Taoxian International Airport|Shenyang]], [[Urumqi Diwopu International Airport|Urumqi]], [[Weihai Dashuipo Airport|Weihai]], [[Wuhan Tianhe International Airport|Wuhan]], [[Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport|Zhengzhou]]

| [[China United Airlines]] | [[Beijing Daxing International Airport|Beijing–Daxing]], [[Jining Da'an Airport|Jining]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=3月26日起，鄂尔多斯机场正式执行夏航季航班（附最新航班时刻表）|url=https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/nCj6qv1ZPaNFXlhag4drHg |access-date=30 April 2023}}</ref> [[Shijiazhuang Zhengding International Airport|Shijiazhuang]]<ref name=SJW_S25>{{Cite web |title=‌石家庄机场2025夏秋航季时刻表出炉，航班焕新随心所“飞” |url=https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/9FNL7BvbaH8AgKaHgj2A5Q |access-date=21 April 2025}}</ref>

| [[Chongqing Airlines]] | [[Changsha Huanghua International Airport|Changsha]],<ref name=OQNS24>{{Cite web |title=乘风出发·航班上新 {{!}} 重庆航空将全面执行夏航季航班计划 |url=https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/PrJTQvytAGi3Z10y3knNeA |access-date=10 April 2024}}</ref> [[Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport|Chongqing]]<ref name=OQNS24/>

| [[Dalian Airlines]] | [[Beijing Capital International Airport|Beijing–Capital]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=关于大连航与国航共用航班的公告|url=http://www.airchina.com.cn/cn/info_and_services/174952.shtml |access-date=23 November 2023}}</ref>

| [[Fuzhou Airlines]] | [[Hami Yizhou Airport|Hami]],<ref name=HMINS24>{{Cite web |title=收藏好！哈密机场最新航班时刻表 |url=https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/P6rBXli76RmZ0g_hl2w2Jw |access-date=10 July 2024}}</ref> [[Harbin Taiping International Airport|Harbin]],<ref name=HSNNW22>{{Cite web |title=舟山普陀山机场客运航班全面恢复！|url=https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/DN8rFMKNUSvIHlSoKFnZfQ |access-date=February 7, 2023}}</ref> [[Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport|Zhengzhou]],<ref name=HMINS24/> [[Zhoushan Putuoshan Airport|Zhoushan]]<ref name=HSNNW22/>

| [[GX Airlines]] | [[Nanning Wuxu International Airport|Nanning]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=‌焕新启航｜2025夏秋新航季来啦！南宁机场换季航班资讯一览 |url=https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/0yr6nBwSuT-U3q2uJuGMAQ |access-date=17 April 2025}}</ref>

| [[Hainan Airlines]] | [[Beijing Capital International Airport|Beijing–Capital]], [[Changsha Huanghua International Airport|Changsha]], [[Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport|Chongqing]], [[Haikou Meilan International Airport|Haikou]], [[Harbin Taiping International Airport|Harbin]], [[Hefei Xinqiao International Airport|Hefei]], [[Lanzhou Zhongchuan International Airport|Lanzhou]], [[Shenyang Taoxian International Airport|Shenyang]], [[Taiyuan Wusu International Airport|Taiyuan]], [[Ürümqi Diwopu International Airport|Ürümqi]], [[Wuhan Tianhe International Airport|Wuhan]], [[Xi'an Xianyang International Airport|Xi'an]], [[Yan'an Nanniwan Airport|Yan'an]], [[Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport|Zhengzhou]]

| [[Hebei Airlines]] | [[Datong Yungang International Airport|Datong]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=10月27日执行，石家庄正定国际机场航班换季 |url=https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/FzWnNCdbrtN3SEpkhvJeLA |access-date=19 February 2025}}</ref> [[Ordos Ejin Horo International Airport|Ordos]],<ref name=SJW_S25/> [[Shijiazhuang Zhengding International Airport|Shijiazhuang]], [[Wenzhou Longwan International Airport|Wenzhou]]<ref name=NSNS24>{{Cite web |title=2024夏航季{{!}}{{!}}随心启航快乐飞翔 |url=https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/Y2qg1786iXC1VKEsLAm3mQ |access-date=4 June 2024}}</ref>

| [[Jiangxi Air]] | [[Nanchang Changbei International Airport|Nanchang]], [[Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport|Zhengzhou]]<ref>{{cite web |title=China Southern / Xiamen Airlines NW22 Domestic Network Additions |url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/221108-czmfnw22dom |website=Aeroroutes |access-date=8 November 2022}}</ref>

| [[Juneyao Airlines]] | [[Nanjing Lukou International Airport|Nanjing]], [[Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport|Shanghai–Hongqiao]], [[Shanghai Pudong International Airport|Shanghai–Pudong]]

| [[Korean Air]] | [[Incheon International Airport|Seoul–Incheon]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/230920-kenw23intl|title=Korean Air NW23 International Service Changes - 20SEP23|publisher=AeroRoutes|date=20 September 2023|accessdate=20 September 2023}}</ref>

| [[Kunming Airlines]] | [[Kunming Changshui International Airport|Kunming]]

| [[Lucky Air]] | [[Chengdu Tianfu International Airport|Chengdu–Tianfu]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=新航季新出发 {{!}} 夏航季温暖来临百条航线可选去浪趁现在 |url=https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/3r01WlZz2cfL5MlPbgFIdg |access-date=2 June 2024}}</ref> [[Kunming Changshui International Airport|Kunming]]

| [[Malaysia Airlines]] | [[Kuala Lumpur International Airport|Kuala Lumpur–International]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Malaysia Airlines NS24 International Service Changes – 21DEC23 |url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/231221-mhns24int |website=Aeroroutes |access-date=21 December 2023}}</ref>

| [[Mandarin Airlines]] | [[Kaohsiung International Airport|Kaohsiung]], [[Taoyuan International Airport|Taipei–Taoyuan]]

| [[Okay Airways]] | [[Changsha Huanghua International Airport|Changsha]]

| [[Philippine Airlines]] | [[Ninoy Aquino International Airport|Manila]]

| [[Shandong Airlines]] | [[Baotou Erliban Airport|Baotou]], [[Beijing Capital International Airport|Beijing–Capital]], [[Changchun Longjia International Airport|Changchun]], [[Changsha Huanghua International Airport|Changsha]], [[Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport|Chengdu–Shuangliu]], [[Chengdu Tianfu International Airport|Chengdu–Tianfu]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=换季上新 {{!}} 山东航空江西冬航季时刻表来啦！|url=https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/hSxw8fyzqorYoQcHDi21SQ |access-date=23 November 2023}}</ref> [[Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport|Chongqing]], [[Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport|Dalian]], [[Dongying Shengli Airport|Dongying]], [[Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport|Guangzhou]], [[Guilin Liangjiang International Airport|Guilin]], [[Guiyang Longdongbao International Airport|Guiyang]], [[Haikou Meilan International Airport|Haikou]],<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.xiamenairport.com.cn/hbxx/hbxx-hbjh.aspx?SFZ=HAK&MDZ=XMN | title=航班信息 }}</ref> [[Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport|Hangzhou]], [[Harbin Taiping International Airport|Harbin]], [[Heze Mudan Airport|Heze]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=航线推荐 {{!}} 乘"菏泽=武汉=泉州"航线，看江河湖海！ |url=https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/7nxxmVPM0ExK640pr4INHQ |access-date=5 September 2024}}</ref> [[Hohhot Baita International Airport|Hohhot]], [[Soekarno–Hatta International Airport|Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Shandong Airlines Adds Jakarta Service in mid-Nov 2022 |url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/221122-scnov22cgk |website=Aeroroutes |access-date=22 November 2022}}</ref> [[Jinan Yaoqiang International Airport|Jinan]], [[Jingdezhen Luojia Airport|Jingdezhen]], [[Kunming Changshui International Airport|Kunming]], [[Lanzhou Zhongchuan International Airport|Lanzhou]], [[Linyi Shubuling Airport|Linyi]], [[Nanjing Lukou International Airport|Nanjing]], [[Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport|Qingdao]], [[Rizhao Shanzihe Airport|Rizhao]], [[Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport|Shanghai–Hongqiao]], [[Shanghai Pudong International Airport|Shanghai–Pudong]], [[Shenyang Taoxian International Airport|Shenyang]], [[Shiyan Wudangshan Airport|Shiyan]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=【新航季】太原机场2022年冬春航季航班时刻计划 |url=https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/jTxzlbhy87cqo0PdSMXEaw |access-date=December 19, 2022}}</ref> [[Taiyuan Wusu International Airport|Taiyuan]], [[Tianjin Binhai International Airport|Tianjin]], [[Ürümqi Diwopu International Airport|Ürümqi]], [[Wuhan Tianhe International Airport|Wuhan]], [[Xi'an Xianyang International Airport|Xi'an]], [[Xuzhou Guanyin International Airport|Xuzhou]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=徐州机场2024年夏航季航班时刻表 |url=https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/pTN1FIUbhBpIyvO2MSkduA |access-date=15 August 2024}}</ref> [[Yantai Penglai International Airport|Yantai]], [[Yinchuan Hedong International Airport|Yinchuan]], [[Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport|Zhengzhou]], [[Zhoushan Putuoshan Airport|Zhoushan]]

| [[Shanghai Airlines]] | [[Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport|Shanghai–Hongqiao]]

| [[Shenzhen Airlines]] | [[Harbin Taiping International Airport|Harbin]], [[Nantong Xingdong Airport|Nantong]], [[Shenyang Taoxian International Airport|Shenyang]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=‌南通机场丨2025夏秋航季焕新信息请查收~ |url=https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/MoOcRmedtkpMe_jSksGF2g |access-date=4 June 2025}}</ref> [[Yangzhou Taizhou International Airport|Yangzhou]]

| [[Sichuan Airlines]] | [[Changsha Huanghua International Airport|Changsha]], [[Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport|Chengdu–Shuangliu]], [[Chengdu Tianfu International Airport|Chengdu–Tianfu]], [[Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport|Chongqing]], [[Kunming Changshui International Airport|Kunming]]

| [[Singapore Airlines]] | [[Changi Airport|Singapore]]<ref>{{cite web |author1=Andrew |title=Singapore Airlines returning to Chengdu, Chongqing, Shenzhen and Xiamen |url=https://mainlymiles.com/2023/10/28/singapore-airlines-returning-to-chengdu-chongqing-shenzhen-and-xiamen/ |website=Mainly Miles |date=28 October 2023}}</ref>

| [[Spring Airlines]] | [[Don Mueang International Airport|Bangkok–Don Mueang]], [[Changchun Longjia International Airport|Changchun]], [[Handan Airport|Handan]], [[Lanzhou Zhongchuan International Airport|Lanzhou]], [[Kansai International Airport|Osaka–Kansai]],<ref>{{cite web |last1=Liu |first1=Jim |title=Spring Airlines Resumes Xiamen – Osaka Service in NS25 |url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/250224-9cns25xmnkix |website=aeroroutes.com |publisher=Aeroroutes |access-date=24 February 2025 |date=24 February 2025}}</ref> [[Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport|Shanghai–Hongqiao]], [[Shenyang Taoxian International Airport|Shenyang]], [[Shijiazhuang Zhengding International Airport|Shijiazhuang]], [[Yangzhou Taizhou International Airport|Yangzhou]]

| [[Tianjin Airlines]] | [[Anqing Tianzhushan Airport|Anqing]],<ref name=GSNS24>{{Cite web |title=天津航空夏秋航季超前放送，换季航线，国际复航，更多精彩带您畅享新旅程 |url=https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/SKhWStFbZRtcVd-FU3SUVw |access-date=5 May 2024}}</ref> [[Changsha Huanghua International Airport|Changsha]],<ref name=GSNS24/> [[Chizhou Jiuhuashan Airport|Chizhou]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=重磅官宣！池州机场航线再升级，多条航线焕新启航！ |url=https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/3dYmMzx9DspUMgNuZ8tFPg |access-date=29 March 2025}}</ref> [[Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport|Dalian]],<ref name=GSNS24/> [[Fuyang Xiguan Airport|Fuyang]], [[Haikou Meilan International Airport|Haikou]], [[Heze Mudan Airport|Heze]],<ref name=HET_S25>{{Cite web |title=‌呼和浩特机场 {{!}} 新航季已启航！ |url=https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/ufwaKKKL1gyhUY7E6pa91Q |access-date=12 May 2025}}</ref> [[Hohhot Baita International Airport|Hohhot]],<ref name=HET_S25/> [[Tianjin Binhai International Airport|Tianjin]], [[Wuhan Tianhe International Airport|Wuhan]], [[Xi'an Xianyang International Airport|Xi'an]], [[Yantai Penglai International Airport|Yantai]],<ref name=GSNS24/> [[Yichang Sanxia Airport|Yichang]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=‌加密优化北上广深，三峡机场新航季航线焕新起航 |url=https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/93cVYq9Xzm1m3pTGSr4qjQ |access-date=3 May 2025}}</ref> [[Zunyi Xinzhou Airport|Zunyi–Xinzhou]]

| [[Tibet Airlines]] |[[Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport|Chengdu–Shuangliu]]

| [[Uni Air]] | [[Songshan Airport|Taipei–Songshan]]

| [[West Air (China)|West Air]] | [[Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport|Chongqing]], [[Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport|Zhengzhou]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=换季新航线！全新目的地等你来解锁！ |url=https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/M8XeCdbHfTHT7mlRVjmn1w |access-date=9 April 2024}}</ref>

| [[XiamenAir]] | [[Amsterdam Airport Schiphol|Amsterdam]], [[Suvarnabhumi Airport|Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi]], [[Beijing Daxing International Airport|Beijing–Daxing]], [[Changchun Longjia International Airport|Changchun]], [[Changsha Huanghua International Airport|Changsha]], [[Chengdu Tianfu International Airport|Chengdu–Tianfu]], [[Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport|Chongqing]], [[Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport|Dalian]], [[Ngurah Rai International Airport|Denpasar]], [[Hamad International Airport|Doha]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.traveldailynews.asia/business-buzz/xiamen-airlines-to-launch-new-routes-from-beijing-and-xiamen-to-doha/|title=Xiamen Airlines to Launch New Routes from Beijing and Xiamen to Doha|publisher=Travel Daily News|date=7 September 2023|accessdate=7 September 2023}}</ref> [[Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport|Guangzhou]], [[Guilin Liangjiang International Airport|Guilin]], [[Guiyang Longdongbao International Airport|Guiyang]], [[Haikou Meilan International Airport|Haikou]], [[Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport|Hangzhou]], [[Noi Bai International Airport|Hanoi]], [[Harbin Taiping International Airport|Harbin]], [[Hefei Xinqiao International Airport|Hefei]], [[Hengyang Nanyue Airport|Hengyang]], [[Tan Son Nhat International Airport|Ho Chi Minh City]], [[Hohhot Baita International Airport|Hohhot]], [[Hong Kong International Airport|Hong Kong]], [[Huai'an Lianshui Airport|Huai'an]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=10月27日起丨淮安机场冬航季航班计划 |url=https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/GsZXfHdpMRuVRaNfk0h12w |access-date=19 March 2025}}</ref> [[Soekarno–Hatta International Airport|Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta]], [[Jinan Yaoqiang International Airport|Jinan]], [[Jingzhou Shashi Airport|Jingzhou]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=【航班换季】2023年荆州机场冬春航季航班时刻表出炉|url=https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/187fv-h3T9FKan68NqyXzQ |access-date=5 November 2023}}</ref> [[Kaohsiung International Airport|Kaohsiung]], [[Kuala Lumpur International Airport|Kuala Lumpur–International]], [[Kunming Changshui International Airport|Kunming]], [[Lanzhou Zhongchuan Airport|Lanzhou]], [[Lhasa Gonggar Airport|Lhasa]], [[Lianyungang Huaguoshan International Airport|Lianyungang]], [[Lijiang Sanyi Airport|Lijiang]], [[Liuzhou Bailian Airport|Liuzhou]], [[Los Angeles International Airport|Los Angeles]], [[Luzhou Yunlong Airport|Luzhou]], [[Macau International Airport|Macau]], [[Velana International Airport|Malé]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=XIAMEN AIRLINES ADDS XIAMEN – MALDIVES FROM LATE-JULY 2024|url=https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/240624-mfjul24mle |date=25 June 2024 |website=AeroRoutes |language=en-CA}}</ref> [[Ninoy Aquino International Airport|Manila]], [[Melbourne Airport|Melbourne]], [[Mianyang Nanjiao Airport|Mianyang]], [[Nanchong Gaoping Airport|Nanchong]], [[Nanjing Lukou International Airport|Nanjing]], [[Nanning Wuxu International Airport|Nanning]], [[Ningbo Lishe International Airport|Ningbo]], [[Kansai International Airport|Osaka–Kansai]], [[Charles de Gaulle Airport|Paris–Charles de Gaulle]], [[Penang International Airport|Penang]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s?__biz=MzAxNzg2NDczMw==&mid=2703102121&idx=1&sn=e13c873bfd08d3c0376d432a339763bb&chksm=bf35b1db884238cd87209a7d5dc4f5c978129e322bd67aca6693ade1b3b5680fec8f18639e4b&scene=27|title=9月28日起，厦门-槟城航班恢复至每周3班!|language=zh|access-date=2023-09-09}}</ref> [[Phnom Penh International Airport|Phnom Penh]], [[Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport|Qingdao]], [[Sanya Phoenix International Airport|Sanya]], [[Incheon International Airport|Seoul–Incheon]], [[Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport|Shanghai–Hongqiao]], [[Shenyang Taoxian International Airport|Shenyang]], [[Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport|Shenzhen]], [[Changi Airport|Singapore]], [[Sydney Airport|Sydney]], [[Songshan Airport|Taipei–Songshan]], [[Taoyuan International Airport|Taipei–Taoyuan]], [[Taiyuan Wusu International Airport|Taiyuan]], [[Tianjin Binhai International Airport|Tianjin]], [[Narita International Airport|Tokyo–Narita]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=民航新闻{{!}}时隔近三年，厦航厦门-东京航线将复航|url=https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/HiCqG54Qh0AXunPYHQ2AWQ |access-date=23 August 2023}}</ref> [[Ürümqi Diwopu International Airport|Ürümqi]], [[Vancouver International Airport|Vancouver]], [[Wanzhou Wuqiao Airport|Wanzhou]], [[Wuhan Tianhe International Airport|Wuhan]], [[Wuyishan Airport|Wuyishan]], [[Xi'an Xianyang International Airport|Xi'an]], [[Xining Caojiabao International Airport|Xining]], [[Xinzhou Wutaishan Airport|Xinzhou]], [[Xishuangbanna Gasa International Airport|Xishuangbanna]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=西双版纳机场W23航季航点整理 |url=https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/-VU6TppEQxeSV1vkvscB6g |access-date=30 January 2024}}</ref> [[Yancheng Nanyang International Airport|Yancheng]], [[Yangon International Airport|Yangon]], [[Yinchuan Hedong Airport|Yinchuan]], [[Yuncheng Guangong Airport|Yuncheng]], [[Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport|Zhengzhou]], [[Zhoushan Putuoshan Airport|Zhoushan]], [[Zhuhai Sanzao Airport|Zhuhai]], [[Zunyi Maotai Airport|Zunyi–Maotai]]
}}

===Cargo===
{{Airport destination list

| [[All Nippon Airways|ANA Cargo]] | [[Narita International Airport|Tokyo–Narita]]

| [[Cargolux]] | [[Beijing Capital International Airport|Beijing–Capital]], [[Luxembourg Airport|Luxembourg]]

| [[Cathay Pacific|Cathay Cargo]] | [[Hong Kong International Airport|Hong Kong]], [[Shanghai Pudong International Airport|Shanghai–Pudong]]

| [[Central Airlines (China)|Central Airlines]] | [[Charles de Gaulle Airport|Paris–Charles de Gaulle]]

| [[China Cargo Airlines]] | [[Kansai International Airport|Osaka–Kansai]]

| [[Ethiopian Airlines|Ethiopian Cargo]] | [[São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport|São Paulo–Guarulhos]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aircargonews.net/airlines/freighter-operator/ethiopian-cargo-adds-brazil-china-freighter-flights/|title=Ethiopian Cargo adds Brazil-China freighter flights|publisher=Air Cargo News|date=13 February 2023|accessdate=13 February 2023}}</ref>

| [[Hong Kong Airlines|Hong Kong Air Cargo]] | [[Hong Kong International Airport|Hong Kong]], [[Shanghai Pudong International Airport|Shanghai–Pudong]]

| [[Korean Air|Korean Air Cargo]] | [[Incheon International Airport|Seoul–Incheon]]

| [[MSC Air Cargo]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.msc.com/en/solutions/air-cargo-solution|title=Schedule|publisher=MSC Air Cargo|accessdate=8 July 2023}}</ref>| [[Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport|Anchorage]], [[Incheon International Airport|Seoul–Incheon]]

| [[Suparna Airlines|Suparna Airlines Cargo]] | [[Clark International Airport|Clark]], [[Shanghai Pudong International Airport|Shanghai–Pudong]]

}}

==See also==
*[[List of airports in China]]
*[[List of the busiest airports in China]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.xiamenairport.com.cn/ Official site]

{{Xiamen}}
{{Airports in China}}{{Transport in China}}

{{Fujian transit}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Airports in Fujian]]
[[Category:Transport in Xiamen]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Xiamen]]
[[Category:Ports of Entry of China]]

Navi Mumbai International Airport

2025-06-29T14:38:12Z

182.232.34.176:

{{Short description|Airport serving Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India}}
{{for|the airport in Mumbai|Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox airport
| name = Navi Mumbai International Airport
| image = NMIAirport_Logo.png
| image_size = 300
| caption =
| image2 =
| caption2 =
| IATA = NMI
| ICAO = VANM<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.notams.faa.gov/common/icao/R23C1.html|title=India ICAO location finder|work=FAA NOTAMS|access-date=3 February 2025|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://aim-india.aai.aero/sites/default/files/notam_files/Delhi_G_2023_10.pdf|title= AAI NOTAM LIST Series-G 01 October 2023|work=AAI NOTAMS|access-date=3 February 2025|language=en}}</ref>
| type = Public
| owner = {{ubl|[[City and Industrial Development Corporation]] (CIDCO) (26%) [[Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport|Mumbai International Airport Limited]] (MIAL) (74%)|<ref>{{cite news |last1=Chowdhury |first1=Anirban |title=Three in race to pick stake in GVK's airport holding company |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/transportation/airlines-/-aviation/three-in-race-to-pick-stake-in-gvks-airport-holding-company/articleshow/68056419.cms |website=The Economic Times |access-date=20 February 2019 |date=19 February 2019}}</ref>}}
| operator = Navi Mumbai International Airport Limited (NMIAL)
| city-served = [[Mumbai Metropolitan Region]]
| location = [[Ulwe]], [[Navi Mumbai]], [[Raigad district]], [[Maharashtra]], [[India]]
| opened = {{start date and age|2025|||df=yes}} (projected)<ref name="monsoon">{{cite news |title=Navi Mumbai airport operations to begin after monsoon, IndiGo lines up 36 flights |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/navi-mum-airport-ops-to-begin-after-monsoon-indigo-lines-up-36-flights/articleshow/121472115.cms |access-date=31 May 2025 |work=Times of India |agency=TNN |date=29 May 2025 |ref=Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd}}</ref>
| elevation-f =
| elevation-m = 8
| coordinates = {{coord|18|59|31|N|073|03|42|E|region:IN|display=inline,title}}
| website = {{URL|nmiairport.co.in}}
| pushpin_map = India Mumbai#India Maharashtra#India#
| pushpin_map_caption = Location of airport in Mumbai Metropolitan Region
| pushpin_label = '''NMI'''/VANM
| metric-rwy = Y
| r1-number = 08L/26R
| r1-length-f = 12,140
| r1-length-m = 3700
| r1-surface = [[Asphalt concrete|Asphalt]]
| r2-number = 08R/26L
| r2-length-f = 12,140
| r2-length-m = 3700
| r2-surface = Asphalt
| footnotes = Source: CIDCO<ref name="aptbro"/>
}}

'''Navi Mumbai International Airport''' {{airport codes|NMI|VANM}} is an [[international airport]] being constructed in [[Ulwe]], [[Navi Mumbai]], [[Raigad district]], [[Maharashtra]], [[India]]. When completed, it will become the second airport of the [[Mumbai Metropolitan Region]], serving alongside [[Mumbai]]'s existing [[Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport]].<ref name="CAPA">{{cite web|title=Navi Mumbai International Airport New Airport Profile|url=https://centreforaviation.com/data/profiles/newairports/navi-mumbai-international-airport|work=CAPA|access-date=18 November 2023}}</ref>

The development and construction of the airport is being overseen by Navi Mumbai International Airport Limited (NMIAL), which was established as a [[special-purpose vehicle]] by [[Adani Group|Adani Airports Holdings Limited]] and Mumbai's [[City and Industrial Development Corporation]] (CIDCO), the agency responsible for such projects in Maharashtra.<ref name="about us">{{cite web |title=About Us |url=https://www.nmiairport.co.in/About-Us |website=Navi Mumbai International Airport Pvt. Ltd. |publisher=Adani Group |access-date=1 June 2025}}</ref> The project, estimated to cost {{INRConvert|16700|c}},<ref>{{cite news |title=Navi Mumbai airport set to be inaugurated in June, Gautam Adani confirms |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/transportation/airlines-/-aviation/navi-mumbai-airport-to-be-inaugurated-in-june-says-gautam-adani/articleshow/119076917.cms |access-date=1 June 2025 |work=The Economic Times |agency=ET Online |publisher=Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. |date=16 March 2025}}</ref> is being executed under a [[Public–private partnership]] framework on a Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer (DBFOT) basis.<ref name="about us" /> NMIAL will also operate and maintain the airport.<ref name="about us" />

As of May 2025, the opening was delayed until at least August 2025.<ref name="notam">{{cite news |title=Navi Mumbai airport misses May 15 deadline, notified shut till August 6 via NOTAM |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/navi-mumbai-airports-opening-delayed-till-aug-says-advisory-notice-for-pilots/articleshow/121195777.cms |access-date=31 May 2025 |work=Times of India |agency=TNN |publisher=Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd |date=16 May 2025}}</ref> A formal opening date has not been announced.<ref name="monsoon"></ref>

== History ==
===1997-2007: Feasibility===
The project was first conceived in November 1997.<ref name="Fortune">{{cite news |last1=Bhargava |first1=Anjuli |title=A Tale Of 2 Mega Airports: Navi Mumbai |url=https://www.fortuneindia.com/long-reads/a-tale-of-2-mega-airports-navi-mumbai/115679 |access-date=2 June 2025 |work=Fortune India Magazine |issue=February 2024 |publisher=Fortune India |date=6 February 2024}}</ref> The [[Ministry of Civil Aviation (India)|Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA)]] constituted a committee to examine various sites for an extension to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. The committee recommended a site at Mandwa–Rewas in June 2000 and determined the site would not be suitable for international operations because it would only have a single runway. That September, CIDCO revised the original proposal to provide for a pair of parallel runways and submitted its feasibility report to the MoCA.<ref>{{cite news |title=Navi Mumbai airport: A saga of controversies |url=https://www.rediff.com/business/slide-show/slide-show-1-navi-mumbai-airport-a-saga-of-controversies/20101123.htm |access-date=2 June 2025 |work=Rediff |agency=Business Standard |publisher=Rediff.com |date=23 November 2010}}</ref> [[Airports Authority of India]] (AAI)'s sub-committee found the Navi Mumbai site technically and operationally feasible, and suggested that CIDCO carry out a detailed Techno-Economic Feasibility Study (TEFS) of the project. The TEFS was submitted to the State Government in September 2001,<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.projectstoday.com/News/Cidco-submits-feasibility-study-on-Navi-Mumbai-airport | title = Cidco submits feasibility study on Navi Mumbai airport | work = Projects Today | date = 8 September 2001 | access-date = 21 June 2021}}</ref> following which the [[International Civil Aviation Organization]] (ICAO) conducted a simulation study that confirmed that simultaneous operation of two airports was possible with appropriate procedures in place. In February 2007, CIDCO submitted a Project Feasibility and Business Plan Report to the MoCA, and the project received in-principle approval from the Union Cabinet in July 2007.

===2008-2011: Clearances and Initial Proposal===
In January 2008, CIDCO appointed [[Rail India Technical and Economic Service]] (RITES) to prepare the masterplan of the airport.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.airport-technology.com/projects/navi-mumbai-international-airport/|title=Navi Mumbai International Airport, Maharashtra, India|work=Airport Technology|date=2 November 2020|access-date=18 November 2023|language=en}}</ref> In July 2008, the [[Government of Maharashtra]] granted approval for development of the project on a [[Public–private partnership|Public-Private Partnership]] basis in three phases and appointed CIDCO as the nodal agency for its implementation. The first phase would establish sufficient operational capacity to handle over 20 million passengers per annum, the second phase would enlarge capacity to over 60-65 million passengers per annum, and the third phase would enlarge to handle more than 90 million passengers and 2.5 million tonnes of cargo per annum by 2032.<ref name="fpj.2023.01.11">{{Cite web |last1=Shaikh |first1=Ateeq |date=11 January 2023 |title=FPJ Exclusive: Navi Mumbai airport operations deferred to 2025 |url=https://www.freepressjournal.in/mumbai/fpj-exclusive-first-passenger-flight-from-navi-mumbai-airport-to-take-place-only-in-2025 |access-date=26 January 2023 |website=[[The Free Press Journal]] |language=en-IN}}</ref><ref name="HT3">{{Cite web |date=19 June 2023 |title=Navi Mumbai International Airport to be operational by 2024: All you need to know |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/mumbai-news/navi-mumbai-international-airport-progress-adani-airports-cost-details-features-maharashtra-news-101686363826079.html |access-date=30 January 2024 |website=[[Hindustan Times]] |language=en}}</ref><ref name="TIE">{{cite news|last=Adimulam|first=Sweety|title=First commercial flight lands, Navi Mumbai airport likely to be inaugurated on April 17|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/first-commercial-flight-lands-navi-mumbai-airport-likely-to-be-inaugurated-on-april-17-9750571/|work=The Indian Express|date=29 December 2024|access-date=30 December 2024|language=en}}</ref>

The project received defence clearance by the [[Ministry of Defence (India)|Ministry of Defence]] (MoD) by the end of 2010. The airport site was located in an area of {{Convert|9.5|km2|abbr=on}} on [[National Highway 348 (India)|National Highway 348]] near Panvel, about {{Convert|35|km|abbr=on}} from the existing [[Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport]] The coastal land required was about {{Convert|2900|ha|abbr=on}} with {{convert|1320|ha|abbr=on}} for the core airport activity and another {{Convert|245|ha|abbr=on}} on Waghivali Island to be developed as Mangrove Park. {{convert|3700|m|abbr=on|0}} long.<ref name="aptbro">{{cite web|url=http://cidconmia.com/website/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Airport-Final-for-printing-2-2-2012.pdf|title=Navi Mumbai International Airport|access-date=21 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224110244/http://cidconmia.com/website/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Airport-Final-for-printing-2-2-2012.pdf|archive-date=24 December 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change]] (MoEFCC) gave its clearance for the airport on 14 May 2008.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.financialexpress.com/news/navi-mumbai-airport-gets-moef-green-signal/310210/1 | title = Navi Mumbai Airport Gets MoEF Green Signal | work = The Financial Express | date = 16 May 2008 | access-date = 2 December 2010}}</ref>

The airport was to have a terminal area of {{Convert|250000|m2|abbr=on}} and a cargo area of {{convert|100000|m2|abbr=on}} and planned to handle 50–55 million passengers annually.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2006/12/19/stories/2006121901370700.htm |title=Work on Navi Mumbai airport may start next year |work=Business Line |date=19 December 2006 |access-date=2 December 2010}}</ref> The original estimated cost of the project was {{INRConvert|47.66|b}}.<ref>{{cite news|title=GVK appoints Zaha Hadid Architects to design Navi Mumbai International Airport|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report-gvk-appoints-zaha-hadid-architects-to-design-navi-mumbai-international-airport-2593871|access-date=4 May 2018|newspaper=[[Daily News & Analysis]]|date=14 March 2018}}</ref> MoEFCC finally cleared the project on 23 November 2010.<ref>{{cite news|title=Second Mumbai airport takes off|url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Second-Mumbai-airport-takes-off/714727|access-date=23 November 2010|newspaper=The Indian Express|date=22 November 2010}}</ref> The project stalled for three years because of negotiations with farmers on purchasing the land.<ref name="TFE">{{cite web|url=http://www.financialexpress.com/news/cidco-floats-global-tender-for-navi-mumbai-airport-bdhahsjsjsjsusproject/1223550/0|title=CIDCO floats global tender for Navi Mumbai airport project |work=[[The Financial Express (India)|The Financial Express]] |date=5 February 2014 |access-date=1 March 2014}}</ref>

CIDCO appointed [[Pune]]-based [[Central Water and Power Research Station]] (CWPRS) in 2011, to study the hydrological impact of the airport on the surrounding waterbodies.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/prepare-master-plan-for-surface-drainage-system-at-navi-mumbai-international-airport-cidco-5266777/|title=Prepare master plan for surface drainage system at Navi Mumbai International Airport: CIDCO |work= [[The Indian Express]]| date=20 July 2018| access-date=17 July 2019}}</ref> The CWPRS conducted hydrological and Mathematical Model studies of the Ulwe River catchment area and had recommended cutting a channel to divert the Ulwe River into the Moha Creek.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cidco.maharashtra.gov.in/pdf/News/20171012.pdf |title= Mathematical Model Studies for the modified layout of proposed International Airport at Panvel |work= [[Central Water and Power Research Station]]| access-date=18 July 2019}}</ref> CIDCO completed pre-development work on the Ulwe River diversion by June 2019.<ref>{{Cite news|url= https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/mumbai/navi-mumbai-airport-cidco-finishes-ulwe-river-diversion/article28079326.ece |title= Navi Mumbai airport: CIDCO finishes Ulwe river diversion |work= [[The Hindu]]| date=20 June 2019| access-date=17 July 2019}}</ref>

===2014-19: Bidding and Awarding===
CIDCO invited global tenders for requests for qualification (RFQ) on 5 February 2014. The cost of pre-development work was estimated at {{INRConvert|23.58|b}}, which including {{INRConvert|15.38|b}} of land development for airport and {{INRConvert|8|b}} for other works. The total project cost for the development of phase 1 and 2 of NMIA was estimated to be {{INRConvert|95|b}}.<ref name="TFE" /> The agency received nine bids and shortlisted four bidders, including [[GMR Group]], the GVK-led MIAL, [[Hiranandani Group]], [[Zurich Airport (company)|Zurich Airport]], and Mia Infrastructure with Tata Realty and Infrastructure. CIDCO submitted their RFQs to the Project Management Committee (PMC) for scrutiny. The PMC then submitted its report to the [[Chief minister of Maharashtra]], who must approve the project, before it received final approval from the MoCA.<ref>{{cite news |title=Cidco to finalise bidder for airport only by April 2016 |url=https://www.asianage.com/mumbai/cidco-finalise-bidder-airport-only-april-2016-526 |access-date=27 September 2022 |work=The Asian Age |publisher=Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited |date=25 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150720235224/https://www.asianage.com/mumbai/cidco-finalise-bidder-airport-only-april-2016-526 |archive-date=20 July 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref> GVK was the only bidder in the final two rounds of bidding, causing CIDCO to extend the deadline for the tender twice. Subsequently, the GMR Group submitted a bid.<ref>{{cite web|title=GVK Finally Gets The Contract To Build Navi Mumbai Airport|url=https://www.bloombergquint.com/business/2017/02/13/gvk-finally-gets-the-contract-to-build-navi-mumbai-airport|website=Bloomberg Quint|date=13 February 2017 |access-date=13 February 2017|language=en}}</ref> On 13 February 2017, GVK-led MIAL was announced as the winning bidder.<ref>{{cite web|title=GVK pips GMR to bag Rs 16k crore Navi Mumbai airport bid; shares lose ahead of the win|url=http://www.financialexpress.com/market/gvk-pips-gmr-to-bag-rs-16k-crore-navi-mumbai-airport-bid-shares-lose-ahead-of-the-win/549331/|website=The Financial Express|access-date=13 February 2017|date=13 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=GVK wins bid for Rs 16,000 crore Navi Mumbai airport project|url=https://www.deccanchronicle.com/business/companies/130217/gvk-wins-bid-for-rs-16000-crore-navi-mumba-airport-project.html|website=Deccan Chronicle|access-date=13 February 2017|language=en|date=13 February 2017}}</ref> GVK offered CIDCO a 12.6% share in revenue, as compared to the 10.44% offered by the GMR Group.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Phadnis|first1=Sanjay Jog & Aneesh|title=GVK wins Navi Mumbai airport bid, edges out GMR Group|url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/gvk-wins-navi-mumbai-airport-bid-edges-out-gmr-group-117021300613_1.html|website=Business Standard|access-date=13 February 2017|date=13 February 2017}}</ref>

The MoEFCC provided clearance to carry out pre-development work for the airport in April 2017. Work could not begin until 14 June 2017, however, due to opposition from local villagers. The project required the relocation of 2,786 households located across 10 villages—Chinchpada, Kopar, Kolhi, Ulwe, Varcha (Upper) Owle, Waghivalivada, Vaghivali, Ganeshpuri, Targhar, and Kombadbhuje. Most of the residents affected by the project were fishermen, farmers, or work odd jobs. CIDCO compensated land owners paying {{INRConvert|1.5|k}} per sq ft of the land, rent for 18 months, and a developed plot of land of a size equal to triple the roof area with 1.5 FSI in the Pushpak Nagar node.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Assainar |first1=Raina |title=CIDCO again extends deadline for PAPs to vacate homes |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/mumbai/cidco-again-extends-deadline-for-paps-to-vacate-homes/article25776892.ece |website=The Hindu |access-date=9 January 2019 |language=en-IN |date=19 December 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Navi Mumbai airport construction: Affected residents worried about source of income, await CIDCO plots |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/navi-mumbai-airport-construction-affected-residents-worried-about-source-of-income-await-cidco-plots-5489160/ |website=The Indian Express |access-date=9 January 2019 |language=en-IN |date=12 December 2018}}</ref>

Pre-development work included flattening the Ulwe Hill, reclaiming marsh land, diverting the Ulwe River outside the airport boundary and widening the channel to 60 metres, and shifting power transmission lines.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Phadnis|first1=Aneesh|title=Navi Mumbai airport groundwork begins|url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/cidco-begins-groundwork-for-navi-mumbai-airport-117061501519_1.html|newspaper=Business Standard India|access-date=21 November 2017|date=16 June 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Groundwork at Navi Mumbai airport site begins|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Groundwork-at-Navi-Mumbai-airport-site-begins/articleshow/54820260.cms|website=The Times of India|date=13 October 2016 |access-date=21 November 2017}}</ref><ref name="APhadnis"/> CIDCO was to raise the level of the project site by 5.5 metres as part of the pre-development works.<ref name="APhadnis"/> Work was stalled again from 12 October 2017 due to protests from local villagers,<ref>{{cite news|last1=Assainar|first1=Raina|title=Villagers stall Navi Mumbai airport work|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/mumbai/villagers-stall-navi-mumbai-airport-work/article19848543.ece|website=The Hindu|access-date=21 November 2017|language=en-IN|date=13 October 2017}}</ref> but resumed on 28 October 2017 after CIDCO reached an agreement with the protestors.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Assainar|first1=Raina|title=Villagers say yes, Navi Mumbai airport work to resume|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/mumbai/villagers-say-yes-navi-mumbai-airport-work-to-resume/article19934932.ece|website=The Hindu|access-date=21 November 2017|language=en-IN|date=28 October 2017}}</ref>

[[Prime Minister of India|Prime Minister]] [[Narendra Modi]] unveiled the foundation plaque at the ground breaking ceremony for the airport in Mumbai on 18 February 2018.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/mumbai/modi-lays-foundation-stone-for-navi-mumbai-airport/article22789467.ece|title=Modi lays foundation stone for Navi Mumbai airport|author=The Hindu Net Desk|date=18 February 2018|work=The Hindu|access-date=15 April 2018|language=en-IN|issn=0971-751X}}</ref> Navi Mumbai International Airport (P) Limited (NMIAL), appointed [[London]]-based [[Zaha Hadid Architects]] (ZHA) in March 2018 to design the airport's Terminal 1 and the ATC tower. Zaha Hadid Architects was selected on completion of a 12-week fast track design competition amongst the international architecture firms that were shortlisted by GVK.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/logistics/gvk-appoints-zaha-hadid-architects-to-design-navi-mumbai-international-airport/article23244529.ece|title=GVK appoints Zaha Hadid Architects to design Navi Mumbai International Airport|work=@businessline|access-date=15 April 2018|language=en}}</ref>The [[Texas]]-based [[Jacobs Engineering Group]] prepared a detailed terminal area and facilities model to define the size of the terminals,<ref>{{cite web|title=Jacobs Aviation Interactive Brochure|url=https://www.jacobs.com/sites/default/files/2022-06/Jacobs-Aviation-Interactive-Brochure-2021.pdf|website=Jacobs Engineering Group|access-date=18 November 2023}}</ref><ref name ="ET9">{{cite news|title= GVK looks to raise capacity at Navi Mumbai International Airport |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/transportation/airlines-/-aviation/gvk-looks-to-raise-capacity-at-navi-mumbai-international-airport/articleshow/65286039.cms |access-date=18 July 2019 |newspaper=[[The Economic Times]]|date=6 August 2018}}</ref> CIDCO floated a tender to select the [[engineering, procurement, and construction]] contractor for the project in August 2018.<ref name="APhadnis">{{cite news |last1=Phadnis |first1=Aneesh |title=L&T set to construct Navi Mumbai airport, likely to finish by mid-2020 |url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/l-t-set-to-construct-navi-mumbai-airport-likely-to-finish-by-by-mid-2020-119060701466_1.html |newspaper=Business Standard India|access-date=8 June 2019 |date=7 June 2019}}</ref> In September 2019, GVK awarded a contract for construction of the airport to [[Larsen & Toubro|Larsen and Toubro]] (L&T).<ref>{{cite news |title=L&T Construction bags order for Navi Mumbai International Airport |url=https://www.livemint.com/companies/news/l-t-construction-bags-order-for-navi-mumbai-international-airport-1567504560564.html |access-date=4 September 2019 |work=Mint |date=3 September 2019 |language=en}}</ref>

===2021-present: Construction and Testing===
The [[Adani Group]] took over the management of the airport project in 2021, and started the construction in August that year.<ref>{{Cite web|date=24 July 2021|title=Construction of Navi Mumbai Airport expected to begin from August: Adani|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/mumbai-news/construction-of-navi-mumbai-airport-expected-to-begin-from-august-adani-101627068550814.html|access-date=22 November 2021|website=Hindustan Times|language=en}}</ref> The Adani group had demanded that the entire project land be handed over to it before it starts the actual development.<ref name="hindustantimes.com">{{Cite web |date=26 April 2022 |title=Navi Mumbai International Airport project finally takes off as all hurdles cleared |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/mumbai-news/navi-mumbai-international-airport-project-finally-takes-off-as-all-hurdles-cleared-101650978713962.html |access-date=28 April 2022 |website=Hindustan Times |language=en}}</ref> Land acquisition for the airport had officially been completed in 2019,<ref name="MINT1">{{Cite web |date=25 July 2019 |title=Land acquisition for core Navi Mumbai airport area completed: Govt |url=https://www.livemint.com/news/india/land-acquisition-for-core-navi-mumbai-airport-area-completed-govt-1564056940357.html |access-date=30 January 2024 |website=Live Mint |language=en}}</ref> but the project faced rehabilitation and resettlement challenges due to opposition from project-affected-persons.<ref name="CW1">{{Cite web |date=29 April 2022 |title=Navi Mumbai airport development begins after long delay |url=https://www.constructionworld.in/transport-infrastructure/aviation-and-airport-infra/navi-mumbai-airport-development-begins-after-long-delay/33871 |access-date=30 January 2024 |website=Construction World |language=en}}</ref> CIDCO was able to hand over the entire 2,866 acres of land to Adani only in July 2022 after evicting all 3,070 structures in the project area.<ref name="TOI01">{{Cite web |date=11 June 2022 |title=Navi Mumbai: Cidco hands over entire airport land, clears core area of 3,000 buildings |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/92137283.cms |access-date=30 January 2024 |website=[[The Times of India]] |language=en}}</ref> In November 2023, Adani claimed to have completed 57 per cent of the physical work on the project site.<ref name="HBL1">{{Cite web |date=22 December 2023 |title=Navi Mumbai airport development begins after long delay |url=https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/logistics/navi-mumbai-airport-work-60-per-cent-complete-ready-for-launch-in-december-24/article67666359.ece |access-date=30 January 2024 |website=Hindu Businessline |language=en}}</ref>

In May 2024, the [[International Air Transport Association|IATA]] designated the code 'NMI' to the airport.<ref>{{Cite web|date=4 May 2024|title=Navi Mumbai Airport awarded IATA code|url=https://www.timesnownews.com/mumbai/navi-mumbai-airport-awarded-nmi-location-code-by-international-air-transport-association-article-109835771|access-date=11 July 2024|website= [[Mumbai Now]]|language=en}}</ref> The first and second phases were merged with the airport opening in 2025.<ref name="fpj.2023.01.11"/> On 15 August 2024, Mumbai International Airport (MIAL), controlled by the Adani group, pledged a 51% stake in the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIAL) to the State Bank of India (SBI). This pledge secures a {{INRConvert|12770|c}} facility sanctioned by SBI for the project.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Velani |first=Bhavya |date=16 August 2024 |title=Navi Mumbai Airport: IAF Sukhoi Su-30MKI, C-130J Test Flights, 51% SBI Stake and More |url=https://aviationa2z.com/index.php/2024/08/16/navi-mumbai-airport-iaf-test-flights-sbi-stake-and-more/ |access-date=16 August 2024 |website=Aviation A2Z |language=en-US}}</ref> In October 2024, the testing of the airport began,<ref name="IAF">{{cite news|last=V.|first=Manju|title=New Navi Mumbai airport sees inaugural IAF landing; full operations by March 2025|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/iaf-inaugurates-navi-mumbai-airport-runway/articleshow/114141829.cms|work=The Times of India|date=11 October 2024|access-date=30 December 2024|language=en}}</ref> and in December 2024, the airport hosted its first commercial test flight, operated by [[IndiGo]]. At that time, it was announced that the airport will begin operations from 15 May 2025 after inauguration on 17 April 2025,<ref name="TEST">{{cite news|title=Navi Mumbai airport set to be inaugurated in June, Gautam Adani confirms.|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/transportation/airlines-/-aviation/navi-mumbai-airport-to-be-inaugurated-in-june-says-gautam-adani/articleshow/119076917.cms|work=The Economic Times|date=16 March 2025|access-date=17 March 2025|language=en}}</ref><ref name="N18">{{Cite news|last=Sarkar|first=Shankyaneel|title=Navi Mumbai Int’l Airport Tests ‘Validation Flight’, Commercial Ops To Start May '25 - Watch|url=https://www.news18.com/india/navi-mumbai-airports-first-validation-flight-lands-celebrated-with-water-cannon-tribute-watch-9171796.html|work=News18|date=29 December 2024|access-date=30 December 2024|language=en}}</ref> but the opening was again delayed.

On 15 May 2025, the AAI issued a [[NOTAM]] stating the airport will not be available to open until after 6 August 2025.<ref name="notam"></ref> On 29 May, the Times of India cited sources that the airport will begin operations after the monsoon season, around October 2025.<ref name="monsoon"></ref>

==Facilities==
The airport covers an area of {{Convert|1160|ha|sqmi|abbr=on}}.<ref name ="TOI1">{{cite news|title=GVK signs concession agreement with CIDCO for SPV for NMIA|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/gvk-signs-concession-agreement-with-cidco-for-spv-for-nmia/articleshow/62415689.cms|access-date=4 May 2018|newspaper=[[The Times of India]]|date=8 January 2018}}</ref>
===Runways===
The airport will have two parallel runways enabling simultaneous operations:<ref name="Navi Mumbai International Airport facilities"/>
* Runway 08L/26R: {{convert|3700|x|45|m}}
* Runway 08R/26L: {{convert|3700|x|45|m}}<ref>{{cite web|title=Navi Mumbai International Airport AIP |url=https://aim-india.aai.aero/sites/default/files/aip_supplements/AIPS_2025_46.pdf|work=AAI|access-date=10 March 2025}}</ref>

===Terminals 1, 2, and 3===
[[Zaha Hadid Architects]] designed the Navi Mumbai International Airport. It will have three interconnected terminal buildings. The buildings will feature food courts, lounges, travelators, and other facilities for passengers. In the final phase, the total capacity of the airport will be 90 million passengers. The buildings will be shaped like a [[Nelumbo nucifera|lotus]] to provide an aesthetic theme.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/a-lotus-shaped-landing-field-gvk-group-reveals-navi-mumbai-airport-design-121060901728_1.html | title=A lotus-shaped landing field: GVK group reveals Navi Mumbai airport design | newspaper=Business Standard India | date=9 June 2021 | last1=Phadnis | first1=Aneesh }}</ref> After the completion of Phase 1, the NMIA will be able to handle 20 million passengers annually, which is 40% of the existing Mumbai Airport’s total capacity.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Velani |first=Bhavya |date=10 April 2024 |title=Busting Myths About New Multi-Modal Navi Mumbai International Airport {{!}} Exclusive |url=https://aviationa2z.com/index.php/2024/04/10/busting-myths-navi-mumbai-international-airport/ |access-date=10 April 2024 |website=Aviation A2Z |language=en-US}}</ref>

A [[low-cost carrier terminal]], with a capacity of two million passengers a year, will be built in the first phase. It will have an apron area of {{cvt|67,000|m2}}, {{cvt|17,000|m2}} terminal area, and parking for ten code C aircraft.<ref name="Navi Mumbai International Airport facilities">{{cite web|title=Navi Mumbai International Airport facilities|url=https://www.airport-technology.com/projects/navi-mumbai-international-airport/|publisher=Airport Technology|access-date=12 October 2020}}</ref>

=== General aviation terminal ===
The airport would feature more than 67 general aviation aircraft stands, including a separate heliport for separate scheduled and un-scheduled helicopter operations. The general aviation terminal would be India's largest planned General Aviation facility.<ref>{{Cite web |date=15 January 2024 |title=Navi Mumbai Airport To be India’s First With Rail, Road, Metro And Waterways Connectivity |url=https://www.timesnownews.com/mumbai/navi-mumbai-international-airport-to-be-indias-first-with-multi-modal-connectivity-to-rail-road-metro-and-waterways-article-106857276 |access-date=10 May 2024 |website=Times Now |language=en}}</ref>

Once the airport is opened, most of the business jets, turboprops and charter aircraft using CSMIA will be moved to the general aviation bays and hangars of NMIA by the end of 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |date=13 January 2025 |title=Mumbai airport plans to shift private and charter planes to Navi Mumbai by end of year |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/mumbai-airport-plans-to-shift-private-and-charter-planes-to-navi-mumbai-by-end-of-year/articleshow/117210809.cms |access-date=14 January 2025 |website=[[The Times of India]] |language=en}}</ref>

=== Cargo terminal ===
The domestic cargo terminal will be spread over {{cvt|33,000|m2}} and the international cargo terminal will be spread over {{Convert|23700|m2|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Navi Mumbai International Airport facilities" /> During Phase 1, NMIA will handle 0.8 million tonnes of cargo in a year.<ref name=":0" />

===Other facilities===
The airport will have a {{cvt|151,000|m2}} fuel farm<ref name="Navi Mumbai International Airport facilities"/> and three aircraft hangars. There is a planned dedicated MRO facility.

==Connectivity==
Main access to the airport is via the four-lane Aamra marg road that runs along the western boundary of the airport and via [[National Highway 348 (India)|NH 4B]] which abuts the eastern boundary of the airport.
CIDCO will construct the six-lane Ulwe Coastal Road (UCR) and Kharghar Coastal Road (KCR) to improve connectivity to the airport. The UCR will connect the [[Mumbai Trans Harbour Link]] to the airport while the KCR will connect the [[Kharghar]] node to the [[CBD Belapur]] node. Both projects are expected to be completed by early 2026.<ref>{{Cite web|date=14 January 2024 |title=Navi Mumbai Airport to be India’s first with multimodal connectivity: Scindia |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/mumbai-news/navi-mumbai-airport-to-be-india-s-first-with-multimodal-connectivity-scindia-101705174042700.html|access-date=7 June 2024|website=[[Hindustan Times]] |language=en}}</ref>

The airport will be connected with [[Navi Mumbai Metro]] [[Line 1 (Navi Mumbai Metro)|Line 1]] and the proposed [[Mumbai Metro]] Line 8 (Gold Line).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Navi Mumbai Airport connectivity snippets|url=http://www.twenty22.in/2016/07/navi-mumbai-airport-connectivity.html|access-date=7 September 2021|language=en}}</ref> The airport is also planned to be the terminal station of the proposed [[Mumbai–Hyderabad high-speed rail corridor|Mumbai-Hyderabad High-Speed Rail (HSR) corridor]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=27 December 2020|first=Manthank|last=Mehta|title=Mumbai-Hyderabad bullet train: Mumbai-Hyderabad bullet train terminal could be at Navi Mumbai airport {{!}} Mumbai News - Times of India|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/mumbai-hyderabad-bullet-train-terminal-could-be-at-navi-mumbai-airport/articleshow/79973747.cms|access-date=7 September 2021|website=The Times of India|language=en}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport]]
* [[Juhu Aerodrome]]
* [[Jawaharlal Nehru Port]]
* [[Mumbai Trans Harbour Link]]
* [[Vikhroli-Koparkhairane Link Road]]
* [[Jogeshwari–Vikhroli Link Road]]
* [[Sion Panvel Expressway]]
* [[Bandra–Worli Sea Link]]
* [[List of airports in India]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://cidco.maharashtra.gov.in/navi_mumbai_airport CIDCO and Navi Mumbai International Airport]
* [http://www.business-standard.com/article/opinion/dorab-r-sopariwala-no-way-to-build-an-airport-110082000029_1.html 2nd Airport for Navi Mumbai and how not to build it by Dorab Sopariwala]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20101113103516/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/navi-mumbai-airport-construction-of-runway-cleared/134756-3.html Navi Mumbai airport: runway construction cleared]

{{Airports in India|state=collapsed}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:Airports in Maharashtra]]
[[Category:International airports in India]]
[[Category:Navi Mumbai]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Navi Mumbai]]
[[Category:Transport in Panvel]]
[[Category:Adani Group]]
[[Category:Airports established in 2025]]

Hong Kong Institute of Architects

2025-06-29T12:24:40Z

182.232.34.176:

{{Short description|Professional society in Hong Kong}}
{{distinguish|Hong Kong International Airport|Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre}}
{{Chinese
|image=HKIA logo.png
|caption=Logo
|order=ts
|t=香港建築師學會
|s=香港建筑师学会
|j=hoeng1 gong2 gin3 zuk1 si1 hok6 wui6*2
|p=Xiānggǎng Jiànzhùshī Xuéhuì
}}
'''Hong Kong Institute of Architects''' ('''HKIA''', {{zh|first=t|t=香港建築師學會}}) is a [[professional body]] for [[architects]] in [[Hong Kong]] with approximately 1500 full members, 300 associates members and graduate members.<ref name="HKIA">[http://www.hkia.net/view_section.php?id=845&level_id=128 Hong Kong Institute of Architects -History ] Accessed 2008-10-18</ref> It is an Allied Society of the [[Royal Institute of British Architects]], and member of the [[International Union of Architects]] and the [[Commonwealth Association of Architects]].<ref name="HKIA" />

==History==
Originally named the Hong Kong Society of Architects, it was formed on 3 September 1956 by 27 architects. It is recognized by the [[Royal Institute of British Architects]] as an Allied Society since 1957 and renamed to Hong Kong Institute of Architects in 1972.<ref name="HKIA" />

==Designation==
The professional [[post-nominals]] system of HKIA was introduced in 1972, members are entitled to use the post-nominals HKIA after their name, and describe themselves as "architect" or "Member of The Hong Kong Institute of Architects", while associates may describe themselves as "Associate of The Hong Kong Institute of Architects", no post-nominal or [[abbreviation]] is permitted.<ref name="HKIA" />

== Scandal ==
In 2020, HKIA has "skipped" its 64th anniversary on its social media for alleged political sensitivity (assimilation with the [[1989 Tiananmen Square protests|June 4th massacre]]) and went straight to celebrate its 65th anniversary which was due to take place in 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|title=建築師學會會慶Fb發文「64」周年變「65」網民揶揄唔識計數｜蘋果日報|url=https://hk.appledaily.com/local/20200904/DTSLFBZQGZGATLNLE2TCID3LSA/|access-date=2021-05-13|website=Apple Daily 蘋果日報|language=zh-hk|archive-date=2021-05-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210513012445/https://hk.appledaily.com/local/20200904/DTSLFBZQGZGATLNLE2TCID3LSA/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Past Presidents ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Year<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Hong Kong Institute of Architects - Our Institute|url=https://www.hkia.net/en/our-institute.html#past-presidents|access-date=2021-05-13|website=www.hkia.net}}</ref>
!Name
|-
|1956-1957
|SU Gin Djih (徐敬直)
|-
|1958
|WRIGHT Alec Michael John
|-
|1959
|ROBINSON Harold Graham Fector
|-
|1960
|SZETO Wai (司徒惠)
|-
|1961
|GREGORY Wallace Gerard
|-
|1962-1963
|DOVEY George Chadwick
|-
|1964
|LEE Wei Kwong Edward
|-
|1965
|ASTBURY Hugh Cedric
|-
|1966
|KWOK Tun Li Stanley (郭敦禮)
|-
|1967
|FITCH Alan
|-
|1968
|ALVARES Alfred Victor Jorge
|-
|1969
|CAMPBELL Ian James
|-
|1970
|OUYANG Chao Leslie (歐陽昭)
|-
|1971-1972
|PRESCOTT Jon Alfred (白自覺)
|-
|1973-1974
|WONG Chack Sang Jackson (王澤生)
|-
|1975-1976
|LEE King Fun Andrew (李景勳)
|-
|1977-1978
|HSU Wo Teh William (徐和德)
|-
|1979-1980
|LO Kwong Yiu Lawrence (羅光耀)
|-
|1981-1982
|POON Cho Yiu Ronald (潘祖堯)
|-
|1983-1984
|HO Sing Tin Edward (何承天)
|-
|1985-1986
|WONG Edwin (黃漢威)
|-
|1987-1988
|KINOSHITA James Hajime (木下一)
|-
|1989-1990
|HAFFNER Christopher (夏扶禮)
|-
|1991-1992
|POON Sing Chi Stephen (潘承梓)
|-
|1993-1994
|LAU Wing Kwong Dennis (劉榮廣)
|-
|1995-1996
|CHUNG Wah Nan (鍾華楠)
|-
|1997-1998
|HO Tao (何弢)
|-
|1999-2000
|WILL Barry Fegan (韋栢利)
|-
|2001-2002
|LAU Sau Shing Patrick (劉秀成)
|-
|2003
|WONG Po Lung John (王寶龍)
|-
|2004
|SHEN Edward (沈埃迪)
|-
|2005-2006
|LIM Wan Fung Bernard V. (林雲峯)
|-
|2007-2008
|LU Yuen Cheung Ronald (呂元祥)
|-
|2009-2010
|KWONG Sum Yee Anna (鄺心怡)
|-
|2011-2012
|LAM Kwong Ki Dominic (林光祺)
|-
|2013-2014
|FUNG Yin Suen Ada (馮宜萱)
|-
|2015-2016
|NG Wing Shun Anthony Vincent ([[:zh:吳永順|吳永順]])
|-
|2017-2018
|CHEN Marvin (陳沐文)
|-
|2019-2020
|LI Kwok Hing Felix (李國興)
|-
|2021-2022
|Choi Wun Hing Donald (蔡宏興)
|-
|2023-2024
|Chan Chak Bun Benny (陳澤斌)
|}

==See also==
{{Portal|Hong Kong|Architecture}}
*[[Architecture of Hong Kong]]
*[[Hong Kong Institute of Planners]]
*[[Hong Kong Institute of Urban Design]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Hong Kong Institute of Architects}}
*[http://www.hkia.net Hong Kong Institute of Architects]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hong Kong Institute Of Architects}}
[[Category:Professional associations based in Hong Kong]]
[[Category:Architecture in Hong Kong]]
[[Category:Architecture groups]]
[[Category:1956 establishments in Hong Kong]]
[[Category:Arts organizations established in 1956]]
[[Category:Architecture-related professional associations]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Association of Architects]]

Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre

2025-06-29T12:22:59Z

182.232.34.176:

{{distinguish|Hong Kong International Airport|Hong Kong Institute of Architects}}
{{Use Hong Kong English|date=January 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2018}}
{{Infobox high court
| court_name = Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre
| native_name = {{lang|yue-HK|香港國際仲裁中心}}
| image = File:HKIAC logo.png
| imagesize = 150px
| caption = Seal of HKIAC
| established = 1985
| location = 8 Connaught Place [[Central (Hong Kong)|Central]], [[Hong Kong]]
| coordinates = {{coord|22.283|N|114.158|E}}
| website = [https://www.hkiac.org/ hkiac.org]
| chiefjudgetitle = Secretary-General
| chiefjudgename = Joanne Lau<ref name=SG>{{cite web|url=https://www.hkiac.org/news/hkiac-welcomes-new-secretary-general |title=HKIAC welcomes new Secretary-General }}</ref>
| termstart = 2024
| chiefjudgetitle2 = Chairpersons
| chiefjudgename2 = David W. RIVKIN and Rimsky YUEN GBM, SC, JP
| termstart2 = 2020
}}
{{Infobox Chinese
| t = 香港國際仲裁中心
| y = Hēung góng gwok jai juhng chòih jūng sām
| j = Hoeng1 gong2 gwok3 zai3 zung6 coi4 zung1 sam1
| hide = yes
}}

The '''Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre''' ('''HKIAC''') is an institution based in [[Hong Kong]], providing [[alternative dispute resolution]] services from administered and ad hoc [[international arbitration]] to [[mediation]], [[adjudication]] and [[domain name]] [[conflict resolution|dispute resolution]]. It was founded in 1985.

==History==

The Centre was established in 1985 to promote the use of arbitration and other forms of alternative dispute resolution services in Asia. Formed as a non-profit making company limited by guarantee under Hong Kong law, HKIAC was originally funded with assistance from the business community and the Hong Kong Government. Today, the Centre is independent of both the business community and the Government, and operates with its own budget and funds.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aq-q9ZHquRYC&pg=PA23 |title=香港仲裁实用指南: A User's Guide|last1=Moser|first1=Michael J.|last2=Cheng|first2=Teresa Y. W.|date=2008-01-01|publisher=CCH Hong Kong Limited|isbn=9789881740311|language=en}}</ref> It operates under a Council composed of businesses and professionals of several nationalities. Administration of arbitration is conducted by the Secretariat through the Centre's Secretary-General. HKIAC also has an International Advisory Board to provide guidance and advice to HKIAC on a policy level.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://hkiac.org/about-us/council-members-and-committees|title=Council Members and Committees {{!}} HKIAC|website=hkiac.org|access-date=2016-11-11}}</ref>

== Case Management ==
HKIAC maintains one of the largest caseloads in the Asia-Pacific region, having handled over 9,000 cases since 1985. In 2016, HKIAC received a total of 460 new cases, out of which 262 were arbitrations, 183 were domain name disputes and 15 were mediations. Within the 262 arbitration cases, 94 were fully administered by HKIAC, featuring parties from 39 jurisdictions. 87.2% of new administered arbitrations were international cases.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hkiac.org/about-us/statistics|title=Statistics {{!}} HKIAC|website=hkiac.org|access-date=2016-11-11}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|http://www.hkiac.org/}}

[[Category:Law of Hong Kong]]
[[Category:Arbitration organizations]]
[[Category:1985 establishments in Hong Kong]]

Kenta Shimizu

2025-06-29T12:02:25Z

182.232.34.176:

{{short description|Japanese footballer (born 1981)}}
{{no significant coverage (sports)|date=April 2025}}
{{update|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox football biography
|name=Kenta Shimizu 清水健太
|image=
|fullname=Kenta Shimizu
|birth_date={{Birth date and age|1981|9|18}}
|birth_place=[[Matsudo]], [[Chiba Prefecture|Chiba]], Japan
|height={{Height|m=1.84}}
|position=[[Goalkeeper (association football)|Goalkeeper]]
|currentclub=[[Kamatamare Sanuki]]
|clubnumber=1
|youthyears1=1997–1999|youthclubs1=[[Matsudo High School]]
|years1=2000–2005|clubs1=[[Kashiwa Reysol]]|caps1=5|goals1=0
|years2=2005–2014|clubs2=[[Montedio Yamagata]]|caps2=287|goals2=0
|years3=2015–|clubs3=[[Kamatamare Sanuki]]|caps3=196|goals3=0
|totalcaps=454|totalgoals=0
|medaltemplates=
{{Medal|Team|[[Montedio Yamagata]]}}
{{Medal|RU|[[Emperor's Cup]]|[[2014 Emperor's Cup|2014]]}}
|club-update=1 January 2020
}}

{{Nihongo|'''Kenta Shimizu'''|清水健太|Shimizu Kenta|born September 18, 1981}} is a [[Japanese people|Japanese]] [[Association football|football]] player who plays for [[Kamatamare Sanuki]].<ref>{{J.League player}}</ref>

==Playing career==
Shimizu was born in [[Matsudo]] on September 18, 1981. After graduating from high school, he joined [[J1 League]] club [[Kashiwa Reysol]] based in his local [[Chiba Prefecture]] in 2000. Although he debuted in 2003 and several matches until April 2005, he could hardly play in the match behind [[Yuta Minami]].

In April 2005, Shimizu moved to [[J2 League]] club [[Montedio Yamagata]]. Although he could not play at all in the match behind [[Shigeru Sakurai]] until October, he played last 5 matches in 2005 season.<ref>[https://data.j-league.or.jp/SS/jpn/team/2005020003_000040_W0707_J.html J.League]</ref> In 2006, he became a regular goalkeeper instead Sakurai. In 2008, Montedio won the 2nd place and was promoted to J1 first time in the club history. He played as regular goalkeeper and Montedio also remained in J1 until 2010. In 2011, however he lost his position behind [[Yuki Uekusa]] and the club results were bad. Although Shimizu became a regular goalkeeper again in July,<ref>[https://data.j-league.or.jp/SS/jpn/team/2011010001_000040_W0707_J.html J.League]</ref> Montedio finished at the bottom place and was relegated to J2 end of 2011 season. Although Shimizu played all 42 matches in 2012, he could not play many matches behind new player [[Satoshi Tokizawa]] in 2013 and [[Norihiro Yamagishi]] in 2014. Montedio was promoted to J1 end of 2014 season and won the 2nd place in [[2014 Emperor's Cup]].

In 2015, Shimizu moved to J2 club [[Kamatamare Sanuki]]. He became a regular goalkeeper. However the club results were bad every season and was relegated to [[J3 League]] end of 2018 season.

==Club statistics==
{{Updated|1 January 2020}}<ref>Nippon Sports Kikaku Publishing inc./日本スポーツ企画出版社, [https://www.amazon.co.jp/J1-J3%E9%81%B8%E6%89%8B%E5%90%8D%E9%91%91%E3%83%8F%E3%83%B3%E3%83%87%E3%82%A3%E7%89%88-2018-NSK-MOOK/dp/4905411521 "J1&J2&J3選手名鑑ハンディ版 2018 (NSK MOOK)"], 7 February 2018, Japan, {{ISBN|978-4905411529}} (p. 227 out of 289)</ref><ref>Nippon Sports Kikaku Publishing inc./日本スポーツ企画出版社, [https://www.amazon.co.jp/2017-J1-J3%E9%81%B8%E6%89%8B%E5%90%8D%E9%91%91-NSK-MOOK/dp/4905411424/ref=pd_sim_14_1/356-9491148-0114816?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=BA8BN4Y0F97GNWKQM78H "2017 J1&J2&J3選手名鑑 (NSK MOOK)"], 8 February 2017, Japan, {{ISBN|978-4905411420}} (p. 227 out of 289)</ref>
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan=3 | Club performance
! colspan=2 | League
! colspan=2 | Cup
! colspan=2 | League Cup

! colspan=2 | Total
|-
! Season !! Club !! League
! Apps !! Goals
! Apps !! Goals
! Apps !! Goals
! Apps !! Goals
|-
! colspan=3 | Japan
! colspan=2 | League
! colspan=2 | [[Emperor's Cup]]
! colspan=2 | [[J.League Cup]]
! colspan=2 | Total
|-
|[[2000 Kashiwa Reysol season|2000]]||rowspan="6"|[[Kashiwa Reysol]]||rowspan="6"|[[J1 League]]||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0
|-
|[[2001 Kashiwa Reysol season|2001]]||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0
|-
|[[2002 Kashiwa Reysol season|2002]]||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0
|-
|[[2003 Kashiwa Reysol season|2003]]||3||0||2||0||1||0||6||0
|-
|[[2004 Kashiwa Reysol season|2004]]||2||0||0||0||1||0||3||0
|-
|[[2005 Kashiwa Reysol season|2005]]||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0
|-
!colspan="3"|Total||5||0||2||0||2||0||9||0
|-
|2005||rowspan="10"|[[Montedio Yamagata]]||rowspan="4"|[[J2 League]]||5||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||6||0
|-
|[[2006 Montedio Yamagata season|2006]]||43||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||44||0
|-
|[[2007 Montedio Yamagata season|2007]]||48||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||49||0
|-
|2008||42||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||43||0
|-
|[[2009 Montedio Yamagata season|2009]]||rowspan="3"|[[J1 League]]||34||0||0||0||4||0||38||0
|-
|[[2010 Montedio Yamagata season|2010]]||32||0||3||0||0||0||35||0
|-
|[[2011 Montedio Yamagata season|2011]]||18||0||0||0||1||0||19||0
|-
|[[2012 Montedio Yamagata season|2012]]||rowspan="3"|[[J2 League]]||42||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||43||0
|-
|[[2013 Montedio Yamagata season|2013]]||7||0||0||0||colspan="2"|-||7||0
|-
|[[2014 Montedio Yamagata season|2014]]||16||0||0||0||colspan="2"|-||16||0
|-
!colspan="3"|Total||287||0||8||0||5||0||300||0
|-
|[[2015 J2 League|2015]]||rowspan="5"|[[Kamatamare Sanuki]]||rowspan="4"|[[J2 League]]||42||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||43||0
|-
|[[2016 J2 League|2016]]||42||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||43||0
|-
|[[2017 J2 League|2017]]||37||0||0||0||colspan="2"|-||37||0
|-
|[[2018 J2 League|2018]]||41||0||0||0||colspan="2"|-||41||0
|-
|[[2019 J3 League|2019]]||[[J3 League]]||34||0||0||0||colspan="2"|-||34||0
|-
!colspan="3"|Total||196||0||2||0||colspan="2"|-||198||0
|-
! colspan=3 | Career total
!488||0||12||0||7||0||511||0
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{J.League player|6094}}

{{Kamatamare Sanuki squad}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shimizu, Kenta}}
[[Category:1981 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Association football people from Chiba Prefecture]]
[[Category:Japanese men's footballers]]
[[Category:J1 League players]]
[[Category:J2 League players]]
[[Category:J3 League players]]
[[Category:21st-century Japanese sportsmen]]
[[Category:Kashiwa Reysol players]]
[[Category:Montedio Yamagata players]]
[[Category:Kamatamare Sanuki players]]
[[Category:Men's association football goalkeepers]]

{{Japan-footy-goalkeeper-stub}}

Kenta Matsudaira

2025-06-29T12:00:45Z

182.232.34.176:

{{short description|Japanese table tennis player (born 1991)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2016}}
{{Expand Japanese|topic=bio|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox table tennis player
| name = Kenta Matsudaira
| image = Mondial Ping - Men's Singles - Round 4 - Kenta Matsudaira-Vladimir Samsonov - 45.jpg
| image_size = 250px
| caption = Matsudaira at the [[2013 World Table Tennis Championships|2013 World Championships]]
| nationality = {{JPN}}
| residence =
| playingstyle= Right-handed, shakehand grip
| equipment = Matsudaira Kenta ALC, Tenergy 05 FH, Tenergy 05 BH
| hrank= 9 (November 2017)<ref name="ITTF wr">{{cite web |url=http://www.ittf.com/ittf_ranking/world_ranking_per_name.asp?Player_ID=105926&U18=0&U21=0&Siniors=1& |title=ITTF world ranking |publisher=International Table Tennis Federation |access-date=July 6, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110415064800/http://www.ittf.com/ittf_ranking/world_ranking_per_name.asp?Player_ID=105926&U18=0&U21=0&Siniors=1& |archive-date=April 15, 2011 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>
| crank= 121 (April 2020)
| club = [[T.T Saitama]]
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1991|04|11|df=y}}<ref name="ITTF profiles">{{cite web |url=http://www.ittf.com/biography/biography_web_details.asp?Player_ID=105926 |title=ITTF players' profiles |publisher=ITTF |access-date=November 19, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140108032720/http://www.ittf.com/biography/biography_web_details.asp?Player_ID=105926 |archive-date=January 8, 2014 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>
| birth_place = [[Nanao, Ishikawa|Nanao-shi]], [[Ishikawa Prefecture|Ishikawa]], [[Japan]]
| height = {{height|m=1.68|precision=0}}<ref name="2014AG">{{cite web|title=Athlete's Profile |url=http://www.incheon2014ag.org/Sports/Biographies/Athletes_Profile/?ParticCode=5100364&lang=en |work=2014 Incheon Asian Games Organizing Committee |access-date=October 4, 2014 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141002022120/http://www.incheon2014ag.org/Sports/Biographies/Athletes_Profile/?ParticCode=5100364&lang=en |archive-date=October 2, 2014 }}</ref>
| weight = {{convert|61|kg|lb st|abbr=on}}<ref name="2014AG"/>
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalCountry|{{JPN}}}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[World Table Tennis Championships|World Championships]]}}
{{MedalSilver|[[2016 World Team Table Tennis Championships|2016 Kuala Lumpur]]|[[2016 World Team Table Tennis Championships – Men's team|Team]]}}
{{MedalBronze|[[2010 World Team Table Tennis Championships|2010 Moscow]]|Team}}
{{MedalBronze|[[2014 World Team Table Tennis Championships|2014 Tokyo]]|[[2014 World Team Table Tennis Championships – Men's team|Team]]}}
{{MedalBronze|[[2015 World Table Tennis Championships|2015 Suzhou]]|[[2015 World Table Tennis Championships – Men's Doubles|Doubles]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Table tennis at the Asian Games|Asian Games]]}}
{{MedalBronze|[[Table tennis at the 2010 Asian Games|2010 Guangzhou]]|[[Table tennis at the 2010 Asian Games – Men's doubles|Doubles]]}}
{{MedalBronze|[[Table tennis at the 2010 Asian Games|2010 Guangzhou]]|[[Table tennis at the 2010 Asian Games – Men's team|Team]]}}
{{MedalBronze|[[Table tennis at the 2014 Asian Games|2014 Incheon]]|[[Table tennis at the 2014 Asian Games – Men's doubles|Doubles]]}}
{{MedalBronze|[[Table tennis at the 2014 Asian Games|2014 Incheon]]|[[Table tennis at the 2014 Asian Games – Men's team|Team]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Asian Table Tennis Championships|Asian Championships]]}}
{{MedalSilver|[[2013 Asian Table Tennis Championships|2013 Busan]]|[[2013 Asian Table Tennis Championships – Men's Team|Team]]}}
{{MedalBronze|[[2013 Asian Table Tennis Championships|2013 Busan]]|[[2013 Asian Table Tennis Championships – Men's Singles|Singles]]}}
}}
{{Nihongo|'''Kenta Matsudaira'''|松平健太|Matsudaira Kenta|born April 11, 1991}} is a Japanese [[table tennis]] player. Winner of the 2006 [[World Junior Table Tennis Championships|World Junior Championships]] in singles,<ref name="ITTF statistics">{{cite web |url=http://www.ittf.com/ittf_stats/All_events3.asp?ID=9158 |title=ITTF statistics |publisher=ITTF |access-date=November 19, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090507012239/http://www.ittf.com/ittf_stats/All_events3.asp?ID=9158 |archive-date=May 7, 2009 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> he was the world number one junior player in 2008.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ittf.com/ittf_ranking/world_ranking_per_name.asp?Player_ID=105926&U18=1&U21=0&Siniors=0& |title=ITTF under 18 world ranking |publisher=ITTF |access-date=November 19, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090804234728/http://www.ittf.com/ittf_ranking/world_ranking_per_name.asp?Player_ID=105926&U18=1&U21=0&Siniors=0& |archive-date=August 4, 2009 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref> He is world-renowned for his tomahawk serve, which he has popularized throughout his career. The serve itself is rather unorthodox but still ample in efficiency, making it even more effective due to its unfamiliar nature. His serve has been one of the imperative factors in his illustrious junior career, alongside making him a top 50 player for many years. He also utilizes its reverse variation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ittf.com/Protour_new/Stories_detail.asp?ID=7665&PT_Title=Japan+Open&s_Year=& |title=Gaining The Plaudits |last=Marshall |first=Ian |publisher=ITTF |access-date=November 19, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120201083754/http://www.ittf.com/Protour_new/Stories_detail.asp?ID=7665&PT_Title=Japan+Open&s_Year=& |archive-date=February 1, 2012 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

Matsudaira became well known on the world stage after his match against the Olympic champion [[Ma Lin (table tennis)|Ma Lin]] at the [[2009 World Table Tennis Championships]], where he demonstrated his advanced tomahawk serves, compact and explosive technique, alongside his dynamic backhand control. He won two straight games from a 1–3 deficit and held the lead at 4–1 in the seventh (he lost the game 11–9).<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.ittf.com/_front_page/ittf_full_story2.asp?ID=18460&Category= |title=Olympic Champion Stretched to the Limit as Japanese Heroes Bid Farewell |last=Marshall |first=Ian |publisher=ITTF |date=May 2, 2009 |access-date=May 18, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110616204839/http://www.ittf.com/_front_page/ittf_full_story2.asp?ID=18460&Category= |archive-date=June 16, 2011 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> Later, he beat Ma 4–1 at the [[2013 World Table Tennis Championships]] in the Round of 64. After progressing to the Round of 16 and beating Vladimir Samsonov 4–3, he lost in the quarter-finals to the bronze medalist, [[Xu Xin (table tennis)|Xu Xin]], in 6 games. This is regarded as his best performance in his adult career and was considered to have performed the best out of all of the non-Chinese players. He is ranked 17 in the world as of January, 2017.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ittf.com/competitions/test/matches_32_print_per_event.asp?competition_ID=2190&s_Event_Type=mS&Rnd1=32&Seq_From1=1&Seq_To1=16&Rnd2=16&Seq_From2=1&Seq_To2=8&Rnd3=8&Seq_From3=1&Seq_To3=4&Rnd4=4&Seq_From4=1&Seq_To4=2&Rnd5=2&Seq_From5=1&Seq_To5=1|title=World Table Tennis Championships 2013 Results|website=www.ittf.com|publisher=ITTF|access-date=October 23, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160411065104/http://www.ittf.com/competitions/test/matches_32_print_per_event.asp?competition_ID=2190&s_Event_Type=mS&Rnd1=32&Seq_From1=1&Seq_To1=16&Rnd2=16&Seq_From2=1&Seq_To2=8&Rnd3=8&Seq_From3=1&Seq_To3=4&Rnd4=4&Seq_From4=1&Seq_To4=2&Rnd5=2&Seq_From5=1&Seq_To5=1|archive-date=April 11, 2016|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

==References==
{{commons category|Kenta Matsudaira}}
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Matsudaira, Kenta}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Japanese male table tennis players]]
[[Category:1991 births]]
[[Category:Asian Games bronze medalists in table tennis]]
[[Category:Table tennis players at the 2010 Asian Games]]
[[Category:Table tennis players at the 2014 Asian Games]]
[[Category:Table tennis players at the 2018 Asian Games]]
[[Category:Asian Games bronze medalists for Japan]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2010 Asian Games]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2014 Asian Games]]
[[Category:World Table Tennis Championships medalists]]
[[Category:Kinoshita Meister Tokyo players]]
[[Category:People from Nanao, Ishikawa]]

Kenta Hasegawa

2025-06-29T12:00:10Z

182.232.34.176:

{{short description|Japanese soccer player and manager (born 1965)}}
{{BLP sources|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox football biography
|name=Kenta Hasegawa 長谷川健太
|image=Kenta Hasegawa.jpg
|image_size=
|caption=
|fullname=Kenta Hasegawa
|birth_date={{Birth date and age|1965|9|25}}
|birth_place=[[Shizuoka (city)|Shizuoka]], [[Shizuoka Prefecture|Shizuoka]], [[Japan]]
|death_date=
|death_place=
|height=1.77 m
|position=[[Forward (association football)|Forward]]
|currentclub=
|clubnumber=
|youthyears1=1981–1983|youthclubs1=[[Shimizu Higashi High School]]
|collegeyears1=1984–1987|college1=[[University of Tsukuba]]
|years1=1988–1991|clubs1=[[Yokohama F. Marinos|Nissan Motors]]|caps1=33|goals1=9
|years2=1992–1999|clubs2=[[Shimizu S-Pulse]]|caps2=207|goals2=45
|totalcaps=240|totalgoals=54
|nationalyears1=1989–1995|nationalteam1=[[Japan national football team|Japan]]|nationalcaps1=27|nationalgoals1=4
|manageryears1=2005–2010|managerclubs1=[[Shimizu S-Pulse]]
|manageryears2=2013–2017|managerclubs2=[[Gamba Osaka]]
|manageryears3=2018–2021|managerclubs3=[[FC Tokyo]]
|manageryears4=2022–|managerclubs4=[[Nagoya Grampus]]
|medaltemplates=
{{Medal|Team|[[Yokohama F. Marinos|Yokohama Marinos]]}}
{{Medal|W|[[Japan Soccer League]]|[[1988–89 Japan Soccer League|1988/89]]}}
{{Medal|W|[[Japan Soccer League]]|[[1989–90 Japan Soccer League|1989/90]]}}
{{Medal|RU|[[Japan Soccer League]]|[[1990–91 Japan Soccer League|1990/91]]}}
{{Medal|W|[[JSL Cup]]|[[1988 JSL Cup|1988]]}}
{{Medal|W|[[JSL Cup]]|[[1989 JSL Cup|1989]]}}
{{Medal|W|[[JSL Cup]]|[[1990 JSL Cup|1990]]}}
{{Medal|W|[[Emperor's Cup]]|[[1988 Emperor's Cup|1988]]}}
{{Medal|W|[[Emperor's Cup]]|[[1989 Emperor's Cup|1989]]}}
{{Medal|RU|[[Emperor's Cup]]|[[1990 Emperor's Cup|1990]]}}
{{Medal|Team|[[Shimizu S-Pulse]]}}
{{Medal|RU|[[J1 League]]|[[1999 J.League Division 1|1999]]}}
{{Medal|W|[[J.League Cup]]|[[1996 J.League Cup|1996]]}}
{{Medal|RU|[[J.League Cup]]|[[1992 J.League Cup|1992]]}}
{{Medal|RU|[[J.League Cup]]|[[1993 J.League Cup|1993]]}}
{{Medal|RU|[[Emperor's Cup]]|[[1998 Emperor's Cup|1998]]}}
}}

{{Nihongo|'''Kenta Hasegawa'''|長谷川健太|Hasegawa Kenta|born September 25, 1965}} is a Japanese professional [[Manager (association football)|football manager]] and former [[Football player|player]] who is the manager of {{Japanese football updater|NagoyaGr}} club of [[Nagoya Grampus]].

==Club career==
Hasegawa was educated at and played for [[Shimizu Higashi High School]]. He won the national high school championship with his teammates including [[Katsumi Oenoki]] and [[Takumi Horiike]]. He continued his study and football at [[University of Tsukuba]] where he won the Kanto University League title in 1987.

After graduating from the university in 1988, he joined [[Japan Soccer League]] side [[Yokohama F. Marinos|Nissan Motors]] (current [[Yokohama F. Marinos]]). He contributed to the club winning the [[Emperor's Cup]] twice in [[1988 Emperor's Cup|1988]] and [[1989 Emperor's Cup|1989]]. When Japan's first-ever professional league [[J1 League]] started, [[Shimizu S-Pulse]] was founded in his local city. He joined the club in 1992 and re-united with his high school teammates Oenoki and Horiike. He helped the club to win the [[J.League Cup]] in 1996. He retired as a Shimizu player after the club won the second stage of the [[1999 J.League Division 1|J1 League 1999 season]]. He played 207 league matches and scored 45 league goals in 7 seasons at Shimizu.

==International career==
Hasegawa was capped 27 times and scored 4 goals for the [[Japan national football team|Japan national team]] between 1989 and 1995.<ref name="JNFTD">[http://www.jfootball-db.com/en/players/hasegawa_kenta.html Japan National Football Team Database]</ref> His first international appearance came on January 20, 1989 in a friendly against [[Iran national football team|Iran]] in [[Teheran]]. He scored for the first time for his country on June 11, 1989 in a [[1990 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)|1990 World Cup qualification]] against [[Indonesia national football team|Indonesia]] at [[Ajinomoto Field Nishigaoka|Nishigaoka Soccer Stadium]] in [[Tokyo]]. He was a member of the Japan squad who participated in the [[1994 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)|1994 World Cup qualification]] for the [[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994 World Cup]]. In the crucial last match, Hasegawa was substituted in the 59th minute by [[Masahiro Fukuda]] and watched from the bench a late Iraqi equaliser dashed Japan's hope to qualify for the finals in the US, the match that the Japanese fans now refer to as the [[1993 Japan v Iraq football match|Agony of Doha]].

==Coaching career==
After retiring from the game, Hasegawa started working as a pundit for national television [[NHK]]. He was also installed as the general manager of two university clubs, [[Hamamatsu University]] and [[Fuji Tokoha University]] (2000–2001). He became the manager of Hamamatsu University and lead them to win the Tokai University League title and the Shizuoka Prefectural qualification for the [[Emperor's Cup]]. He acquired the S-class coaching license that was required to manage a J1 League club in 2004 and became the manager of his old club [[Shimizu S-Pulse]] in 2005. The club struggled and narrowly escaped relegation in the 2005 season but they fought back strongly in the 2006 season and finished 4th in the league; a position equaled in 2007.<ref>[http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/sj20070303g5.html Shimizu S-Pulse | The Japan Times Online]</ref> In 2008 Hasegawa led S-Pulse to the final of the [[2008 J.League Cup|J.League Cup]] and a fifth-placed finish in the league, a placing which included them being the strongest performing team in the second half of the season. He was rewarded with an extended contract which will keep him at S-Pulse until 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.s-pulse.co.jp/news/20081206-1263.html |title=ニュースリリース | 清水エスパルス - 公式Webサイト |access-date=2016-12-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081210072333/http://www.s-pulse.co.jp/news/20081206-1263.html |archive-date=2008-12-10 }} Kenta Hasegawa contract extension news release</ref> He left Shimizu after he led the club to the final of 2010-11 [[Emperor's Cup]] when his contract was expired.

Hawegawa was appointed as a manager at [[J2 League]] club [[Gamba Osaka]] in 2013. The club won the champions in 2013 and was promoted to [[J1 League]]. In 2014, the club won all three major title in Japan; [[2014 J.League Division 1|J1 League]], [[2014 J.League Cup|J.League Cup]] and [[2014 Emperor's Cup|Emperor's Cup]]. He also was selected J.League Manager of the Year awards. In 2015, the club won the champions at [[2015 Emperor's Cup|Emperor's Cup]] and 2nd place at [[2015 J1 League|J1 League]] and [[2015 J.League Cup|J.League Cup]]. He resigned end of 2017 season.

In 2018, Hasegawa signed with [[FC Tokyo]]. In 2021, after a three year spell in which the club finished 6th, 2nd, 6th, and 9th in four respective seasons, Hasegawa resigned after an 8 - 0 loss to 2nd place [[Yokohama F. Marinos]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2021/11/07/soccer/j-league/tokyo-hasegawa-resigns/|title = Tokyo manager Kenta Hasegawa resigns after blowout loss to F. Marinos|date = 7 November 2021}}</ref>

Shortly after the conclusion of the J1 league's 21/22 season, Hasegawa signed a contract with J1 league club [[Nagoya Grampus]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nagoya-grampus.jp/news/pressrelease/2021/1209post-1830.php|title=長谷川健太氏トップチーム監督就任決定のお知らせ｜ニュース｜名古屋グランパス公式サイト}}</ref>

== Career statistics==
===Club===
<ref>{{NFT player|id=15576|accessdate=}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! colspan=3 | Club performance
! colspan=2 | League
! colspan=2 | Cup
! colspan=2 | League Cup
! colspan=2 | Total
|-
! Season
! Club
! League
! Apps !! Goals
! Apps !! Goals
! Apps !! Goals
! Apps !! Goals
|-
! colspan=3 |Japan
! colspan=2 | League
! colspan=2 | [[Emperor's Cup]]
! colspan=2 | [[J.League Cup]]
! colspan=2 | Total
|-
|[[1988–89 Japan Soccer League|1988/89]]||rowspan="3"|[[Yokohama F. Marinos|Nissan Motors]]||rowspan="3"|[[Japan Soccer League|JSL Division 1]]||18||4||||||||||18||4
|-
|[[1989–90 Japan Soccer League|1989/90]]||11||5||||||3||0||14||5
|-
|[[1990–91 Japan Soccer League|1990/91]]||4||0||||||4||0||8||0
|-
|[[1992 Shimizu S-Pulse season|1992]]||rowspan="8"|[[Shimizu S-Pulse]]||rowspan="8"|[[J1 League]]||colspan="2"|-||3||0||10||2||13||2
|-
|[[1993 Shimizu S-Pulse season|1993]]||36||10||4||1||1||0||41||11
|-
|[[1994 Shimizu S-Pulse season|1994]]||44||9||1||1||1||0||46||10
|-
|[[1995 Shimizu S-Pulse season|1995]]||21||3||0||0||colspan="2"|-||21||3
|-
|[[1996 Shimizu S-Pulse season|1996]]||24||7||3||2||16||7||43||16
|-
|[[1997 Shimizu S-Pulse season|1997]]||30||5||1||0||6||2||37||7
|-
|[[1998 Shimizu S-Pulse season|1998]]||31||9||5||2||5||0||41||11
|-
|[[1999 Shimizu S-Pulse season|1999]]||21||2||2||1||2||1||25||3
|-
!colspan=3|Total
!240||54||19||7||48||12||307||73
|}

===International===
<ref name="JNFTD"/>
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan=3 | [[Japan national football team|Japan national team]]
|-
!Year!!Apps!!Goals
|-
|[[1989 Japan national football team|1989]]||11||2
|-
|[[1990 Japan national football team|1990]]||6||1
|-
|[[1991 Japan national football team|1991]]||0||0
|-
|[[1992 Japan national football team|1992]]||0||0
|-
|[[1993 Japan national football team|1993]]||5||0
|-
|[[1994 Japan national football team|1994]]||2||0
|-
|[[1995 Japan national football team|1995]]||3||1
|-
!Total||27||4
|}

===Managerial===
{{updated|match played 31 May 2025}}<ref>[https://data.j-league.or.jp/SFIX07/?staff_id=2565 J.League Data Site]{{in lang|ja}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|+ Managerial record by team and tenure
|-
!rowspan="2"|Team
!rowspan="2"|From
!rowspan="2"|To
!colspan="5"|Record
|-
!{{abbr|P|Matches played}}!!{{abbr|W|Matches won}}!!{{abbr|D|Matches drawn}}!!{{abbr|L|Matches lost}}!!{{abbr|Win %|Win percentage}}
|-
|align="left"|[[Shimizu S-Pulse]]
|align="left"|1 February 2005
|align="left"|31 January 2011
{{WDL|280|128|69|83|decimals=2}}
|-
|align="left"|[[Gamba Osaka]]
|align="left"|1 February 2013
|align="left"|31 January 2018
{{WDL|251|125|58|68|decimals=2}}
|-
|align="left"|[[FC Tokyo]]
|align="left"|1 February 2018
|align="left"|7 November 2021
{{WDL|182|86|35|61|decimals=2}}
|-
|align="left"|[[Nagoya Grampus]]
|align="left"|1 February 2022
|align="left"|''Present''
{{WDL|164|67|40|57|decimals=2}}
|-
!colspan="3"|Total
{{WDLtot|877|406|202|269|decimals=2}}
|}

==In popular culture==
In popular [[manga]] and [[anime]] series ''[[Chibi Maruko-chan]]'', a boy called Kenta [[Japanese honorifics#Kun|kun]] occasionally makes an appearance.<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0882758/ Chibi Maruko-chan (2006) (TV)]</ref> He loves football and is a classmate of title character Chibi Maruko. [[Momoko Sakura]], the author of the manga, created this character after Hasegawa. Sakura and Hasegawa attended the same primary school during the same period.

== Honours ==

=== As a coach ===
;Gamba Osaka
*[[J.League Division 1]]: [[2014 J.League Division 1|2014]]
*[[J.League Division 2]]: [[2013 J.League Division 2|2013]]
*[[J.League Cup]]: [[2014 J.League Cup|2014]]
*[[Emperor's Cup]]: [[2014 Emperor's Cup|2014]]
*[[Emperor's Cup]]: [[2015 Emperor's Cup|2015]]
*[[Japanese Super Cup]]: [[2015 Japanese Super Cup|2015]]

;FC Tokyo
*J.League Cup: [[2020 J.League Cup|2020]]

;Nagoya Grampus
*J.League Cup: [[2024 J.League Cup|2024]]

;Individual
*[[J.League Manager of the Year]]: 2014

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{FIFA player|50646}}
* {{NFT}}
* [http://www.jfootball-db.com/en/players/hasegawa_kenta.html Japan National Football Team Database]
* {{J.League player|name=Player statistics}}
* {{J.League manager|name=Manager statistics}}
* [http://www.giantbomb.com/kenta-hasegawa/94-22407/ Kenta Hasegawa] at [[Giant Bomb]]

{{J1 League managers}}
{{Nagoya Grampus squad}}
{{Japan squad 1995 King Fahd Cup}}
{{Navboxes
|title= Awards for Kenta Hasegawa
|bg= gold
|fg= navy
|list1=
{{1988–89 Japan Soccer League Team of the Year}}
{{J.League Manager of the Year}}
{{J.League winning managers}}
}}
{{Navboxes
|title = Kenta Hasegawa managerial positions
|list1 =
{{Shimizu S-Pulse managers}}
{{Gamba Osaka managers}}
{{FC Tokyo managers}}
{{Nagoya Grampus managers}}
}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hasegawa, Kenta}}
[[Category:1965 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:University of Tsukuba alumni]]
[[Category:Japanese men's footballers]]
[[Category:Japan men's international footballers]]
[[Category:Japan Soccer League players]]
[[Category:J1 League players]]
[[Category:Yokohama F. Marinos players]]
[[Category:Shimizu S-Pulse players]]
[[Category:1995 King Fahd Cup players]]
[[Category:Japanese football managers]]
[[Category:J1 League managers]]
[[Category:J2 League managers]]
[[Category:Shimizu S-Pulse managers]]
[[Category:Gamba Osaka managers]]
[[Category:FC Tokyo managers]]
[[Category:Nagoya Grampus managers]]
[[Category:Footballers at the 1990 Asian Games]]
[[Category:Men's association football forwards]]
[[Category:Asian Games footballers for Japan]]
[[Category:Association football people from Shizuoka (city)]]
[[Category:20th-century Japanese sportsmen]]

Kenta Fukasaku

2025-06-29T11:56:42Z

182.232.34.176:

{{short description|Japanese filmmaker and screenwriter (born 1972)}}
{{Infobox person
| name =
Kenta Fukasaku
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1972|9|15}}
| birth_place = [[Tokyo]], Japan
| death_date =
| death_place =
| nationality =
| other_names =
| known_for =
| occupation = Film director, screenwriter
| father = [[Kinji Fukasaku]]
| mother = [[Sanae Nakahara]]
}}

{{nihongo|'''Kenta Fukasaku'''|深作健太|Fukasaku Kenta|born September 15, 1972}} is a Japanese [[filmmaker]] and [[screenwriter]]. He is the son of film director [[Kinji Fukasaku]] and actress [[Sanae Nakahara]].

==Biography==
He made his writing debut in the popular Japanese [[cult film]] ''[[Battle Royale (film)|Battle Royale]]'', which his father directed.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/20246|title=Alright already, enough is enough. 'Battle Royale' being converted to 3D|date=17 May 2010|publisher=Bloody Disgusting}}</ref> He wrote the screenplay to the sequel, ''[[Battle Royale II: Requiem]]'', and took over directing when his father died of cancer. The film was released in Japan during the winter of [[2003 in film|2003]].

In [[2005 in film|2005]], he directed a film called {{nihongo|''Under the Same Moon''|同じツキみている|Onaji tsuki o miteiru}} which starred ''Battle Royale'''s [[Tarō Yamamoto]]. His adaptation of the [[manga]] ''[[Sukeban Deka]]'' was released in [[2006 in film|2006]], under the title ''[[Yo-Yo Girl Cop]]''. He also directed horror film ''[[X-Cross]]''.

==Filmography==
===Actor===
* ''[[The_Challenge_(1982_film)|The Challenge]]'' (1982)

===Screenwriter===
* ''[[Battle Royale (film)|Battle Royale]]'' (2000)
* ''[[Battle Royale II: Requiem]]'' (2003)

===Director===
* ''[[Battle Royale II: Requiem]]'' (2003)
* ''[[Under the Same Moon (2005 film)|Under the Same Moon]]'' (2005)
* ''[[Yo-Yo Girl Cop]]'' (2006)
* ''[[X-Cross]]'' (2007)
* ''[[Rebellion: The Killing Isle]]'' (2008)
* ''[[Black Rat (film)|Black Rat]]'' (2010)
* ''[[We Can't Change the World. But, We Wanna Build a School in Cambodia.]]'' (2011)
* ''[[My Summertime Map]]'' (2013)
* ''[[Ken to Merii: Ameagari no Yozora ni]]'' (2013)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{imdb name|id=0297934|name=Kenta Fukasaku}}
* {{jmdb name|id=0745160|name=Kenta Fukasaku}}

{{Kenta Fukasaku}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fukasaku, Kenta}}
[[Category:Japanese film directors]]
[[Category:Writers from Tokyo]]
[[Category:1972 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:21st-century Japanese screenwriters]]
[[Category:Seijo University alumni]]

Kenta Abe

2025-06-29T11:54:50Z

182.232.34.176:

{{short description|Japanese baseball player (born 1984)}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
| name = Kenta Abe
| image = HT-Kenta-Abe.jpg
| image_size = 275px
| caption = Abe with the Hanshin Tigers
| team =
| number =
| position = [[Pitcher]]
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1984|9|8}}
| birth_place = [[Matsuyama, Ehime]], [[Japan]]
| bats = Left
| throws = Right
| debutleague = [[Nippon Professional Baseball|NPB]]
| debutdate = August 26
| debutyear = 2003
| debutteam = [[Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes]]
| statyear = 2015 season
| statleague = NPB
| stat1label = Win–loss
| stat1value = 3–3
| stat2label = ERA
| stat2value = 4.51
| stat3label = Strikeouts
| stat3value = 133
| teams =
*[[Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes]] ({{Baseball year|2003}} – {{Baseball year|2004}})
*[[Orix Buffaloes]] ({{Baseball year|2005}} – {{Baseball year|2007}})
*[[Hanshin Tigers]] ({{Baseball year|2008}} – {{Baseball year|2011}})
*[[Tokyo Yakult Swallows]] ({{Baseball year|2012}} – {{baseball year|2014}}, {{baseball year|2015}})
| highlights =
| update = April 9, 2010
}}
{{Nihongo|'''Kenta Abe'''|阿部健太|Abe Kenta|born September 8, 1984}} is a right-handed professional [[baseball]] [[pitcher]] for the [[Tokyo Yakult Swallows]] in [[Nippon Professional Baseball]]. He was the number 4 draft pick for the [[Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes]] in 2003. During his high school days, he played at [[Koshien Stadium]].

==External links==
*{{japanese baseball|id=1590}}
*[http://www.japanbaseballdaily.com/battingAbe-Akai.html Japan Baseball Daily]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abe, Kenta}}
[[Category:1984 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Matsuyama, Ehime]]
[[Category:Baseball people from Ehime Prefecture]]
[[Category:Japanese baseball players]]
[[Category:Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers]]
[[Category:Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes players]]
[[Category:Orix Buffaloes players]]
[[Category:Hanshin Tigers players]]
[[Category:Tokyo Yakult Swallows players]]

{{japan-baseball-pitcher-stub}}

Kenta Kobayashi

2025-06-29T11:54:14Z

182.232.34.176:

{{short description|Japanese professional wrestler (born 1981)}}
{{Redirect|KENTA||Kenta}}
{{Distinguish|Kenta Kobashi}}
{{Infobox professional wrestler
|name = Kenta Kobayashi
|image = KENTA202302.png
|image_size =
|caption = Kobayashi in 2023
|names = Halimao Hideo Itami<ref name=WWE>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/superstars/hideoitami|title=Hideo Itami|access-date=2014-12-13|work=[[WWE]]}}</ref> '''Kenta'''<ref name="NJPWProfile">{{cite web|url=http://www.njpw1972.com/profile/903|title=KENTA Profile|publisher=[[New Japan Pro-Wrestling]]|access-date=January 5, 2020}}</ref> Kenta Kobayashi
|height = {{convert|1.74|m|ftin|abbr=on}}<ref name="NJPWProfile"/>
|weight = {{convert|85|kg|lb|abbr=on}}<ref name="NJPWProfile"/>
|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1981|3|12|mf=y}}<ref name=Noah/>
|birth_name = {{nihongo|Kenta Kobayashi|小林健太|Kobayashi Kenta}}
|birth_place = [[Sōka]], [[Saitama Prefecture|Saitama]], Japan<ref name=Noah/><ref name="USA"/>
|resides =
|children = 2
|billed = [[Tokyo, Japan]]<ref name=WWE/>
|trainer = [[All Japan Pro Wrestling|All Japan Dojo]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://puroresucentral.com/KENTA.html|title=KENTA|publisher=Puroresu Central|access-date=January 5, 2020}}</ref> [[Kenta Kobashi]]<ref name="Slam">{{cite web|url=http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/2019/03/03/22793628.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190602042012/http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/2019/03/03/22793628.html|title=Hideo Itami in WWE, how did it all go so wrong?|work=Slam! Sports|publisher=[[Canoe.com|Canadian Online Explorer]]|first=Alexander|last=Podgorski|date=March 3, 2019|access-date=January 5, 2020|archive-date=June 2, 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Yoshihiro Takayama]]<ref name="Slam"/>
|debut = May 24, 2000<ref name=Noah/>
}}

{{nihongo|'''Kenta Kobayashi'''|小林健太|Kobayashi Kenta|born March 12, 1981}},<ref name=Noah>{{cite web|url=http://www.noah.co.jp/profile007.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140223000854/http://www.noah.co.jp/profile007.php|title=Kenta|archive-date=2014-02-23|access-date=2014-08-07|work=[[Pro Wrestling Noah]]|language=ja}}</ref> known [[Mononymous person|mononymous]]ly as '''Kenta''' (stylised in [[all caps]]), is a Japanese [[Professional wrestling|professional wrestler]]. He is signed to [[Pro Wrestling Noah]]. A former amateur [[Kickboxing|kickboxer]], Kobayashi's wrestling style is based upon strong kicks and strikes. Kobayashi pioneered both the ''[[Professional wrestling strikes#Go 2 Sleep|Go 2 Sleep]]'' and ''[[Professional wrestling strikes#Running single leg high knee|Busaiku Knee]]'' kick finishing manoeuvres, later popularized by [[CM Punk]] and [[Bryan Danielson]], respectively.

Kobayashi started his career in [[All Japan Pro Wrestling]] (AJPW), before moving to [[Pro Wrestling Noah]]; through Noah's involvement in the [[Global Professional Wrestling Alliance]] (GPWA), a global organization of cooperative promotions that allow their competitors to travel abroad to other companies, he has wrestled extensively in American promotion [[Ring of Honor]] (ROH).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.zerooneusa.com/news33.php|title=Global Professional Wrestling Alliance!|publisher=[[Pro Wrestling Zero1]]|date=2006-09-12|access-date=2009-06-08|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090904043207/http://www.zerooneusa.com/news33.php|archive-date=2009-09-04}}</ref> In Noah, he was a one-time [[GHC Heavyweight Championship|GHC Heavyweight Champion]], three-time [[GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship|GHC Junior Heavyweight Champion]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.noah.co.jp/ghcjr.php|title=Global Honored Crown Junior Heavyweight Championship|publisher=[[Pro Wrestling Noah]]|access-date=2009-07-20|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090831120931/http://www.noah.co.jp/ghcjr.php|archive-date=2009-08-31}}</ref> three-time [[GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion]], and one-time [[GHC Tag Team Championship|GHC Tag Team Champion]]. He was also the winner of the [[N-1 Victory#2012|2012 Global League]] and the [[Global Tag League#2013|2013 Global Tag League]] tournaments.

He is also well known for his tenure in American promotion [[WWE]] where he worked under the name '''Hideo Itami''' (ヒデオ・イタミ) in the company's [[Farm team#Professional wrestling|developmental territory]] [[NXT (WWE brand)|NXT]] and later in their [[Cruiserweight (professional wrestling)|cruiserweight]] exclusive brand [[205 Live (WWE brand)|205 Live]]. In 2019, he departed from WWE, and in May, appeared for [[New Japan Pro-Wrestling]] (NJPW), announcing his participation in that year's [[G1 Climax 29|G1 Climax]] and aligned with former tag partner [[Katsuyori Shibata]]. He turned on Shibata and joined the [[Bullet Club]], and has since held the [[Strong Openweight Championship]] twice and the [[IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship]], [[NEVER Openweight Championship]] and the [[IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship]] once each. He silently departed from NJPW in January 2025 and returned to Pro Wrestling Noah the following month.

== Early life ==
Kobayashi was born on March 12, 1981, in [[Sōka]], [[Japan]].<ref name="NJPWProfile"/> He trained under [[Kenta Kobashi]] and [[Yoshihiro Takayama]].<ref name="Slam"/>

== Professional wrestling career ==

=== All Japan Pro Wrestling (2000) ===
Prior to wrestling professionally, Kobayashi had a variety of athletic backgrounds, practicing [[baseball]] and [[kickboxing]]; the latter came to be a strong foundation in his wrestling style often referred to as [[shoot style]].<ref name="USA">{{cite web|url=http://www.noah-usa.cc/KENTAprofiledetail.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130105085005/http://www.noah-usa.cc/KENTAprofiledetail.html|title=Kenta|work=Pro Wrestling Noah USA|archive-date=January 5, 2013|access-date=2009-07-20}}</ref> Kobayashi made his professional wrestling debut on May 24, 2000, against future ally and rival, [[Naomichi Marufuji]], in [[All Japan Pro Wrestling]] (AJPW) to compete in their [[Cruiserweight (professional wrestling)|junior heavyweight division]]. He did not remain in the company long as [[Mitsuharu Misawa]], acting president of AJPW, decided to leave the company following a dispute, leading to Misawa forming his own company, [[Pro Wrestling Noah]].<ref name="History">{{cite web|url=http://www.noah-usa.cc/chroniclehistory.html|title=Chronicle/History|publisher=[[Pro Wrestling Noah]]|date=2000-08-05|access-date=2009-07-20|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131024133847/http://noah-usa.cc/chroniclehistory.html|archive-date=2013-10-24}}</ref>

=== Pro Wrestling Noah===

==== Early appearances and Burning (2000–2003) ====
{{see also|Burning (professional wrestling)}}
One of Misawa's focuses in his new promotion was the junior heavyweight division, which never was treated with high regard in AJPW despite the successes in other promotions. Being sidelined with injuries for the majority of Noah's first year of operation, Kobayashi made his return in July 2001, simply named Kenta.<ref name="History"/>

Kenta's first involvement in a [[Professional wrestling championship|championship]] situation came when Naomichi Marufuji was forced to vacate the [[GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship]] after suffering a knee injury;<ref name="encountering02">{{cite web |url=http://noah.puroresufan.com/results/navigationencounter02.php |title=Noah Encountering Navigation 2002 tour results |access-date=2007-10-27 |publisher=Green Destiny |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071121165242/http://noah.puroresufan.com/results/navigationencounter02.php |archive-date=2007-11-21 }}</ref> Kenta entered into the tournament held to determine a new champion. He advanced to the finals by defeating [[Kotaro Suzuki]] and [[Tsuyoshi Kikuchi]] before losing to [[Yoshinobu Kanemaru]] on the ''Navigation with Breeze Tour'' in June 2002.<ref name="breeze">{{cite web |url=http://noah.puroresufan.com/results/navigationbreeze02.php |title=Noah Navigation with Breeze tour results |access-date=2007-10-27 |publisher=Green Destiny |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929105551/http://noah.puroresufan.com/results/navigationbreeze02.php |archive-date=2007-09-29 }}</ref> Following his relative success in the tournament, Kenta had an increase in his popularity, and he joined his mentor, [[Kenta Kobashi]], in the [[Stable (professional wrestling)|faction]] [[Burning (professional wrestling)|Burning]].<ref name=NoahOct2002>{{cite web | url = http://www.noah.co.jp/results0210.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20040218235518/http://www.noah.co.jp/results0210.html | script-title=ja:2002年10月 | archive-date=February 18, 2004 | access-date=May 1, 2013 | work=[[Pro Wrestling Noah]] | language=ja}}</ref>

====Junior Heavyweight Championship success (2003–2011)====

March 1, 2003, saw Kenta team with Naomichi Marufuji for the first time against [[Makoto Hashi]] and Yoshinobu Kanemaru in a winning effort. They began teaming regularly as the two entered into a tournament to christen the first [[GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship|GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions]] during the company's ''Accomplish Our Third Navigation tour''; they went to win the tournament by defeating junior heavyweight veterans [[Jyushin Thunder Liger]] and Takehiro Murahama in the finals on July 16.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://noah.puroresufan.com/results/navigationaccomplish03.php|title=Noah Accomplish Our Third Navigation tour results|access-date=2007-08-31|publisher=Green Destiny|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080218000314/http://www.noah.puroresufan.com/results/navigationaccomplish03.php|archive-date=2008-02-18}}</ref> While defending the tag team title, Kenta continued his venture in hopes of winning the GHC Junior Heavyweight title once again on November 30, 2003, in an unsuccessful bid against [[Takashi Sugiura]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cagematch.net/?id=111&nr=2535|title=KENTA vs. Takashi Sugiura << Matches << CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database|publisher=Cagematch.net|access-date=January 5, 2020}}</ref>

[[File:KENTA, Samoa Joe, and Katsuhiko Nakajima.jpg|thumb|left|Kenta (far left) with [[Samoa Joe]] and [[Katsuhiko Nakajima]]]]
As part of a reward for the way Kenta performed, he earned himself a trial series of seven matches going into the next year, seeing Kenta able to challenge more established stars in an attempt to elevate his status. Kenta began his trial series on the ''First Navigation'' tour, beating [[Juventud Guerrera]]. This was followed by defeats to [[Yoshinari Ogawa]] and [[Jun Akiyama]]. The final match of the series was a loss against Marufuji in October.<ref name="History"/> While the series was taking place, Kenta and Marufuji continued defending their title against a number of challengers: [[El Samurai]] and [[Ryusuke Taguchi]], Yoshinari Ogawa and Kotaro Suzuki, Suzuki and [[Ricky Marvin]], Marvin and [[Takahiro Suwa|Suwa]] and, on Noah's first [[Tokyo Dome]] show, against [[Kendo Kashin]] and Takashi Sugiura. Their reign as champions came to an end in June 2005 after almost two years by Kanemaru and Sugiura after the latter pinned Kenta.<ref name="breeze2005">{{cite web|url=http://noah.puroresufan.com/results/navigationbreeze05.php |title=NOAH Navigation with Breeze tour results |access-date=2007-08-31 |publisher=Green Destiny |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926234211/http://noah.puroresufan.com/results/navigationbreeze05.php |archive-date=2007-09-26 }}</ref>

Kenta's first major [[Feud (professional wrestling)|rivalry]] in singles competition began in March 2005 following a dispute with [[SUWA (wrestler)|SUWA]], which led to a series of confrontations between the two, including a violent match that ended in his opponent getting [[Professional wrestling#Disqualification|disqualified]] for assaulting the referee. This led to Kenta getting one more chance to challenge for the Junior Heavyweight title against Yoshinobu Kanemaru at [[Destiny (2005)|Destiny]] on July 18, which saw him win the title.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/japan/noah/dome.html#2005|title=Destiny 2005 Results|publisher=ProWrestlingHistory.com}}</ref> He made his first defense two months later against Suwa, then against Kotaro Suzuki as his alter ego, Mushiking Terry. Simultaneously, Kenta began teaming with [[Katsuyori Shibata]] as The Takeover, challenging for the [[GHC Tag Team Championship]], the heavyweight version of the company's tag team title.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.puroresucentral.com/shibata.html|title=Katsuyori Shibata|last=Wilson|first=Kevin|publisher=Puroresu Central|access-date=2009-07-21}}</ref>

On March 5, 2006, Kenta faced a major challenge in Kenta Kobashi, which saw him lose following a ''[[Professional wrestling throws#Side Death Valley driver|Burning Hammer]]''.<ref name="Kevin">{{cite web|url=http://www.puroresucentral.com/KENTA.html|title=Kenta|last=Wilson|first=Kevin|publisher=Puroresu Central|access-date=2009-07-21}}</ref> This was followed by a loss of the Junior Heavyweight title on June 4 to Takashi Sugiura. This saw Kenta shift his attention to the [[GHC Heavyweight Championship]], challenging Naomichi Marufuji, losing in a match which won numerous awards and accolades from the wrestling media.<ref name="Kevin"/>

Kenta spent the majority of his 2007 time in Noah wrestling a variety of [[tag team]] and [[Tag team#Six-man tag team|six-man tag team]] matches with protégé [[Taiji Ishimori]] and [[Akitoshi Saito]] as partners. He saw most of his success with Ishimori as the two had critically acclaimed matches against a wide variety of competitors, including [[Ring of Honor]] (ROH) competitors on loan to the company due to the talent exchange agreement, the [[Global Professional Wrestling Alliance]] (GPWA), between ROH and Noah: the [[Briscoe Brothers]], [[Davey Richards]], and [[Bryan Danielson]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cagematch.net/?id=2&nr=1228&view=&page=4&gimmick=&year=&promotion=4&region=&location=&arena=&showtype=&constellationType=&worker=|title=ROH matches wrestled by KENTA|publisher=Cagematch.net|access-date=January 5, 2020}}</ref> As Kenta and Ishimori progressed as a unit, they entered the first NTV Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Tournament; in the finals they beat Marufuji and [[Kota Ibushi]] to win the tournament. They later challenged the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions, [[Dragon Gate (wrestling)|Dragon Gate]] wrestlers [[BxB Hulk]] and [[Shingo Takagi]], in a winning effort before losing them to Yoshinobu Kanemaru and Kotaro Suzuki,<ref name="JrTag">{{cite web|url=http://noah-usa.cc/GHC%20Jr%20Heavyweight%20Tag%20Team%20Champ%20sub%20title%20page.html|title=GHC Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champion|publisher=[[Pro Wrestling Noah]]|access-date=2009-07-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090802040010/http://www.noah-usa.cc/GHC%20Jr%20Heavyweight%20Tag%20Team%20Champ%20sub%20title%20page.html|archive-date=2009-08-02|url-status=dead}}</ref> only to defeat the team to win the second NTV Junior Heavyweight Tag Team League Tournament.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/japan/noah/noahtrny.html|title=Pro Wrestling Noah Misc. Tournaments|publisher=Pro Wrestling History|access-date=2009-07-23}}</ref>

Following his loss of the tag title, Kenta returned to competing in singles competition by defeating Bryan Danielson for his second GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Woodward |first=Hamish |date=2022-12-30 |title=Every Bryan Danielson vs KENTA Match From ROH/NOAH Ranked |url=https://atletifo.com/wrestling/bryan-danielson-vs-kenta/ |access-date=2023-01-08 |language=en-GB}}</ref> which led to a match with Marufuji, who had won the [[World Junior Heavyweight Championship (AJPW)|World Junior Heavyweight Championship]], to attempt to [[Title unification#Professional wrestling|unify the titles]]; the match ended in a sixty-minute [[Professional#Draw|draw]], keeping the titles in the hands of their respective holder, while gaining favorable reviews for their efforts by the media with some claiming it to be a ''Match of the Year''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.puroresucentral.com/Awards2008.html|title=2008 Puroresu Awards|last=Wilson|first=Kevin|publisher=Puroresu Central|access-date=2009-07-23}}</ref> Kenta lost the title in February 2009 to rival in their interpromotional rivalry with another member of the GPWA in the [[Kensuke Office]], [[Katsuhiko Nakajima]], only to win it back in the next month.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.puroresucentral.com/NOAHTitle-GHCJrHeavy.html|title=GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship|last=Wilson|first=Kevin|access-date=2009-07-23}}</ref> In October, Kobayashi was forced to vacate the title after suffering a knee injury, which would keep him sidelined for over seven months.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.411mania.com/MMA/news/120521/KENTA-Injury-Update.htm|title=Kenta Injury Update|publisher=411Mania|last=Csonka|first=Larry|date=2009-10-29|access-date=2009-11-10}}</ref>

Kobayashi made his return from injury on June 6, 2010, losing to Naomichi Marufuji in a GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship number one contender's match.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.noah-usa.cc/results2010.html|title=2010 results|publisher=Noah-USA|access-date=2010-06-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100618050005/http://www.noah-usa.cc/results2010.html|archive-date=2010-06-18|url-status=dead}}</ref> On October 30, 2010, Kenta and [[Atsushi Aoki]] defeated [[Roderick Strong]] and [[Eddie Edwards (wrestler)|Eddie Edwards]] in the finals of a tournament to win the [[Nippon TV Cup Jr. Heavyweight Tag League#2010|2010 Nippon TV Cup Junior Heavyweight Tag League]].<ref name=NipponCup2010>{{cite web|url=http://www.noah-usa.cc/newspage%202010%20second.html|title=Results from 10/30 Korakuen Hall Show!|work=Noah-USA|access-date=2010-10-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101103230316/http://noah-usa.cc/newspage%202010%20second.html|archive-date=2010-11-03|url-status=dead}}</ref> As a result, Kenta and Aoki received a shot at the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, but were defeated by the champions, [[New Japan Pro-Wrestling]] representatives [[Koji Kanemoto]] and [[Tiger Mask IV|Tiger Mask]], on November 23, 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.puroresufan.com/njpw/?p=2320|title=(Results) New Japan, 11/23/10 & Kanemoto and Tiger retain GHC Jr. Tag Title|work=Strong Style Spirit|date=2010-11-23|access-date=2010-11-23}}</ref> On January 29, 2011, Kenta turned heel and join the Disobey stable with members [[Muhammad Yone]], Yoshinobu Kanemaru and Genba Hirayanagi. Kenta would change his look and attitude. Then on March 5, he turned on Yone, removing him from the group. One week later, he renamed the stable No Mercy. On May 25 Kenta and Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Atsushi Aoki and Kotaro Suzuki of the ANMU stable to win the vacant GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. After months of trying to persuade his mentor [[Yoshihiro Takayama]] to join No Mercy, on June 26 Takayama turned on his partner Takuma Sano during a tag match against Kenta and Kanemaru and became the fourth member of the group. Kenta and Kanemaru would then make it to the finals of the Junior Tag League on July 30. They lost to Atsushi Aoki and Kotaro Suzuki. Then on August 18, 2011, Kenta and Yoshihiro Takayama won the Noah 2 Day Tag Team Tournament. On August 24, Kenta and Kanemaru successfully defended their tag title against Aoki and Suzuki, who got the shot due to their victory in the Junior Tag League. On September 23, Kenta confronted GHC Heavyweight Champion Go Shiozaki after he defeated Takayama to retain the title. Kenta got a number one contender's match with Takashi Sugiura, which he won on October 10. Kenta and Kanemaru lost the GHC Junior Heavyweight tag title to Aoki and Suzuki on October 16.

==== Transition to the heavyweight division (2011–2013) ====
At Noah's Halloween show on October 31, 2011, Kenta challenged the NJPW team [[Bad Intentions (professional wrestling)|Bad Intentions]] (Giant Bernard and Karl Anderson) for the GHC Heavyweight Tag Team Championship with Yoshihiro Takayama. The match was set for 2012, but never happened due to injury. In November, Kenta entered Noah's Global Tag League and developed a new submission move he called "Game Over" to help him dispatch heavyweights. Kenta would make it to the finals on November 20, but would lose to [[Takeshi Morishima]]. On November 27, he lost to Go Shiozaki in his GHC Heavyweight title shot. In December 2011, Kenta tore his ACL again, forcing him to undergo another surgery to repair it. It was announced that he would be out of action for six to seven months. [[Tokyo Sports]] named Kenta the 2011 Technical Wrestler of the Year. Despite his injury, Kenta would stay in Noah and manage No Mercy during his injury. On February 14, 2012, Kenta recruited [[Shuhei Taniguchi]] as the fifth member of No Mercy and change his name to Maybach, becoming his mouthpiece and talking for him.

Kenta made his in-ring return on July 22, 2012, losing to Naomichi Marufuji. On October 8, Kenta and Maybach Taniguchi defeated [[Nick Aldis|Magnus]] and [[Samoa Joe]] to win the [[GHC Tag Team Championship]] for the first time.<ref name=Noah100812>{{cite web|url=http://www.noah.co.jp/tour_detail.php?tour_id=1044|title=ザ・リーヴ presents 「Great Voyage 2012 in Yokohama vol.2」|access-date=2012-10-08|work=[[Pro Wrestling Noah]]|language=ja|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120920005732/http://noah.co.jp/tour_detail.php?tour_id=1044|archive-date=2012-09-20|url-status=dead}}</ref> However, they lost the title to Akitoshi Saito and Go Shiozaki just eighteen days later.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.noah.co.jp/result.php?tour_id=1051|script-title=ja:新潟市体育館|access-date=2012-10-26|work=[[Pro Wrestling Noah]]|language=ja|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170825185327/http://www.noah.co.jp/result.php?tour_id=1051|archive-date=2017-08-25|url-status=dead}}</ref> On November 23, Kenta won the [[N-1 Victory#2012|2012 Global League]].<ref name=GlobalLeague2012>{{cite web|url=http://www.noah.co.jp/news_detail.php?news_id=4641|script-title=ja:「グローバル・リーグ戦2012 最終戦」11月23日(祝・金)後楽園ホール大会試合後コメント|access-date=2012-11-23|work=[[Pro Wrestling Noah]]|language=ja}}</ref>

==== Heavyweight Champion (2013–2014) ====
On January 27, 2013, Kenta defeated Takeshi Morishima for the GHC Heavyweight Championship at Great Voyage 2013.<ref name=GreatVoyage2013>{{cite web|url=http://www.noah.co.jp/result.php?tour_id=1101|script-title=ja:2013年1月27日(日)|access-date=2013-01-28|work=[[Pro Wrestling Noah]]|language=ja|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017164242/http://www.noah.co.jp/result.php?tour_id=1101|archive-date=2013-10-17|url-status=dead}}</ref> On February 9, Maybach Taniguchi turned on Kenta and stole his Heavyweight Championship belt.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sportsnavi.yahoo.co.jp/sports/fight/headlines/article/20130210-00000000-spnavi|title=マイバッハがKentaに造反しChaosと合体=２.９ノア後楽園大会|date=2013-02-10|access-date=2013-02-09|work=Sports Navi|publisher=[[Yahoo!]]|language=ja|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130413160710/http://sportsnavi.yahoo.co.jp/sports/fight/headlines/article/20130210-00000000-spnavi|archive-date=2013-04-13}}</ref> The following week, Kenta took part in a [[South American]] tour with the Alianza Latinoamericana de Lucha Libre (AULL) promotion, during which he won the Torneo Latino Americano de Lucha Libre, defeating [[Super Crazy]] in the finals.<ref name=TorneoLatinoAmericano2013>{{cite web|url=http://alianzalatinoamericana.com/2013/02/18/kenta-1er-campeon-del-torneo-latino-americano-2013/|title=Kenta 1er Campeon del Torneo Latino Americano 2013|date=2013-02-18|access-date=2013-02-19|work=Alianza Latinoamericana de Lucha Libre|language=es|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130807080825/http://alianzalatinoamericana.com/2013/02/18/kenta-1er-campeon-del-torneo-latino-americano-2013/|archive-date=2013-08-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.noah.co.jp/news_detail.php?news_id=4839|title=「Torneo Latino Americano de Lucha Libre」2月13日(水)一回戦試合結果|date=2013-02-16|access-date=2013-02-19|work=[[Pro Wrestling Noah]]|language=ja}}</ref> On March 10, Kenta defeated Maybach Taniguchi for his first successful defense of the GHC Heavyweight Championship.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.noah.co.jp/tour_detail.php?tour_id=1110|script-title=ja:2013年3月10日(日)|access-date=2013-03-10|work=[[Pro Wrestling Noah]]|language=ja|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130308045228/http://www.noah.co.jp/tour_detail.php?tour_id=1110|archive-date=2013-03-08|url-status=dead}}</ref> On April 28, Kenta and Yoshihiro Takayama defeated Katsuhiko Nakajima and [[Kensuke Sasaki]] in the finals to win the [[Global Tag League#2013|2013 Global Tag League]].<ref name=2013GlobalTag>{{cite web|url=http://www.noah.co.jp/tour_detail.php?tour_id=1138|script-title=ja:2013年4月28日(日)|access-date=2013-04-28|work=[[Pro Wrestling Noah]]|language=ja|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130420051711/http://noah.co.jp/tour_detail.php?tour_id=1138|archive-date=2013-04-20|url-status=dead}}</ref> On May 11, Kenta took part in Kenta Kobashi's retirement match at [[Final Burning in Budokan]], where he, Go Shiozaki, Maybach Taniguchi, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru were defeated by Kobashi, Jun Akiyama, [[Keiji Muto]], and Kensuke Sasaki.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.noah.co.jp/tour_detail.php?tour_id=1126 | script-title=ja:2013年5月11日(土) | access-date=2013-05-11 | work=[[Pro Wrestling Noah]] | language=ja | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130420052008/http://noah.co.jp/tour_detail.php?tour_id=1126 | archive-date=2013-04-20 | url-status=dead }}</ref> The following day, Kenta made his second successful defense of the GHC Heavyweight Championship against Takashi Sugiura.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.noah.co.jp/result.php?tour_id=1139|script-title=ja:2013年5月12日(日)|access-date=2013-05-12|work=[[Pro Wrestling Noah]]|language=ja|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130606225933/http://www.noah.co.jp/result.php?tour_id=1139|archive-date=2013-06-06|url-status=dead}}</ref> On June 2, Kenta defeated New Japan Pro-Wrestling representative and reigning GHC Tag Team Champion [[Toru Yano]] for his third successful title defense.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nikkansports.com/battle/news/f-bt-tp0-20130603-1137017.html|title=Kentaが３度目の王座防衛／ノア|date=2013-06-03|access-date=2013-06-02|work=[[Nikkan Sports]]|language=ja}}</ref> Six days later, Kenta was pinned by Yano in a GHC Tag Team Championship match, where he and Yoshihiro Takayama unsuccessfully challenged Yano and [[Takayuki Iizuka|Takashi Iizuka]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.noah.co.jp/result.php?tour_id=1152|script-title=ja:2013年6月8日(土)|access-date=2013-06-08|work=[[Pro Wrestling Noah]]|language=ja|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130611120853/http://www.noah.co.jp/result.php?tour_id=1152|archive-date=2013-06-11|url-status=dead}}</ref> On July 7, Kenta made his fourth successful defense of the GHC Heavyweight Championship against Naomichi Marufuji.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.noah.co.jp/result.php?tour_id=1162|script-title=ja:2013年7月7日(日)|access-date=2013-07-07|work=[[Pro Wrestling Noah]]|language=ja|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131217232559/http://noah.co.jp/result.php?tour_id=1162|archive-date=2013-12-17|url-status=dead}}</ref> Kenta's fifth successful title defense took place on August 4, when he defeated Muhammad Yone.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.noah.co.jp/result.php?tour_id=1176|script-title=ja:2013年8月4日(日)|access-date=2013-08-04|work=[[Pro Wrestling Noah]]|language=ja|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130805220731/http://noah.co.jp/result.php?tour_id=1176|archive-date=2013-08-05|url-status=dead}}</ref> Next Kenta defended his title against the reigning GHC Tag Team Champions, first defeating [[Shane Haste]] on September 7 and then [[Mikey Nicholls]] on September 16.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.noah.co.jp/result.php?tour_id=1185|script-title=ja:2013年9月7日(土)|access-date=2013-09-16|work=[[Pro Wrestling Noah]]|language=ja|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130923020628/http://www.noah.co.jp/result.php?tour_id=1185|archive-date=2013-09-23|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.noah.co.jp/result.php?tour_id=1175|script-title=ja:2013年9月16日(月)|access-date=2013-09-16|work=[[Pro Wrestling Noah]]|language=ja|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131013034402/http://www.noah.co.jp/result.php?tour_id=1175|archive-date=2013-10-13|url-status=dead}}</ref> On October 5, Kenta defeated [[Diamond Ring (professional wrestling)|Diamond Ring]] representative Katsuhiko Nakajima for his eighth successful title defense.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.noah.co.jp/result.php?tour_id=1192|script-title=ja:2013年10月5日(土)|access-date=2013-10-05|work=[[Pro Wrestling Noah]]|language=ja|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131006145355/http://www.noah.co.jp/result.php?tour_id=1192|archive-date=2013-10-06|url-status=dead}}</ref> With the win, Kenta became the first wrestler to successfully defend the GHC Heavyweight Championship eight times during a calendar year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20131006-00000012-dal-fight|title=Kenta８度目防衛新・絶対王者だ|date=2013-10-06|access-date=2013-10-06|publisher=[[Yahoo!]]|language=ja|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213020155/http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20131006-00000012-dal-fight|archive-date=2013-12-13|url-status=dead}}</ref> On December 7, Kenta defeated New Japan representative and winner of the [[N-1 Victory#2013|2013 Global League]], [[Yuji Nagata]], for his ninth successful title defense.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.noah.co.jp/result.php?tour_id=1215|title=Great Voyage 2013 in Tokyo vol.2～田上明引退記念大会～|access-date=2013-12-07|work=[[Pro Wrestling Noah]]|language=ja|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131214060119/http://www.noah.co.jp/result.php?tour_id=1215|archive-date=2013-12-14|url-status=dead}}</ref> Kenta's near one-year long reign ended on January 5, 2014, when he lost the title to Takeshi Morishima in his tenth defense.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.noah.co.jp/result.php?tour_id=1231|title=New Year Navig.2014 ～新春ノア初め～|access-date=2014-01-05|work=[[Pro Wrestling Noah]]|language=ja|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140106041129/http://www.noah.co.jp/result.php?tour_id=1231|archive-date=2014-01-06|url-status=dead}}</ref>

On February 3, 2014, Kenta and Maybach Taniguchi's long rivalry culminated in a No Disqualification match, where Kenta was victorious.<ref name=Noah020314>{{cite web|url=http://www.noah.co.jp/result.php?tour_id=1247|title=Monday Noah|access-date=2014-02-03|work=[[Pro Wrestling Noah]]|language=ja|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140208012427/http://noah.co.jp/result.php?tour_id=1247|archive-date=2014-02-08|url-status=dead}}</ref> After Yuji Nagata had defeated Morishima to become the GHC Heavyweight Champion, Kenta received the first shot at the new champion, but was defeated in the title match on February 22.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.noah.co.jp/result.php?tour_id=1250|title=The Second Navig. 2014|access-date=2014-02-22|work=[[Pro Wrestling Noah]]|language=ja|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140301040826/http://www.noah.co.jp/result.php?tour_id=1250|archive-date=2014-03-01|url-status=dead}}</ref> On April 30, Noah held a press conference during which Kenta announced his resignation from the promotion.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.noah.co.jp/news_detail.php?news_id=6077|title=Kenta選手退団に関するご報告|date=2014-04-30|access-date=2014-04-30|work=[[Pro Wrestling Noah]]|language=ja}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nikkansports.com/battle/news/f-bt-tp0-20140430-1293493.html|title=ノアのエースKenta退団「挑戦したい」|date=2014-04-30|access-date=2014-04-30|work=[[Nikkan Sports]]|language=ja}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pwinsider.com/article/85324/top-japanese-star-to-wwe.html?p=1|title=Top Japanese star to WWE?|last=Johnson|first=Mike|date=2014-04-30|access-date=2014-04-30|work=Pro Wrestling Insider}}</ref> Kenta wrestled his farewell match on May 17, where he and Naomichi Marufuji defeated Katsuhiko Nakajima and Takashi Sugiura.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.noah.co.jp/result.php?tour_id=1282|title=Navig. with Breeze 2014|access-date=2014-05-17|work=[[Pro Wrestling Noah]]|language=ja|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517235953/http://www.noah.co.jp/result.php?tour_id=1282|archive-date=2014-05-17|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==== Sporadic returns (2018, 2023) ====
While still under WWE contract, Kenta made a one-off return to Noah under his WWE ring name of Hideo Itami on September 1, 2018, losing to Naomichi Marufuji at Marufuji's 20th Anniversary show.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cagematch.net/?id=1&nr=207471|title=NOAH Naomichi Marufuji 20th Anniversary Show ~ Flight ~ « Events Database « CAGEMATCH – The Internet Wrestling Database|website=www.cagematch.net}}</ref>

On January 2, 2023, Kenta would make another one-night return to team up with Marufuji and challenge Takashi Sugiura and [[Satoshi Kojima]] for the GHC Tag Team Championship at [[Noah The New Year 2023|New Year 2023]], in an unsuccessful effort.

=== Ring of Honor (2005–2009) ===
[[File:KENTA2.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Kenta at an ROH event, September 2008]]
Aside from competing in Pro Wrestling Noah, Kenta was able to compete abroad in the [[United States]] with other participating members of the GPWA. His first appearance in the country was with Ring of Honor at Final Battle 2005, as a [[Face (professional wrestling)|fan favorite]], defending the GHC Junior Heavyweight title against [[Low Ki]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rohwrestling.com/live/events/past-event|title=Ring of Honor Official results|date=2006-12-17|quote=Kenta defeated Low Ki to retain the GHC Jr. Heavyweight Championship|publisher=[[Ring of Honor]]|access-date=2012-04-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130322142414/http://www.rohwrestling.com/live/events/past-event|archive-date=2013-03-22|url-status=dead}}</ref> He returned to the company the following year for Best in the World in [[New York City]] on March 25 where he and Naomichi Marufuji defeated the team of Samoa Joe and [[ROH World Championship|ROH World champion]] Bryan Danielson after Kenta connected with his finishing strike, the ''[[Professional wrestling attacks#Go 2 Sleep|Go 2 Sleep]]'', on Danielson.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rohwrestling.com/live/events/past-event|title=Ring of Honor Official results|date=2007-03-25|quote=Kenta & Naomichi Marufuji defeated Bryan Danielson & Samoa Joe|access-date=2012-04-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130322142414/http://www.rohwrestling.com/live/events/past-event|archive-date=2013-03-22|url-status=dead}}</ref> Kenta returned for ''In Your Face'' featuring him in a [[Professional wrestling match types#Basic non-elimination matches|three-way match]] against Joe and Danielson, which ended in similar fashion.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rohwrestling.com/live/events/past-event|title=Ring of Honor Official results|date=2007-03-17|quote=Kenta won a non title three way match over Samoa Joe & Bryan Danielson after he pinned Danielson|publisher=[[Ring of Honor]]|access-date=2012-04-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130322142414/http://www.rohwrestling.com/live/events/past-event|archive-date=2013-03-22|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Kenta's first loss in the company came in the form of a tag team match, which saw his partner, Davey Richards, get [[Pin (professional wrestling)|pinned]] in a match against the Briscoe Brothers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rohwrestling.com/live/events/past-event|title=Ring of Honor Official results|date=2007-08-04|quote=Jay & Mark Briscoe beat Kenta & Davey Richards|publisher=[[Ring of Honor]]|access-date=2012-04-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130322142414/http://www.rohwrestling.com/live/events/past-event|archive-date=2013-03-22|url-status=dead}}</ref> This led to a series of matches with the two against each other, as well as reluctant partners.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rohwrestling.com/live/events/past-event|title=Ring of Honor Official results|date=2007-08-05|quote=Kenta beat Davey Richards|publisher=[[Ring of Honor]]|access-date=2012-04-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130322142414/http://www.rohwrestling.com/live/events/past-event|archive-date=2013-03-22|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rohwrestling.com/live/events/past-event|title=Ring of Honor Official results|date=2007-11-03|quote=Austin Aries & Roderick Strong defeated Kenta and Davey Richards when Aries pinned Richards|publisher=[[Ring of Honor]]|access-date=2012-04-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130322142414/http://www.rohwrestling.com/live/events/past-event|archive-date=2013-03-22|url-status=dead}}</ref> At Glory by Honor V: Night 2, Kenta received another match against Danielson for the ROH World title, which saw him [[Submission wrestling|submit]] to Danielson's signature hold, the ''[[Professional wrestling holds#Bridging grounded double chickenwing|Cattle Mutilation]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rohwrestling.com/content/2006-ring-honor-results|title=2006 Ring of Honor Official results|date=2007-09-16|quote=Bryan Danielson defeated Kenta to retain the ROH World Title|publisher=[[Ring of Honor]]|access-date=2016-04-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150418082947/http://www.rohwrestling.com/content/2006-ring-honor-results|archive-date=2015-04-18|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Kenta made his return to Ring of Honor on May 11 of the next year against [[Delirious (wrestler)|Delirious]] in a winning effort.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rohwrestling.com/live/events/past-event|title=Ring of Honor Official results|date=2008-05-11|quote=Kenta defeated Delirious|publisher=[[Ring of Honor]]|access-date=2012-04-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130322142414/http://www.rohwrestling.com/live/events/past-event|archive-date=2013-03-22|url-status=dead}}</ref> Ring of Honor made its [[pay per view]] debut with the show, [[Respect is Earned (2007)|Respect is Earned]], teaming with [[Nigel McGuinness]] against Danielson and Takeshi Morishima in a losing effort, after which Kenta spent several months with the company competing against rival, Davey Richards and his contingency, the [[No Remorse Corps]]. Kenta made his next appearance on the Glory By Honor VI tour; the first night had him team with the GHC Heavyweight Champion Mitsuharu Misawa against Takeshi Morishima and Naomichi Marufuji, with the match ending in a thirty-minute time limit draw.<ref name="ROH2007">{{cite web|url= http://www.rohwrestling.com/content/2007-ring-honor-results|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171005040414/http://www.rohwrestling.com/content/2007-ring-honor-results|url-status=dead|archive-date=2017-10-05|title=2007 Ring of Honor Results|publisher=[[Ring of Honor]]|access-date=2009-07-23}}</ref> The following night, Kenta wrestled Misawa for the GHC Heavyweight Championship in a losing effort.<ref name="ROH2007"/>

Kenta made his return in 2009 against ROH World Champion, Nigel McGuinness in a losing effort at the company's seventh anniversary show. He returned a few weeks later to challenge Davey Richards once more, as well as make his second pay per view appearance for [[Take No Prisoners (2009)|Take No Prisoners]] teaming with [[Seth Rollins|Tyler Black]] against Katsuhiko Nakajima and [[Austin Aries]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rohwrestling.com/news/article.aspx?id=2641/|title=Multi-Time GHC Champion Makes His ROH Return|date=2009-02-25|quote=Roughly 16 months since the last time he competed inside an ROH ring, 2-Time GHC Jr. & 2-Time GHC Jr. Tag Champion Kenta returned from retirement to ROH competition for four upcoming events: Elizabeth, PA on March 20th, NYC on March 21, and Houston, TX on April 3rd & 4th.|access-date=2009-02-25|archive-date=2018-06-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180628233355/https://www.rohwrestling.com/news/article.aspx?id=2641/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Kobayashi was scheduled to return to ROH in November 2009, but was forced to cancel the appearances after suffering a knee injury.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rohwrestling.com/news/Article.aspx?id=2896|title=Kenta Out For November|date=2009-10-30|publisher=[[Ring of Honor]]|access-date=2009-11-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100113060600/http://rohwrestling.com/news/Article.aspx?id=2896|archive-date=January 13, 2010}}</ref>

=== WWE ===

==== NXT (2014–2017) ====
[[File:Hideo Itami March 2015.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Itami at [[WrestleMania Axxess]], March 2015]]
On January 27, 2014, Kenta, with Noah's blessing, entered [[WWE]]'s [[WWE Performance Center|Performance Center]] in [[Orlando, Florida]], for a tryout.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pwinsider.com/article/83143/international-star-at-the-wwe-performance-center.html?p=1|title=International star at the WWE Performance Center|last=Johnson|first=Mike|date=2014-01-28|access-date=2014-01-28|work=Pro Wrestling Insider}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.daily.co.jp/ring/2014/01/30/0006672086.shtml|title=KentaのWWE挑戦、ノア社長容認|date=2014-01-30|access-date=2014-01-31|work=Daily Sports Online|language=ja}}</ref> In a press release, Kenta claimed that he was not after a WWE contract, but only wanted to fulfill a dream and take part in a WWE workout.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pwinsider.com/ViewArticle.php?id=83258|title=Kenta discusses why he was at the WWE Performance Center|last=Johnson|first=Mike|date=2014-01-31|access-date=2014-01-31|work=Pro Wrestling Insider}}</ref> On June 27, [[Tokyo Sports]] reported that Kenta had signed with WWE.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tokyo-sports.co.jp/prores/mens_prores/283548/|title=Kenta WWE入団内定！|date=2014-06-28|access-date=2014-06-28|work=[[Tokyo Sports]]|language=ja|archive-date=2014-07-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714181128/http://www.tokyo-sports.co.jp/prores/mens_prores/283548/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pwinsider.com/article/86567/big-wwe-signing-to-be-announced-next-month.html?p=1|title=Big WWE signing to be announced next month|last=Johnson|first=Mike|date=2014-06-28|access-date=2014-06-28|work=Pro Wrestling Insider}}</ref> His signing was officially announced during an in-ring segment on July 12 in Osaka. Kobayashi relocated to Orlando to resume training at the Performance Center, while also working for WWE's developmental territory [[NXT (WWE brand)|NXT]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/kenta-signed-japan-nxt-26474181|title=WWE signs Japanese star Kenta to NXT|date=2014-07-12|access-date=2014-07-12|work=[[WWE]]}}</ref>

Kobayashi debuted on September 11 at [[NXT TakeOver: Fatal 4-Way]], introduced by [[William Regal]], where he announced his new ring name, "Hideo Itami", meaning "Hero of Pain",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/hideo-itami-interview-26714874|title=From gratitude to the griddle: Hideo Itami on NXT, IHOP and adjusting to life in America|last=Saxton|first=Byron|author-link=Byron Saxton|date=2014-10-09|access-date=2014-11-03|work=[[WWE]]}}</ref> and fended off [[The Ascension (professional wrestling)|The Ascension]] when they interrupted the segment to confront Regal.<ref name=NXTTakeoverSlam>{{cite web|url=http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/2014/09/11/21935396.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20150426120334/http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/2014/09/11/21935396.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 26, 2015|title=Neville shocks, defies odds at NXT Takeover: Fatal 4 Way|last=Howell|first=Nolan|date=2014-09-11|access-date=2014-09-12|work=Slam! Sports|publisher=[[Canadian Online Explorer]]}}</ref> Itami made his in-ring debut at the following day's tapings of ''NXT'', defeating [[P. J. Black|Justin Gabriel]], after which he was attacked by The Ascension.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pwinsider.com/article/88230/the-former-kenta-makes-his-official-inring-debut-and-more-wwe-nxt-tv-spoilers-from-full-sail-live.html?p=1|title=The former Kenta makes his official in-ring debut and more: WWE NXT TV spoilers from Full Sail Live|last=Twiss|first=Andrew|date=2014-09-13|access-date=2014-09-13|work=Pro Wrestling Insider}}</ref><ref name=NT081814Slam>{{cite web|url=http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/2014/09/18/21951116.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20160531194149/http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/2014/09/18/21951116.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 31, 2016|title=NXT: O'Neil and Kidd upset Zayn and Neville|last=Howell|first=Nolan|date=2014-09-18|access-date=2014-09-19|work=Slam! Sports|publisher=[[Canadian Online Explorer]]}}</ref> During the following weeks, Itami kept engaging The Ascension in brawls, but continually lost due to the numbers disadvantage;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wwenxtreport/article_81430.shtml|title=James's WWE NXT report 10/23: Neville defends NXT Title against Titus O'Neil, Tyler Breeze, Ascension, more; Overall Reax|last=James|first=Justin|date=2014-10-24|access-date=2014-11-03|work=Pro Wrestling Torch}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/2014/10/30/22041651.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20160531194151/http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/2014/10/30/22041651.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 31, 2016|title=NXT: Zayn topples Titus in rematch|last=Howell|first=Nolan|date=2014-10-30|access-date=2014-11-03|work=Slam! Sports|publisher=[[Canadian Online Explorer]]}}</ref> the storyline was that as a newcomer in NXT, Itami did not have any friends in the locker room to help him.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wwenxtreport/article_81039.shtml|title=James's WWE NXT results 10/2 – Week 120: Neville defends NXT Title, Charlotte defends Women's Title, Itami; Overall Reax|last=James|first=Justin|date=2014-10-02|access-date=2014-11-03|work=Pro Wrestling Torch}}</ref> This continued until November, when [[Finn Bálor]] debuted as Itami's new partner.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pwinsider.com/ViewArticle.php?id=89389|title=WWE NXT report: Finn-ally, Itami gets some revenge; NXT title match set for next week; Breeze vs. Zayn; and more|last=Trionfo|first=Richard|date=2014-11-06|access-date=2014-11-06|work=Pro Wrestling Insider}}</ref> After weeks of feuding with The Ascension, Itami and Bálor defeated them at [[NXT TakeOver: R Evolution]] on December 11. Itami then participated in an [[NXT Championship]] number one contender's tournament, defeating [[Tyler Breeze]] in the first round, starting a feud between the two.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wwenxtreport/article_82237.shtml|title=Caldwell's WWE NXT Takeover results 12/11: Complete virtual-time coverage of Neville vs. Zayn for the NXT Title, Itami & Balor, Charlotte, Kevin Steen/Owens's debut, Corey Graves retires|date=2014-12-11|access-date=2014-12-11|last=Caldwell|first=James|work=Pro Wrestling Torch}}</ref> He suffered his first defeat in NXT on January 15, 2015, when he was defeated by Bálor in the semi-finals, thus eliminating him from the tournament.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/WWE_News_3/article_82772.shtml|title=NXT news: Next live special announced, full spoiler Results from Thursday's NXT TV tapings|last=Parry|first=Josh|date=2015-01-15|access-date=2015-01-16|work=Pro Wrestling Torch}}</ref> At [[NXT TakeOver: Rival]], Itami defeated Breeze in a rematch. They continued to exchange victories over each other until Itami lost a two-out-of-three falls match to Breeze on the April 1 episode of ''NXT'' to end the feud.<ref>{{cite web|title=WWE NXT Takeover report 2/11: Zayn vs. Owens NXT Title match, Women's Title semi-main event, Neville-Balor; Reax|url=http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wwenxtreport/article_83281.shtml|publisher=Pro Wrestling Torch|last=James|first=Justin|date=2015-02-11|access-date=2015-02-17}}</ref> On March 27, Itami won the [[WrestleMania Axxess]] NXT tournament by defeating [[Pac (wrestler)|Adrian Neville]] and then Finn Bálor to get a spot in the [[André the Giant]] Memorial Battle Royal on the pre-show of [[WrestleMania 31]],<ref>{{cite web|last1=Melok|first1=Bobby|title=NXT Superstar Hideo Itami wins WrestleMania Axxess tournament for a spot in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/wrestlemania/31/hideo-itami-wins-nxt-tournament-andre-giant-memorial-battle-royal-wrestlemania-27234399|work=[[WWE]]|access-date=2015-03-27}}</ref> where he was eliminated by eventual winner [[Big Show]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Clapp|first1=John|title=2nd Annual André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/wrestlemania/31/andre-the-giant-memorial-battle-royal-27139785|work=[[WWE]]|access-date=2015-02-24}}</ref>

On May 20 at [[NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable]], Itami was scheduled to face Finn Bálor and Tyler Breeze in a triple threat match to determine the number one contender for the NXT Championship; however, Itami was ruled out due to injury after an attack he suffered before the event started.<ref>{{cite web|last=James|first=Justin|title=James's WWE NXT "TakeOver: Unstoppable" report 5/20: Owens vs. Zayn for the NXT Title ends in wild fashion with a major debut, plus spectacular NXT Women's Title match, more; Overall Reax|url=http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wwenxtreport/article_85123.shtml|work=Pro Wrestling Torch|date=2015-05-20|access-date=2016-03-29}}</ref> This was made as Itami had suffered a legitimate shoulder injury, which required surgery and was expected to sideline him for six months.<ref>{{cite web|last=Caldwell|first=James|title=NXT news: Update on Hideo Itami shoulder surgery|url=http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/WWE_News_3/article_85235.shtml|work=Pro Wrestling Torch|date=2015-05-26|access-date=2016-03-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Meltzer|first=Dave|author-link=Dave Meltzer|title=Thurs. update: Itami injury, Uhaa Nation notes, AAA World Cup info, Web site dinner and live Q&A show, Lawsuts, Flair, New Japan marathon Steiner, New UFC fight|url=http://www.f4wonline.com/daily-updates/thurs-update-itami-injury-uhaa-nation-notes-aaa-world-cup-info-web-site-dinner-and|work=[[Wrestling Observer Newsletter]]|date=2015-05-08|access-date=2016-03-29}}</ref> In January 2016, it was reported that Itami had suffered complications with his shoulder and was "nowhere close to being able to return".<ref>{{cite journal|last=Meltzer|first=Dave|author-link=Dave Meltzer|date=February 1, 2016|title=February 1, 2016 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: 2016 Royal Rumble, Road to Wrestlemania, more|journal=[[Wrestling Observer Newsletter]]|location=[[Campbell, California]]|issn=1083-9593|page=47}}</ref>

After over a year of inactivity, Itami returned to the ring on June 30, 2016, at an NXT live event, teaming with [[The Mighty Don't Kneel|TM-61]] to defeat [[Samoa Joe]], [[Wesley Blake|Blake]] and [[Tino Sabbatelli]] in a six-man tag team match.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pwtorch.com/site/2016/06/30/630-wwe-nxt-results/|title=6/30 WWE NXT Florida Results – Hideo Itami (Kenta) returns from injury in main event, Austin Aries, Almas, American Alpha vs. Authors|date=2016-06-30|access-date=2016-07-01|work=Pro Wrestling Torch}}</ref> On August 3, Itami made his televised return, defeating [[Cruiserweight Classic]] competitor [[Sean Maluta]]. At [[NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II]], Itami confronted [[Austin Aries]], following the latter's match with [[No Way Jose (wrestler)|No Way Jose]], exchanging blows before attacking Aries with a ''GTS''. On October 12 at an NXT live event, Itami suffered a neck injury after a [[Botch (professional wrestling)|botched]] [[powerslam]] from Riddick Moss and would not be able to team with [[Kota Ibushi]] in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic in which he was scheduled to compete. In a video announcement published on October 18, Itami vowed to return to in-ring competition at NXT's first show in Japan on December 3.<ref>{{cite web|title=HIDEO ITAMI OFFICIALLY OUT OF THE 2016 DUSTY CLASSIC|date=13 October 2016|url=http://www.f4wonline.com/wwe-news/hideo-itami-officially-out-2016-dusty-classic-222646|publisher=Figure Four Wrestling Online|access-date=21 October 2016}}</ref> However, at the event, Itami did not compete but was instead in an in-ring segment alongside William Regal where they talked to the crowd.<ref>{{cite web|title=NXT OSAKA, JAPAN, LIVE RESULTS: NAKAMURA WINS THE TITLE IN HIS HOME COUNTRY|date=3 December 2016|url=http://www.f4wonline.com/wwe-results/nxt-osaka-japan-live-results-nakamura-wins-title-his-home-country-225886|publisher=Figure Four Wrestling Online|access-date=20 December 2016}}</ref>

Itami made his televised return on April 19, 2017, where he confronted NXT Champion [[Bobby Roode]], before slapping him and executing a ''GTS''.<ref>{{cite web|title=NXT results, April 19, 2017: Dillinger ends NXT chapter on high note in Cage Match finale|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/2017-04-19|publisher=[[WWE]]|access-date=20 April 2017}}</ref> This led to a match at [[NXT TakeOver: Chicago]], in which Itami was unsuccessful in winning the title from Roode. On the June 7 episode of NXT, furious after his loss to Roode, Itami faced [[Oney Lorcan]], which ended in a no-contest after Itami performed three ''GTS''s on Lorcan until [[Chris Hero|Kassius Ohno]] attempted to save Lorcan, teasing a heel turn and a feud between the pair. On the July 5 episode of NXT, Itami teamed with Ohno in a tag team match against [[Sanity (professional wrestling)|Sanity]] ([[Killian Dain]] and [[Alexander Wolfe (wrestler)|Alexander Wolfe]]), but lost after Itami refused to tag in Ohno.<ref>{{cite web|title=WWE NXT Results – 7/5/17 (Roode vs. Strong for the NXT Title)|date=6 July 2017|url=http://www.wrestleview.com/wwe-wrestling-results/wwe-nxt-results/85352-wwe-nxt-results-7517-roode-vs-strong-nxt-title/|publisher=WrestleView|access-date=20 July 2017}}</ref> On the July 26 episode of NXT, Itami faced Ohno in the main event, which ended after Itami intentionally disqualified himself with a [[Professional wrestling attacks#Low blow|low blow]] to Ohno before viciously attacking and laying him out after two ''GTS''s, followed by a third onto the steel steps, cementing his heel turn.<ref>{{cite web|title=WWE NXT Results – 7/26/17 (Kassius Ohno vs. Hideo Itami headlines)|url=http://www.wrestleview.com/wwe-wrestling-results/wwe-nxt-results/86977-wwe-nxt-results-july-26-2017/|website=WrestleView|date=27 July 2017|access-date=28 July 2017}}</ref> On the August 2 edition of ''NXT'', Itami cut an in-ring promo, demanding respect from the fans. He was interrupted by [[Malakai Black|Aleister Black]], who was scheduled to face [[Kyle O'Reilly]] in the night's main event. After a stare down between the two, Black hit Itami with ''Black Mass''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/2017-08-02|title=NXT results, Aug. 2, 2017: Aleister Black remains undefeated after epic clash against debuting Kyle O'Reilly|website=WWE}}</ref> Itami attempted to assault Black following the event, but the two were separated by fellow talent.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlnZolMCwD4 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/AlnZolMCwD4 |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|title=Footage shows Hideo Itami trying to jump Aleister Black in the parking lot: Exclusive, Aug. 2, 2017|last=WWE|date=2 August 2017|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> At [[NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III]], Itami was defeated by Black.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wrestlezone.com/news/875433-nxt-takeover-brooklyn-results-hideo-itami-vs-aleister-black|title=NXT Takeover Brooklyn Results: Hideo Itami vs. Aleister Black – Wrestlezone|date=19 August 2017}}</ref> In his last NXT match, Itami defeated [[Giovanni Vinci|Fabian Aichner]] at a [[House show|live event]] on December 16.

==== 205 Live and departure (2017–2019) ====
[[File:Hideo Itami Axxess 2018 crop.jpg|thumb|upright|Itami in April 2018]]
On November 21, 2017, it was announced that Itami would be moving to the main roster as part of the cruiserweight division on ''[[WWE 205 Live|205 Live]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.f4wonline.com/wwe-news/hideo-itami-coming-wwe-205-live-soon-246766|title=Hideo Itami coming to WWE 205 Live soon|last=Currier|first=Joseph|date=2017-11-21|access-date=2017-11-22|work=[[Wrestling Observer Newsletter]]}}</ref> On the December 18 episode of ''[[WWE Raw|Raw]]'', Itami would make his main roster debut, aiding [[Finn Bálor]] to fend off and face [[Curtis Axel]] and [[Bo Dallas]] in a tag team match, which Itami and Bálor would win, turning face in the process. On the December 25 episode of ''Raw'', Itami would defeat [[Brian Kendrick|The Brian Kendrick]], in which Kendrick would suffer an injury following a [[Professional wrestling attacks#Go 2 Sleep|Go to Sleep]] by Itami. This would lead to Itami entering a short feud with Kendrick's tag team partner, [[Gentleman Jack Gallagher]].

On the February 6 episode of ''205 Live'', Itami would be defeated by [[Roderick Strong]] in the first round of the [[NXT Cruiserweight Championship|WWE Cruiserweight Championship]] [[WWE tournaments#WWE Cruiserweight Championship Tournament|tournament]]. During the following month, Itami would have a feud with fellow Japanese wrestler [[Akira Tozawa]], [[Mustafa Ali]] and was involved into the orbit for [[Cedric Alexander]]'s Cruiserweight Championship. He participated in a fatal four-way match involving cruiserweight champion [[Buddy Matthews|Buddy Murphy]], Kalisto, and Tozawa at the [[Royal Rumble (2019)|Royal Rumble]], where he lost after being pinned by Murphy.<ref>{{cite web|last=Powell|first=Jason|title=WWE Royal Rumble 2019 Kickoff Show live review: Rusev vs. Shinsuke Nakamura for the U.S. Championship, Buddy Murphy vs. Hideo Itami vs. Kalisto vs. Akira Tozawa for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship|url=https://prowrestling.net/site/2019/01/27/wwe-royal-rumble-2019-kickoff-show-live-review-rusev-vs-shinsuke-nakamura-for-the-u-s-championship-buddy-murphy-vs-hideo-itami-vs-kalisto-vs-akira-tozawa-for-the-wwe-cruiserweight-championship/|work=Pro Wrestling Dot Net|date=27 January 2019|access-date=January 27, 2019}}</ref>

On January 29, it was reported that Itami requested and was granted his release from the company after a five-year run.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.solowrestling.com/new/78095-hideo-itami-pide-a-wwe-su-liberacion-de-contrato|title=Hideo Itami pide a WWE su liberación de contrato|last=Solowrestling|date=30 January 2019|website=www.solowrestling.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newsweek.com/hideo-itami-released-wwe-contract-1311716|title=Hideo Itami reportedly asked and was granted his release from WWE|first=Phillip Martinez On 1/30/19 at 11:43|last=AM|date=30 January 2019|website=Newsweek}}</ref> This was followed by multiple members of the roster saying goodbye to Itami on social media.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/wrestlers-react-hideo-itami-reportedly-leaving-wwe|title=Wrestlers React To Hideo Itami Reportedly Leaving WWE|work=Fightful|first=Jeremy|last=Lambert|date=January 30, 2019|access-date=February 17, 2019}}</ref> On February 4, 2019, the WWE Performance Center YouTube channel that documents the Superstars travel and backstage life released a video chronicling Itami's last week in WWE. The video features Itami working with Daivari and talking about his struggles with learning to speak and understand English. The end of the video sees Hideo walking back to gorilla position and being given a standing ovation from those in the backstage area.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/205-live-roster-puts-together-video-about-hideo-itami-s-last-week-wwe|title=205 Live Roster Puts Together A Video About Hideo Itami's Last Week In WWE|work=Fightful|first=Andrew|last=Thompson|date=February 4, 2019|access-date=February 17, 2019}}</ref> On February 22, Kobayashi was officially released by WWE, as the company formally acknowledged his departure on [[Twitter]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1099027870721167361|title=WWE has come to terms on the release of Kenta Kobayashi (Hideo Itami).|last=WWE|date=2019-02-22|website=@WWE|language=en|access-date=2019-02-22}}</ref>

In 2020, when he was working with NJPW, Kenta said that his time with WWE were "the most frustrating days of my life".<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.si.com/wrestling/2020/08/21/njpw-kenta-career-wwe-humiliation|title = Q&A: NJPW's Kenta Reflects on 'Humiliation' of His Time in WWE| newspaper=Sports Illustrated | date=21 August 2020 }}</ref>

=== New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2019–2025) ===
====Bullet Club and NEVER Openweight Champion (2019–2020)====
{{main|Bullet Club}}
[[File:KENTA 201912.jpg|thumb|Kenta as the [[NEVER Openweight Championship|NEVER Openweight Champion]] in December 2019]]
Kenta made his surprise debut for [[New Japan Pro-Wrestling]] (NJPW) on June 9, 2019, at the [[Dominion 6.9 in Osaka-jo Hall (2019)|Dominion 6.9 in Osaka-jo Hall]] event as a face, with [[Katsuyori Shibata]] as his manager, announcing his participation in the [[G1 Climax (2019)|2019 G1 Climax]] tournament.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Meltzer |first1=Dave |author-link1=Dave Meltzer |title=June 17, 2019 Observer Newsletter: Scary incidents in the ring, NJPW Dominion review |url=https://members.f4wonline.com/wrestling-observer-newsletter/june-17-2019-observer-newsletter-scary-incidents-ring-njpw-dominion |website=f4wonline.com |access-date=June 17, 2019}}</ref> Kenta made his in-ring debut for NJPW on July 6, defeating [[Kota Ibushi]] as a part of the tournament.<ref name=NJPW070619>{{cite web|url=https://www.njpw1972.com/tornament/45217?showResult=1|title=2019.07.06 G1 CLIMAX 29 Night 1 {{!}} NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING|access-date=July 23, 2019|work=[[New Japan Pro-Wrestling]]|language=en}}</ref> Kenta, competing in the A Block of the tournament, stayed undefeated in singles matches for over a month and a half, defeating [[Hiroshi Tanahashi]],<ref name=NJPW071419>{{cite web|url=https://www.njpw1972.com/tornament/47797?showResult=1|title=2019.07.14 G1 CLIMAX 29 Night 3 {{!}} NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING|access-date=2019-07-22|work=[[New Japan Pro-Wrestling]]|language=en}}</ref> [[Lance Archer]],<ref name=NJPW071819>{{cite web|url=https://www.njpw1972.com/tornament/47811?showResult=1|title=2019.07.18 G1 CLIMAX 29 Night 5 {{!}} NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING|access-date=2019-07-22|work=[[New Japan Pro-Wrestling]]|language=en}}</ref> and [[Evil (wrestler)|Evil]]<ref name=NJPW072019>{{cite web|url=https://www.njpw1972.com/tornament/47813?showResult=1|title=2019.07.20 G1 CLIMAX 29 Night 7 {{!}} NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING|access-date=2019-07-22|work=[[New Japan Pro-Wrestling]]|language=en}}</ref> before suffering his first defeat against [[IWGP Heavyweight Championship|IWGP Heavyweight Champion]] [[Kazuchika Okada]] on July 27, as part of the tournament.<ref name=NJPW072719>{{cite web|url=https://www.njpw1972.com/tornament/47804?showResult=1|title=2019.07.27 G1 CLIMAX 29 Night 9 {{!}} NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING|access-date=July 27, 2019|work=[[New Japan Pro-Wrestling]]|language=en}}</ref> Kenta would then lose his next four matches against [[Sanada (wrestler)|Sanada]],<ref name=NJPW073019>{{cite web|url=https://www.njpw1972.com/tornament/47806?showResult=1|title=2019.07.30 G1 CLIMAX 29 Night 11 {{!}} NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING|access-date=July 30, 2019|work=[[New Japan Pro-Wrestling]]|language=en}}</ref> [[Bad Luck Fale]],<ref name=NJPW080319>{{cite web|url=https://www.njpw1972.com/tornament/47814?showResult=1|title=2019.08.03 G1 CLIMAX 29 Night 13 {{!}} NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING|access-date=August 12, 2019|work=[[New Japan Pro-Wrestling]]|language=en}}</ref> [[Will Ospreay]]<ref name=NJPW080719>{{cite web|url=https://www.njpw1972.com/tornament/47808?showResult=1|title=2019.08.07 G1 CLIMAX 29 Night 15 {{!}} NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING|access-date=August 12, 2019|work=[[New Japan Pro-Wrestling]]|language=en}}</ref> and [[Zack Sabre Jr.]], failing to win the tournament with a final tally of 8 points (four wins and five losses).<ref name=NJPW081019>{{cite web|url=https://www.njpw1972.com/tornament/47816?showResult=1|title=2019.08.10 G1 CLIMAX 29 Night 17 {{!}} NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING|access-date=August 12, 2019|work=[[New Japan Pro-Wrestling]]|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbssports.com/wwe/news/njpw-g1-climax-29-results-winner-kota-ibushi-tops-jay-white-in-epic-2019-finals-match/|title=NJPW G1 Climax 29 results, winner: Kota Ibushi tops Jay White in epic 2019 finals match|work=[[CBSSports.com]]|publisher=[[CBS Interactive]]|first=Jack|last=Crosby|date=August 12, 2019|access-date=August 15, 2019}}</ref>

On the final night of the tournament, Kenta competed in a six-man tag team match alongside [[Chaos (professional wrestling)|Chaos]] members [[Tomohiro Ishii]] and [[Yoshi-Hashi]] against [[Bullet Club]]'s [[Bad Luck Fale]], [[Tama Tonga]], and [[Tanga Loa]], only to turn on them in the closing moments of the match and assisting the Bullet Club for the victory, turning heel. As Kenta was going to explain his actions, Katsuyori Shibata rushed into the ring and attacked Kenta until the rest of the Bullet Club members ambushed Shibata.<ref name=NJPW081219>{{cite web|url=https://www.njpw1972.com/tornament/47818?showResult=1|title=2019.08.12 G1 CLIMAX 29 Night 19 {{!}} NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING|access-date=August 12, 2019|work=[[New Japan Pro-Wrestling]]|language=en}}</ref> At [[Royal Quest (2019)|Royal Quest]] on August 31, Kenta defeated Ishii to win the [[NEVER Openweight Championship]], his first championship in NJPW.<ref name="NJPW">{{cite web |url=https://www.njpw1972.com/tornament/44497?showResult=1 |title=NJPW Royal Quest |publisher=[[New Japan Pro-Wrestling]] |access-date=August 22, 2019}}</ref> The match was criticized because Kobayashi suffered a concussion after a back suplex by Ishii, getting knocked out in the process. However, both continued the match without referee stoppage.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://deadspin.com/njpw-let-kenta-finish-a-match-despite-being-obviously-c-1837844351/amp|title=NJPW Let KENTA Finish A Match Despite Being Obviously Concussed|website=deadspin.com|date=3 September 2019 }}</ref> He was sent to the hospital after the show.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://411mania.com/wrestling/update-on-kenta-following-post-njpw-royal-quest-hospitalization/|title=Update on KENTA Following Post-NJPW Royal Quest Hospitalization|publisher=411Mania}}</ref> At [[Destruction (2019)|Destruction in Kagoshima]] on September 16, Kenta returned and unsuccessfully faced Kota Ibushi for the [[G1 Climax#Tokyo Dome IWGP Heavyweight Championship challenge rights certificate|Tokyo Dome IWGP Heavyweight Championship challenge rights certificate]].<ref name="Kagoshima">{{cite web|url=https://www.njpw1972.com/tornament/52023?showResult=1|title=2019.09.16 Destruction in Kagoshima|publisher=[[New Japan Pro-Wrestling]]|access-date=September 24, 2019}}</ref>

At [[Power Struggle (2019)|Power Struggle]] on November 3, Kenta retained his title against Ishii in a rematch. Later in the night, he attacked [[Hirooki Goto]].<ref name="Power Struggle">{{cite web |title=NJPW Power Struggle 2019 |url=https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/events/njpw-power-struggle-2019 |publisher=Fightful |access-date=27 October 2019}}</ref> Kenta lost the NEVER Openweight Championship to Goto at [[Wrestle Kingdom 14]] on January 5, 2020, ending his reign at 127 days with two successful defenses.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.njpw1972.com/tornament/49956?showResult=1|title=2020.01.05 WRESTLE KINGDOM in TOKYO DOME {{!}} Night 2|publisher=[[New Japan Pro-Wrestling]]|date=January 5, 2020|access-date=January 5, 2020}}</ref> Later that night, Kenta attacked [[Tetsuya Naito]] after his main event match with Kazuchika Okada. Kenta would challenge Naito for both the [[IWGP Intercontinental Championship|IWGP Intercontinental]] and [[IWGP Heavyweight Championship]]s at [[The New Beginning in Osaka (2020)|The New Beginning in Osaka]], where he was defeated.<ref>{{Cite web|last=NJPW|title=2020.02.09 THE NEW BEGINNING in OSAKA {{!}} NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING|url=https://www.njpw1972.com/tornament/63551|access-date=2020-06-26|website=NJPW|language=en}}</ref>

====United States Heavyweight Champion (2020–2022)====
In August, Kenta competed in the inaugural [[New Japan Cup USA]] tournament, with the winner receiving a match for the [[IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship]]. Kenta defeated [[Karl Fredericks]] in the first round, [[Jeff Cobb]] in the semi-finals, and [[David Finlay (wrestler)|David Finlay]] in the finals to win the tournament.<ref name="Aug7">{{cite web|url=https://www.njpw1972.com/tornament/77901?showResult=1|title=2020.08.07 NEW JAPAN CUP 2020 in the USA|work=[[New Japan Pro-Wrestling]]|publisher=[[Bushiroad]]|date=August 7, 2020|access-date=August 11, 2020}}</ref><ref name="Aug14">{{cite web|url=https://www.njpw1972.com/tornament/77907?showResult=1|title=2020.08.14 NEW JAPAN CUP 2020 in the USA|work=[[New Japan Pro-Wrestling]]|publisher=[[Bushiroad]]|date=August 7, 2020|access-date=August 11, 2020}}</ref><ref name="Aug21">{{cite web|url=https://www.njpw1972.com/tornament/77916?showResult=1|title=2020.08.21 NEW JAPAN CUP 2020 in the USA|work=[[New Japan Pro-Wrestling]]|publisher=[[Bushiroad]]|date=August 7, 2020|access-date=August 11, 2020}}</ref> Kenta then competed in the [[G1 Climax 30|2020 G1 Climax]] in the B Block, but failed to win with a final score of 10 points.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.g1climax.jp/en/#scoreSheet|title=G1 CLIMAX 30 Score Sheet {{!}} NEW JAPAN-PRO WRESTLING|work=[[New Japan Pro-Wrestling]]|access-date=October 21, 2020}}</ref> At [[Power Struggle (2020)|Power Struggle]] on November 7, Kenta successfully retained his Right to Challenge contract for the United States Championship against [[Hiroshi Tanahashi]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.njpw1972.com/tornament/80450?showResult=1|title=2020.11.07 POWER STRUGGLE {{!}} NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING|work=[[New Japan Pro-Wrestling]]|access-date=November 7, 2020}}</ref> He was then due to defend the contract against [[Juice Robinson]] at [[Wrestle Kingdom 15]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/kenta-accepts-juice-robinson-s-challenge-wrestle-kingdom-15|title=KENTA Accepts Juice Robinson's Challenge For Wrestle Kingdom 15|work=Fightful|first=Jeremy|last=Lambert|date=December 23, 2020|access-date=December 24, 2020}}</ref> but Robinson suffered an injury and [[Satoshi Kojima]] was named as his replacement.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.f4wonline.com/new-japan-news/njpw-confirms-kenta-vs-satoshi-kojima-wrestle-kingdom-15-328446|title=NJPW CONFIRMS KENTA VS. SATOSHI KOJIMA FOR WRESTLE KINGDOM 15|work=F4WOnline|publisher=[[Wrestling Observer Newsletter]]|first=Bryan|last=Rose|date=December 23, 2020|access-date=December 24, 2020}}</ref> At the event on January 4, 2021, Kenta defeated Kojima to retain the Right to Challenge contract.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://prowrestling.net/site/2021/01/04/1-4-njpw-wrestle-kingdom-15-results-powells-review-of-tetsuya-naito-vs-kota-ibushi-for-the-iwgp-heavyweight-and-iwgp-intercontinental-championships-kazuchika-okada-vs-will-ospreay-hiromu-takaha/|title=1/4 NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 15 results: Powell's review of Tetsuya Naito vs. Kota Ibushi for the IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental Championships, Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay, Hiromu Takahashi vs. El Phantasmo for a shot at the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship|first=Jason|last=Powell|publisher=Pro Wrestling Dot Net|date=January 4, 2021|access-date=January 4, 2021}}</ref> On the January 29 episode of ''[[NJPW Strong|Strong]]'', Kenta was attacked by United States Champion [[Jon Moxley]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Defelice |first1=Robert |title=Jon Moxley Returns To NJPW During NJPW Strong 'Road To Lion's Break: Contender' |url=https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/jon-moxley-returns-njpw-during-njpw-strong-road-lion-s-break-contender |access-date=January 31, 2021 |work=Fightful |date=January 29, 2021 |language=en}}</ref> It was then announced that Kenta would receive his championship shot against Moxley at [[The New Beginning USA (2021)|The New Beginning USA]] on February 26, where he was defeated.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Guzzo |first1=Gisberto |title=Jon Moxley To Defend IWGP United States Championship Vs KENTA At NJPW New Beginning USA |url=https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/iwgp-united-states-title-match-set-njpw-new-beginning-usa-2021 |access-date=January 31, 2021 |work=Fightful |date=January 30, 2021 |language=en}}</ref>

In March, Kenta competed in the [[New Japan Cup#2021|New Japan Cup]], defeating Juice Robinson and [[Minoru Suzuki]], but losing to [[Shingo Takagi]] in the quarter-finals.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.f4wonline.com/news/new-japan/results/new-japan-cup-night-11-results-shingo-takagi-vs-kenta-336006 | title=New Japan Cup night 11 results: Shingo Takagi vs. KENTA | newspaper=Won/F4W - Wwe News, Pro Wrestling News, Wwe Results, Aew News, Aew Results | date=16 March 2021 }}</ref> In July at [[Wrestle Grand Slam in Tokyo Dome]], Kenta competed in the [[Battle royal (professional wrestling)#New Japan Rumble|New Japan Ranbo]] for the provisional [[KOPW (professional wrestling championship)|KOPW Championship]], but the match was won by Bullet Club stablemate [[Chase Owens]].<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.f4wonline.com/new-japan-results/njpw-wrestle-grand-slam-tokyo-dome-live-results-iwgp-title-match-347971 | title=NJPW Wrestle Grand Slam in Tokyo Dome live results: IWGP title match | newspaper=Won/F4W - Wwe News, Pro Wrestling News, Wwe Results, Aew News, Aew Results | date=25 July 2021 }}</ref> Two months later Kenta competed in the [[G1 Climax 31]] tournament, where he competed in the A Block.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.njpw1972.com/103594 | title=G1 CLIMAX 31 Entrants announced! 【G131】 | NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING }}</ref> Kenta finished the tournament with a total of 12 points, finishing joint 3rd in the block, failing to advance to the finals.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://wrestletalk.com/news/njpw-g1-climax-31-final-set/ | title=NJPW G1 Climax 31 Final Set | date=19 October 2021 }}</ref>

At [[Power Struggle (2021)|Power Struggle]], Kenta defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi to win the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Woodward|first=Hamish|date=2021-11-08|title=KENTA pins Hiroshi Tanahashi to win IWGP US Championship|url=https://atletifo.com/wrestling/njpw/kenta-iwgp-us-heavyweight-championship-hiroshi-tanahashi/|access-date=2021-11-09|website=Atletifo Sports|language=en-GB}}</ref> He would lose the title back to Tanahashi three months later on Night 2 of [[Wrestle Kingdom 16]] in a [[No disqualification match]], where in the match Kenta was bloodily injured.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://prowrestling.net/site/2022/01/05/1-5-njpw-wrestle-kingdom-16-results-kazuchika-okada-vs-will-ospreay-for-the-iwgp-world-heavyweight-championship-kenta-vs-hiroshi-tanahashi-for-the-iwgp-u-s-championship-tetsuya-naito-vs-jeff-co/|title = 1/5 NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 16 results: Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, Kenta vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi for the IWGP U.S. Championship, Tetsuya Naito vs. Jeff Cobb, Mayu Iwatani and Starlight Kid vs. Saya Kamitani and Tam Nakano, Sanada vs. Great-O-Khan|date = 5 January 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://itrwrestling.com/news/kenta-gruesome-injury-at-wrestle-kingdom-16/ | title=KENTA Suffers Gruesome Injury at Wrestle Kingdom 16 [PHOTO] | date=5 January 2022 }}</ref>

After his recovery, Kenta was announced to be a part of the [[G1 Climax 32]] tournament in July, where he would compete in the C Block.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.postwrestling.com/2022/06/12/field-announced-for-njpw-g1-climax-32/ | title=Field announced for NJPW G1 Climax 32 | date=12 June 2022 }}</ref> He finished with 6 points, failing to advance to the semi-finals.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.f4wonline.com/news/new-japan/njpw-g1-climax-32-block-winners-determined-semifinals-set | title=NJPW G1 Climax 32 block winners determined, semifinals set | newspaper=Won/F4W - Wwe News, Pro Wrestling News, Wwe Results, Aew News, Aew Results | date=16 August 2022 }}</ref> In October, Kenta competed in a tournament to crown the first ever [[NJPW World Television Championship|NJPW World Television Champion]], defeating Hirooki Goto, in the first round.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/results/njpw-battle-autumn-results-1016-sanada-vs-taichi-kenta-vs-hirooki-goto | title=NJPW Battle Autumn Results (10/16): SANADA vs. Taichi, KENTA vs. Hirooki Goto | Fightful News }}</ref> In the following round, Kenta was defeated by Sanada.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://theovertimer.com/2022/10/njpw-battle-autumn-2022-results-sanada-defeats-kenta-to-advance-in-njpw-world-television-championship-tournament-10-30/ | title=NJPW Battle Autumn 2022 Results: SANADA Defeats KENTA to Advance in NJPW World Television Championship Tournament (10/30) | date=30 October 2022 }}</ref>

====Championship reigns (2022–2025)====
[[File:KENTA (52828172837).jpg|thumb|right|Kenta as the [[Strong Openweight Championship|Strong Openweight Champion]] in April 2023]]
In November, Kenta returned to ''Strong'', defeating [[Bad Dude Tito]] in his return match.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/events-results/ppv-special/njpw-strong-detonation-2022 | title=NJPW Strong: Detonation (2022) | Results | NJPW PPV Events }}</ref> The following month, Kenta won a battle royal, to become the number one contender for the [[Strong Openweight Championship]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://socaluncensored.com/2022/12/11/njpw-strong-11-december-2022-results/ | title=NJPW Strong - 11 December 2022 - Results | date=12 December 2022 }}</ref> Kenta returned to Japan at [[Wrestle Kingdom 17]], competing in the [[Battle royal (professional wrestling)#New Japan Rumble|New Japan Ranbo]], but failed to last till the final 4.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.njpw1972.com/tornament/130385?showResult=1 | title=2023.01.04 WRESTLE KINGDOM 17 in TOKYO DOME | NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING }}</ref> Back in the US, Kenta received his championship match for the Strong Openweight Championship at [[Battle in the Valley (2023)|Battle in the Valley]], where he defeated [[Fred Rosser]] to win the championship.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.njpw1972.com/tornament/135071?showResult=1 | title=2023.02.18 BATTLE IN THE VALLEY (Cheering event) | NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING }}</ref>

Kenta returned to Japan to compete in the 2023 [[New Japan Cup#2023|New Japan Cup]], receiving a [[Bye (sports)|bye]] to the second round, where he was defeated by Sanada.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.wrestling-news.net/njpw-new-japan-cup-2023-day-4-results/201476/ | title=NJPW Results: New Japan Cup 2023 Day 4 – Nagoya, Japan (3/11) | date=12 March 2023 }}</ref> Later that month, Kenta returned to the US to make his first successful Strong Openweight Championship defense at [[Multiverse United]], defeating Minoru Suzuki.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://impactwrestling.com/2023/03/30/multiverse-united-only-the-strong-survive-2023-live-results/ | title=Multiverse United: Only the STRONG Survive 2023 Full Results – IMPACT Wrestling }}</ref> The following month, Kenta defended the title against [[Eddie Edwards (wrestler)|Eddie Edwards]] at [[Capital Collision (2023)|Capital Collision]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://prowrestling.net/site/2023/04/15/4-15-njpw-capital-collision-results-mcguires-in-person-report-on-motor-city-machine-guns-vs-aussie-open-vs-hiroshi-tanahashi-and-kazuchika-okada-in-a-three-way-for-the-njpw-strong-openweight-tag/ | title=4/15 NJPW Capital Collision results: McGuire's in-person report on Motor City Machine Guns vs. Aussie Open vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada in a three-way for the NJPW Strong Openweight Tag Team Titles, Kenta vs. Eddie Edwards for the NJPW Strong Openweight Championship, Hiromu Takahashi and Tetsuya Naito vs. Sanada and Yoshinobu Kanemaru | date=16 April 2023 }}</ref> In May, at [[Wrestling Dontaku 2023|Wrestling Dontaku]], Kenta lost the Strong Openweight Championship to former Bullet Club stablemate, [[Hikuleo (wrestler)|Hikuleo]], ending his reign at 74 days.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.njpw1972.com/tornament/142301?showCards=1 | title=2023.05.03 Wrestling Dontaku 2023 | NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING }}</ref> Despite this, Kenta regained the championship 18 days later, defeating Hikuleo at [[Resurgence (2023)|Resurgence]].<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.f4wonline.com/news/new-japan/results/njpw-resurgence-live-results-strong-womens-title-tournament | title=NJPW Resurgence live results: Strong Women's title tournament | newspaper=Won/F4W - Wwe News, Pro Wrestling News, Wwe Results, Aew News, Aew Results | date=21 May 2023 }}</ref> On July 5's night 2 of [[NJPW Independence Day|Independence Day]], Kenta lost the Strong Openweight Championship to [[Eddie Kingston]], ending his reign at 45 days.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.wrestlinginc.com/1331085/eddie-kingston-wins-gold-title-championship-njpw-strong-independence-day/ | title=Eddie Kingston Wins Gold at NJPW STRONG Independence Day | date=5 July 2023 }}</ref> Later in the month, Kenta entered the 2023 [[G1 Climax 33|G1 Climax]] tournament, competing in the B Block.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.voicesofwrestling.com/njpw-g1-climax-33-participants-blocks-full-schedule/ | title=NJPW G1 Climax 33 Participants, Blocks & Full Schedule }}</ref> Kenta finished the tournament with 6 points, therefore failing to advance to the quarterfinals.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.cagesideseats.com/2023/8/9/23825701/new-japan-g1-climax-33-final-block-standings-quarterfinal-matches-sanada-okada-ospreay-kingston | title=New Japan's G1 Climax 33 quarterfinals are set | date=9 August 2023 }}</ref>

On January 5, 2024, at ''[[New Year Dash!!]]'', [[Chase Owens]] came forward to challenge recently crowned [[IWGP Tag Team Championship|IWGP Tag Team Champions]] and [[Strong Openweight Tag Team Championship|Strong Openweight Tag Team Champions]] the Guerrillas of Destiny (El Phantasmo and Hikuleo) to a match with his partner being Kenta, which they accepted.<ref>{{Cite web|title=2024.01.05 New Year Dash!! {{!}} New Japan Pro-Wrestling|url=https://www.njpw1972.com/tornament/162902|access-date=2024-01-05|website=New Japan Pro-Wrestling|language=en-US}}</ref> After Kenta and Owens unsuccessfully challenged Phantasmo and Hikuleo for the Strong Openweight Tag Team Championship on February 4 at [[The New Beginning in Nagoya (2024)|The New Beginning in Nagoya]], Guerrillas of Destiny decided to defend the IWGP Tag Team Championship against them at [[The New Beginning in Osaka (2024)|The New Beginning in Osaka]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.f4wonline.com/news/new-japan/results/njpw-the-new-beginning-in-nagoya-live-results-never-title-match | title=NJPW the New Beginning in Nagoya live results: NEVER title match | date=20 January 2024 }}</ref> At the event on February 11, Kenta and Owens defeated Guerrillas of Destiny to win the titles, for the first time in Kenta's career.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.f4wonline.com/news/new-japan/results/njpw-the-new-beginning-in-osaka-live-results-final-okada-vs-tanahashi-match | title=NJPW the New Beginning in Osaka live results: Final Okada vs. Tanahashi match | date=11 February 2024 }}</ref> The following month, Kenta entered the [[New Japan Cup#2024|New Japan Cup]], but was defeated in the first round by [[Yoshi-Hashi]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.wrestlezone.com/event/njpw/1451950-njpw-52nd-anniversary-new-japan-cup-results-day-1-march-6 | title=NJPW 52nd Anniversary/ New Japan Cup Results: Day 1 - March 6 | date=8 March 2024 }}</ref> They lost the titles to Hirooki Goto and Yoshi-Hashi on April 6 at [[Sakura Genesis (2024)|Sakura Genesis]], before regaining them on May 4 at [[Wrestling Dontaku 2024|Wrestling Dontaku]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.f4wonline.com/news/new-japan/results/njpw-sakura-genesis-live-results-naito-vs-tsuji-iwgp-world-title-match|title=NJPW Sakura Genesis live results: Naito vs. Tsuji IWGP World title match|first=Chick|last=Fritts|work=[[Wrestling Observer Newsletter|Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online]]|date=April 6, 2024|access-date=April 6, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.f4wonline.com/news/new-japan/results/njpw-wrestling-dontaku-night-two-live-results-moxley-vs-narita-iwgp-title-match|title=NJPW Wrestling Dontaku night two live results: Moxley vs. Narita IWGP title match|first=Chick|last=Fritts|work=[[Wrestling Observer Newsletter|Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online]]|date=May 4, 2024|access-date=May 4, 2024}}</ref> Kenta would spend the rest of 2024 teaming with Owens.

On January 6, 2025, at [[New Year Dash!!#2025|New Year Dash!!]], Kenta teamed with [[Taiji Ishimori]] in a losing effort to [[El Desperado (wrestler)|El Desperado]] and [[Kushida (wrestler)|Kushida]]. This would be Kenta's last appearance in NJPW and as a member of Bullet Club.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-01-06 |title=NJPW New Year's Dash live results: The fallout from the Tokyo Dome |url=https://www.f4wonline.com/news/new-japan/new-japan-results/njpw-new-years-dash-live-results-the-fallout-from-the-tokyo-dome/ |access-date=2025-02-13 |website=F4W/WON |language=en-GB}}</ref>

=== All Elite Wrestling (2021) ===
Kenta made a surprise appearance for [[All Elite Wrestling]] (AEW) at the [[Beach Break (2021)|Beach Break]] event on February 3, 2021, attacking Jon Moxley.<ref name="Beach Break">{{cite web|url=https://prowrestling.net/site/2021/02/03/2-3-aew-dynamite-results-powells-live-review-of-jon-moxley-pac-and-rey-fenix-vs-kenny-omega-doc-gallows-and-karl-anderson-battle-royal-for-a-shot-at-the-aew-tag-titles-lance-archer-vs-eddie/|title=2/3 AEW Dynamite results: Powell's live review of Jon Moxley, Pac, and Rey Fenix vs. Kenny Omega, Doc Gallows, and Karl Anderson, Battle Royal for a shot at the AEW Tag Titles, Lance Archer vs. Eddie Kingston in a Lumberjack Match, Kip Sabian and Penelope Ford wedding|work=Pro Wrestling Dot Net|first=Jason|last=Powell|date=February 3, 2021|access-date=February 3, 2021}}</ref> He wrestled his debut match for AEW on the February 10 episode of ''[[AEW Dynamite|Dynamite]]'', where he teamed with [[Kenny Omega]] to defeat Moxley and [[Lance Archer]] in a [[Professional wrestling match types#Falls Count Anywhere match|Falls Count Anywhere]] tag team match.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/results/aew-dynamite-021020-results-omega-and-kenta-vs-moxley-and-archer-eliminator-tournament-and-more|title=AEW Dynamite 02/10/20 Results: Omega and Kenta vs. Moxley and Archer, Eliminator Tournament and more|work=Fightful.com|first=Rob|last=Wilkins|date=February 10, 2021|access-date=February 11, 2021}}</ref>

=== Impact Wrestling (2023) ===
Kenta would make his [[Impact Wrestling|Impact]] debut at [[No Surrender (2023)|No Surrender]] on February 24, teaming with fellow Bullet Club members [[Chris Bey]] and [[Ace Austin]], as they would beat Time Machine ([[Alex Shelley]], [[Chris Sabin]] and [[Kushida (wrestler)|Kushida]]) in a six-man tag team match. On the following episode of Impact Wrestling, he would face [[Josh Alexander]] for the [[Impact World Championship]], in a losing effort.

=== Return to Pro Wrestling Noah (2025–present) ===
On January 1, 2025 at [[Noah The New Year 2025|The New Year]], Kenta made his return to Pro Wrestling Noah, after two years, defeating [[Kenoh]]. Following the match, Kenoh asked Kenta to return to Noah.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://411mania.com/wrestling/pro-wrestling-noah-the-new-year-results-2024/ | title=411Mania }}</ref> The following day at [[Noah The New Year 2025|New Year Reboot]], Kenta saved Kenoh from a post-match assault from [[Team 2000X]], before announcing that he would accept his request to compete in Noah for a year.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/results/noah-new-year-results-11-kaito-kiyomiya-shinsuke-nakamura-omos-kenta-action|title=NOAH New Year Results (1/1): Kaito Kiyomiya, Shinsuke Nakamura, Omos, KENTA In Action|work=fightful.com|first=Jeremy|last=Lambert|date=January 1, 2025|access-date=January 1, 2025}}</ref> On February 11, Kenta and Kenoh defeated [[Kaito Kiyomiya]] and [[Shuhei Taniguchi]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Thompson |first=Andrew |date=2025-02-11 |title=GHC Heavyweight & GHC National double title match made official for NOAH's 3/2 show |url=https://www.postwrestling.com/2025/02/11/ghc-heavyweight-ghc-national-double-title-match-made-official-for-noahs-3-2-show/#:~:text=Here%20are%20the%20results%20from,Anthony%20Greene%20&%20Zozaya |access-date=2025-02-12 |website=POST Wrestling {{!}} Podcasts, News, Reviews {{!}} WWE AEW NXT NJPW |language=en-US}}</ref> The following day, it was announced that Kenta had signed a contract with Pro Wrestling Noah, marking his official return to the promotion after 11 years.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Martínez|first=Sebastián |date=February 12, 2025 |title=Kenta se une a Noah |url=https://solowrestling.com/new/137937-kenta-se-une-a-noah |website=Solowrestling}}</ref> Shortly after, he began a short feud with [[Ulka Sasaki]], leading to a match on March 22, which Kenta won. Afterwards, Kenta invited Sasaki to join his alliance with Kenoh. Later that night, Kenta challenged [[Taishi Ozawa|Ozawa]] to a title match for the [[GHC Heavyweight Championship]], who accepted the match under the condition that Kenta and Kenoh would face him and [[Tetsuya Endo (wrestler)|Tetsuya Endo]] in a no disqualification match on April 14.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.planetawrestling.com/resultados-de-noah-star-navigation-premium-2025-en-korakuen-hall-22-de-marzo-de-2025/|title=Resultados de NOAH Star Navigation Premium 2025 en Korakuen Hall – 22 de marzo de 2025|work=planetawrestling.com|author=Pep S. Caro|lang=es|date=March 22, 2025|access-date=March 22, 2025}}</ref> On May 3 at [[Noah Memorial Voyage in Kokugikan|Memorial Voyage in Kokugikan]], Kenta unsuccessfully challenged Ozawa for the GHC Heavyweight Championship.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://monthlypuroresu.com/features/pro-wrestling-noah-memorial-voyage-2025-a-war-for-the-soul-of-noah/?srsltid=AfmBOopJb_E0FzPoQRXrOkGCIjbY83yWrScxCM8QNZKvu729tMk5o7BI|title=Pro Wrestling NOAH Memorial Voyage 2025 – A War for the Soul of NOAH|work=monthlypuroresu.com|author=H.M. Ryan|date=May 7, 2025|access-date=May 7, 2025}}</ref>

==Professional wrestling style and persona==
As a former kickboxer, Kenta incorporates shoot-style kicks and stiff strikes. He is considered the innovator of the ''[[Professional wrestling strikes#Go 2 Sleep|Go 2 Sleep]]'', in which he carries his opponent in a fireman's carry before dropping them forward while lifting his left knee onto their face. He also uses a backbreaker rack version called ''Ura Go 2 Sleep''.

After his release from WWE in 2019, he joined NJPW five months later. Kenta was labelled as an outsider by many New Japan fans due to his long-time association with Pro Wrestling Noah. He would embrace the hatred, even joining the Bullet Club, and adopted the nickname, "Shijō Saiaku no Rannyū-sha" ("The Worst Intruder Ever")

==Championships and accomplishments==
* '''Alianza Latinoamericana de Lucha Libre'''
** Torneo Latino Americano de Lucha Libre (2013)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cagematch.net/?id=26&nr=2540&page=2|title=Torneo Latino Americano de Lucha Libre (2013)|first=Philip|last=Kreikenbohm|publisher=Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database|date=February 17, 2013|access-date=April 1, 2021}}</ref>
*'''[[Combat Zone Wrestling]]'''
**[[CZW Best of the Best|Best of the Best XX]] (2024)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pwinsider.com/article/183870/czw-best-of-the-best-xx-winner-is.html?p=1|title=CZW BEST OF THE BEST XX WINNER IS....}}</ref>
*'''[[DEFY Wrestling]]'''
**[[DEFY World Championship]] ([[DEFY World Championship#Title history|1 time]])<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cagematch.net//?id=1&nr=366387|title=DEFY Your Nightmare « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database|website=www.cagematch.net}}</ref>
*'''[[New Japan Pro-Wrestling]]'''
**[[IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship]] ([[IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship#Reigns|1 time]])<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cagematch.net/?id=5&nr=3400|title=IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship|first=Philip|last=Kreikenbohm|publisher=Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database|date=November 6, 2021|access-date=November 6, 2021}}</ref>
**[[IWGP Tag Team Championship]] ([[List of IWGP Tag Team Champions|2 times]]) – with [[Chase Owens]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.njpw1972.com/champions/iwgp-2tag|title=IWGP Tag Team Title history on official website|publisher=[[NJPW|New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW)]]}}</ref>
**[[NEVER Openweight Championship]] ([[List of NEVER Openweight Champions|1 time]])<ref>{{cite web|title=NEVER Openweight Championship History|url=https://www.njpw.co.jp/champions/never|access-date=January 4, 2020|publisher=[[New Japan Pro-Wrestling]]|language=ja}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Kreikenbohm|first=Philip|date=August 31, 2019|title=NEVER Openweight Championship|url=https://www.cagematch.net/?id=5&nr=1865|access-date=April 1, 2021|publisher=Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database}}</ref>
**[[Strong Openweight Championship]] (2 times)
**[[New Japan Cup USA]] (2020)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cagematch.net/?id=26&nr=6515&page=2|title=New Japan Cup USA (2020)|first=Philip|last=Kreikenbohm|publisher=Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database|date=August 21, 2020|access-date=January 4, 2021}}</ref>
**[[NJPW Strong|STRONG Survivor]] (2023)<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.njpw1972.com/140858 | title=KENTA the STRONGest Survivor 【NJoA】 | NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.f4wonline.com/news/new-japan/results/njpw-strong-results-the-first-ever-strong-survivor-match |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230122181335/https://www.f4wonline.com/news/new-japan/results/njpw-strong-results-the-first-ever-strong-survivor-match |archive-date=January 22, 2023 |title=NJPW Strong results: The first-ever Strong Survivor match |work=Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online |last=Knipper |first=Justin |date=January 7, 2023 |access-date=March 7, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cagematch.net/?id=26&nr=7883 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230122182255/https://www.cagematch.net/?id=26&nr=7883 |archive-date=January 22, 2023 |title=Strong Survivor Tournament |work=CAGEMATCH – The Internet Wrestling Database |last=Kreikenbohm |first=Philip |date=December 11, 2022 |access-date=March 7, 2023}}</ref>
*'''''[[Nikkan Sports]]'''''
**Match of The Year Award (2006) {{small|vs. Naomichi Marufuji on October 29}}<ref name=NIKKAN2006>{{cite web|
url=https://sites.google.com/site/wrestlingscout/home/updates/nikkansportsawards-2006|title=Nikkan Sports Awards – 2006|website= wrestlingscout|date=February 23, 2016}}</ref>
**Match of The Year Award (2008) {{small|vs. Naomichi Marufuji on October 25}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sites.google.com/site/wrestlingscout/home/updates/nikkansportsawards-2008|title=Nikkan Sports Awards – 2008|website=wrestlingscout|date=February 27, 2016|access-date=July 30, 2018|archive-date=March 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200328193411/https://sites.google.com/site/wrestlingscout/home/updates/nikkansportsawards-2008|url-status=dead}}</ref>
**Technique Award (2006, 2007)<ref name=NIKKAN2006/><ref>{{cite web|
url=https://sites.google.com/site/wrestlingscout/home/updates/nikkansportsawards-2007|title=Nikkan Sports Awards – 2007|website= wrestlingscout|date=February 26, 2016}}</ref>
* '''''[[Pro Wrestling Illustrated]]'''''
** Ranked No. 22 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the ''[[Pro Wrestling Illustrated#PWI 500|PWI 500]]'' in 2013<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.profightdb.com/pwi-500/2013.html|title=Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) 500 for 2013|access-date=2013-08-22|work=The Internet Wrestling Database}}</ref>
* '''[[Pro Wrestling Noah]]'''
**[[GHC Heavyweight Championship]] ([[GHC Heavyweight Championship#Title history|1 time]])<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cagematch.net/?id=5&nr=140|title=GHC Heavyweight Championship|first=Philip|last=Kreikenbohm|publisher=Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database|date=January 27, 2013|access-date=April 1, 2021}}</ref>
** [[GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship]] ([[GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship#Title history|3 times]])<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cagematch.net/?id=5&nr=142|title=GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship|first=Philip|last=Kreikenbohm|publisher=Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database|date=July 18, 2005|access-date=April 1, 2021}}</ref>
** [[GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship]] ([[GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship#Title history|3 times]]) – with [[Naomichi Marufuji]] (1), [[Taiji Ishimori]] (1) and [[Yoshinobu Kanemaru]] (1)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cagematch.net/?id=5&nr=143|title=GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship|first=Philip|last=Kreikenbohm|publisher=Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database|date=July 16, 2003|access-date=April 1, 2021}}</ref>
** [[GHC Tag Team Championship]] ([[GHC Tag Team Championship#Title history|1 time]]) – with [[Shuhei Taniguchi|Maybach Taniguchi]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cagematch.net/?id=5&nr=144|title=GHC Tag Team Championship|first=Philip|last=Kreikenbohm|publisher=Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database|date=October 8, 2012|access-date=April 1, 2021}}</ref>
** Two Days Tag Tournament (2011) – with [[Yoshihiro Takayama]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cagematch.net/?id=26&nr=2030&page=2|title=Two Days Tag Tournament (2011)|first=Philip|last=Kreikenbohm|publisher=Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database|date=August 18, 2011|access-date=April 1, 2021}}</ref>
** [[Differ Cup]] (2005) – with [[Naomichi Marufuji]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cagematch.net/?id=26&nr=275&page=2|title=Differ Cup (2005)|first=Philip|last=Kreikenbohm|publisher=Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database|date=May 8, 2005|access-date=April 1, 2021}}</ref>
** [[N-1 Victory|Global League]] ([[N-1 Victory#2012|2012]])<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cagematch.net/?id=26&nr=2475&page=2|title=Global League (2012)|first=Philip|last=Kreikenbohm|publisher=Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database|date=November 23, 2012|access-date=April 1, 2021}}</ref>
** [[Global Tag League]] ([[Global Tag League#2013|2013]]) – with [[Yoshihiro Takayama]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cagematch.net/?id=26&nr=2599&page=2|title=Global Tag League (2013)|first=Philip|last=Kreikenbohm|publisher=Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database|date=April 28, 2013|access-date=April 1, 2021}}</ref>
** Matsumoto Day Clinic Cup Contention Heavyweight Battle Royal (2013)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://keepingthespiritalive.tumblr.com/tagged/noah|title=Results|access-date=2013-12-19|publisher=Keeping the Spirit Alive}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cagematch.net/?id=1&nr=105032|title=Matsumoto Day Clinic Cup Contention Heavyweight Battle Royal (2013)|first=Philip|last=Kreikenbohm|publisher=Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database|date=December 15, 2013|access-date=April 1, 2021}}</ref>
** One Day Six Man Tag Team Tournament (2002) – with [[Kenta Kobashi]] and [[Kentaro Shiga]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cagematch.net/?id=1&nr=5905|title=One Day Six Man Tag Team Tournament (2002)|first=Philip|last=Kreikenbohm|publisher=Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database|date=October 14, 2002|access-date=April 1, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.purolove.com/noah/profiles/kenta.php|title=PUROLOVE.com|website=www.purolove.com|access-date=2013-03-19|archive-date=2016-07-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160719105330/http://www.purolove.com/noah/profiles/kenta.php|url-status=dead}}</ref>
** [[Nippon TV Cup Jr. Heavyweight Tag League|Nippon TV Cup Junior Heavyweight Tag League]] ([[Nippon TV Cup Jr. Heavyweight Tag League#2007|2007]], [[Nippon TV Cup Jr. Heavyweight Tag League#2008|2008]], [[Nippon TV Cup Jr. Heavyweight Tag League#2010|2010]]) – with [[Taiji Ishimori]] (2007, 2008) and [[Atsushi Aoki]] (2010)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cagematch.net/?id=26&nr=980&page=2|title=Nippon TV Cup Junior Heavyweight Tag League (2007)|first=Philip|last=Kreikenbohm|publisher=Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database|date=July 15, 2007|access-date=April 1, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cagematch.net/?id=26&nr=1029&page=2|title=Nippon TV Cup Junior Heavyweight Tag League (2008)|first=Philip|last=Kreikenbohm|publisher=Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database|date=September 6, 2008|access-date=April 1, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cagematch.net/?id=26&nr=1790&page=2|title=Nippon TV Cup Junior Heavyweight Tag League (2010)|first=Philip|last=Kreikenbohm|publisher=Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database|date=October 30, 2010|access-date=April 1, 2021}}</ref>
** Global Tag League Fighting Spirit Award (2014) – with Yoshihiro Takayama<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.noah.co.jp/news_detail.php?news_id=6071|script-title=ja:「グローバル・タッグリーグ戦2014」各賞発表|date=2014-04-28|access-date=2014-04-28|work=[[Pro Wrestling Noah]]|language=ja}}</ref>
* '''Texas Wrestling Cartel'''
** TWC Tag Team Championship (1 time, inaugural) – with Chase Owens<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4i0ykJQdmaI | title=Kenta & Chase Owens vs. The Wagner Brothers vs. Fly Def [FULL MATCH] TWC Tag Championship | TX MADE | website=[[YouTube]] | date=14 June 2024 }}</ref><ref>https://www.facebook.com/texaswrestlingcartel/posts/pfbid02vqJ9bvrcyK4Jk6pgx18CgSp4rdHpVKFvtP2kGrrR2B37GRCnWXXpxMy74r8LMn7Nl</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.instagram.com/p/C7fVScdhj1u/?hl=en | title=Instagram }}</ref>
* '''''[[Tokyo Sports]]'''''
** [[Tokyo Sports Puroresu Awards#Best Tag Team Award|Best Tag Team Award]] (2003) with Naomichi Marufuji<ref name=TokyoSportsAwards00s/>
** [[Tokyo Sports Puroresu Awards#Best Bout Award|Match of the Year Award]] (2006) vs. Naomichi Marufuji, October 29, 2006<ref name=TokyoSportsAwards00s>{{cite web|url=http://www.tokyo-sports.co.jp/wrestling/wrestling_past4/|script-title=ja:東京スポーツプロレス大賞|access-date=2014-01-20|work=[[Tokyo Sports]]|language=ja}}</ref>
** [[Tokyo Sports Puroresu Awards#Outstanding Performance Award|Outstanding Performance Award]] (2013)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://battle-news.com/news/2013/12/002053.php|title=オカダが2年連続でプロレス大賞MVPを受賞！史上4人目の快挙だが、本人は「当たり前の結果」|date=2013-12-10|access-date=2013-12-09|work=Battle News|language=ja}}</ref>
** [[Tokyo Sports Puroresu Awards#Technique Award|Technique Award]] (2011)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tokyo-sports.co.jp/wrestling/wrestling_past5/|script-title=ja:東京スポーツプロレス大賞|access-date=2014-01-20|work=[[Tokyo Sports]]|language=ja}}</ref>
* '''''[[Wrestling Observer Newsletter]]'''''
** [[List of Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards#Best Wrestling Maneuver|Best Wrestling Maneuver]] (2006, 2007) {{small|''[[Professional wrestling attacks#Go 2 Sleep|Go 2 Sleep]]''}}<ref name="WON11">{{cite journal|last=Meltzer|first=Dave|author-link=Dave Meltzer|date=January 30, 2012|title=Jan 30 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Gigantic year-end awards issue, best and worst in all categories plus UFC on FX 1, death of Savannah Jack, ratings, tons and tons of news|journal=[[Wrestling Observer Newsletter]]|location=[[Campbell, California]]|issn=1083-9593}}</ref>
** [[List of Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards#Tag Team of the Year|Tag Team of the Year]] (2003, 2004) {{small|with Naomichi Marufuji}}<ref name="WON11"/>
* '''[[WWE]]'''
** [[List of WWE tournaments#Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal qualifying tournament|Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal Qualifying Tournament (2015)]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cagematch.net/?id=26&nr=3300&page=2|title=Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal Qualifying Tournament|publisher=Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database|first=Philip|last=Kreikenbohm|date=March 28, 2015|access-date=April 1, 2021}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{commons category}}
* {{Twitter|name=KENTA|id=KENTAG2S}}
* {{IMDb name}}
* {{NJPW profile|id=903|name=Kenta|newlink=yes}}
* {{WWE superstar|name=Hideo Itami}}
* {{Professional wrestling profiles}}

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{{GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship}}
{{GHC Tag Team Championship}}
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{{Global Junior Heavyweight Tag League}}
{{N-1 Victory}}
{{IWGP Tag Team Championship}}
{{IWGP United States Championship}}
{{NEVER Openweight Championship}}
{{Strong Openweight Championship}}
{{New Japan Pro Wrestling personnel}}
{{Burning (professional wrestling)}}
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}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kobayashi, Kenta}}
[[Category:1981 births]]
[[Category:Expatriate professional wrestlers]]
[[Category:Japanese emigrants to the United States]]
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[[Category:NEVER Openweight champions]]

Kenta Kobashi

2025-06-29T11:53:47Z

182.232.34.176:

{{short description|Japanese professional wrestler (born 1967)}}
{{Distinguish|Kenta Kobayashi}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2022}}
{{BLP sources|date=September 2017}}
{{Infobox professional wrestler
|name = Kenta Kobashi
|image = Kenta Kobashi, 2007.jpg
|alt =
|caption = Kobashi in 2007
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1967|3|27}}
|birth_place = [[Fukuchiyama]], [[Kyoto Prefecture|Kyoto]], Japan
|death_date =
|death_place =
|resides =
|spouse = {{Marriage|Mizuki Mai|October 2, 2010}}
|children = 1
|names = Kenta Kobashi Blaze<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.cagematch.net/?id=1&nr=5584 | title=NOAH Halloween with NOAH « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - the Internet Wrestling Database}}</ref>
|height = {{convert|1.86|m|ftin|abbr=on}}<ref name="PWI500-2004">{{cite news|title=Pro Wrestling Illustrated 500 - 2004 : 4 Kenta Kobashi|work=[[Pro Wrestling Illustrated]]|publisher=Sports and Entertainment publications LLC|id=December 2004|page=22|date=October 2004}}</ref>
|weight = {{convert|115|kg|lb|abbr=on}}<ref name=PWI500-2004/>
|billed =[[Kyoto]], Japan
|trainer = [[Dory Funk Jr.]] [[Giant Baba]] [[Kazuharu Sonoda|Haru Sonoda]] [[Masanobu Fuchi]]
|debut = February 26, 1988
|retired = [[Final Burning in Budokan|May 11, 2013]]
}}
{{nihongo|'''Kenta Kobashi'''|小橋健太|Kobashi Kenta|ring name: 小橋建太}} (born, March 27, 1967) is a Japanese [[professional wrestling]] [[Promoter (entertainment)|promoter]] and retired wrestler. Broadly referred to by the nickname {{Nihongo|'''"Tetsujin"'''|鉄人|4='''Iron Man'''}}, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Podgorski |first=Alexander |date=2015-05-16 |title=10 Reasons Kenta Kobashi Is The Greatest Wrestler Of The Modern Era |url=https://whatculture.com/wwe/10-reasons-kenta-kobashi-is-the-greatest-wrestler-of-the-modern-era |access-date=2023-09-22 |website=WhatCulture.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Djeljosevic |first=Danny |date=2022-04-28 |title=10 Things You Should Know About Japanese Wrestling Legend Kenta Kobashi |url=https://www.thesportster.com/kenta-kobashi-japanese-wrestling-legend-facts-trivia-things-to-know/ |access-date=2023-09-22 |website=TheSportster |language=en}}</ref> He is best known for his two runs in [[All Japan Pro Wrestling]] (AJPW) and [[Pro Wrestling Noah]], of which he captured AJPW's [[Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship]] thrice, and Noah's [[GHC Heavyweight Championship]] once. He is the winner of numerous ''Match of the Year'' and ''Wrestler of the Year'' awards, including from the ''[[Wrestling Observer Newsletter]]'' (WON) and ''[[Tokyo Sports]]''.

Kobashi started his wrestling career in AJPW in 1987, debuting the next year and becoming the star rookie of the promotion. Booked as a resilient jobber by AJPW founder [[Giant Baba]], he became a key major figure in the shift between old wrestlers to younger ones in the turn of the [[Super World of Sports]] [[All Japan Pro Wrestling#First exodus: Super World Sports|exodus]]. In 1993, he was officially dubbed as one of the members of the {{Nihongo|'''Four Heavenly Kings'''|プロレスの四天王|[[Puroresu]] no shiten'nō}} of AJPW, alongside [[Mitsuharu Misawa]], [[Toshiaki Kawada]], and [[Akira Taue]]. He became renowned for his matches and rivalries with ''[[gaijin]]'' (foreign) wrestlers and fellow Japanese wrestlers alike. He became a widely successful tag wrestler, teaming with Misawa, the AJPW [[Glossary of professional wrestling terms#ace|ace]], as part of the {{Nihongo|'''Super Generation Army'''|超世代軍|Chou Sedai-gun}}, and becoming a noted combatant in some of the most highly acclaimed tag team wrestling matches of the 1990s.

He became successful as a singles wrestling star later on, usually by his determination and performance in highly acclaimed matches, usually for the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship or in the [[Champion Carnival]] tournament. His matches with his fellow ''Kings'', as well as the likes of [[Steve Williams (wrestler)|Steve Williams]], [[Stan Hansen]], [[Burning (professional wrestling)|Burning]] stable-mate and tag partner [[Jun Akiyama]], and [[Terry Gordy|Terry "Bam Bam" Gordy]], are held in high regard and praise, especially those against the ''Kings'' and Hansen. As a top singles wrestler in AJPW, he qualified for the [[Champion Carnival#1997|1997]] and [[Champion Carnival#1999|1999]] Champion Carnival finals, and won the [[Champion Carnival#2000|2000 tournament]].

Kobashi was part of the dissenting crew who would take part in the [[2000 All Japan Pro Wrestling mass exodus|second exodus of All Japan Pro Wrestling in 2000]], which led to the creation of the Pro Wrestling Noah promotion, and would later continue to work as a wrestler for the promotion for thirteen years. He notably concluded the inter-promotional rivalry with Misawa in Noah, winning the [[GHC Heavyweight Championship]] from him on March 1, 2003. He went on to have the longest singular reign for the championship of all time, holding it for 735 days, losing it to [[Takeshi Rikio]] on March 5, 2005. In that reign, he had defended the title thirteen times (the second most ever behind [[Takashi Sugiura]], who had one more than Kobashi), and had sold out each of the Noah-affiliated shows that had him defend his title.

Kobashi spent many of the later years of his career sidelined due to various injuries. He underwent numerous surgeries on his arms and legs in the early-mid 2000s before retiring from in-ring action in [[Final Burning in Budokan|May 2013]]. Kobashi continues to make sporadic appearances in Noah, as well as [[DDT Pro-Wrestling]], whilst also promoting his own shows under the ''Fortune Dream'' banner.

== Early life ==
{{nihongo|'''Kenta Kobashi'''|小橋健太|Kobashi Kenta}} was born in [[Fukuchiyama, Kyoto|Fukuchiyama]] in [[Kyoto Prefecture]] on March 27, 1967. He was raised predominantly in a single-parent household with him, his three-years-older brother Eiji, and his mother Miyako, after his parents had separated and later divorced. He competed in baseball in his youth, and was part of the Atsumi Fighters team. It was when he was 10 years old that he saw his first professional wrestling match with his brother Eiji, which was at an [[All Japan Pro Wrestling]] show. The match featured the then-rising star [[Jumbo Tsuruta]] versus Mexican [[Lucha libre|''luchador'']] ''[[Wrestling mask|enmascarado]]'' [[Mil Máscaras|Mil Mascaras]] at the [[Denen Coliseum]] in August 1977, shown on the pro wrestling block on [[Nippon Television|NTV]]. To practice for pro wrestling, Eiji and Kenta constructed a custom-made can replica of the [[NWA World's Heavyweight Championship]] belt to use for their exhibition "title" matches.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2023-06-07 |title=今こそ読みたい小橋建太！！【連載#1】｜東スポnote |url=https://note.tokyo-sports.co.jp/n/ne1aa68d3833a?gs=963cc5bd232a |access-date=2024-12-24 |website=東スポnote |language=ja-JP}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Ichinose |first=Hideyoshi |title=夜の虹を架ける四天王プロレス「リングに捧げた過剰な純真」 |publisher=Futabasha |year=2019 |isbn=9784575314243 |location=[[Japan]] |publication-date=February 2019 |language=ja |trans-title=The Four Heavenly Kings of Wrestling: "Excessive Innocence Devoted to the Ring"}}</ref>

Kobashi joined a Judo club in junior high school, and he, in his senior year, placed third in the qualifying round at nationals, having been outweighed by his opponent in the semifinals by 50 [[Kilogram|kg]] (110 [[Pound (mass)|lbs]]). He also had practice in [[rugby union]], but did not have any placements in competitions with the sport. He attended a [[New Japan Pro-Wrestling|New Japan Pro Wrestling]] (NJPW) show at this time, of which he was, according to Kobashi himself, hit with [[Stan Hansen]]'s bull rope. After graduation, in 1986, he took a job as a [[Kyocera]] General Affairs worker, working in plants in [[Kyoto|Kyoto City]] and [[Kagoshima]]. After being inspired by a magazine article featuring a young [[Mike Tyson]], he quit his job the next year, and he sent his resume to the AJPW offices, which was rejected. After being in contact with International Wrestling Enterprise referee Mitsuo Endo, he was set up to do an interview at the Shiga Prefectural Gymnasium in [[Ōtsu|Otsu]] on May 26, which happened to be with [[Giant Baba|Shohei "Giant" Baba]], the founder and then-head booker and chief executive officer of AJPW. After Baba declined to have an interview and instead prompted Kobashi to wait and relocate to Tokyo, Kobashi was accepted to their dojo on June 20, 1987. He was trained there by Baba, as well as Funk brother [[Dory Funk Jr.]], [[Kazuharu Sonoda|"Magic Dragon" Haru Sonoda]] and Baba-protégé [[Masanobu Fuchi]]. Sonoda died on [[South African Airways Flight 295]] on November 28, and after having an argument with Baba, was sworn under pressure to be trained exclusively for a time by Fuchi.<ref name=":2" />
==Professional wrestling career==

=== All Japan Pro Wrestling (1987–2000, 2009) ===

==== Rookie years (1987–1990) ====
{{Professional wrestling sidebar}}Kobashi and fellow trainee [[Tsuyoshi Kikuchi]] made their first official appearances as All Japan Pro Wrestling trainees on December 16, 1987, appearing in a battle royal, which they both lost. Kobashi officially debuted as a professional wrestler in [[Rittō, Shiga]] on February 26, 1988, against veteran wrestler [[Motoshi Okuma]], donning blue-based, white-stripped trunks and Masanobu Fuchi's old boots. Baba had been impressed with the match, and took Kobashi out to dinner with the rest of the invited wrestlers. He was booked by Baba to lose his first 63 matches, which were all singles bouts. It was all part of a plan set by Baba, that even in defeat, Kobashi shined and his gutsy, never-say-die efforts would garner him more momentum. He was earned numerous Rookie of the Year awards from the Japanese media, especially [[Tokyo Sports|''Tokyo Sports'']]. During this time, Kobashi had officially commissioned, and was granted, his first real wrestling attire, which was adorned with red.

Kobashi had his first championship match in February 1989, teaming with Giant Baba to lose to the incumbent [[All Asia Tag Team Championship|All Asia Tag Team Champions]] [[Footloose (professional wrestling)|Footloose]], the team of [[Toshiaki Kawada]] and [[Hiromichi Fuyuki|Samson Fuyuki]]. Kobashi won his first singles match on May 16, 1989, against [[Jim Crockett Promotions]] [[Job (professional wrestling)#Jobbers|jobber]] Mitch Snow, and on June 6, he picked up a win over established [[Stampede Wrestling]] rising star [[John Hindley|Johnny Smith]]. During 1989, when [[The Road Warriors]] were in AJPW, they taught Kobashi the "Road Warrior Workout". Eleven months later he won his first title, the aforementioned All Asia Tag Team Championship with [[Tiger Mask (professional wrestling)|Tiger Mask II]] (Misawa); however, shortly after removing the mask, Kobashi and Misawa would vacate the title. Later in the year, he won them again, this time with [[John Laurinaitis|Johnny Ace]].

==== Start of the Super Generation Army (1990–1993) ====
After [[Genichiro Tenryu]] defected himself and several wrestlers from AJPW to form [[Super World of Sports]] (SWS), a gap was left in the higher-card roster of AJPW, which had recently integrated Tenryu-protégé [[Toshiaki Kawada]] and the former [[Tiger Mask (professional wrestling)|Tiger Mask II]], [[Mitsuharu Misawa]]. Baba had slowed down his in-ring work to focus more on booking, and focus on the rookies and other young talent that he had that would fill gaps in the aging stars' departures, retirements or decrease in quality. In order to compete with their competitors, especially NJPW and the [[Akira Maeda]]-fronted [[Universal Wrestling Federation (Japan)|Universal Wrestling Federation]] (and its later reincarnations), Baba chose to focus on the talents that had been most popular with the fans of AJPW; this included Kobashi, Kawada and Misawa, as well as former Sumo wrestler Tamakirin Yasumasa, who had now gone under his real name [[Akira Taue]], and [[Tsuyoshi Kikuchi]]. Baba gave all of them an official group to assign themselves with, and they'd form the {{Nihongo|'''Super Generation Army'''|超世代軍|Chou Sedai-gun}} in August 1990 (the name of which was coined by AJPW commentator Kenji Wakabayashi).

Kobashi would be confirmed as one of the five wrestlers assigned to the newly formed Super Generation Army, and would have his official first match as part of the new stable on August 10, 1990, defeating [[Joel Deaton]] and Johnny Ace in a tag match alongside Kawada. The stable would then start an official feud with the Jumbo Tsuruta-led {{Nihongo|'''Tsuruta-gun'''|鶴田軍}}. Once a loved [[Face (professional wrestling)|babyface]] now turned to a [[Glossary of professional wrestling terms#tweener|tweener]] role, Tsuruta now wanted to declare himself superior over the Super Generation Army in spite of his age. A lot of the matches featuring both stables had mixed the rivalry between Misawa and Tsuruta, and the prowess of Kobashi, who had been thrown in as an underdog to the more experienced wrestlers, mostly including Tsuruta himself, as well as Masanobu Fuchi, [[Yoshiaki Yatsu]] (Jumbo's tag partner for several years) and [[The Great Kabuki]]. At the same time, when teamed with the smaller Tsuyoshi Kikuchi in the [[All Asia Tag Team Championship]] division, he would play a "big brother" role, coming in to try to save the match after Kikuchi had been worked on for a while by the opponents. The title win with Kikuchi over [[Philip Lafond|Dan Kroffat]] and [[Doug Furnas]], the [[Can-Am Express]], took place before a rabid crowd in Kikuchi's hometown of [[Sendai]] on May 25, 1992; the match quickly gained legendary status among [[Tape trading|tape-traders]], and was voted 1992's [[List of Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards#Match of the Year|Match of the Year]] by the ''[[Wrestling Observer Newsletter]]''.

During this time, he had started a feud with [[Stan Hansen]]. Hansen and Kobashi had begun to have their first matches together in the late 1980s, with Kobashi being beaten every time by Hansen and his tag team partners, predominantly Genichiro Tenryu. With Tenryu gone, their matches usually then turned to singles matches, with Kobashi losing every time to Hansen via the [[Professional wrestling strikes#Western lariat|''Western Lariat'']]. For the next few years, especially during the period between 1991 and 1993, Kobashi would increasingly have longer matches with Hansen, which would culminate in close falls and traded offence.

==== Tag team with Misawa, ''Four Heavenly Kings'' (1993–1995) ====

===== 1993 =====
By 1993, the Super Generation Army had become less and less relied to the feud with Tsuruta, after the latter had to temporarily step away from the ring, and later, the entirety of the higher-card division of AJPW. Misawa, the leader of the Super Generation Army, had become the most popular wrestler in AJPW, and one of the leading candidates for the most popular wrestler in all of Japan. During this time, Misawa had won and defended the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship more times than anyone prior to him in one reign. Kawada and Taue would become more distant from the Super Generation Army after they had formed a temporarily partnership from their rivalry, which spanned from their inner-conflicts in the stable to Taue's defection to Tsuruta-gun; this would culminate in the creation of the {{Nihongo|'''[[Holy Demon Army]]'''|聖鬼軍|Sei Ki Gun}}. Likewise, Kobashi became Misawa's main tag partner in the middle of the year when Kawada became Misawa's main rival.

Kobashi gained his first singles victory over a former [[Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship|Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion]], when he defeated [[Terry Gordy]] in May of that year in [[Sapporo]]. The match, and the subsequent ones also featuring the three other company "'''Heavenly Kings'''" (プロレスの四天王, ''[[Puroresu]] no shiten'nō'') of Misawa, Kawada and Taue, against their foreign foes (Hansen, [[Steve Williams (wrestler)|Steve Williams]] and [[Dan Spivey]] respectively), marked a shift in the guard for AJPW and their main event scene. Heralded by Baba and coined by journalist Shoichi Shibata, who'd borrow it from [[Four Heavenly Kings|the Buddhist concept of the same name]], each of the ''kings'' would become the four big national faces of AJPW, and would be heavily featured on magazines and other media as such. On July 29, he faced Stan Hansen in a singles match, which Hansen won. The match was considered a superior match to the main event: a Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship match between Misawa and Kawada. It also was Kobashi's first singles match [[List of professional wrestling matches rated 5 or more stars by Dave Meltzer|to be awarded five stars]] by the ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter''<nowiki/>'s [[Dave Meltzer]]. On August 23, Kobashi was targeted with the first ever of Steve Williams' [[Suplex#High-angle belly-to-back suplex|''Homicide Backdrop'']] suplexes, which was responded with the crowd of gasps of horror, with Misawa commenting that he thought for a second that Kobashi had died.<ref name=":2" /> In a match a week later between Kobashi and Williams, which has since been acclaimed, Williams defeated Kobashi using three ''Homicide Backdrops'', the last of which using a bridging pin after the other two had been kicked out of previously. Williams shook Kobashi's hand after the match, and awarded him with applause. On [[World's Strongest Tag Determination League#1993|December 3, 1993]], Kobashi gained his first pinfall over Kawada, won his first [[World's Strongest Tag Determination League]], and won his first [[World Tag Team Championship (AJPW)|World Tag Team Championship]] with Misawa.

===== 1994 =====
Hansen and Kobashi met again numerous times in 1994, most notably on April 10, during [[Champion Carnival#1994|the year's Champion Carnival tournament]]. In a twenty-six minute bout, Kobashi finally defeated Hansen with his trademark ''[[moonsault]]'', but did not make it to the finals due to the win. Ultimately, Hansen finished a point in front of Kobashi, after Kobashi had won to Akiyama and lost to eventual runner-up Steve Williams, and Hansen had lost to Akira Taue. The two losses meant that Hansen would not succeed to the finals of the tournament, which ultimately came down to Kobashi's win over Hansen. However, Kobashi would earn another singles match against Williams, this time for the latter's Triple Crown Heavyweight title. The lead story in the match was whether Kobashi, in his first shot at the title, would become the second-ever member of the ''Four Heavenly Kings'' to hold the Triple Crown title, after Misawa.<ref name=":2" /> On September 3, 1994, they faced off against each other for the title at the [[Nippon Budokan]] in a ''[[Dave Meltzer|five-star match]]'', which Williams won. Kobashi and Misawa won [[World's Strongest Tag Determination League#1994|that years ''Tag League'']], defeating Williams and former tag partner Johnny Ace in the finals.

===== 1995 =====
His next Triple Crown Heavyweight title challenge was against Kawada on January 19, 1995. This led to a 60-minute time limit draw, and is regarded as the greatest hour-long bout in wrestling history by the ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter''. In the match, which took place in [[Osaka]], Kobashi had the crowd on his side against the incumbent champion Kawada. On June 9, Kobashi and Misawa lost the tag titles to the Holy Demon Army's Kawada and Taue. The match is also notable due to it winning the ''[[Tokyo Sports Puroresu Awards#Best Bout Award (ベストバウト, Besutobauto)|Match of the Year]]'' award from [[Tokyo Sports]]. Kobashi and Hansen had yet another notable match, albeit one that was non-televised in [[Ōdate]], one that would be dubbed as "violent" and would be remarked as one of the most graphic matches in ''[[puroresu]]'' history up to that point.<ref name=":2" /> In the match, which saw Kobashi team with [[Masao Inoue (wrestler)|Masao Inoue]] to take on Hansen and [[Richard Slinger]], Kobashi took Hansen's bull rope and used it on him, which prompted Hansen to throw a chair aimed at Kobashi's head, but instead hit him in his upper arm, which caused it to be torn open to the bone. Although he finished the match, Kobashi stormed Hansen's locker room afterward, and angrily wanted to have a real fight with Hansen to make up to his injury. The eventual fight was stopped by several members of the locker room, including Misawa, who had to be late to his entrance due to him breaking up the fight between Hansen and Kobashi. Kobashi was taken to an ambulance after it was called by Motoko Baba and later was taken to a hospital near the venue, where he had to be cared for with 22 stitches near his bicep. In the middle of 1995, Kobashi suffered the first of many knee injuries, but worked through it in the later tours that year.

On October 25, Kobashi and Misawa held a Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship match against each-other, for which Misawa was the champion and Kobashi was the expected underdog. Misawa and Kobashi, who had been known in the press as "inseparable", faced off against each other to great fanfare at the [[Nippon Budokan]]. After over forty minutes, Misawa pinned Kobashi with a ''[[Powerbomb#Double underhook powerbomb|Tiger Driver]]'' to win and retain the title.

==== First ''Triple Crown'' title reign, end of Misawa tag team (1995–1996) ====
After Kobashi and Misawa's match against each-other in October, they prepared themselves to compete in that years [[World's Strongest Tag Determination League]]. For the third straight year, they reached the finals, and opposite to them, for the second time, would be the Holy Demon Army team of Toshiaki Kawada and Akira Taue. After Kobashi hit Taue with his ''[[moonsault]]'' finishing maneuver and pinned him, Kobashi and Misawa would had won their third straight ''Tag League''. The match would be considered the true end of the ''[[Tag team|tagging]]'' partnership between Misawa and Kobashi, wherein they had dominated the tag team division. They went their separate ways to become accomplices and friendly rivals in 1996, and [[Jun Akiyama]] was slated to become Misawa's new main tag team partner. The separation left Kobashi without a real tag partner for most of the year, mostly having partnerships between [[The Patriot (wrestler)|The Patriot]] and Johnny Ace, where the trio was given the name '''G.E.T''' ("Global, Energetic & Tough"). He had also been selected as the elder tag partner to rookie [[Hawaii]]an wrestler [[Maunakea Mossman]].

On July 24, 1996, Kobashi earned yet another chance at the ''Triple Crown'', this time against the unexpected incumbent Akira Taue. Taue had previously won the title against Misawa, defeating him to halt the latter's 364 days reign, which had been won and lost in the same city: [[Sapporo]]. Kobashi defeated Taue in their Tokyo bout, won his first Triple Crown Heavyweight title, and had, for the first time ever, defeated a fellow member of the ''Four Heavenly Kings'' in a singles match. His first defense as champion came against his ''[[gaijin]]'' rival, Stan Hansen. In a considerable nod to Hansen, Kobashi started to use Hansen's own move, the ''Western Lariat'', to win more matches. Mainly, instead of it being of a similar nature where Hansen would run toward the opponent before hitting them with the ''Lariat'', Kobashi would hold the opponent and wind up his arms before hitting the move. It would officially be dubbed the ''Burning Lariat'', in recognition to Kobashi. The main reason for this change was due to Kobashi's ailing knees, which had been succumbed to injury both during the execution of his main finisher, the ''moonsault'', and for other reasons. Hansen and Kobashi fought on September 5, with Kobashi coming out on top with the ''Lariat''.

==== The start of Burning, second ''Triple Crown'' title reign, debut of the Burning Hammer (1997–1998) ====
By 1997, Kobashi was the most popular wrestler in the entirety of AJPW. He had been considerably popular with the fans for his underdog tactics and his dexterity; but, after he had captured the title, he reached new popular heights. After defending the title against Kawada earlier in the previous year in another draw, he had been scheduled to face Mitsuharu Misawa at the first main pay-per-view show of the 1997 AJPW calendar year. On the January 20 [[Osaka]] pay-per-view, Misawa defeated Kobashi to end his title reign, and secure his third overall reign with the belt. In March, in [[Champion Carnival#1997|that year's Champion Carnival tournament]], he gained his first pinfall victory over Misawa. At the end of the tournament, Kobashi qualified for the finals for the first time. However, instead of the traditional one on one contest to settle the carnival, a one night 3 way round robin was held due to Kobashi, Kawada, and Misawa all having finished the Carnival round robin with the same score. In the first match Kobashi went to a 30-minute draw with Misawa. However, this match left both men greatly weakened and Kawada was able to quickly gain his first singles pin over Misawa in the next match, which gave Kobashi little time to rest. In the final match, Kawada defeated Kobashi to gain his second Carnival title. In October that year, Kobashi won his first World Tag title without Misawa, when he and Johnny Ace defeated ''Triangle of Power'' members [[Gary Albright]] and Steve Williams. In the same month, he challenged Misawa for the ''Triple Crown'' in a sequel match to their January encounter, but Misawa had yet again defeated him.

By the end of 1997, Kobashi had begun to procure a closer partnership with [[Jun Akiyama]]; a fellow Super Generation Army member, and an occasional tag partner of Kobashi in the faction. Both were foe and partner on several occasions, and maintained respect for one another, in consideration to Kobashi being Akiyama's senior. At the end of 1997, Kobashi and Akiyama would officially join forces as an official tag team; this would anger his original main tag partner during this period, [[John Laurinaitis|Johnny Ace]], and would lead to Ace turning on Kobashi in the process in August the next year. The aforementioned tag team of Kobashi and Akiyama, which had been given the name [[Burning (professional wrestling)|'''Burning''']], would be transformed into a unit that same year when Akiyama and Kobashi recruited apprentices and AJPW Dojo trainees [[Yoshinobu Kanemaru]] and [[Kentaro Shiga]]. Ace himself would also form a stable, this time with Johnny Smith, [[Bart Gunn]] and [[Wolf Hawkfield (wrestler)|Wolf Hawkfield]], as ''The Movement''. Both stables would feud in the year, with Burning coming out on top on most occasions.

While Kawada would finally end his pursuit to defeat Misawa for the ''Triple Crown'' at AJPW's 25th Anniversary show in the [[Tokyo Dome]], Kobashi would replace Kawada as Misawa's top rival, albeit one that was more respectful to one-another, instead of the bitter interpersonal distaste from Kawada and Misawa. During the year, Kobashi officially adopted a new theme song: the Osamu Suzuki produced ''Grand Sword'', which would be adopted between 1998 and 2003, and 2005 until the end of his career. On June 12, 1998, Kobashi defeated Kawada to begin his second ''Triple Crown'' title reign. In the time of which Kobashi and Misawa would feud against each other, Kobashi would adopt a move to rival the fierceness of Misawa's ''[[Powerbomb#Kneeling double underhook powerbomb|Tiger Driver 91]]'', which hadn't been kicked out of by anyone except Kobashi at that point. The debut of the move would come on October 24, 1998, in a match pitting Kobashi and the [[Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling|FMW]]-affiliated [[Jinsei Shinzaki]], taking on Misawa and [[Takao Omori]]. Drawing inspiration from another popular move of that time, the [[Etsuko Mita]]-innovated [[Professional wrestling throws#Death Valley driver|Death Valley bomb]], Kobashi would, to the shock of the crowd, use an [[Backbreaker#Argentine backbreaker rack|Argentine rack]] dropped into a front face-lock driver (akin to a [[DDT (professional wrestling)|DDT]]) to win the match. The move had been given a fan-coined name afterward: the ''[[Professional wrestling throws#Inverted Death Valley driver|Burning Hammer]]''. The move bore resemblance to [[Kyoko Inoue]]'s ''Victoria Driver'', but was different in the way each move had done the drop. The week after the debut of the ''Burning Hammer'', Kobashi lost the ''Triple Crown'' title again to Misawa, after having defended the title previously against Taue and Akiyama. In December, Akiyama and Kobashi would win their first [[World's Strongest Tag Determination League#1998|World's Strongest Tag Determination League]] as a duo by defeating Stan Hansen and [[Big Van Vader]]; Kobashi's fourth and Akiyama's first.

==== Final years (1999–2000) ====
In January 1999, Kobashi was starting new rivalries against former NJPW and WWF star [[Big Van Vader|Vader]], Misawa's new tag team with [[Yoshinari Ogawa]], and the Holy Demon Army and [[No Fear (professional wrestling)|No Fear]] units. Vader had become the next popular ''[[gaijin]]'' in AJPW after leaving WWF, whilst the newly formed team of Misawa and Ogawa, known as The Untouchables, had risen through the ranks of the [[World Tag Team Championship (AJPW)|World Tag Team Championship]] division at the same time as the veteran Holy Demon Army team and the newly-risen No Fear unit. At the time, No Fear had consisted of former UWF talent [[Yoshihiro Takayama]], and AJPW dojo trainee Takao Omori. Misawa and Kobashi booked themselves to have yet another ''Triple Crown'' title match, this time on June 11, 1999. Misawa came out on top against Kobashi, hitting the latter with his newly established finishing maneuver, the {{Nihongo|''[[Sitout side powerslam|Emerald Flowsion]]''|エメラルド・フロージョン|Emerarudo Furoujon|also called the ''Emerald Frosion''}}. Kobashi won the ''Tag League'' again with Akiyama [[World's Strongest Tag Determination League#1999|in December 1999]]. In February 2000, he defeated Vader to earn his third ''Triple Crown'', later defending it against Takayama. Then, in April 2000, he won his first and only [[Champion Carnival#2000|Champion Carnival]]. Whilst in the course of the tournament, he gained his first ''televised'' singles victory over Misawa.

At the same time of the in-ring success of Kobashi in 2000, tensions had boiled in AJPW. [[Giant Baba]] had died in January 2000 after battling cancer secretly, and internal struggles had emerged between Motoko Baba, his widow, and Mitsuharu Misawa, the newly inaugurated President of the company. Kobashi, in Misawa's cabinet, had become a board director in the organization. On June 16 of that year, a press conference was held in Tokyo, with Misawa announcing that he would be leaving AJPW effective immediately alongside numerous other talents that had stayed by his side as president, which represented a large chunk of officials, announcers and especially wrestlers. Among those that joined him was Kobashi. Immediately, the ''Triple Crown'' belts was vacated whilst Kobashi departed. In the process, Misawa had begun to receive funds and support to start up his own professional wrestling organization, [[Pro Wrestling Noah]], of which Misawa would take the helm as president.

=== Pro Wrestling Noah (2000–2013) ===

==== Start in Noah, injury healing (2000–2002) ====
Pressure had mounted to Kobashi to perform at his best despite the injuries. During this period, Kobashi's knee injuries were beginning to worsen to the point that he desperately needed time off to heal. However, he was needed to establish Noah as a viable promotion, and was given a marquee position on the first two shows. On August 5, 2000, he teamed with Akiyama to defeat Misawa and Taue in a [[two out of three falls match]] in the [[main event]] of the promotion's first show. Notably, at the show, he had officially donned a new color tone; he had established himself with more darker colors, notably using black trunks, boots and knee-pads, with his trunks having a grey ornamentation. He then lost to Akiyama on the second show the next day, with Kobashi passing out while being captured in Akiyama's ''King Crab Lock'' submission. Noah struggled to organize itself without any titles during this period. At the biggest Noah show of the year on December 23, 2000, Kobashi defeated Akiyama, avenging his loss from earlier that year. Unfortunately for Kobashi, the next month would see his knees finally deteriorate to the point that he could no longer work through the pain, and was forced to take time off for premeditated healing.<ref name="PWI500-2004" />

In January 2001, he went through a four-and-a-half hour operation, wherein he would have his knees worked upon. In the time period of which he was out of action, he had to undergo a total of six surgeries on both of his knees, and on both of his elbows. During his recovery, in April 2001, he witnessed the crowning of the first [[GHC Heavyweight Championship|GHC Heavyweight Champion]], Mitsuharu Misawa, in a hospital bed. His return match was on February 24, 2002, and featured Kobashi reforming his pairing with Misawa to face the now-GHC Heavyweight Champion Akiyama and New Japan Pro-Wrestling's [[Yuji Nagata]]. His left [[Anterior cruciate ligament|ACL]] [[Anterior cruciate ligament injury|gave out on him]] during the match. After taking another four months to recuperate, he returned, and Noah began to slowly build towards him winning the Heavyweight title. By this time, the GHC Heavyweight Championship had changed hands several times, many of which resulting in shorter-than-expected reigns. Misawa, Akiyama, Yoshinari Ogawa and Yoshihiro Takayama had all staked claim to the title whilst Kobashi was inactive, with Misawa holding the belt for a second time.

==== Absolute Champion: Two-year GHC Heavyweight title reign (2003–2005) ====

===== 2003 =====
Kobashi had numerous tag team matches with Misawa during the later period of 2002 and the earliest period of 2003, including a highly publicized tag team match on January 10, 2003. In the co-main event of the show, Kobashi and Akira Taue would face off against Mitsuharu Misawa, the incumbent GHC Heavyweight Champion, and New Japan Pro Wrestling's [[Heel (professional wrestling)|heel]] [[Glossary of professional wrestling terms#ace|ace]] [[Masahiro Chono]], who at this time had been ousted as the leader of both the popular [[New World Order (professional wrestling)|nWo Japan]] and [[Team 2000]] stables, and had now assumed a veteran role in the promotion. After over 20 minutes, Kobashi had caught Misawa in a [[suplex]], which transitioned quickly into a ''[[Brainbuster]]'', where Kobashi pinned him afterward. Kobashi's surprise pinfall victory over Misawa in the match prompted media to support the possibility of a Kobashi vs. Misawa GHC Heavyweight title match at the next big Nippon Budokan show, which was set to take place on March 1, 2003. The match was later confirmed, and took place on that day. Kobashi and Misawa fought for over half-an-hour, in what is now considered one of the greatest professional wrestling matches that have ever taken place.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Podgorski |first=Alex |date=2019-10-19 |title=5-Star Match Reviews: Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Kenta Kobashi – March 1st, 2003 – TJR Wrestling |url=https://tjrwrestling.net/feature/5-star-match-reviews-mitsuharu-misawa-vs-kenta-kobashi-march-1st-2003-by-alex-podgorski/ |access-date=2024-12-24 |website=tjrwrestling.net |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=411MANIA |url=https://411mania.com/wrestling/kenta-kobashi-recalls-match-mitsuharu-misawa-20th-anniversary/ |access-date=2024-12-24 |website=Kenta Kobashi Recalls Match With Mitsuharu Misawa On 20th Anniversary |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> After many spots in the match, including a [[Suplex#Tiger suplex|''Tiger Suplex'']] from Misawa to Kobashi from the ramp to the floor, a ''Brainbuster'' from Kobashi which accidentally caused an [[Facial trauma|orbital fracture]], and a kick-out from moves such as Misawa's ''[[Powerbomb#Double underhook powerbomb|Tiger Driver]]'' and ''[[Powerslam#Sitout side powerslam|Emerald Flowsion]]'', and Kobashi's ''[[Powerbomb#Suplex powerbomb|Orange Crush]]'' and ''Burning Lariat'', Kobashi pinned Misawa after hitting a ''[[Professional wrestling throws#Inverted Death Valley driver|Burning Hammer]]''. In the process, Kobashi had won his fourth overall world championship, his first GHC Heavyweight Championship, and would be the last world championship he'd ever hold.

Kobashi's first successful challenge for the title would be against ally [[Tamon Honda]]. The first stated pick for the challenge would've been Dark Agents leader and Sternness member [[Akitoshi Saito]], but he had lost a tournament final to crown the next contender against Honda. On April 13, Kobashi defeated Honda at the [[Ariake Coliseum]]. The match is notable for the introduction of his new entrance theme song, ''Blazin'''. His next challenge would be against Masahiro Chono, who had come to the Honda match to watch and to challenge the champion. After shaking hands with Kobashi, the match was confirmed but not scheduled. The scheduling for the match would be at the [[Tokyo Dome]]-held [[NJPW Ultimate Crush]] event, the first time ever (and one of two overall) that Kobashi stepped into a NJPW ring, and the first time since the [[WWF/AJPW/NJPW Wrestling Summit|1990 Wrestling Summit]] that he had stepped into any ring affiliated with NJPW. Both wrestled in the co-main event, and with no time limit added to the match, a title first. Kobashi defeated Chono after nearly half-an-hour, during which he had, at one point in the match, beaten Chono so bad that cornerman [[Hiroyoshi Tenzan]] threatened to [[Submission (combat sports)|throw in the towel]].

During the time of which he would hold the GHC Heavyweight title, he became involved in the tag team division of Noah. He and Tamon Honda were paired together as part of the [[Burning (professional wrestling)|Burning]] stable, which had reformed in Noah, and they went ahead to challenge ''Dark Agent'' Akitoshi Saito and Jun Akiyama for the [[GHC Tag Team Championship]]s. Honda and Kobashi defeated the pair to win the belts, making it Kobashi's eighth overall tag team championship in his career. His first defense of the titles came against NJPW talent [[Togi Makabe]] and then-[[IWGP Heavyweight Championship|IWGP Heavyweight Champion]] [[Yoshihiro Takayama]] on July 16, with Kobashi pinning Makabe to retain the titles. Kobashi defeated [[Bison Smith]] to retain the Heavyweight title the next month in [[Nagoya]], and later set up an inter-promotional feud with [[Glossary of professional wrestling terms#invasion storyline|invader]] [[Heel (professional wrestling)|heel]] [[Yuji Nagata]]. Previously in the few months since arriving to Noah, Nagata had defeated both Akiyama decisively and Akira Taue in damage-ranged bouts. Nagata and Kobashi met at the Nippon Budokan on November 1, which Kobashi won. Kobashi also later defeated Yoshinari Ogawa in a title match at the same venue on November 1. After defeating Akira Taue and [[Battlarts]] star [[Daisuke Ikeda]] in a tag title match on October 24, Nagata and future NJPW [[Glossary of professional wrestling terms#ace|ace]] [[Hiroshi Tanahashi]] (working as a heel) defeated Kobashi and Honda to win the GHC Tag Team titles in [[Sapporo]] on November 30. Despite his up-comings, ''[[Nikkan Sports]]'' and ''[[Tokyo Sports]]'' gave their annual top wrestler awards to Takayama, for his numerous championship victories and inter-promotional dominance, over Kobashi and his GHC Heavyweight title glories. Kobashi was named ''[[Wrestling Observer Newsletter]]'' ''Wrestler of the Year'' in spite of it, and his match with Mitsuharu Misawa on March 1 would be named ''Match of the Year'' by all three publications.

===== 2004–2005 =====
In the later part of 2003, Noah announced that it would be holding a show, [[Departure (2004)|Departure]], in the Tokyo Dome on April 21. At this point, some talks were made to make a champion-versus-champion non-title bout between Kobashi and the now IWGP Heavyweight Champion Hiroyoshi Tenzan, who had beaten Takayama at the ''Yokohama Dead Out'' show that November, although it would not occur.<ref name=":2" /> After a shocking win against Jun Akiyama, former-Junior Heavyweight star [[Naoki Sano]], who had now gone under the [[Ring name|ring-name]] Takuma Sano, vied for Noah to give him a shot against Kobashi for the GHC Heavyweight title. The match, which took place on January 25 in [[Kobe]], saw Kobashi defeated Sano in around twenty-five minutes. Kobashi and [[Takeshi Rikio]] had been booked later on for the next of Kobashi's title defenses after Rikio defeated Akira Taue in a singles match. Rikio, the predominantly-successful tag wrestler (with [[Takeshi Morishima]] as Wild II), had been slated to become the first big Noah-grown talent to emerge in Japan. On March 6, Kobashi defeated Rikio in 25 minutes at the Nippon Budokan. After the match, Takayama interrupted a post-match interview with Kobashi to declare his challenge to the GHC Heavyweight title. Takayama, who had just previously lost the IWGP title, was looking to add the GHC Heavyweight title to his arsenal yet again, willing to prove that he is the toughest wrestler in Japan; the match later got set to April 25. The Tokyo Dome card was delayed to July 10, and many higher-ups in Noah looked to push a title match between Kobashi and [[Americans|American]] ''[[gaijin]]'' [[celebrity]] [[Bob Sapp]], though this never materialized; although, in the potential lead-up to the match, Kobashi and Sapp got into a scuffle, resulting in Kobashi chopping Sapp, and proclaiming his dominance.<ref name=":2" />

In what was built as the pair's first singles match against each-other, Takayama and Kobashi faced off in their highly anticipated match on April 25. According to promoters, the show for the match was sold out within the day.<ref name=":2" /> In what was later acclaimed as a highlight in Kobashi's reign, Kobashi defeated Takayama with a moonsault aimed to the head. The title defense at the Tokyo Dome was shifted to put Kobashi in a defense against [[Jun Akiyama]], the first singles match against each-other since the match on December 23, 2000, and the first headliner for both at the Tokyo Dome. In a ''[[Dave Meltzer|five-star match]]'', Kobashi defeated Akiyama after over thirty-five minutes of wrestling, with Kobashi ending the match by hitting a ''Burning Hammer''. Akira Taue was selected as the next opponent to Kobashi and his GHC Heavyweight title reign. In preparation for the title match, Taue and [[Mitsuharu Misawa]] fought to a thirty-minute draw. In the match, Kobashi debuted the first of what would be the last big move he would innovate, a ''wrist-clutch'' variant of the ''Burning Hammer''. After using it on Taue, Kobashi defeated him.

After being built to go against Kobashi the year previous before being beaten out by Tamon Honda, [[Akitoshi Saito]] was finally given a chance to challenge Kobashi for the GHC Heavyweight Championship on October 24 in [[Osaka]]. Kobashi defeated Saito, but not before being given respect from the champion in the process of the loss. As a result of the defense, which was Kobashi's eleventh, this would mean that Kobashi had become the most successfully-defensive major champion in modern puroresu history up to that point. It had beat out [[Yuji Nagata]]'s ten-defense reign as [[IWGP Heavyweight Championship|IWGP Heavyweight Champion]] and Toshiaki Kawada's ten-defense reign as Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion; all of which those titles had occurred at the same time. Kobashi's final successful championship match of 2004, and his twelfth overall, was against [[Mike Awesome]], who had gone under the ring-name The Gladiator.

After 22 months and twelve successful title defenses, Kobashi was scheduled to face the Takayama-allied [[Pancrase|Pancrase MISSION]] representative [[Minoru Suzuki]] for the GHC Heavyweight title at the January 8, 2005 Nippon Budokan event. During the lead-up, Kobashi was announced as the ''Nikkan'' ''Sports'' Pro Wrestling MVP and the ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' ''Wrestler of the Year'' for the second year in a row, and his match against Jun Akiyama was named the Match of the Year by both ''Nikkan Sports'' and ''Tokyo Sports'', as well as being internationally regarded as the ''Match of the Year'' by the ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter''. Kobashi was also listed as the ''[[List of Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards#Best Box Office Draw|Best Box Office Draw]]'' by the latter newsletter for the year of 2004. At the aforementioned event in the Nippon Budokan, Kobashi defeated Suzuki, making it Kobashi's thirteenth overall successful defense of the title, extending his record. On March 1, 2005, Kobashi officially hit two years (731 days) as champion; four days later, on March 5, he faced [[Takeshi Rikio]] in a rematch for the title. Rikio earned a pin over Kobashi in a tag tournament, and had considerable performances against other top wrestlers in Noah. Rikio defeated Kobashi to win the title with a ''Muso slam'', ending his 735-day reign with 13 successful defenses. The commentator after the win declared in Japanese, "the ''Absolute Champion'' is defeated!", and celebrated Rikio's win.

==== Post GHC Heavyweight title reign (2005–2013) ====

===== International excursions and Kensuke Office debut =====
Despite the loss of his title, Kobashi remained Noah's top wrestler, and the rest of the year was highlighted by matches with outsiders such as [[Genichiro Tenryu]] and [[Kensuke Sasaki]]. In the latter award-winning match against Sasaki at the [[Destiny (2005)|''Destiny'']] show in July 2005, Kobashi and Sasaki fought in a twenty-three minute bout where Kobashi would come out on top, but not before it was noted for its delirious [[Professional wrestling strikes#Backhand chop|knife-edged chop]] exchanges. The match also saw the return of Kobashi's ''Grand Sword'' theme song, replacing ''Blazin'''. In the following year, he had praised matches against junior heavyweights such as [[Kenta Kobayashi|KENTA]] and [[Naomichi Marufuji]]. In late 2005, Kobashi made his first appearance in [[North America]] with [[Harley Race]]'s [[Harley Race's Wrestling Academy|World League Wrestling]] promotion, defeating then WLW champion Wild Wade Chism and being awarded with Race's NWA World's Heavyweight Championship belt. The subsequent celebration was marred with Race proclaiming that Kobashi was "Mr. Pro Wrestling". His second and third North American appearances were for [[Ring of Honor]], where he defeated [[Joe Seanoa|Samoa Joe]] in a memorable singles match (given a full [[List of professional wrestling matches rated 5 or more stars by Dave Meltzer|''five-stars'' by the ''Wrestling Observer'']] as well as their [[List of Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards#Match of the Year|''Match of the Year'']] award for 2005), and teamed with [[Homicide (wrestler)|Homicide]] to defeat the tag team of [[Low Ki]] and Joe. Kobashi also traveled to Europe, where he had matches in Germany, and at Universal Uproar in England, on November 12, 2005. The next night, on November 13, Kobashi defeated [[WXw Unified World Wrestling Championship|wXw World Heavyweight Champion]] [[Ares (wrestler)|Ares]] in a non-title match. On November 5, 2005, [[Go Shiozaki]], a trainee of Kobashi and Misawa that had debuted the year before, teamed with Kobashi, losing to the Kensuke Office affiliated team of Kensuke Sasaki and [[Katsuhiko Nakajima]]. Kobashi made his debut in Kensuke Office on February 11, 2006, teaming with Sasaki to defeat Nakajima and Genichiro Tenryu as part of Sasaki's 20th Anniversary show.

===== Cancer diagnosis and return =====
After winning the [[GHC Tag Team Championship]] again with Tamon Honda on June 4, 2006, against [[Muhammad Yone|Muhammed Yone]] and [[Takeshi Morishima]], Kobashi became inactive due to cancer, resulting in his partner [[Tamon Honda]] returning the belts on September 26. Kobashi had been proclaimed to have a [[Kidney tumour|tumor on his kidney]], and a biopsy confirmed it to be cancerous. The initial treatment for his cancer was a five-and-a-half hour [[Laparoscopy|laparoscopic]] [[nephrectomy]], followed later by [[chemotherapy]]. The night before, doctors alerted Kobashi that if this surgery were to be performed, then Kobashi's in-ring career would be in jeopardy.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-08-09 |title=564日ぶりの復帰戦…あの日の歓声は忘れない【小橋建太連載#10】｜東スポnote |url=https://note.tokyo-sports.co.jp/n/na8bc06274c7e?gs=37567fbdac21 |access-date=2024-12-24 |website=東スポnote |language=ja-JP}}</ref> On December 10, at the Nippon Budokan, Kobashi appeared before the fans and announced that he would return "without fail". On September 8, 2007, news broke that Kobashi would make his return on the December 2, 2007 Budokan Hall event where he would team up with Yoshihiro Takayama to face Akiyama and Misawa. On the card, Misawa would pin Kobashi with an top-rope [[Powerslam#Emerald Flowsion|''Emerald Flowsion'']], but the fans still gave Kobashi a rousing ovation.

During the [[Global Tag League#2008|2008]] [[Global Tag League]] tournament finals in April 2008, he, KENTA and Honda defeated Takayama, Shiozaki and Takuma Sano in a six-man tag team match. On June 14, Kobashi and KENTA would face their respective rivals, Kensuke Sasaki and Katsuhiko Nakajima, during the ''Great Voyage 2008 In [[Yokohama]]''; the match resulted in a thirty-minute time limit draw, with Nakajima and KENTA brawling after the match. On June 22, Kobashi took part in the European Navigation tour, competing at a wXw crossed-over program. Teaming with Shiozaki, he faced [[Bad Bones|"Bad Bones" John Klinger]] and Big Van Walter, later widely known as [[Gunther (wrestler)|Gunther]], in a successful effort. He made his return to Kensuke Office on August 17, competing in an Eight-Man Tag Team Survival Match. He teamed with Pro Wrestling Noah younger talents KENTA, Atsushi Aoki and Akihiko Ito, losing to Nakajima, Sasaki, [[Kento Miyahara]] and Takashi Okita. Kobashi lasted for nearly forty minutes in the match overall, and ended when Nakajima pinned KENTA after hitting a ''[[Professional wrestling strikes#Calf kick|Death Roll]]'' kick whilst Sasaki was holding Kobashi in the outside of the ring, preventing him from saving the match after a thirty-five minute period.

===== Double-arm surgery, final years & retirement =====
In September 2008, Kobashi underwent emergency surgery on both of his arms. The surgery was successful, and Kobashi was expected to make a full recovery. Kobashi was expected to be out of action for up to a year, but he would return to the ring less than six months later. Prior to returning to the ring, Kobashi stated that he wanted to start in opening matches, and rebuild himself to be a main event player. Kobashi made his return to wrestling on March 1, 2009 at Nippon Budokan, defeating Masao Inoue in the opening match of the card with the ''Burning Lariat''. Kobashi won the [[GHC Openweight Hardcore Championship]], his final championship, from [[Makoto Hashi]] on June 8 in [[Hachiōji, Tokyo|Hachiōji]] during Noah's ''Southern Navigation'' tour.

Mitsuharu Misawa died on June 13, 2009, in a show in [[Hiroshima]], leaving Akira Taue to fill the role as head of Noah's booking team and presidency. On August 30, 2009, Kobashi returned to All Japan Pro Wrestling for one night only, competing in his first match for the company in nine years. Kobashi teamed with Akihiko Ito and fellow AJPW alumnus [[Tsuyoshi Kikuchi]] in a losing effort to then-current AJPW stars and representatives [[Satoshi Kojima]], [[Kai (wrestler)|KAI]] and [[Hiroshi Yamato]] at Pro Wrestling Love in [[Ryōgoku Kokugikan|Ryogoku]], Volume 8. On December 23, 2009, Kobashi was seriously injured in a three-way match against Honda and Kikuchi. He was sidelined for 19 months with nerve damage in his right arm, mainly from the usage of his knife-edged chops. Kobashi declined the advice to stop using the move, and continued using the move until he retired. Kobashi made his return on July 23, 2011, teaming with [[Go Shiozaki]] in a tag team match, where they were defeated by [[Akitoshi Saito]] and Jun Akiyama. On August 27, 2011, he debuted his new temporary charity ring gear, mixing his later-stage black and early-stage orange at the inaugural [[All Together (professional wrestling)|All Together]] show at Nippon Budokan, teaming up with [[Keiji Muto]] to defeat [[Chaos (professional wrestling)|Chaos]] members [[Takayuki Iizuka|Takashi Iizuka]] and [[Toru Yano]]. On October 6, it was announced by Noah that Kobashi had stepped down from his position as an Executive Vice President of the promotion.<ref name="NOAHdirector">{{cite web|title=新役員人事について (Appointment of New Directors)|url=http://www.noah.co.jp/news_detail.php?news_id=3388|work=[[Pro Wrestling Noah]]|access-date=February 3, 2012|language=ja|date=October 6, 2011}}</ref>

On December 3, 2012, Noah confirmed that they had released the now-45 year old Kobashi from his contract, which had been decreased to exclusive in-ring competition.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tokyo-sports.co.jp/prores/60055/ |script-title=ja:ノア激震！小橋解雇、秋山ら退団 |work=[[Tokyo Sports]] |date=December 4, 2012 |access-date=December 4, 2012 |language=ja |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121210174908/http://www.tokyo-sports.co.jp/prores/60055/ |archive-date=December 10, 2012 }}</ref> The news sparked shockwaves in Japan, as [[Atsushi Aoki]], Shiozaki, Akiyama, [[Kotaro Suzuki]], and [[Yoshinobu Kanemaru]] spoke out, declaring their intent of not re-signing with Noah after their contracts expire in January, out of loyalty to Kobashi.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tokyo-sports.co.jp/prores/60055/ |script-title=ja:ノア激震！小橋解雇、秋山ら退団 |work=[[Tokyo Sports]] |date=December 4, 2012 |access-date=December 19, 2012 |language=ja |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121210174908/http://www.tokyo-sports.co.jp/prores/60055/ |archive-date=December 10, 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://sportsnavi.yahoo.co.jp/fight/headlines/20121205-00000000-dal-fight.html |title=ノ小橋、９日両国大会でフリー宣言へ！秋山ら５選手もノア退団申し入れ |work=Sports Navi |date=December 5, 2012 |access-date=December 19, 2012 |publisher=[[Yahoo!]]|language=Japanese |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121208051250/http://sportsnavi.yahoo.co.jp/fight/headlines/20121205-00000000-dal-fight.html |archive-date=December 8, 2012 }}</ref> On December 9, Kobashi attended Noah's [[Ryōgoku Kokugikan]] event and, during an in-ring interview, he revealed that he was planned to retire in a Noah ring in 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.noah.co.jp/news_detail.php?news_id=4682|title=「Great Voyage 2012 in Ryogoku vol.2」12月9日(日)両国国技館大会小橋建太選手コメント|work=[[Pro Wrestling Noah]]|date=December 9, 2012|access-date=December 19, 2012|language=ja}}</ref> Noah and Kobashi seemingly came to an agreement to let him retire as opposed to forcing him to leave the promotion. Despite this change in plans, Noah confirmed on December 19 that Akiyama, Shiozaki, Suzuki, Kanemaru and Aoki all would be leaving the promotion after December 24.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nikkansports.com/battle/news/p-bt-tp0-20121219-1061517.html|script-title=ja:秋山らノア退団正式決定|work=[[Nikkan Sports]]|date=December 19, 2012|access-date=December 19, 2012|language=ja}}</ref> On January 23, 2013, Kobashi announced that his retirement match would take place on at the [[Nippon Budokan]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nikkansports.com/battle/news/f-bt-tp0-20130123-1075724.html|script-title=ja:小橋５・11「思い出多い」武道館引退試合|work=[[Nikkan Sports]]|date=January 23, 2013|access-date=January 23, 2013|language=ja}}</ref> Kobashi's retirement event, ''[[Final Burning in Budokan]]'' took place on May 11. His retirement ceremony was held after the second match on the show and was attended by former Japanese Prime Minister [[Yoshihiko Noda]], legendary NTV announcers Akira Fukuzawa and [[Kazuo Tokumitsu]], former colleagues Akira Taue, [[Hiroshi Hase]], Masahiro Chono, [[Mitsuo Momota]], Toshiaki Kawada, and Stan Hansen (the latter via video message), along with many others. In the main event, Kobashi teamed with Jun Akiyama, Keiji Muto, and Kensuke Sasaki in an eight-man tag team match, where they defeated Kobashi's Noah and All Japan-affiliated protégés: Shiozaki, KENTA, [[Maybach Taniguchi]], and Kanemaru. In the match, Kobashi pinned Kanemaru with a moonsault for the final win of his career. The event at Nippon Budokan was attended by 17,000 fans and aired live across Japan on the television network BS Sky! and in movie theaters.<ref name="FinalBurning">{{cite web|url=http://www.noah.co.jp/tour_detail.php?tour_id=1126|script-title=ja:2013年5月11日(土)|access-date=May 11, 2013|work=[[Pro Wrestling Noah]]|language=ja|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130420052008/http://noah.co.jp/tour_detail.php?tour_id=1126|archive-date=April 20, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.f4wonline.com/more/more-top-stories/118-daily-updates/31222-notes-on-kenta-kobashi-retirement-match|title=Notes on Kenta Kobashi retirement match|last=Meltzer|first=Dave|author-link=Dave Meltzer|date=May 11, 2013|access-date=May 11, 2013|work=[[Wrestling Observer Newsletter]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://battle-news.com/battle/2013/05/001811.php|script-title=ja:やはり小橋は最後まで"鉄人"だった！まさかの月面水爆で引退試合を締めくくった小橋「プロレスは自分の青春でした」|date=May 12, 2013|access-date=May 11, 2013|work=Battle News|language=ja}}</ref>

=== Post-retirement (2013–present) ===
On March 17, 2013, Kobashi made an appearance for All Japan Pro Wrestling to promote his retirement match. Before the main event, [[Hiroshi Hase]] announced that he would be resigning as [[Pacific Wrestling Federation]] (PWF) chairman to focus on the [[National Diet]] and that Kobashi would be replacing him, after his retirement on May 11.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sportsnavi.yahoo.co.jp/sports/fight/headlines/article/20130318-00000004-spnavi |title=小橋が古巣・全日本に登場馳がPWF新会長に任命 |work=Sports Navi |date=March 18, 2013 |access-date=March 17, 2013 |publisher=[[Yahoo!]] |language=ja |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130322120435/http://sportsnavi.yahoo.co.jp/sports/fight/headlines/article/20130318-00000004-spnavi |archive-date=March 22, 2013 }}</ref> On September 8, Kobashi appeared as a color commentator at All Japan splinter promotion [[Wrestle-1]]'s [[Wrestle-1 Hataage Sen|inaugural event]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://live.sportsnavi.yahoo.co.jp/live/fight/all/2013090801/detail/1|title=武藤新団体「Wrestle-1」旗揚げ戦|date=September 8, 2013|access-date=September 8, 2013|work=Sports Navi|publisher=[[Yahoo!]]|language=ja|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130911201523/http://live.sportsnavi.yahoo.co.jp/live/fight/all/2013090801/detail/1|archive-date=September 11, 2013}}</ref> On October 27, it was confirmed that Kobashi would not be joining All Japan after all, when [[Dory Funk Jr.]] was announced as the new PWF chairman.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://battle-news.com/battle/2013/10/002008.php|script-title=ja:曙が諏訪魔を下し、新ベルトとなった三冠王座を奪取！健在だったファンクスにファン歓喜！ドリフは惜しくもアジアタッグに届かず！|date=October 28, 2013|access-date=October 27, 2013|work=Battle News|language=ja}}</ref>

On February 14, 2014, Kobashi announced that starting June 8, he would begin producing his own independent events under the brand "Fortune Dream".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20140214-00000003-spnavi-fight|script-title=ja:小橋建太プロデュース興行「ＦｏｒｔｕｎｅＤｒｅａｍ」が６月８日に始動|date=February 14, 2014|access-date=February 14, 2014|work=Sports Navi|publisher=[[Yahoo!]]|language=ja|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222142944/http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20140214-00000003-spnavi-fight|archive-date=February 22, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> The inaugural event featured wrestlers from various promotions, including All Japan Pro Wrestling, [[Big Japan Pro Wrestling]], [[Kaientai Dojo]], [[Pro Wrestling Zero1]] and [[Wrestling New Classic]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://battle-news.com/fight/index.php?QBlog-20140608-3|title=【FortuneDream】小橋建太プロデュース興行始動、耕平＆火野vs宮原＆関本|date=June 8, 2014|access-date=June 8, 2014|work=Battle News|language=ja}}</ref>

On May 10, 2015, Kobashi returned to Noah to serve as a "special witness" for a GHC Heavyweight Championship match between champion [[Minoru Suzuki]] and challenger Naomichi Marufuji. Kobashi's role included making sure that the [[Suzuki-gun]] stable did not interfere in the match.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.njpw.co.jp/news/detail.php?nid=13949|title=鈴木軍がGHC王座戦で4連勝！永田裕志が"マイバッハ・ブルージャスティス"として登場！【5月10日（日）ノア横浜大会・試合結果】|date=May 11, 2015|access-date=May 10, 2015|work=[[New Japan Pro-Wrestling]]|language=ja}}</ref>

In September 2023, he made an appearance for [[DDT Pro-Wrestling|DDT Pro Wrestling]]'s [[Shinkansen]] specialty match between Minoru Suzuki and [[Sanshiro Takagi]]. Notably, during the appearance, he did a ''gyaku-suihei chop'' ([[Chop (wrestling)#Backhand chop|knife-edged chop]]) on Suzuki, who also won the match later on. He assumed the role of a ticket checker on the Shinkansen train.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Thompson |first=Andrew |date=2023-09-18 |title=DDT presents bullet train match, Kenta Kobashi & Jun Akiyama appear |url=https://www.postwrestling.com/2023/09/18/ddt-presents-bullet-train-match-kenta-kobashi-jun-akiyama-appear/ |access-date=2023-09-23 |website=POST Wrestling {{!}} WWE AEW NXT NJPW Podcasts, News, Reviews |language=en-US}}</ref> Other wrestlers who appeared in the match included the now-DDT signed Jun Akiyama, [[Kazunari Murakami]] and [[Hikaru Sato]].

== Professional wrestling style and persona ==
Kobashi is known by the {{Nihongo|'''"Maximum Innovator"'''|最大のイノベーター|Saidai no Inobeita}} moniker in terms of his wrestling ability for popularizing and/or innovating several wrestling moves throughout his career. Among those moves include:

* the ''[[moonsault]]'', which was used predominantly as his finishing move until 1996
* the ''[[DDT (professional wrestling)#Double underhook DDT|double under-hooked DDT]]'' (which would later be used and modified by the likes of [[Jon Moxley]], [[Mick Foley]], [[Drew McIntyre]] and [[Crash Holly]])
* the ''[[Professional wrestling throws#Inverted Death Valley driver|Burning Hammer]]'' and it's wrist-clutch variant (which would later be adopted into a signature maneuver by the likes of [[AJ Styles]], [[Michael Elgin]] and [[Dan Maff]] in tribute to Kobashi)
* the ''Machine Gun Chops'', multiple knife-edged chops to an opponent from the ropes or turnbuckles (which would later be replicated by wrestlers such as [[Eddie Kingston]] and, most notably, [[Satoshi Kojima]])
* the ''[[Powerbomb#Suplex powerbomb|Orange Crush]]'', a [[suplex]] that had transitioned into a sit-out [[powerbomb]] (notably modified by [[Sami Zayn|El Generico]])

Kobashi is known to have not gone any time in his career being a [[Heel (professional wrestling)|''heel'']]. With his noted work as a determined, belligerent wrestler, it made him more likeable with the crowd, especially at the early stages of his career. Showing that he'd never give up in his career, Kobashi's presence in the ring was always noted for his determination to endure and deal damage, as seen evidently in his championship matches against his fellow ''Four Heavenly Kings'': [[Mitsuharu Misawa|Misawa]], [[Toshiaki Kawada|Kawada]] and [[Akira Taue|Taue]].

== Personal life ==
Kobashi was known in the locker room to be friendly and unreserved for conversations with his fellow peers. Notably, in the AJPW dojo, he got along with [[Mitsuharu Misawa]]'s daughter Kaede, playing with her whilst his father trained.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-06-28 |title=今でも体が覚えている…三沢さんに場外パワーボムを狙ったあの日の歓声を【小橋建太連載#4】｜東スポnote |url=https://note.tokyo-sports.co.jp/n/nb9842d99d526?gs=184b54574b36 |access-date=2024-12-24 |website=東スポnote |language=ja-JP}}</ref> Kobashi and Misawa have been described as brothers, notably with Misawa seeing himself as Kobashi's {{Nihongo|ani|兄}}, or elder brother.<ref name=":1" />

Known for his passion towards bodybuilding and training, Kobashi owns and operates a branch of [[Anytime Fitness]] in [[Setagaya]], Tokyo.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-02-08 |title=Kenta Kobashi Confirmed As 'Special Observer' For DDT's Kawasaki Strong |url=https://itrwrestling.com/news/kenta-kobashi-confirmed-as-special-observer-for-ddts-kawasaki-strong/ |access-date=2025-06-03 |website=itrwrestling.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

Kobashi married his girlfriend of 14 years, singer Mizuki ([[Birth name|née]] Mai), on October 2, 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.411mania.com/wrestling/news/156165/Various-News:-Jim-Ross-Health-Update,-Kobashi-Gets-Married,-NXT-Preview,-More.htm|title=411MANIA - Various News: Jim Ross Health Update, Kobashi Gets Married, NXT Preview, More|work=Various News: Jim Ross Health Update, Kobashi Gets Married, NXT Preview, More}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.japan-zone.com/news/2010/10/04/kobashi_kenta_kod_by_killer_kiss.shtml|title=Kobashi Kenta Ko'd by Killer Kiss|work=japan-zone.com|date=October 4, 2010|access-date=November 4, 2012}}</ref> In August 2015, Mai gave birth to the couple's first child, a daughter.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tokyo-sports.co.jp/prores/mens_prores/436350/|title=小橋建太に第１子女児誕生娘の「握りこぶし」に笑顔|date=August 17, 2015|access-date=August 17, 2015|work=[[Tokyo Sports]]|language=ja|archive-date=May 13, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160513003406/http://www.tokyo-sports.co.jp/prores/mens_prores/436350/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Legacy==
Kobashi has the [[List of professional wrestling matches rated 5 or more stars by Dave Meltzer#Wrestlers with the most 5-or-higher-star matches|fifth-most 5-star matches]] (as rated by the [[Wrestling Observer Newsletter]]) with 23. In 2002, he was inducted by [[Dave Meltzer]] into the [[Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame]] as the third inductee of the 2002 class and the 148th inductee overall, for his accomplishments in AJPW and Noah. For his last match on May 11, 2013, he was presented a replica of the [[GHC Heavyweight Championship]] belt as a farewell gift by the Noah staff and wrestlers. [[The Patriot (wrestler)|Del "The Patriot" Wilkes]] considered him as the greatest wrestler of all time, and [[Eddie Kingston]] labeled him a "perfect wrestler".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wrestlinginc.com/news/2022/06/eddie-kingston-labels-two-legends-perfect-wrestlers/|title=Eddie Kingston Labels Two Legends ‘Perfect Wrestlers’|author=Dakota Cohen|date=June 22, 2022|website=Wrestling Inc.|access-date=2024-01-23}}</ref> Kobashi has stated that he was "happy" knowing that [[Gunther (wrestler)|Gunther]], also known as Walter, was influenced by him.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Walsh |first=James |date=2024-04-30 |title=Kenta Kobashi on influencing Gunther, Ruthie Jay defends Mercedes Mone |url=https://www.gerweck.net/2024/04/30/kenta-kobashi-on-influencing-gunther-ruthie-jay-defends-mercedes-mone/ |access-date=2024-12-24 |website=Gerweck.net}}</ref>

== Championships and accomplishments ==
* '''[[All Japan Pro Wrestling]]'''
** [[All Asia Tag Team Championship]] ([[All Asia Tag Team Championship#Title history|4 times]]) – with [[Mitsuharu Misawa|Tiger Mask II]] (1), [[John Laurinaitis|Johnny Ace]] (2), and [[Tsuyoshi Kikuchi]] (1)
** [[Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship]] ([[Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship#Reigns|3 times]])<ref name=PWI500-2004/>
** [[World Tag Team Championship (AJPW)|World Tag Team Championship]] ([[World Tag Team Championship (AJPW)#Title history|6 times]]) – with [[Mitsuharu Misawa]] (2), Johnny Ace (2), and [[Jun Akiyama]] (2)
** [[Champion Carnival]] ([[Champion Carnival#2000|2000]])
** January 2 [[Korakuen Hall]] Heavyweight Battle Royal (1993)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/alljap/ajtourn.htm |title=Archived copy |access-date=April 9, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110103153959/http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/alljap/ajtourn.htm |archive-date=January 3, 2011 }}</ref>
** One Night Six Man Tag Team Tournament (1999) – with [[Jun Akiyama]] and [[Kentaro Shiga]]<ref name="purolove.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.purolove.com/noah/profiles/kentakobashi.php |title=Name: Kenta Kobashi|website=Purolove.Com |access-date=May 12, 2016}}</ref>
** [[World's Strongest Tag Determination League]] ([[World's Strongest Tag Determination League#1993|1993]]–[[World's Strongest Tag Determination League#1995|1995]]) – with Mitsuharu Misawa
** World's Strongest Tag Determination League ([[World's Strongest Tag Determination League#1998|1998]], [[World's Strongest Tag Determination League#1999|1999]]) – with Jun Akiyama
** World's Strongest Tag Determination League Fresh Award (1991) – with Tsuyoshi Kikuchi<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.cagematch.net/?id=26&nr=253 | title=Real World Tag League 1991 « Tournaments Database « CAGEMATCH - the Internet Wrestling Database}}</ref>
* '''[[International Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame]]'''
** [[International Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame#Members|Class of 2023]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://slamwrestling.net/index.php/2023/03/16/ipwhf-class-of-2023-both-great-and-gorgeous/|title=IPWHF Class of 2023 both 'Great' and 'Gorgeous'|work=Slam Wrestling|first=Greg|last=Oliver|date=March 16, 2023|accessdate=December 5, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230507112606/https://slamwrestling.net/index.php/2023/03/16/ipwhf-class-of-2023-both-great-and-gorgeous/|archive-date=May 7, 2023|url-status=live}}</ref>
*'''''[[Nikkan Sports]]'''''
**Match of the Year (1997) vs. Mitsuharu Misawa on October 21<ref name= NIKKAN1997>{{cite web|url=https://sites.google.com/site/wrestlingscout/home/updates/nikkansportsawards-1997|title=Nikkan Sports Awards - 1997|website= wrestlingscout|date=February 10, 2016}}</ref>
**Match of the Year (1998) vs. Mitsuharu Misawa on October 31<ref name= NIKKAN1998>{{cite web|url=https://sites.google.com/site/wrestlingscout/home/updates/nikkansportsawards-1998|title=Nikkan Sports Awards - 1998|website= wrestlingscout|date=February 11, 2016}}</ref>
**Match of the Year (2003) vs. Mitsuharu Misawa on March 1<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sites.google.com/site/wrestlingscout/home/updates/nikkansportsawards-2003|title=Nikkan Sports Awards - 2003|website=wrestlingscout|date=February 19, 2016|access-date=July 30, 2018|archive-date=January 5, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220105210551/https://sites.google.com/site/wrestlingscout/home/updates/nikkansportsawards-2003|url-status=dead}}</ref>
**Match of the Year (2004) vs. Jun Akiyama on July 10<ref name= NIKKAN2004>{{cite web|
url=https://sites.google.com/site/wrestlingscout/home/updates/nikkansportsawards-2004|title=Nikkan Sports Awards - 2004|website= wrestlingscout|date=February 21, 2016}}</ref>
**Match of the Year (2005) vs. [[Kensuke Sasaki]] on July 18<ref name= NIKKAN2005>{{cite web|url=https://sites.google.com/site/wrestlingscout/home/updates/nikkansportsawards-2005|title=Nikkan Sports Awards - 2005|website= wrestlingscout|date=February 22, 2016}}</ref>
**Match of the Year (2007) with Yoshihiro Takayama vs. Mitsuharu Misawa and Jun Akiyama on December 2<ref name= NIKKAN2007>{{cite web|
url=https://sites.google.com/site/wrestlingscout/home/updates/nikkansportsawards-2007|title=Nikkan Sports Awards - 2007|website= wrestlingscout|date=February 26, 2016}}</ref>
**Outstanding Performance Award (1996)<ref name = NIKKAN1996>{{cite web| url=https://sites.google.com/site/wrestlingscout/home/updates/nikkansportsawards-1996|title=Nikkan Sports Awards - 1996|website= wrestlingscout|date=February 9, 2016}}</ref>
**Fighting Spirit Award (1997, 2007, 2008)<ref name= NIKKAN1997/><ref name= NIKKAN2007/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://sites.google.com/site/wrestlingscout/home/updates/nikkansportsawards-2008|title=Nikkan Sports Awards - 2008|website=wrestlingscout|date=February 27, 2016|access-date=July 30, 2018|archive-date=March 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200328193411/https://sites.google.com/site/wrestlingscout/home/updates/nikkansportsawards-2008|url-status=dead}}</ref>
**Wrestler of the Year (1996, 1998, 2004, 2005)<ref name= NIKKAN1996/><ref name= NIKKAN1998/><ref name= NIKKAN2004/><ref name= NIKKAN2005/>
* '''''[[Pro Wrestling Illustrated]]'''''
** Ranked No. 4 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the [[PWI 500]] in 1996, 2000, and 2004
** Ranked No. 33 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/pwi/pwi500yr.htm |title=Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Top 500 Wrestlers of the PWI Years |access-date=September 15, 2010 |publisher=Wrestling Information Archive |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110515112842/http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/pwi/pwi500yr.htm |archive-date=May 15, 2011 }}</ref>
** Ranked No. 6 of the top 100 tag teams of the "PWI Years" with Mitsuharu Misawa in 2003
* '''[[Pro Wrestling Noah]]'''
** [[GHC Heavyweight Championship]] ([[GHC Heavyweight Championship#Title history|1 time]])<ref name=PWI500-2004/>
** [[GHC Openweight Hardcore Championship]] ([[GHC Openweight Hardcore Championship#Title history|1 time]])
** [[GHC Tag Team Championship]] ([[GHC Tag Team Championship#Title history|2 times]]) – with [[Tamon Honda]]
** One Day Six Man Tag Team Tournament (2002) – with [[Kenta Kobayashi|Kenta]] and Kentaro Shiga<ref name="purolove.com"/>
* '''''[[Tokyo Sports]]'''''
** Comeback Award (2007)<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite web|url=http://www.puroresu.com/awards/2000s.html|title=The Great Hisa's Puroresu Dojo : Puroresu Awards: 2000s|work=Puroresu Dojo}}</ref>
** [[Tokyo Sports Puroresu Awards#Lifetime Achievement Award|Lifetime Achievement Award]] (2013)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://battle-news.com/news/2013/12/002053.php|title=オカダが2年連続でプロレス大賞MVPを受賞！史上4人目の快挙だが、本人は「当たり前の結果」|date=December 10, 2013|access-date=December 9, 2013|work=Battle News|language=ja}}</ref>
** [[Tokyo Sports Puroresu Awards#Best Bout Award|Match of the Year]] (1995) with Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Akira Taue and Toshiaki Kawada on June 9, 1995<ref name="puroresu.com"/>
** Match of the Year (1997) vs. Mitsuharu Misawa on October 21, 1997<ref name="puroresu.com"/>
** Match of the Year (1998) vs. Mitsuharu Misawa on October 31, 1998<ref name="puroresu.com"/>
** Match of the Year (2003) vs. Mitsuharu Misawa on March 1, 2003<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
** Match of the Year (2004) vs. Jun Akiyama on July 10, 2004<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
** Match of the Year (2005) vs. Kensuke Sasaki on July 18, 2005<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
** Match of the Year (2007) with Yoshihiro Takayama vs. Mitsuharu Misawa and Jun Akiyama on December 2, 2007<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
** Match of the Year (2011) with [[Keiji Mutoh]] vs. [[Takayuki Iizuka|Takashi Iizuka]] and [[Toru Yano]], [[All Together (professional wrestling)|All Together]], August 27<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.puroresufan.com/njpw/?p=3318|title=(Results) New Japan, 12/14/11|date=December 14, 2011|access-date=December 15, 2011|work=Strong Style Spirit}}</ref>
** [[Tokyo Sports Puroresu Awards#Newcomer Award|Rookie of the Year]] (1989)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.puroresu.com/awards/1980s.html|title=The Great Hisa's Puroresu Dojo: Puroresu Awards: 1980s|work=Puroresu Dojo}}</ref>
** [[Tokyo Sports Puroresu Awards#Best Tag Team Award|Tag Team of the Year]] (1993, 1994) with Mitsuharu Misawa<ref name="puroresu.com"/>
** Tag Team of the Year (1999) with Jun Akiyama<ref name="puroresu.com"/>
** [[Tokyo Sports Puroresu Awards#MVP Award|Wrestler of the Year]] (1996, 1998)<ref name="puroresu.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.puroresu.com/awards/1990s.html|title=The Great Hisa's Puroresu Dojo: Puroresu Awards: 1990s|work=Puroresu Dojo}}</ref>
* '''''[[Wrestling Observer Newsletter]]'''''
** [[List of Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards#Best Box Office Draw|Best Box Office Draw]] (2004, 2005)
** [[List of Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards#Best Wrestling Maneuver|Best Wrestling Maneuver]] (1998) [[Inverted Death Valley driver|Burning Hammer]]
** [[List of Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards#Match of the Year|Match of the Year]] (1992) with Tsuyoshi Kikuchi vs. Doug Furnas and Phil Lafon on May 25
** Match of the Year (1998) vs. Mitsuharu Misawa on October 31
** Match of the Year (1999) vs Mitsuharu Misawa on June 11
** Match of the Year (2003) vs. Mitsuharu Misawa on March 1
** Match of the Year (2004) vs. Jun Akiyama on July 10
** Match of the Year (2005) vs. Samoa Joe on October 1 at ''Joe vs. Kobashi''
** [[List of Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards#Most Improved|Most Improved Wrestler]] (1990)
** [[List of Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards#Most Outstanding Wrestler|Most Outstanding Wrestler]] (1993, 1994)
** [[List of Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards#Tag Team of the Year|Tag Team of the Year]] (1995) with Mitsuharu Misawa
** Tag Team of the Year (1999) with Jun Akiyama
** [[List of Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards#Lou Thesz/Ric Flair Award (Wrestler of the Year)|Wrestler of the Year]] (1996, 2003–2005)
** [[Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame]] ([[Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame#Inductees|Class of 2002]])

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050407141511/http://noah.puroresufan.com/roster/kobashi.php Profile at Puroresufan.com]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20091028084245/http://www.geocities.com/smokyrobmoore/jp040599.htm View from the Rising Sun - "Orange Crush" Kenta Kobashi]
* {{Twitter|name=Kenta Kobashi}}
* {{Professional wrestling profiles}}

{{Navboxes|
|list1=
{{All Asia Tag Team Championship}}
{{Burning (professional wrestling)}}
{{Champion Carnival}}
{{GHC Heavyweight Championship}}
{{GHC Tag Team Championship}}
{{GHC Openweight Hardcore Championship}}
{{All Japan Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship}}
{{World Tag Team Championship (AJPW)}}
{{World's Strongest Tag Determination League}}
}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kobashi, Kenta}}
[[Category:1967 births]]
[[Category:20th-century male professional wrestlers]]
[[Category:20th-century Japanese professional wrestlers]]
[[Category:21st-century male professional wrestlers]]
[[Category:21st-century Japanese professional wrestlers]]
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[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Japanese male bodybuilders]]
[[Category:Japanese rugby union players]]
[[Category:People from Fukuchiyama, Kyoto]]
[[Category:Professional wrestlers from Kyoto Prefecture]]
[[Category:Japanese professional wrestling executives]]
[[Category:Japanese male judoka]]
[[Category:GHC Heavyweight Champions]]
[[Category:GHC Openweight Hardcore Champions]]
[[Category:GHC Tag Team Champions]]
[[Category:All Asia Tag Team Champions]]
[[Category:World Tag Team Champions (AJPW)]]
[[Category:Triple Crown Heavyweight Champions]]
[[Category:Champion Carnival winners]]
[[Category:1988 professional wrestling debuts]]
[[Category:20th-century Japanese sportsmen]]
[[Category:World's Strongest Tag Determination League winners]]

List of Spirit Airlines destinations

2025-06-29T11:52:04Z

182.232.34.176:

{{Short description|none}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
This is a list of destinations that [[Spirit Airlines]] serves or has previously served as of {{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{CURRENTYEAR}}.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.spirit.com/routemaps.aspx|title=Spirit Airlines {{!}} flights, check-in, boarding pass, flight status, vacations|website=www.spirit.com|language=en|access-date=15 March 2018}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Country (State/Province)
! City
! Airport
! Notes
! class="unsortable"|Refs
|-
| [[Aruba]] || [[Oranjestad, Aruba|Oranjestad]] || [[Queen Beatrix International Airport]] || ||
|-
| rowspan="3" | [[Bahamas]] || [[Freeport, Bahamas|Freeport]] || [[Grand Bahama International Airport]] || {{Terminated}} || align="center" |<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bhahotels.com/news-updates/333-spirit-airlines-pulls-out-of-grand-bahama|title=Spirit Airlines Pulls Out of Grand Bahama|website=www.bhahotels.com|language=en-gb|access-date=15 March 2018|archive-date=22 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190122094806/http://www.bhahotels.com/news-updates/333-spirit-airlines-pulls-out-of-grand-bahama|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
| [[Nassau, Bahamas|Nassau]] || [[Lynden Pindling International Airport]] || {{Terminated}} ||
|-
| [[San Salvador Island]] || [[San Salvador Airport]] || {{Terminated}} ||
|-
| [[Cayman Islands]] || [[Grand Cayman]] || [[Owen Roberts International Airport]] || {{Terminated}} || align="center" |<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.caribbean.com/cgi-bin/cms/page.cgi?g=Detailed/423.html|title=Spirit Airlines launches new service from Florida to the Cayman Islands|website=www.caribbean.com|access-date=15 March 2018}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="7" | [[Colombia]] || [[Armenia, Colombia|Armenia]] || [[El Edén International Airport]] || ||
|-
| [[Barranquilla, Colombia|Barranquilla]] || [[Ernesto Cortissoz International Airport]] || ||
|-
| [[Bogotá, Colombia|Bogotá]] || [[El Dorado International Airport]] || ||
|-
| [[Bucaramanga, Colombia|Bucaramanga]] || [[Palonegro International Airport]] ||||
|-
| [[Cali]] || [[Alfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport]] || ||
|-
| [[Cartagena, Colombia|Cartagena]] || [[Rafael Núñez International Airport]] || ||
|-
| [[Medellín, Colombia|Medellín]] || [[José María Córdova International Airport]] || ||
|-
| [[Costa Rica]] || [[San José, Costa Rica|San José]] || [[Juan Santamaría International Airport]] || ||
|-
| [[Cuba]] || [[Havana]] || [[Jose Marti International Airport]] || {{Terminated}} ||
|-
| rowspan="3" | [[Dominican Republic]] || [[Punta Cana]] || [[Punta Cana International Airport]] || ||
|-
| [[Santiago de los Caballeros|Santiago]] || [[Cibao International Airport]] || ||
|-
| [[Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic|Santo Domingo]] || [[Las Américas International Airport]] || ||
|-
| [[Ecuador]] || [[Guayaquil]] || [[José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport]] || ||
|-
| [[El Salvador]] ||[[San Luis Talpa]]||[[El Salvador International Airport|Monseñor Óscar Arnulfo Romero International Airport]] || ||
|-
| [[Guatemala]] || [[Guatemala City, Guatemala|Guatemala City]] || [[La Aurora International Airport]] || ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | [[Haiti]] || [[Cap-Haïtien]] || [[Cap-Haïtien International Airport]] || ||
|-
| [[Port-au-Prince]] || [[Toussaint Louverture International Airport]] || ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | [[Honduras]] || [[San Pedro Sula]] || [[Ramón Villeda Morales International Airport]] || ||
|-
| [[Tegucigalpa]] || [[Comayagua International Airport]] || ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | [[Jamaica]] || [[Kingston, Jamaica|Kingston]] || [[Norman Manley International Airport]] || ||
|-
| [[Montego Bay, Jamaica|Montego Bay]] || [[Sangster International Airport]] || ||
|-
| [[Mexico]] ([[Baja California Sur]]) || [[San José del Cabo]] || [[Los Cabos International Airport]] || {{Terminated}} ||
|-
| Mexico ([[Jalisco]]) || [[Puerto Vallarta]] || [[Licenciado Gustavo Díaz Ordaz International Airport]] || {{Terminated}} ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | Mexico ([[Quintana Roo]]) || [[Cancún]] || [[Cancún International Airport]] || ||
|-
| [[Tulum, Quintana Roo|Tulum]] || [[Tulum International Airport]] || ||
|-
| Mexico ([[State of Mexico]]) || [[Toluca]] || [[Lic. Adolfo López Mateos International Airport]] || {{Terminated}} ||
|-
| [[Nicaragua]] || [[Managua]] || [[Augusto C. Sandino International Airport]] || ||
|-
| [[Panama]] || [[Panama City]] || [[Tocumen International Airport]] || {{Terminated}} ||
|-
| [[Peru]] || [[Lima]] || [[Jorge Chávez International Airport]] || {{Airline seasonal}} ||
|-
| [[Sint Maarten]] || [[Philipsburg, Sint Maarten|Philipsburg]] || [[Princess Juliana International Airport]] || ||
|-
| [[Trinidad and Tobago]] || [[Port-of-Spain]] || [[Piarco International Airport]] || {{Terminated}} ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | [[Turks and Caicos Islands]] || [[Grand Turk Island]] || [[JAGS McCartney International Airport]] || {{Terminated}} ||
|-
| [[Providenciales]] || [[Providenciales International Airport]] || {{Terminated}} || align="center" |<ref name="auto">{{Cite news|url=http://pbn.com/Spirit-Airlines-to-offer-service-from-TF-Green,15457|title=Spirit Airlines to offer service from T.F. Green – Providence Business News|date=20 August 2004|work=Providence Business News|access-date=15 March 2018|language=en-US}}</ref>
|-
| [[United States]] ([[Alabama]]) || [[Birmingham, Alabama|Birmingham]] || [[Birmingham–Shuttlesworth International Airport]] |||| align="center" |<ref>{{cite web|url=https://alabamanewscenter.com/2024/06/24/spirit-airlines-to-launch-first-alabama-based-service-at-birmingham-shuttlesworth-international-airport/|title=Spirit Airlines to launch first Alabama-based service at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport|publisher=Alabama News Center|date=June 24, 2024|accessdate=June 24, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="2" | United States ([[Arizona]]) || rowspan="2" | [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]] || [[Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport]] || ||
|-
| [[Phoenix–Mesa Gateway Airport]] || {{Terminated}} || align="center" |<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.azcentral.com/community/mesa/articles/20130730spirit-takes-business-phoenix-sky-harbor-international-airport.html|title=Spirit Airlines to leave Mesa Gateway for Sky Harbor|work=azcentral.com|access-date=15 March 2018}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="7" |United States ([[California]]) || [[Burbank, California|Burbank]] ||[[Hollywood Burbank Airport]] || ||
|-
| [[Los Angeles]] || [[Los Angeles International Airport]] || ||
|-
| [[Oakland, California|Oakland]] || [[Oakland International Airport]] || ||
|-
| [[Santa Ana, California|Santa Ana]] || [[John Wayne Airport]] || ||
|-
| [[Sacramento, California|Sacramento]] || [[Sacramento International Airport]] || || align="center" |<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sacbee.com/entertainment/living/travel/article227482454.html/|title=Sacramento-to-Las Vegas fares are about to drop. Here's why.|first=Lauren|last=Zumbach|via=Sacramento Bee}}</ref>
|-
| [[San Diego]] || [[San Diego International Airport]] || ||
|-
| [[San Jose, California|San Jose]] || [[San Jose International Airport]] || || align="center" |<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-02-16 |title=Spirit Airlines to Operate at San Jose International Airport – NBC Bay Area |url=https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/south-bay/spirit-airlines-san-jose-international-airport/3159541/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230312051433/https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/south-bay/spirit-airlines-san-jose-international-airport/3159541/ |archive-date=2023-03-12 |access-date=2023-03-12 }}</ref>
|-
| United States ([[Colorado]]) || [[Denver]] || [[Denver International Airport]] || {{Terminated}} || align="center" |<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/spirit-airlines-cease-flights-denver-international-airport/| title=Spirit Airlines will stop flying out of Denver International Airport | website=[[CBS News]] | date=3 November 2023 }}</ref>
|-
| United States ([[Connecticut]]) || [[Hartford, Connecticut|Hartford]] || [[Bradley International Airport]] || ||
|-
| United States ([[District of Columbia]]) || [[Washington, D.C.]] || [[Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport]] || {{Terminated}} || align="center" |<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bs-bz-spirit-bwi-flights-20151217-story.html|title=Spirit Airlines to add flights to Boston and Detroit|last=Sun|first=Baltimore|work=baltimoresun.com|access-date=15 March 2018|language=en-US}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="8" | United States ([[Florida]]) || [[Fort Lauderdale, Florida|Fort Lauderdale]] || [[Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport]] || {{Airline hub|Base}} ||
|-
| [[Fort Myers, Florida|Fort Myers]] || [[Southwest Florida International Airport]] || ||
|-
| [[Jacksonville, Florida|Jacksonville]] || [[Jacksonville International Airport]] || {{Terminated}} ||
|-
| [[Miami]] || [[Miami International Airport]] || {{Airline hub|Base}} || align="center" |<ref>{{Cite news |last=Dolven |first=Taylor |date=16 May 2022 |title=Spirit Airlines makes MIA debut with first flights planned for October |url=https://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/tourism-cruises/article251977383.html |access-date=5 May 2023 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230505235646/https://amp.miamiherald.com/article251977383.html |archive-date=5 May 2023}}</ref>
|-
| [[Orlando, Florida|Orlando]] || [[Orlando International Airport]] || {{Airline hub|Base}} ||
|-
| [[Pensacola, Florida|Pensacola]] || [[Pensacola International Airport]] || || align="center" |<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ir.spirit.com/news-releases/news-details/2021/Spirit-Airlines-Heads-to-Pensacola-Bringing-Seven-Cities-Nonstop-Access-to-Floridas-Beaches/default.aspx|title=Spirit Airlines Heads to Pensacola, Bringing Seven Cities Nonstop Access to Florida's Beaches|website=ir.spirit.com}}</ref>
|-
| [[Tampa, Florida|Tampa]] || [[Tampa International Airport]] || ||
|-
| [[West Palm Beach, Florida|West Palm Beach]] || [[Palm Beach International Airport]] || ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | United States ([[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]) || [[Atlanta]] || [[Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport]] || {{Airline hub|Base}} ||
|-
| [[Savannah, Georgia|Savannah]] || [[Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport]] || {{coming soon|Begins August 14, 2025}} ||
|-
| United States ([[Idaho]]) || [[Boise, Idaho|Boise]] || [[Boise Airport]] || ||
|-
| United States ([[Illinois]]) || [[Chicago]] || [[O'Hare International Airport]] || {{Airline hub|Base}} ||
|-
| United States ([[Indiana]]) || [[Indianapolis]] || [[Indianapolis International Airport]] || ||
|-
| United States ([[Kentucky]]) || [[Louisville, Kentucky|Louisville]] || [[Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport]] || ||
|-
| United States ([[Louisiana]]) || [[New Orleans]] || [[Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport]] || ||
|-
| United States ([[Maryland]]) || [[Baltimore]] || [[Baltimore/Washington International Airport]] || ||
|-
| United States ([[Massachusetts]]) || [[Boston]] || [[Logan International Airport]] || ||
|-
| United States ([[Michigan]]) || [[Detroit]] || [[Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport]] || {{Airline hub|Base}} ||
|-
| United States ([[Minnesota]]) || [[Minneapolis]]/[[Saint Paul, Minnesota|Saint Paul]] || [[Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport]] || ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | United States ([[Missouri]]) || [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]] || [[Kansas City International Airport]] || ||
|-
| [[St. Louis]] || [[St. Louis Lambert International Airport]] || ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | United States ([[Nevada]]) || [[Las Vegas]] || [[Harry Reid International Airport]] || {{Airline hub|Base}} ||
|-
| [[Reno, Nevada|Reno]]/[[Lake Tahoe|Tahoe]] || [[Reno–Tahoe International Airport]] || ||
|-
| United States ([[New Hampshire]]) || [[Manchester, New Hampshire|Manchester]] || [[Manchester–Boston Regional Airport]] || {{Terminated}} ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | United States ([[New Jersey]]) || [[Atlantic City, New Jersey|Atlantic City]] || [[Atlantic City International Airport]] ||||
|-
| [[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]] || [[Newark Liberty International Airport]] || {{Airline hub|Base}} ||
|-
| rowspan="5" |United States ([[New York (state)|New York]]) || [[Islip, New York|Islip]] || [[Long Island MacArthur Airport]] || {{Terminated}} || align="center" |<ref>{{cite web |last1=Powderly |first1=Henry |date=May 21, 2014 |title=7 airlines that flew away from LI's MacArthur Airport |url=https://www.newsday.com/business/long-island-macarthur-airport-airlines-that-left-long-island-a76466 |access-date=October 16, 2023 |website=Newsday |publisher=[[Newsday]]}}</ref>
|-
| [[New York City]] || [[LaGuardia Airport]] || ||
|-
| [[Niagara Falls, New York|Niagara Falls]] || [[Niagara Falls International Airport]] || {{Terminated}} || align="center" |<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/prior-aviation-ends-operations-at-buffalo-airport-spirit-to-stop-flying-at-niagara-falls-airport/ar-BB19qjet?ocid=FinanceShimLayer&fbclid=IwAR3Bu8kWgEh_IYbMIauxvTAv5WFJe2dM34DrftuEbEV9DC_4aqoDRxf7Grg|title=Spirit Airlines to Stop Flying to Niagara Falls|author=WGRZ Staff|website=2WGRZ|access-date=21 October 2020}}</ref>
|-
| [[Plattsburgh]] || [[Plattsburgh International Airport]] || {{Terminated}} ||
|-
| [[Rochester, New York|Rochester]]|| [[Greater Rochester International Airport]]|| || align="center" |<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-10-18 |title=Spirit Airlines lands in Rochester, non-stop flights available at Frederick Douglass airport |url=https://www.rochesterfirst.com/news/lifestyles/travel/watch-live-spirit-airlines-officially-launches-out-of-rochester-airport/ |access-date=2023-04-17 |website=RochesterFirst |language=en-US}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="4" | United States ([[North Carolina]]) || [[Asheville, North Carolina|Asheville]] || [[Asheville Regional Airport]] || {{Terminated}} ||
|-
| [[Charlotte, North Carolina|Charlotte]] || [[Charlotte Douglas International Airport]] || || align="center" |<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/article226113690.html|title=The Charlotte airport is about to welcome another low-cost airline|website=charlotteobserver}}</ref>
|-
| [[Greensboro, North Carolina|Greensboro]]/[[High Point, North Carolina|High Point]] || [[Piedmont Triad International Airport]] || {{Terminated}} ||
|-
| [[Raleigh, North Carolina|Raleigh]]/[[Durham, North Carolina|Durham]] || [[Raleigh–Durham International Airport]] || ||
|-
| rowspan="3" | United States ([[Ohio]]) || [[Akron, Ohio|Akron]]/[[Canton, Ohio|Canton]] || [[Akron–Canton Airport]] || {{Terminated}} ||
|-
| [[Cleveland]] || [[Cleveland Hopkins International Airport]] || ||
|-
| [[Columbus, Ohio|Columbus]] || [[John Glenn Columbus International Airport]] || ||
|-
| United States ([[Oregon]]) || [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]] || [[Portland International Airport]] || ||
|-
| rowspan="3" | United States ([[Pennsylvania]]) || [[Latrobe, Pennsylvania|Latrobe]] || [[Arnold Palmer Regional Airport]] || ||
|-
| [[Philadelphia]] || [[Philadelphia International Airport]] || ||
|-
| [[Pittsburgh]] || [[Pittsburgh International Airport]] || ||
|-
| rowspan="3" | United States ([[Puerto Rico]]) || [[Aguadilla, Puerto Rico|Aguadilla]] || [[Rafael Hernández Airport]] || {{Airline seasonal}} ||
|-
| [[Ponce, Puerto Rico|Ponce]] || [[Mercedita International Airport]] || {{Airline seasonal}} || align="center" |<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20070725005788/en/SPIRIT-AIRLINES-Announces-Nonstop-Service-Ponce-Puerto|title=SPIRIT AIRLINES(R) Announces Nonstop Service to Ponce, Puerto Rico|access-date=15 March 2018|language=en}}</ref>
|-
| [[San Juan, Puerto Rico|San Juan]] || [[Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport]] || ||
|-
| United States ([[Rhode Island]]) || [[Providence, Rhode Island|Providence]] || [[Rhode Island T. F. Green International Airport]] || {{Terminated}} || align="center" |<ref name="auto" />
|-
| rowspan="3" |United States ([[South Carolina]]) || [[Charleston, South Carolina|Charleston]] || [[Charleston International Airport]] || || align="center" |<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Ardary |first1=Steven |last2=Blair |first2=Meredith |date=2022-12-14 |title=Spirit Airlines takes to the skies from Charleston International in 2023 |url=https://www.live5news.com/2022/12/14/spirit-airlines-takes-skies-charleston-international-2023/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230312052920/https://www.live5news.com/2022/12/14/spirit-airlines-takes-skies-charleston-international-2023/ |archive-date=2023-03-12 |access-date=2023-03-12 |website=www.live5news.com |language=en}}</ref>
|-
| [[Columbia, South Carolina|Columbia]] || [[Columbia Metropolitan Airport]]||||
|-
| [[Myrtle Beach, South Carolina|Myrtle Beach]] || [[Myrtle Beach International Airport]] || ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | United States ([[Tennessee]]) || [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]] || [[Memphis International Airport]] || ||
|-
| [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]] || [[Nashville International Airport]] || ||
|-
| rowspan="4" | United States ([[Texas]]) || [[Austin, Texas|Austin]] || [[Austin–Bergstrom International Airport]] || ||
|-
| [[Dallas]]/[[Fort Worth, Texas|Fort Worth]] || [[Dallas Fort Worth International Airport]] || {{Airline hub|Base}} ||
|-
| [[Houston]] || [[George Bush Intercontinental Airport]] || {{Airline hub|Base}} ||
|-
| [[San Antonio]] || [[San Antonio International Airport]] || || align="center" |<ref>{{cite tweet|number=1546874564810096641|user=SATairport|title=We are THRILLED to announce @SpiritAirlines will be coming to San Antonio! This exciting partnership will offer our…|date=12 July 2022}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="2" | United States ([[U.S. Virgin Islands]]) || [[Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands|St. Thomas]] || [[Cyril E. King Airport]] || ||
|-
| [[Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands|St. Croix]] || [[Henry E. Rohlsen Airport]] || ||
|-
| United States ([[Utah]]) || [[Salt Lake City]] || [[Salt Lake City International Airport]] || || align="center" |<ref name="deseret-1">{{cite web |last1=Williams |first1=Carter |title=Salt Lake City airport adds new airline service for the first time in 8 years |url=https://www.deseret.com/utah/2022/1/25/22901400/salt-lake-city-airport-adds-spirit-airlines-budget-airfare-daily-flights-vegas-orlando-los-angeles |website=Deseret News |access-date=27 January 2022 |language=en |date=25 January 2022}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="2" |United States ([[Virginia]]) || [[Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk]] || [[Norfolk International Airport]] || || align="center" |<ref>{{Cite web |last=Reese |first=Brian |date=2022-10-05 |title=Spirit Airlines coming to Norfolk International Airport {{!}} WRIC ABC 8News |url=https://www.wric.com/news/spirit-airlines-coming-to-norfolk-international-airport/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221128080703/https://www.wric.com/news/spirit-airlines-coming-to-norfolk-international-airport/ |archive-date=2022-11-28 |access-date=2023-03-12 }}</ref>
|-
| [[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]] || [[Richmond International Airport]] || ||
|-
| United States ([[Washington (state)|Washington]]) || [[Seattle]]/[[Tacoma, Washington|Tacoma]] || [[Seattle–Tacoma International Airport]] || {{Terminated|Ends August 12, 2025}} || align="center" |<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://airlinegeeks.com/2025/06/14/spirit-nixes-three-routes/|title=Spirit Nixes Three Routes | AirlineGeeks.com|date=June 14, 2025|website=AirlineGeeks.com }}</ref>
|-
| United States ([[Wisconsin]]) || [[Milwaukee]] || [[Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport]] || ||
|-
| United States ([[West Virginia]]) || [[Charleston, West Virginia|Charleston]] || [[Yeager Airport]] || {{Terminated}} || align="center" |<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-03-02 |title=Spirit Airlines ending service to Charleston, WV |url=https://www.wowktv.com/news/spirit-airlines-ending-service-to-charleston-wv/ |access-date=2023-11-28 |website=WOWK 13 News |language=en-US}}</ref>
|}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spirit Airlines Destinations}}
[[Category:Lists of airline destinations]]

Fort Worth Meacham International Airport

2025-06-29T11:33:09Z

182.232.34.176: /* Airlines and destinations */

{{Short description|General aviation airport in Fort Worth, Texas, United States}}
{{Use American English|date=May 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2014}}
{{Infobox airport
| name = {{nowrap|Fort Worth Meacham International Airport}}
| nativename =
| nativename-a =
| nativename-r =
| image = Fort Worth Meacham International Airport Logo.png
| image2 = FTW Airport Diagram.svg
| IATA = FTW
| ICAO = KFTW
| FAA = FTW
| type = Public
| owner =
| operator = City of Fort Worth
| city-served = [[Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex]]
| location = [[Fort Worth, Texas|Fort Worth]], [[Texas]]
| elevation-f = 710
| elevation-m = 216
| coordinates = {{coord|32|49|11.2|N|97|21|44.8|W|type:airport|display=inline,title}}
| website = {{URL|www.meacham.com}}
| metric-elev =
| metric-rwy =
| pushpin_map = USA Texas#USA
| pushpin_relief = yes
| pushpin_map_caption = Location of airport in Texas / United States
| pushpin_label = '''FTW'''/KFTW/'''FTW'''
| pushpin_label_position = top
| r1-number = 9/27 (closed)
| r1-length-f = 3,677
| r1-length-m = 1,121
| r1-surface = [[Asphalt concrete|Asphalt]]
| r2-number = 16/34
| r2-length-f = 7,502
| r2-length-m = 2,287
| r2-surface = [[Concrete]]
| r3-number = 17/35
| r3-length-f = 4,005
| r3-length-m = 1,221
| r3-surface = Asphalt
| stat-year =
| stat1-header =
| stat1-data =
| stat2-header =
| stat2-data =
| footnotes = Source: [[Federal Aviation Administration]]<ref name="FAA">{{FAA-airport|ID=FTW|use=PU|own=PU|site=27013.1*A}}, effective January 31, 2019.</ref>
}}

'''Fort Worth Meacham International Airport''' ('''Meacham Field''') {{airport codes|FTW|KFTW|FTW}} is a [[general aviation]] airport located near the intersection of [[Interstate 820 (Texas)|Interstate 820]] and [[U.S. Route 287 Business (Mansfield–Fort Worth, Texas)|Business U.S. Highway 287]] in [[Fort Worth, Texas]], United States. It is named after former Fort Worth Mayor Henry C. Meacham.<ref name=namesake>[https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/epm01 Meacham Field History] Texas State Historical Association</ref> The airport covers 745 acres (301 ha).<ref name="FAA" />

==History==
[[File:Municipal Airport (20107662).jpg|thumb|left|Postcard of Fort Worth Municipal Airport, undated]]
[[File:Civilian training school, students and instructors 1a34247v.jpg|thumb|[[Flight training|Civilian training school]] students and instructors at Meacham Field in 1942]]

Meacham Airport was purchased by the city of Fort Worth on July 3, 1925, named Fort Worth Municipal Airport. In 1927 the airport was renamed Meacham Field after former Fort Worth Mayor Henry C. Meacham.<ref name=namesake/>

Meacham was Fort Worth's major airport until April 1953 when major carriers moved to Amon Carter Field (later [[Greater Southwest International Airport]]). The January 1953 OAG shows 50 weekday airline departures from Meacham, 33 of which headed for Dallas. None of the others flew nonstop north of Wichita Falls, west of Midland, south of Austin or east of Dallas.

Since 1953 Meacham Airport has been used for corporate aircraft, commuter flights, and student pilot training. It was renamed in 1985 to Fort Worth Meacham Airport and in 1995 to Fort Worth Meacham International Airport. Since 1953 seven airlines have tried scheduled passenger flights from Meacham; none lasted more than a couple of years.

* [[Tejas Airlines]] (1979–80) flew [[Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner]]s to Austin, Houston, Corpus Christi, San Antonio, and Laredo
* [[Metro Airlines]] (1979–81) flew [[de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter|DHC-6 Twin Otters]]
* [[Fort Worth Airlines]] (1984–85) flew [[NAMC YS-11]]s
* [[Exec Express Airlines]] (1987–88), later [[Lone Star Airlines]], flew [[Dornier 228]]s
* [[Mesa Airlines]] (1997–98) flew [[Canadair CRJ]] regional jets

In April 2006 low-cost carrier [[Skybus Airlines]] expressed interest in operating out of the airfield as it started operations in 2007, but it folded before the repeal of the [[Wright Amendment]] in 2014.<ref>[http://theairlinenews.com/Archive/a20060407.html The Airline News April 7, 2006]{{dead link|date=April 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

On 16 April 2008, the [[American Airways Hangar and Administration Building]], constructed at the airport in 1933, was added to the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref>{{NRISref|2013a|dateform=dmy|access-date=30 August 2020|refnum=08000317|name=American Airways Hangar and Administration Building}}</ref>

On 15 January 2015, the airport advisory board voted to permanently close runway 9/27 to make room for additional hangars. The runway had been closed for about a year due to deteriorating pavement.<ref>{{cite news |last=Hirst |first=Caty |date=17 January 2015 |title=Fort Worth Meacham Airport could get more hangar space, jobs |url=https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/fort-worth/article6718884.html |work=[[Fort Worth Star-Telegram]] |location=Fort Worth, Texas |access-date=29 August 2020}}</ref>

In 2018, city officials and company founder [[David Neeleman]] hinted that a proposed [[low-cost carrier]], tentatively named [[Moxy (airline)|Moxy]], now named [[Breeze Airways]] may operate from Meacham starting in 2020. Due to COVID-19 Breeze's launch has been delayed. City aviation director at the time Bill Welstead denied holding discussions with Moxy but confirmed that [[Frontier Airlines]] and [[Allegiant Air]] were interested in serving the airport. Although the city has recently spent millions of dollars on several projects to improve airport facilities for [[general aviation]], Welstead claimed that the city was not actively planning to build adequate terminal parking for passengers, which he said would be necessary before commercial airline service could begin.<ref>{{cite news |last=Baker |first=Sandra |date=21 June 2018 |title=It's been 20 years, but could commercial airline service be returning to Meacham Airport? |url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=AMNEWS&req_dat=1000BC63AFF86032&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F16CB0B8095032680 |work=[[Fort Worth Star-Telegram]] |location=Fort Worth, Texas}}</ref>

==Current operations==
Meacham is currently used for general aviation purposes. Several companies operate aircraft services at the airport, including a division of the U.S. defense contractor [[Alliant Techsystems]] (ATK) and Texas Aviation Services.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.texasaviationservices.com/ |title=Welcome to Texas Aviation Services |website=www.texasaviationservices.com |access-date=13 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091214234554/http://www.texasaviationservices.com/ |archive-date=14 December 2009 |url-status=usurped}}</ref> An aviation museum (open weekends and by appointment during the week) is located in Hangar 33S on the airport's south side, at the end of Ellis Street. The terminal building houses several ATK employees, some Fort Worth city departments (mainly Aviation and Housing Development), a branch of [[Enterprise Rent-A-Car]], and several aviation-related businesses. The [[Civil Air Patrol]] operates two squadrons at Meacham, the Fort Worth Senior Squadron, and the Phoenix Composite Squadron. There are two FBOs operating on the field: Modern Aviation and Texas Jet. In 2020 the FBO Cornerstone Air Center closed its doors. In summer the of 2024 the old American Aero FBO owned by Robert Bass sold to Modern Aviation.

===Airlines and destinations===

{{Unreferenced section|date=January 2022}}
{{Airport-dest-list

| Bombardier Business Jet Solutions | '''Charter:''' [[Dallas Fort Worth International Airport|Dallas/Fort Worth]], [[Austin–Bergstrom International Airport|Austin]]

| Citationshares | '''Charter:''' [[Rhode Island T. F. Green International Airport|Providence]], [[Dallas Fort Worth International Airport|Dallas/Fort Worth]]

| [[Netjets]] | '''Charter:''' [[Charlotte Douglas International Airport|Charlotte]]

| Charter Fleet International | '''Charter:''' [[Dallas Fort Worth International Airport|Dallas/Fort Worth]], [[George Bush Intercontinental Airport|Houston–Intercontinental]], [[Angel Fire Airport|Angel Fire]], [[Austin–Bergstrom International Airport|Austin]]

| [[Clay Lacy Aviation]] | '''Charter:''' [[Van Nuys Airport|Los Angeles–Van Nuys]], [[Waterbury–Oxford Airport|New York–Waterbury-Oxford]], [[Miami–Opa Locka Executive Airport|Miami–Opa Locka]], [[Portland International Airport|Portland (OR)]], other destinations nationwide

}}

At one time [[Fort Worth Airlines]] had its headquarters at the airport.<ref>"World Airline Directory." ''Flight International''. March 30, 1985. [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1985/1985%20-%200943.html 83]." "Meacham Field, Fort Worth, Texas, USA."</ref>

== Accidents and incidents ==
* 9 October 1982: A [[Cessna 152]], registration number N89023, ran off the runway into a ditch and was destroyed after the pilot lost directional control on landing. The pilot and sole occupant suffered minor injuries.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://app.ntsb.gov/pdfgenerator/ReportGeneratorFile.ashx?EventID=20020917X04682&AKey=1&RType=Final&IType=LA |title=NTSB Aviation Accident Final Report FTW83LA012 |publisher=[[National Transportation Safety Board]]|access-date= 1 November 2019}}</ref>
* 6 March 1984: The right-hand engine of a [[Piper PA-23|Piper PA-23-250]], registration number N777RG, failed on takeoff after a [[touch-and-go landing]]. Although another runway aligned with the takeoff runway was only {{convert|3|mi|km}} ahead, the pilots did not attempt to reach it, and instead executed an immediate [[forced landing]] in a nearby open field. The aircraft was destroyed but the two pilots, who were the sole occupants, were not injured. [[National Transportation Safety Board]] (NTSB) investigators found the [[aircraft fuel system|fuel selector]] in the OFF position for the right-hand engine, causing [[fuel starvation]]. The accident was attributed to the improper fuel selector position, poor judgment by the pilots, and failure to understand and follow proper emergency procedures.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://app.ntsb.gov/pdfgenerator/ReportGeneratorFile.ashx?EventID=20001214X39021&AKey=1&RType=Final&IType=FA |title=NTSB Aviation Accident Final Report FTW84FA156 |publisher=[[National Transportation Safety Board]]|access-date= 4 November 2019}}</ref>
* 25 June 1989: A [[Cessna 152]], registration number N24795, rolled to the left and [[Stall (fluid dynamics)|stalled]] after controllers advised the pilots to [[go around]] due to shifting winds. The ensuing crash and post-crash fire destroyed the aircraft and killed the two pilots. The accident was attributed to "The inadvertent stall of the airplane by the pilot. Factors contributing to the accident were the pilot's disregard of the weather advisory, the unfavorable windshift, and the thunderstorm outflow."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://app.ntsb.gov/pdfgenerator/ReportGeneratorFile.ashx?EventID=20001213X28578&AKey=1&RType=Final&IType=FA |title=NTSB Aviation Accident Final Report FTW89FA117 |publisher=[[National Transportation Safety Board]]|access-date= 1 November 2019}}</ref>
* 20 November 1996: A [[Piper PA-28|Piper PA-28R-200 Arrow]], registration number N1394T, crashed into power lines on final approach while performing an [[Instrument Landing System]] approach at night in low visibility. The aircraft was destroyed and the two pilots were killed. The accident was attributed to "the pilots' continued descent of the aircraft below [[decision height]]. Factors contributing to the accident were the fog, the dark night illumination, one of the pilot's [sic] impairment due to use of [[marihuana]], and both pilots' fatigue."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://app.ntsb.gov/pdfgenerator/ReportGeneratorFile.ashx?EventID=20001208X07022&AKey=1&RType=Final&IType=FA |title=NTSB Aviation Accident Final Report FTW97FA044 |publisher=[[National Transportation Safety Board]]|access-date= 1 November 2019}}</ref>
* 27 February 1998: A [[Douglas A-4 Skyhawk|Douglas A4D-2 Skyhawk]], registration number N21NB, [[United States military aircraft serial numbers#United States Navy and Marine Corps|BuNo]] 145011, overran Runway 34R on landing and was substantially damaged; the pilot suffered minor injuries. On approach to the airport, the pilot told controllers that he was experiencing engine surges and a "total system failure." The pilot lowered the landing gear using the emergency extension procedure, but the engine surged again, causing the aircraft to touch down at a higher speed than intended, and the pilot was unable to stop the aircraft on the runway. The accident was attributed to "A total hydraulic system failure for an undetermined reason."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://app.ntsb.gov/pdfgenerator/ReportGeneratorFile.ashx?EventID=20001211X09551&AKey=1&RType=Final&IType=LA |title=NTSB Aviation Accident Final Report FTW98LA134 |publisher=[[National Transportation Safety Board]]|access-date= 4 November 2019}}</ref> The aircraft, painted in [[Royal Australian Navy]] colors, was later restored and placed on static display at the [[Air Zoo]] at [[Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.skyhawk.org/article/skyhawk-displays |title=Skyhawks Displays |website=skyhawk.org |publisher=Skyhawk Association |access-date= 4 November 2019}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Aviation}}
* [[List of airports in Texas]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* http://www.skymavs.com/
* http://www.skymavs.com/pilot-training
* [http://www.meacham.com/ Fort Worth Meacham International Airport]
* [http://www.epichelicopters.com/ Epic Helicopters LLC]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20081121145731/http://tx388.txwg.cap.gov/ Civil Air Patrol, Phoenix Composite Squadron]
{{US-airport|FTW}}

{{Fort Worth, Texas}}
{{Dallas airports}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Airports established in 1925]]
[[Category:Airports in Fort Worth, Texas]]
[[Category:Airports in Tarrant County, Texas]]
[[Category:1925 establishments in Texas]]

Republic Airways

2025-06-29T11:25:34Z

182.232.34.176: /* Merger with Mesa Airlines */

{{Short description|Regional airline of the United States}}
{{About|the airline|its holding company|Republic Airways Holdings}}
{{Distinguish|text=the defunct [[Republic Airlines]]}}
{{More citations needed|date=October 2023}}
{{Use American English|date=October 2016}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2016}}
{{Infobox airline
| airline = Republic Airways Inc.
| logo = Republic_Airways_2019_Logo.svg
| logo_size =
| image = Republic Airways N401YX E75L.jpg
| caption = [[Embraer E-Jet family|Embraer 175]] painted in Republic Airways House livery
| IATA = YX<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.faa.gov/documentlibrary/media/order/cnt.pdf|title=FAA JO7340.2D|website=faa.gov}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/airline/XYR|publisher=ch-aviation|title=Republic Airways on ch-aviation}}</ref>
| ICAO = RPA
| callsign = BRICKYARD
| aoc = R61A758X<ref name="FAA">{{cite web|url=https://av-info.faa.gov/detail.asp?DSGN_CODE=R61A&OPER_FAR=121&OPER_NAME=REPUBLIC+AIRWAYS+INC|title=Federal Aviation Administration – Airline Certificate Information – Detail View|website=av-info.faa.gov|access-date=2019-06-27}}</ref>
| hubs = {{ubl|class=nowrap
| [[Logan International Airport|Boston]]
| [[O'Hare International Airport|Chicago–O'Hare]]
| [[John Glenn Columbus International Airport|Columbus–Glenn]]
| [[Indianapolis International Airport|Indianapolis]]
| [[Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport|Louisville]]
| [[Newark Liberty International Airport|Newark]]
| [[LaGuardia Airport|New York–LaGuardia]]
| [[Philadelphia International Airport|Philadelphia]]
| [[Pittsburgh International Airport|Pittsburgh]]
| [[Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport|Washington–National]]}}
| fleet_size = [[#Fleet|206]]
| destinations =
| parent = [[Republic Airways Holdings]]
| founded = {{start date and age|1998||}}
| headquarters = [[Indianapolis]], [[Indiana]]
| key_people = [[Bryan Bedford]] ([[President (corporate title)|President]] & [[Chief executive officer|CEO]])
| num_employees = 6,100 (2024)
| website = {{URL|rjet.com}}
}}

'''Republic Airways''' is a [[regional airline]] in the [[United States]] and a subsidiary of [[Republic Airways Holdings]] that operates service for [[American Airlines]] (as [[American Eagle (airline brand)|American Eagle]]), [[Delta Air Lines]] (as [[Delta Connection]]), and [[United Airlines]] (as [[United Express]]) using a fleet of [[Embraer E-Jet family#E170|Embraer E170]] and [[Embraer E-Jet family#E175|Embraer E175]] regional jets. It is headquartered in [[Indianapolis]], Indiana.<ref>"[http://www.rjet.com/contactus.html Contact Us] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090430132011/http://www.rjet.com/contactus.html |date=April 30, 2009 }}." ''[[Republic Airways Holdings]]''. Retrieved on May 19, 2009.</ref>

==History==
[[File:CLT 3-29-09 N108HQ (3400144338).jpg|thumb|A Republic Airways [[Embraer E-Jet family#E170|Embraer E170]], with [[US Airways Express]] titles]]
In 1999, [[Republic Airways Holdings]] incorporated a new subsidiary, "Republic Airline, Inc."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1159154/000115915405000022/form10k.htm| title=Republic Airways Holdings Form 10-K for Year Ended December 31, 2004|access-date=August 16, 2013}}</ref> but the subsidiary had no activity prior to 2004 and no ability to operate aircraft prior to 2005. In 2004 the holding company activated Republic Airways in reaction to a pilots' suit against [[American Airlines]].

American had awarded the flying of 44-seat [[regional jets]] to [[Chautauqua Airlines]], then the main operating subsidiary of Republic Airways Holdings. However, Chautauqua later started to operate 70-seat regional jets on behalf of United Airlines, and this caused American to be in violation of its pilot union [[scope clause]], which prevented an airline from operating on behalf of American if that airline was operating jet aircraft of more than 50 seats, even if such aircraft were operating on behalf of a carrier other than American. To repair the situation, Republic Airways Holdings activated Republic Airline, and upon [[FAR part 121#Organization|Part 121]] certification in 2005<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1159154/000115915405000060/exhibit99_1.htm| title=Exhibit99.1 Republic Airline Certification|access-date=2013-08-16}}</ref> allowing Republic Airline to operate commercial service. Republic Airways Holdings then transferred the offending 70-seat regional jets from Chautauqua to Republic Airline. American was then no longer in violation of its pilot union scope clause. Republic Airways Holdings paid $6.6 million to the pilot union of American Airlines to settle the issue.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://avstop.com/news_september_2011/republic_airways_continues_attack_on_pilots_group_with_sham_furloughs.htm| title=Republic Airways Continues Attack On Pilots Group With Sham Furloughs|date=2011-09-08|access-date=2013-08-16}}</ref>

US Airways' pilots had a scope clause prohibiting the airline from operating large regional jets such as the Embraer E170. The airline negotiated around this clause by offering flight deck jobs to laid-off US Airways pilots, in a program known as "Jets for Jobs". This agreement created a subsidiary, [[MidAtlantic Airways]]. As part of US Airways' bankruptcy restructuring, the 25 Embraer E170s delivered to MidAtlantic were bought by Republic to help US Airways come out of bankruptcy; Republic operates them along with additional newly delivered aircraft.{{Cn|date=October 2023}}

In 2007, [[Frontier Airlines]] signed an 11-year service agreement with Republic Airways. Under the agreement, Republic would operate 17 Embraer E170 aircraft for the Frontier Airlines operation. The first aircraft was placed into service in March 2007, and the last aircraft was expected to be placed into service by December 2008. On April 23, 2008, Republic Airways Holdings (parent of Republic Airline) terminated its service agreement with Frontier Airlines, which entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy in early April 2008. Subsequently, Republic Air Holdings purchased Frontier Airlines in bankruptcy. Frontier-branded Republic Airways E190 aircraft provided regional capacity support. In September 2013, Republic Airways Holdings sold Frontier Airlines. As part of the sale, Republic Airways terminated the Frontier branded E190 from flying.{{Cn|date=October 2023}}

On February 1, 2008, Republic Airways opened a base at [[John Glenn Columbus International Airport]] in [[Columbus, Ohio]].{{Cn|date=October 2023}}

On September 3, 2008, Republic signed a new 10-year codeshare agreement with [[Midwest Airlines]]. The aircraft would be based at [[Kansas City International Airport]] beginning October 1, 2008. Twelve aircraft would be placed in service with Midwest. On June 23, 2009, Republic announced it would acquire Midwest Airlines for $31 million.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2009/06/22/daily25.html?page=all |title=Republic Airways to acquire Midwest Airlines |publisher=The Business Journal |date=2009-06-23|access-date=2013-08-01}}</ref>

In January 2013, Republic Airways Holdings reached a capacity purchase agreement with American Airlines to operate Embraer E175 airplanes under the American Eagle brand beginning in mid-2013.<ref name=AmericanEagle /> Republic began service as an American Eagle affiliate on August 1, 2013, from Chicago to New Orleans, Pittsburgh, and Albuquerque.<ref name=AmericanEagleBegins />

On February 25, 2016, the airline filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The airline was hit hard because of pilot shortages, but a new contract ratified in October 2015 helped restructure the airline. At the time of filing, Republic Holdings claimed $2.97 billion in liabilities and $3.56 billion in assets.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/republic-airways-files-bankruptcy-protection-37202468|title=Business Index|website=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]|access-date=October 30, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoinegara/2016/02/25/republic-airways-ceo-says-bankruptcy-filing-will-take-airline-to-new-heights/#4485704e1675|title=Republic Airways CEO Says Bankruptcy Filing Will Take Airline To New Heights|first=Antoine|last=Gara|website=[[Forbes]]|access-date=October 30, 2016}}</ref> On November 16, 2016, Republic Airways Holdings filed their [[Chapter 11, Title 11, United States Code|Plan of Reorganization]] with intentions to emerge from Chapter 11 during the first quarter of 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161116006713/en/|title=Republic Airways Files Plan of Reorganization, Intends to Emerge from Chapter 11 in Q1-2017|website=businesswire.com|date=November 17, 2016}}</ref>

It was announced that parent company Republic Airways Holdings would merge subsidiaries [[Shuttle America]] and Republic Airways into one company, with Republic Airways being chosen as the surviving company. On January 31, 2017, Shuttle America merged with Republic Airways. In December 2018, the operating division was renamed Republic Airways to match its parent company.{{Cn|date=October 2023}}

As of January 31, 2017, Republic Airways has the largest fleet of [[Embraer E-Jet family#E170|Embraer E170]] and [[Embraer E-Jet family#E175|Embraer E175]] aircraft in the world.{{Original research inline|date=October 2023}}

On September 21, 2021, Republic Airways announced it will move its corporate headquarters to [[Carmel, Indiana|Carmel]], [[Indiana]]. The future Carmel headquarters and training facility will be a $200 million project. The project is expected to bring nearly 2,000 new jobs to Carmel. The building will be located along U.S. 31 at the current site of the Hamilton Crossing Centre. Construction will be funded by the increase in property tax revenue generated by the new building, paid by Republic Airways, and is set to open in the summer of 2025.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.wfyi.org/news/articles/republic-airways-will-move-headquarters-to-carmel |title=Republic Airways Will Move Headquarters To Carmel |date=September 21, 2021 |access-date=April 25, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://fox59.com/news/republic-airways-planning-200-million-new-facilities-in-carmel/ |title=Republic Airways planning $200 million new facilities in Carmel |work=Fox 59 |date=September 21, 2021 |access-date=April 25, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.indystar.com/story/news/local/hamilton-county/carmel/2021/09/22/carmel-gains-corporate-republic-airways-headquarters-what-does-indy-lose/5796971001/ |title=Carmel gains new corporate HQ with Republic Airways plans. What does Indy lose? |date=September 22, 2021 |access-date=April 25, 2025}}</ref>

===Merger with Mesa Airlines===
On April 7, 2025, [[Republic Airways Holdings]] announced that it would acquire [[Mesa Airlines]] in an all-stock merger. Under the terms of the agreement, Republic shareholders will own approximately 88% of the merged company, while Mesa shareholders will retain between 6% and 12%. The merger is expected to close in the third or fourth quarter of 2025, pending approval from shareholders and regulators.<ref name="Reuters2025">{{cite news |last=Josephs |first=Leslie |date=2025-04-07 |title=Mesa Air, Republic Airways announce merger to create larger regional airline |url=https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/mesa-air-republic-airways-merger-deal-create-larger-regional-airline-2025-04-07/ |access-date=2025-04-16 |work=Reuters}}</ref>

Following the merger, the combined company will operate approximately 310 Embraer 170/175 aircraft and more than 1,250 daily departures. Republic will continue operating under agreements with [[American Airlines]], [[Delta Air Lines]], and [[United Airlines]], while Mesa will fly under a 10-year agreement with United.<ref name="Reuters2025" />

Prior to the merger, Mesa had scaled back its operations to about 60 Embraer 175 aircraft, all of which were leased from United. The merger would leave Republic and [[SkyWest Airlines]] as the two largest remaining independent regional airlines in the United States.<ref name="CrankyFlier2025">{{cite web |last=Snyder |first=Brett |date=2025-04-10 |title=And Then There Were Two(ish): Republic Swallows Mesa's Remains |url=https://crankyflier.com/2025/04/10/and-then-there-were-twoish-republic-swallows-mesas-remains/ |access-date=2025-04-16 |website=Cranky Flier}}</ref>

==Destinations==
{{As of|2025|06}}, Republic operates the following routes for [[American Eagle (airline brand)|American Eagle]], [[Delta Connection]], and [[United Express]].
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center;"
|+
List of destinations<ref name="Republic Route Map">{{cite web|title=Republic Airways: Bases & Routes|url=https://rjet.com/bases-and-routes/|access-date=October 8, 2022}}</ref>
|-
! City !! Country (Subdivision) !! IATA !! Airport !! Notes
|-
| [[Halifax, Nova Scotia|Halifax]] || Canada ([[Nova Scotia]]) || YHZ || [[Halifax Stanfield International Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Ottawa]] || Canada ([[Ontario]]) || YOW || [[Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Toronto]] || Canada ([[Ontario]]) || YYZ || [[Toronto Pearson International Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Montreal]] || Canada ([[Quebec]]) || YUL || [[Montréal–Trudeau International Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Quebec City]] || Canada ([[Quebec]]) || YQB || [[Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Northwest Arkansas|Fayetteville/Springdale]] || United States ([[Arkansas]]) || XNA || [[Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Little Rock, Arkansas|Little Rock]] || United States ([[Arkansas]]) || LIT || [[Clinton National Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Jacksonville, Florida|Jacksonville]] || United States ([[Florida]]) || JAX || [[Jacksonville International Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Key West, Florida|Key West]] || United States ([[Florida]]) || EYW || [[Key West International Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Sarasota, Florida|Sarasota]] || United States ([[Florida]]) || SRQ || [[Sarasota–Bradenton International Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Tallahassee, Florida|Tallahassee]] || United States ([[Florida]]) || TLH || [[Tallahassee International Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Atlanta, Georgia|Atlanta]] || United States ([[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]) || ATL || [[Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Savannah, Georgia|Savannah]] || United States ([[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]) || SAV || [[Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Chicago, Illinois|Chicago]] || United States ([[Illinois]]) || ORD || [[O'Hare International Airport]] || '''Base'''
|-
| [[Indianapolis, Indiana|Indianapolis]] || United States ([[Indiana]]) || IND || [[Indianapolis International Airport]] || '''Base'''
|-
| [[Cedar Rapids, Iowa|Cedar Rapids]] || United States ([[Iowa]]) || CID || [[Eastern Iowa Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Des Moines, Iowa|Des Moines]] || United States ([[Iowa]]) || DSM || [[Des Moines International Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Lexington, Kentucky|Lexington]] || United States ([[Kentucky]]) || LEX || [[Blue Grass Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Louisville, Kentucky|Louisville]] || United States ([[Kentucky]]) || SDF || [[Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport]] || '''Base'''
|-
| [[New Orleans, Louisiana|New Orleans]] || United States ([[Louisiana]]) || MSY || [[Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Bangor, Maine|Bangor]] || United States ([[Maine]]) || BGR || [[Bangor International Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Portland, Maine|Portland]] || United States ([[Maine]]) || PWM || [[Portland International Jetport]] ||
|-
| [[Baltimore]] || United States ([[Maryland]]) || BWI || [[Baltimore/Washington International Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston]] || United States ([[Massachusetts]]) || BOS || [[Logan International Airport]] || '''Base'''
|-
| [[Worcester, Massachusetts|Worcester]] || United States ([[Massachusetts]]) || ORH || [[Worcester Regional Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Detroit]] || United States ([[Michigan]]) || DTW || [[Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Grand Rapids, Michigan|Grand Rapids]] || United States ([[Michigan]]) || GRR || [[Gerald R. Ford International Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Duluth, Minnesota|Duluth]] || United States ([[Minnesota]]) || DLH || [[Duluth International Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Minneapolis, Minnesota|Minneapolis]]/[[Saint Paul, Minnesota|St. Paul]] || United States ([[Minnesota]]) || MSP || [[Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]] || United States ([[Missouri]]) || MCI || [[Kansas City International Airport]] ||
|-
| [[St. Louis]] || United States ([[Missouri]]) || STL || [[St. Louis Lambert International Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Lincoln, Nebraska|Lincoln]] || United States ([[Nebraska]]) || LNK || [[Lincoln Airport (Nebraska)]] ||
|-
| [[Omaha, Nebraska|Omaha]] || United States ([[Nebraska]]) || OMA || [[Eppley Airfield]] ||
|-
| [[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]] || United States ([[New Jersey]]) || EWR || [[Newark Liberty International Airport]] || '''Base'''
|-
| [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]] || United States ([[New York (state)|New York]]) || BUF || [[Buffalo Niagara International Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Ithaca, New York|Ithaca]] || United States ([[New York (state)|New York]]) || ITH || [[Ithaca Tompkins International Airport]] ||
|-
| [[New York City]] || United States ([[New York (state)|New York]]) || JFK || [[John F. Kennedy International Airport]] ||
|-
| [[New York City]] || United States ([[New York (state)|New York]]) || LGA || [[LaGuardia Airport]] || '''Base'''
|-
| [[Rochester, New York|Rochester]] || United States ([[New York (state)|New York]]) || ROC || [[Greater Rochester International Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Syracuse, New York|Syracuse]] || United States ([[New York (state)|New York]]) || SYR || [[Syracuse Hancock International Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Asheville, North Carolina|Asheville]] || United States ([[North Carolina]]) || AVL || [[Asheville Regional Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Charlotte, North Carolina|Charlotte]] || United States ([[North Carolina]]) || CLT || [[Charlotte Douglas International Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Greensboro, North Carolina|Greensboro]] || United States ([[North Carolina]]) || GSO || [[Piedmont Triad International Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Raleigh, North Carolina|Raleigh]]/[[Durham, North Carolina|Durham]] || United States ([[North Carolina]]) || RDU || [[Raleigh–Durham International Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Wilmington, North Carolina|Wilmington]] || United States ([[North Carolina]]) || ILM || [[Wilmington International Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Cincinnati, Ohio]] area || United States ([[Kentucky]]) || CVG || [[Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport]] || Airport is in Kentucky
|-
| [[Cleveland, Ohio|Cleveland]] || United States ([[Ohio]]) || CLE || [[Cleveland Hopkins International Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Columbus, Ohio|Columbus]] || United States ([[Ohio]]) || CMH || [[John Glenn Columbus International Airport]] || '''Base'''
|-
| [[Oklahoma City]] || United States ([[Oklahoma]]) || OKC || [[OKC Will Rogers International Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Tulsa, Oklahoma|Tulsa]] || United States ([[Oklahoma]]) || TUL || [[Tulsa International Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Harrisburg, Pennsylvania|Harrisburg]] || United States ([[Pennsylvania]]) || MDT || [[Harrisburg International Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Philadelphia]] || United States ([[Pennsylvania]]) || PHL || [[Philadelphia International Airport]] || '''Base'''
|-
| [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania|Pittsburgh]] || United States ([[Pennsylvania]]) || PIT || [[Pittsburgh International Airport]] || '''Base'''
|-
| [[Providence, Rhode Island|Providence]] || United States ([[Rhode Island]]) || PVD || [[Rhode Island T. F. Green International Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Charleston, South Carolina|Charleston]] || United States ([[South Carolina]]) || CHS || [[Charleston International Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Columbia, South Carolina|Columbia]] || United States ([[South Carolina]]) || CAE || [[Columbia Metropolitan Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Upstate South Carolina|Greenville–Spartanburg]] || United States ([[South Carolina]]) || GSP || [[Greenville–Spartanburg International Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Hilton Head Island, South Carolina|Hilton Head Island]] || United States ([[South Carolina]]) || HHH || [[Hilton Head Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Myrtle Beach, South Carolina|Myrtle Beach]] || United States ([[South Carolina]]) || MYR || [[Myrtle Beach International Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Knoxville, Tennessee|Knoxville]] || United States ([[Tennessee]]) || TYS || [[McGhee Tyson Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]] || United States ([[Tennessee]]) || MEM || [[Memphis International Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]] || United States ([[Tennessee]]) || BNA || [[Nashville International Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Dallas, Texas|Dallas]] || United States ([[Texas]]) || DFW || [[Dallas Fort Worth International Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Burlington, Vermont|Burlington]] || United States ([[Vermont]]) || BTV || [[Burlington International Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Charlottesville, Virginia|Charlottesville]] || United States ([[Virginia]]) || CHO || [[Charlottesville–Albemarle Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk]] || United States ([[Virginia]]) || ORF || [[Norfolk International Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]] || United States ([[Virginia]]) || RIC || [[Richmond International Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Roanoke, Virginia|Roanoke]] || United States ([[Virginia]]) || ROA || [[Roanoke–Blacksburg Regional Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Washington, D.C.]] area || United States ([[Virginia]]) || IAD || [[Washington Dulles International Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Washington, D.C.]] area || United States ([[Virginia]]) || DCA || [[Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport]] || '''Base'''
|-
| [[Hobart, Wisconsin|Hobart]] || United States ([[Wisconsin]]) || GRB || [[Green Bay–Austin Straubel International Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Madison, Wisconsin|Madison]] || United States ([[Wisconsin]]) || MSN || [[Dane County Regional Airport]] ||
|-
| [[Milwaukee]] || United States ([[Wisconsin]]) || MKE || [[Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport]] ||
|}

==Fleet==
===Current fleet===
{{As of|2025|6}}, the Republic Airways fleet consists of the following aircraft:{{Cn|date=January 2025}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
!rowspan=2| Aircraft
!rowspan=2| In service
!rowspan=2| Orders
!colspan=4| Passengers
!rowspan=2| Operated for
!rowspan=2| Notes
|-
! <abbr title="First class">F</abbr>
! <abbr title="Premium Economy class">Y+</abbr>
! <abbr title="Economy class">Y</abbr>
! Total
|-
| rowspan="3" |[[Embraer E-Jet family#E170|Embraer 170]]<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Largest All-Embraer Fleet |url=https://rjet.com/about/technology/ |access-date=2025-06-03 |website=Republic Airways |language=en-US}}</ref>
|3
|–
|12
|20
|34
|66
|[[American Eagle (airline brand)|American Eagle]]
|Orders are transfers from [[Delta Connection]]
|-
|11
|—
|9
|12
|rowspan=2|48
|69
|[[Delta Connection]]<ref name=":0" />
|All to be transferred to [[American Eagle (airline brand)|American Eagle]]
|-
|14
|—
|6
|16
|70
|[[United Express]]<ref name=":0" />
|All to be removed from United Express service
|-
| rowspan="4" |[[Embraer E-Jet family#E175|Embraer 175]]<ref name=":0" />
|76
|—
| rowspan="4" |12
|20
|44
| rowspan="4" |76
|[[American Eagle (airline brand)|American Eagle]]<ref name=":0" />
|
|-
|46
|—
|20
|44
|[[Delta Connection]]<ref name=":0" />
|
|-
|53
|14
|16
|48
|[[United Express]]<ref name=":0" />
|
|-
|3
|—
|—
|64
|Republic Airways
|Operated for American Eagle and as required for Charter operations
|-
!Total
!206
!(14)
!colspan=6|
|}

===Fleet development===
[[File:N866RW Embraer 170 Republic Airways (7548246056).jpg|thumb|A Republic Airways [[Embraer E-Jet family#E170|E170]] with Republic branding at [[Kansas City International Airport]]]]

The [[Embraer E-Jet family|Embraer 175]] made its [[United States]] domestic debut when the first aircraft was delivered to Republic Airways in March 2007. Total orders were for 36 aircraft, which were operated in an 80-seat configuration under the US Airways Express brand name.<ref>[[Flight International]] 13–19 March 2007</ref>

In July 2010, Republic ordered a further 24 Embraer E190 aircraft.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/07/21/345079/farnborough-republic-signs-for-24-more-embraer-190s.html|date=July 21, 2010|access-date=July 21, 2010|title=FARNBOROUGH: Republic signs for 24 more Embraer 190s}}</ref>

In May 2012, Republic Airways agreed to fly the 28 Bombardier Q400s for United Express that bankrupt [[Pinnacle Airlines]] planned to return to its lessors.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/2012-05-15/republic-agrees-take-over-q400-flying-pinnacle|date=May 15, 2012|access-date=February 15, 2013|title=Republic Agrees To Take Over Q400 Flying for Pinnacle|work=Aviation International News }}</ref> The Q400 fleet was retired in 2017.{{Cn|date=October 2023}}

Republic Airways Holdings signed a three-year contract in October 2012 with Caesars Entertainment Corporation where its Republic Airways subsidiary would operate five Embraer E190 aircraft to provide more than 1,500 charter flights annually for Caesars. Service began in January 2013. This contract ended in August 2015 and all E190 aircraft were sold or returned to the lease holders.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20121025006766/en/Republic-Airways-Caesars-Entertainment-Sign-Three-Year-Flight |title=Republic Airways, Caesars Entertainment Sign Three-Year Flight Agreement |publisher=businesswire.com |date=2012-10-25|access-date=February 15, 2013}}</ref>

In January 2013, Republic Airways Holdings reached a capacity purchase agreement with [[American Airlines]] to operate 47 Embraer E175 airplanes under the American Eagle brand beginning in mid-2013. The regional jets would be deployed out of American's [[Chicago]] hub. In addition, Republic would have options to purchase an additional 47 Embraer aircraft beginning in 2015.<ref name=AmericanEagle>{{cite web|url=http://www.dallasnews.com/business/airline-industry/20130124-republic-airways-to-operate-large-regional-jets-for-american-airlines1.ece |title=Republic Airways to operate large regional jets for American Airlines |publisher=dallasnews.com |date=2013-01-24|access-date=2013-02-15}}</ref> Republic took first delivery of the E175 jets in July 2013 and service began August 1, 2013, from Chicago to New Orleans, Pittsburgh and Albuquerque.<ref name=AmericanEagleBegins>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/grantmartin/2013/07/31/american-airlines-embraer-175/ |title=American Airlines Unveils Embraer 175 Regional Jet Design |work=forbes.com |date=2013-07-31|access-date=2013-08-01}}</ref> Republic began using [[Miami International Airport|Miami]] as an American Eagle hub in October 2014 and in [[JFK Airport|New York-JFK]] in May 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://airwaysnews.com/blog/2014/07/28/american-to-fly-e-175-out-of-miami-starting-october-2/|title=Republic Airlines To Start Flying E-175 Out Of Miami For American Airlines October 2|work=Airchive|access-date=September 15, 2014|archive-date=October 20, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141020044751/http://airwaysnews.com/blog/2014/07/28/american-to-fly-e-175-out-of-miami-starting-october-2/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:Republic Airline Crew Base.jpg|thumb|Republic Airways Maintenance Base in Columbus, Ohio]]
In late 2015, it was announced Republic Airways achieved approval from the FAA for Extended Overwater Operations (EOW), which allows Republic to operate up to 162 nautical miles from shore. As of January 31, 2017, only Republic E175 aircraft operating for American Airlines are equipped to operate as an EOW aircraft. American Airlines uses Republic to operate aircraft out of Miami International Airport to various Caribbean and Central American destinations, including the Bahamas, Mexico, Panama, Belize, Honduras, Costa Rica, Turks & Caicos, Cuba, Guadeloupe, and the French West Indies.{{Cn|date=October 2023}}

In late 2016 it was announced, due to the impending merger with Shuttle America, that the 80-seat Embraer E175s operated for American Eagle (previously US Airways Express) would have the last row of seats removed (4 in total) to conform with Delta's [[scope clause]], which limits all regional jets to a maximum of 76 seats. These aircraft were retrofitted to American's standard Embraer E175 layout.{{Cn|date=October 2023}}

On January 31, 2017, all existing aircraft operating under the Shuttle America operating certificate were transferred to the Republic Airline Inc. operating certificate, thus ceasing operations for Shuttle America, and completing the merger process of both subsidiaries. The move made Republic the largest operator of [[Embraer E-Jet family#E170|Embraer E170]] and Embraer E175 aircraft in the world.{{Cn|date=October 2023}}

On December 20, 2018, Republic Airways announced that it had finalized a firm order for 100 Embraer E175 aircraft, stating that deliveries for the new aircraft would start in the second half of 2020 <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181220005174/en/Republic-Airways-Embraer-sign-firm-order-100 |title=Republic Airways, Embraer sign firm order of 100 aircraft. |publisher=businesswire.com |date=2018-12-20|access-date=February 25, 2019}}</ref>

In October 2019, Republic received the first of 30 E175s to be transferred from [[Compass Airlines (North America)|Compass Airlines]] upon the cancellation of their contract with Delta.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.flightglobal.com/fleets/republic-to-fly-30-more-e175s-as-delta-overhauls-regional-set-up/133825.article|title=Republic to fly 30 more E175s as Delta overhauls regional set-up|first=Jon|last=Hemmerdinger|website=Flight Global}}</ref>

In September 2021, Republic agreed to sell 11 E170s and 6 E175s to [[Envoy Air]].{{Cn|date=October 2023}}

===Retired fleet===
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Republic Airways retired fleet
|-
!Aircraft
!Total
!Introduced
!Retired
!Notes
|-
|[[Embraer ERJ-135]]
|1
|2017
|2019
|Used for pilot training.
|-
|[[Embraer E-Jet family#E190|Embraer E190]]
|17
|2009
|2015
|Operated for [[Frontier Airlines]] and [[Midwest Airlines]]
|-
|[[De Havilland Canada Dash 8#Series 400|Bombardier Q400]]
|31
|2012
|2017
|Operated for [[United Express]]
|}

==Incidents==
* On April 9, 2017, a passenger was [[United Express Flight 3411 incident|forced off of a Republic-operated United Express flight]] in [[O'Hare International Airport|Chicago]] bound for [[Louisville International Airport|Louisville]]. The passenger was forced off the flight by Department of Aviation officers after he refused to give up his seat to an airline employee. He attempted to run back onto the aircraft, but was forcibly removed. A video posted on social media showing him being injured and dragged off the plane led to a public outcry against United Airlines.
* On June 21, 2018, a Republic-owned E170 registered N876RW was damaged by a fire while undergoing maintenance at [[John Glenn Columbus International Airport]]. The aircraft was deemed to be damaged beyond economical repair.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20180621-0|title=ASN Aircraft accident Embraer ERJ 170LR (ERJ-170-100 LR) N876RW Columbus-John Glenn International Airport, OH (CMH)|first=Harro|last=Ranter|website=aviation-safety.net}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://rzjets.net/aircraft/?reg=445817 |title=Search |date= |website=rzjets.net}}</ref>
* On May 10, 2019, a Republic-owned E175 operating Delta Connection flight 5935 was heading towards New York's [[LaGuardia Airport]] when a suicidal passenger attempted to open a cabin door in mid-flight, causing the pilots to declare an emergency shortly before landing. The situation was brought under control, after which the plane landed safely and was met by law enforcement at the gate.
*On November 6, 2019, a Republic-owned E175 operating American Eagle Flight 4439 returned to [[Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport]] after suffering severe controllability issues after takeoff: ATC flight data recorded the crew stating a "trim runaway" and a "stalling situation". The data shows the aircraft rapidly climbing to 15,100 ft (4,600 m) and slowing down to 160 knots (300 km/h) while performing nearly two full right turns.<ref>{{cite web|last=Ranter|first=Harro|title=Serious incident Embraer ERJ-175LR (ERJ-170-200 LR) N117HQ, 06 Nov 2019|url=https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=230478|access-date=2021-04-25|website=aviation-safety.net}}</ref>
* On June 4, 2022, a Republic-owned E175 operating American Eagle Flight 4837 from [[Indianapolis International Airport|Indianapolis]] bound for [[Chicago-O'Hare]], aborted its takeoff after an odor of smoke was reported in the aircraft. The aircraft was evacuated on a taxiway. No injuries were reported.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/flight-from-indy-to-chicago-aborts-takeoff-evacuates-tarmac-kind-ord-republic-4837/531-2de6d973-d2b9-4709-a9ce-f946a3f41e96 | title=Flight from Indy to Chicago aborts takeoff, evacuates on tarmac | date=June 4, 2022 }}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Air transportation in the United States]]
* [[Regional airline]]
* [[American Eagle (airline brand)]]
* [[United Express]]
* [[Delta Connection]]
* [[Delta Shuttle]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Republic Airline}}
* {{official website|http://www.rjet.com/}}

{{Portal bar|United States|Indiana|Companies|Aviation}}
{{Airlines of the United States}}
{{Midwest Connection Carriers}}
{{American Eagle Carriers}}
{{Delta Connection Carriers}}
{{US Airways Express Carriers}}
{{United Express Carriers}}
{{Republic Airways Holdings}}

[[Category:Republic Airways| ]]
[[Category:Regional airlines of the United States]]
[[Category:Regional Airline Association members]]
[[Category:Companies based in Indianapolis]]
[[Category:Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2016]]
[[Category:Airlines established in 1973]]
[[Category:Airlines based in Indiana]]
[[Category:American companies established in 1973]]

Hughes Airwest

2025-06-29T11:12:33Z

182.232.34.176:

{{Short description|Defunct airline of the United States (1968–1980)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox airline
| airline = Hughes Air Corporation
| logo = Hughes Airwest logo.svg
| logo_size = 250
| IATA = RW
| ICAO =
| callsign = HUGHES-AIR
| founded = {{start date|1968|04|17}} {{small|(amalgamation; as ''Air West'')}}
| commenced = {{start date|1970||}} {{small|(as ''Hughes Airwest'')}}
| ceased = {{end date|1980|10|01}} {{small|(acquired by [[Republic Airlines]])}}<ref name=ratohawoct>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ESFTAAAAIBAJ&pg=4348,933691|newspaper=Deseret News|agency=UPI |title=Republic Airlines takes over Hughest Airwest on Oct. 1|date=September 18, 1980 |page=10B}}</ref>
| bases =
| hubs = {{nowrap|[[San Francisco International Airport|San Francisco]]}}
| secondary_hubs =
| focus_cities = {{ubl|class=nowrap
| [[Boise Airport|Boise]]
| [[Stapleton International Airport|Denver–Stapleton]]
| [[Harry Reid International Airport|Las Vegas]]
| [[Los Angeles International Airport|Los Angeles]]
| [[Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport|Phoenix–Sky Harbor]]
| [[Portland International Airport|Portland (OR)]]
| [[Salt Lake City International Airport|Salt Lake City]]
| [[Boeing Field|Seattle–Boeing]]
| [[Seattle–Tacoma International Airport|Seattle/Tacoma]]}}
| frequent_flyer =
| lounge =
| alliance =
| subsidiaries =
| fleet_size =
| destinations =
| parent =
| headquarters = [[San Mateo County, California|San Mateo County]], [[California]], [[United States]]
| key_people = {{bulleted list|
| [[Nick Bez]]
| [[Howard Hughes]] (owner)
| Russell V. Stephenson ([[President (corporate title)|president]])}}
| website =
}}

[[Image:Fairchild F-27A N755L Air West SFO 19.09.70 edited-3.jpg|thumb|200px|Air West [[Fairchild F-27]]A in 1970 at [[San Francisco International Airport]]]]

'''Hughes Airwest''' was a [[local service carrier]], a scheduled airline in the [[Western United States]] from 1970 to 1980. It was backed by [[Howard Hughes]]' [[Summa Corporation]]. Its original name in 1968 was '''Air West''' and the air carrier was owned by [[Nick Bez]]. Hughes Airwest flew routes in the western U.S. and to several destinations in Mexico and Canada; its headquarters were on the grounds of [[San Francisco International Airport]] (SFO) in [[unincorporated area|unincorporated]] [[San Mateo County, California]].<ref>"World Airline Directory." ''[[Flight International]]''. April 28, 1979. [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1979/1979%20-%201441.html?search=%22Hughes%20Airwest%22 1379].</ref>

With distinctive all-yellow aircraft, the company slogan was ''Top Banana in the West'';<ref name=topban76>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wCJZAAAAIBAJ&pg=3502,6737762 |newspaper=Deseret News |location=Salt Lake City, Utah)|title=Now, "Top Banana" service|agency=(advertisement)|date=June 29, 1976|page=16A}}</ref><ref name=huwtbad>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=uyJZAAAAIBAJ&pg=6184%2C5208764|newspaper=Deseret News|title=Top Banana in the West|agency=(advertisement)|date=June 22, 1976|page=back}}</ref><ref name=banrno>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=3PlLAAAAIBAJ&sjid=7fgDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4030%2C114391|work=Spokane Daily Chronicle |location=(Washington) |agency=(advertisement) |title=Go Bananas to Reno|date=March 1, 1977 |page=23}}</ref> Hughes Airwest was purchased by [[Republic Airlines]] in 1980, which in turn was merged into [[Northwest Airlines]] in 1986. Northwest Airlines was then merged into [[Delta Air Lines]] in 2010.<ref name=ratohawoct/><ref name=hrmisn>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=h8heAAAAIBAJ&sjid=XDIMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5123%2C5511483 |work=Lewiston Morning Tribune |location=(Idaho) |title=Herman is in, the Big Yellow Banana is out|date=September 30, 1980 |page=1B}}</ref>

== History ==
On April 17, 1968, three earlier [[local service carrier]]s in the western U.S. merged to form '''Air West''':<ref name=awmlc>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=8mQhAAAAIBAJ&pg=4770,3404180 |newspaper=Tri-City Herald |location=(Washington)|agency=Associated Press|title=Air West merger legally complete|date=April 18, 1968|page=3}}</ref><ref name=niaw>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=8KVfAAAAIBAJ&pg=5036,5115162 |newspaper=Lewiston Morning Tribune|location=(Idaho)|last=Campbell |first=Thomas W. |title=Another merger: now it's Air West |date=April 28, 1968|page=21}}</ref><ref name=stbdet>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=U9hVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=H-EDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4553%2C73591 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=(Oregon) |agency=Associated Press |title=Air West's service said deteriorating |date=October 2, 1968 |page=4A}}</ref>
* '''[[Pacific Air Lines]],''' which previously operated as '''Southwest Airways''' when it was founded in 1941, was based in [[San Francisco]], flew along the coast and California's [[Central Valley (California)|Central Valley]], linking cities from [[Medford, Oregon]], to [[Southern California|southern]] California. Pacific operated [[Boeing 727-100]]s and [[Fairchild F-27]]s in 1968.
* '''[[Bonanza Air Lines]]''' routes reached west from its [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]] base to southern California and north to [[Las Vegas]], [[Reno, Nevada|Reno]], and [[Salt Lake City]]. Bonanza flew [[Douglas DC-9]]-10s and Fairchild F-27s in 1968, with a DC-9-30 on order, delivered after the merger.
* '''[[West Coast Airlines]],''' based at [[Boeing Field]] in [[Seattle]], served the [[Pacific Northwest]], [[Idaho]], [[Utah]], [[Montana]], and [[Northern California|northern]] California. West Coast operated DC-9-10s, F-27s, and [[Piper Navajo]]s in 1968.

The initial '''Air West''' fleet included Boeing 727-100s, Douglas DC-9s, Fairchild F-27s, and Piper Navajos. The first new addition to the Air West fleet was a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30, which had been ordered by Bonanza Air Lines.

Hungry for another adventure in the airline industry, [[Trans World Airlines|TWA]]'s former owner [[Howard Hughes]] sought the airline in 1968,<ref name=hmbaw>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=AclOAAAAIBAJ&pg=6917,2603821 |newspaper=Deseret News|location=(Salt Lake City, Utah)|title=Hughes may buy Air West|agency=UPI|date=August 12, 1968|page=6C}}</ref><ref name=hcwsf>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=avFIAAAAIBAJ&pg=5028,5643083 |newspaper=Youngstown Vindicator|location=(Ohio)|last=Arnold|first=Patrick|agency=Associated Press|title=Hughes charged with stock fraud|page=1|date=July 31, 1974}}</ref> and the US$90 million deal was finalized in April 1970.<ref name=awpac>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=c2NOAAAAIBAJ&pg=4762,111916|newspaper=Ellensburg Daily Record|location=(Washington)|agency=UPI|title=Air West purchase almost completed|date=April 2, 1970|page=8}}</ref><ref name=erghcdlg>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=bKxVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=POEDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5429%2C529044|work=Eugene Register-Guard|location=(Oregon)|agency=UPI|title=Hughes completes dealings for airline|date=April 3, 1970|page=3A}}</ref><ref name=awtobhu>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=gZNYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=OvgDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4887%2C1368816 |work=Spokane Daily Chronicle |location=(Washington)|agency=Associated Press |title=Air West taken over by Hughes |date=April 4, 1970 |page=2}}</ref> Renamed '''Hughes Air West''', its call sign became "Hughes Air," and the airline expanded to several cities in the western United States, Canada, and Mexico. With the new yellow paint scheme, unveiled in September 1971, the airline began calling itself '''Hughes Airwest''', two words instead of the initial three.

The airline participated in some movies in the 1970s, notably ''[[The Gauntlet (film)|The Gauntlet]]'' with [[Clint Eastwood]] and [[Sondra Locke]] in [[1977 in film|1977]]. Eastwood's character arrives in Las Vegas from Phoenix on the airline and when he phones the airport for flight departure times, Locke's character sarcastically called the airline, "Air ''Worst''." Also in 1977, the airline was operating service from both Burbank (BUR) and Orange County (SNA) to Denver (DEN) via an interchange flight agreement with the original [[Frontier Airlines (1950–1986)|Frontier Airlines]].<ref>http://www.departedflights.com, 1977 Frontier Airlines Annual Report, route map</ref> Hughes Airwest soon introduced its own jet service to Denver from a number of locations.

Like other local service airlines in the 1970s, Hughes Airwest eliminated many stops and opened longer routes. Service expanded to resorts in Mexico; domestic routes didn't reach east of Utah and Arizona until Denver, Des Moines, Milwaukee, and Houston Hobby Airport were added in 1978. When it ended F-27 turboprop flights in 1979, Hughes Airwest became an all-jet airline with 727-200s, DC-9-10s, and DC-9-30s.

In September [[1979 in aviation|1979]], the airline was grounded for two months by a walkout by their ticket agents, reservations handlers, and office employees, who had been without a contract for over a year.<ref name=awsem>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=I1tOAAAAIBAJ&pg=3870,2548519|newspaper=Spokane Daily Chronicle|title=Airwest strike effect minimal|date=September 11, 1979|page=5}}</ref><ref name=ntiaws>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=pKtfAAAAIBAJ&pg=6097,5417915|newspaper=Lewiston Morning Tribune|agency=Associated Press|title=No talks in Airwest strike|date=September 29, 1979|page=2A}}</ref><ref name=hawfras>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=_2VJAAAAIBAJ&pg=2737,2413684|newspaper=News and Courier|location=[[Charleston, South Carolina|Charleston, SC]]|agency=Associated Press|title=Hughes Airwest flights resume after strike|date=November 11, 1979|page=2A}}</ref> During 1979, several airlines showed interest in buying Hughes Airwest, including [[Alaska Airlines|Alaska]] and [[Allegheny Airlines|Allegheny]], with the latter soon becoming [[US Airways|USAir]].<ref name=aweots>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=UspeAAAAIBAJ&pg=2244,42763|newspaper=Lewiston Morning Tribune|agency=Associated Press|title=Airwest entertains offers to sell|date=October 1, 1979 |page=1B}}</ref> The strike was resolved in late October and flights resumed in November. Four months later they were the target of a buyout by [[Republic Airlines]],<ref name=reloaaw>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ImcaAAAAIBAJ&pg=6372,680158|newspaper=Milwaukee Journal|agency=(Los Angeles Times)|title=Republic looking at Airwest|date=March 12, 1980|page=17}}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> which was finalized on October 1, 1980, for $38.5 million.<ref name=ratohawoct/><ref name=mwsnt>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=TYBQAAAAIBAJ&pg=5524%2C2361030 |work=Milwaukee Sentinel |agency=UPI |title=Republic Airlines get CAB approval for Hughes merger |date=September 13, 1980 |page=7, part 2}}</ref><ref name=hnc>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=nU9OAAAAIBAJ&pg=4904,125218 |newspaper=Spokesman-Review|title=Hughes name changes|agency=Associated Press|date=October 1, 1980|page=A23}}</ref> [[Minneapolis]]-based Republic had formed in July 1979 via the merger of [[North Central Airlines]] and [[Southern Airways]], the first under [[Airline Deregulation Act|airline deregulation]].<ref name=ncsamok>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZHlQAAAAIBAJ&pg=3952,818124|newspaper=Milwaukee Sentinel|agency=UPI|title=North Central, Southern Airlines merger gets final OK from Carter|date=June 5, 1979|page=5-part 2}}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref name=ppokm>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wY4qAAAAIBAJ&sjid=JVwEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4391%2C2298202|newspaper=Pittsburgh Press|agency=UPI |title=Carter okays airline merger |date=June 5, 1979|page=A-14}}</ref><ref name=yvapokm>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=1KNJAAAAIBAJ&sjid=eIQMAAAAIBAJ&pg=6212%2C2083038 |newspaper=Youngstown Vindicator |location=(Ohio)|agency=Associated Press |title=Carter okays merger of 2 airlines |date=June 5, 1979|page=21}}</ref>

Republic was acquired by [[Northwest Airlines]] in [[1986 in aviation|1986]],<ref name=nrmctlc>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=U_4lAAAAIBAJ&pg=4195%2C133082|newspaper=Miami News|agency=Associated Press|title=Northwest-Republic merger creates third-largest carrier|date=August 1, 1986|page=9A}}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref name=twoair>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=x3ozAAAAIBAJ&pg=5454,87554|newspaper=Eugene Register-Guard|title=Two airlines get approval for merger|date=August 1, 1986|page=1C }}</ref> which [[Delta Air Lines-Northwest Airlines merger|merged]] into [[Delta Air Lines]] in [[2010 in aviation|2010]].

{| class=wikitable style="text-align:center"
|+ Revenue Passenger-Miles (Millions)
|+(Sched Service Only)
|-
! !! Pacific/RW !! Bonanza !! West Coast !! Empire
|-
! scope="row" | 1951
| 26 || 7 || 11 || 9
|-
! scope="row" | 1955
| 47 || 23 || 35 || (merged WC)
|-
! scope="row" | 1960
| 103 || 64 || 93
|-
! scope="row" | 1965
| 138 || 170 || 122
|-
! scope="row" | 1970
| 893 || colspan=2|(merged 1968)
|-
! scope="row" | 1975
| 1497
|}

==Corporate affairs==
[[File:AW9 Air West (5920250419) (2).jpg|thumb|The Air West color scheme prior to conversion to Sundance Yellow and Universal Blue]]
[[File:Hughes Airwest McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31 Silagi-1.jpg|thumb|Hughes Airwest DC-9s in 1979]]
The original headquarters were in two buildings in downtown [[San Mateo, California]], on the San Francisco [[San Francisco Peninsula|peninsula]].

Its new headquarters were located in San Mateo.<ref>''Standard & Poor's Register of Corporations, Directors and Executives, Volume 3''. [[Standard & Poor's]], 1976. p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=zucVAQAAMAAJ&q=%22Hughes+Airwest%22+%22Clearview+Way%22 638]. "Hughes Air Corp d/b/a Hughes Airwest Airlines, 3125 Clearview Way, San Mateo, Cal."</ref> The airline scheduled the move to a new headquarters in late August 1973; the complex was on a hill overlooking San Mateo and San Francisco Bay. The airline relocated two departments from the offices at San Francisco International Airport: flight control and reservations.<ref>"[http://www.hughesairwest.com/PDF/73-newsletter-aug.pdf 'Big Move' under way to new international headquarters in San Mateo]." ([https://web.archive.org/web/20140202195740/http://www.hughesairwest.com/PDF/73-newsletter-aug.pdf Archive]) ''Hughes Airwest'' newsletter. August 1973. Vol. 5, No. 8. p. 1.</ref>

=== Livery ===
Hughes Airwest's planes were recognizable by their banana-yellow fuselage and tail colors.<ref>Hughes promoted their new colors as "Sundance Yellow" and "Universe Blue." The blue has sometimes been described as purple, but this is an optical illusion when viewed on the yellow expanse of aircraft hull. Since these were not standards-compliant color names, the exact color values are uncertain, and can only be approximated by examining color photographs of Hughes Airwest aircraft.</ref> Their airplanes were often dubbed "flying bananas" and the airline launched an advertising campaign with the catchphrase "Top [[Banana]] in the West."<ref name=topban76/><ref name=huwtbad/><ref name=banrno/><ref>{{cite journal|journal=AOPA Pilot|date=July 2011}}</ref> Most nicknames given to Hughes Airwest airplanes in aviation books and magazines have to do with bananas. Apart from their all-yellow scheme, the airplanes also featured a blue logo on the [[vertical stabilizer]] (tail) that resembled three [[Rhombus|diamonds]] connected (possibly a reference to the initials of Howard Hughes). The name ''Hughes Airwest'', in stylized lettering, was featured unconventionally ''below'' the front passenger windows.

This [[aircraft livery|livery]] was devised by the [[southern California]] design firm of [[Mario Armond Zamparelli]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.marioarmondzamparelli.com/html/awards.html|title=Mario Armond Zamparelli|access-date=January 19, 2011|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304004126/http://www.marioarmondzamparelli.com/html/awards.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.marioarmondzamparelli.com/html/P2-1.html|title=Mario Armond Zamparelli|access-date=January 19, 2011|archive-date=March 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305063011/http://marioarmondzamparelli.com/html/p2-1.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> following the crash of [[Hughes Airwest Flight 706|Flight 706]] in June 1971, caused by a [[mid-air collision]] with a [[United States Marine Corps|U.S. Marine Corps]] [[F-4 Phantom II|F-4B]] jet fighter near [[Duarte, California|Duarte]], California.<ref name=lajcia>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=L_9JAAAAIBAJ&pg=3342,1566932|newspaper=Modesto Bee|agency=Associated Press|title=L.A. jetliner, fighter crash in air; 50 die|date=June 7, 1971|page=A-1 }}</ref><ref name =ahu>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZYBfAAAAIBAJ&pg=6306%2C1562101|newspaper=Lewiston Morning Tribune|agency=Associated Press|title='Airliner hit us,' survivor says after mid-air collision|date=June 8, 1971|page=6}}</ref> In late 1971, the company launched a new marketing campaign which included new colors and repainted planes.<ref name=awmkclch>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=dMkdAAAAIBAJ&pg=5314%2C6199169|newspaper=Deseret News|title=Airwest makes colorful changes|date=October 27, 1971|page=B-5}}</ref><ref name=prfsbnw>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1338&dat=19711122&id=CLwzAAAAIBAJ&pg=6914,2071410|newspaper=Spokane Daily Chronicle|title=Profit seen by Airwest|date=November 22, 1971|page=5}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://newspaper.twinfallspubliclibrary.org/files/Times-News_TF284/PDF/1971_11_26.pdf|newspaper=(Twin Falls, ID) Times-News|title=Airwest unveils bright new look|date=November 26, 1971|page=7|access-date=January 12, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304001655/http://newspaper.twinfallspubliclibrary.org/files/Times-News_TF284/PDF/1971_11_26.pdf|archive-date=March 4, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> The cabin windows also had a metallized [[PET film (biaxially oriented)|PET film]] coating originally,<ref name=huawoc71>{{cite web|url=http://www.hughesairwest.com/PDF/71-newsletter-oct.pdf|publisher=Hughes Air Corp. (co. newsletter)|title=New look is first step in '72 marketing program|date=October 1971|page=1}}</ref> but this proved too costly to maintain. Zamparelli also designed the uniforms of the [[flight attendant]]s in the new colors, primarily in Sundance Yellow trimmed with Universe Blue.<ref name=alnewstrun>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=MvAjAAAAIBAJ&pg=5473%2C2952345 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=(Spokane, Washington) |agency=(photo) |title=Airlines new stewardess uniforms |date=November 23, 1971 |page=26 }}</ref><ref name=pfphawu>{{cite web|url=http://www.museumofflight.org/pre-flight-primp|publisher=Museum of Flight|title=Pre-flight Primp: Hughes Airwest Flight Attendant Uniforms|access-date=January 11, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140615070203/http://www.museumofflight.org/pre-flight-primp|archive-date=June 15, 2014}}</ref>

After the sale in October 1980 the all-yellow paint scheme was gradually replaced by Republic's white with blue and green trim. Aircraft tails bore Republic's flying [[mallard]], "Herman the Duck."<ref name=hrmisn/><ref name=hnc/>

== Fleet ==
Air West and Hughes Airwest operated the following aircraft types at various times during their existence:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aerobernie.bplaced.net/Air%20West.html|title=Air West fleet|website=aerobernie.bplaced.net|access-date=February 20, 2021}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:0.5em auto; text-align:center"
|+ Hughes Airwest fleet
|-
!Aircraft
!Total
!Introduced
!Retired
!Notes
|-
|[[Boeing 727-193]]
|3
|1968
|1972
|
|-
|[[Boeing 727-200]]
|11
|1976
|1980
|
|-
|[[Douglas C-47A Skytrain]]
|7
|1968
|1969
|
|-
|[[McDonnell Douglas DC-9-14]]
|5
|1970
|1980
|
|-
|[[McDonnell Douglas DC-9|McDonnell Douglas DC-9-15RC]]
|12
|1973
|1980
|
|-
|[[McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31]]
|30
|1970
|1980
|
|-
|[[McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32]]
|2
|1971
|1980
|
|-
|[[Fairchild F-27]]
|34
|1968
|1980
|
|-
|[[Piper PA-31 Navajo]]
|4
|1968
|1970
|
|}

== Destinations ==

===Air West in July 1968===
This is a list of destinations taken from the Air West system timetable dated July 1, 1968, when the merger to form Air West became effective.<ref>http://www.timetableimages.com, July 1, 1986, Air West system timetable</ref> Cities served with jets are noted in '''bold'''. Air West was operating [[Boeing 727-100]], [[Douglas DC-9-10]], and [[McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30]] jets, as well as [[Fairchild F-27]] turboprops and small [[Piper Navajo]] twin props at this time. The majority of the destinations on this list that did not have jet service were served with F-27 twin turboprops.

ARIZONA:

* Grand Canyon (GCN)
* Kingman (IGM)
* Page (PGA)
* '''Phoenix''' (PHX): [[Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport]] - '''Hub'''
* Prescott (PRC)
* '''Tucson''' (TUS)
* Yuma (YUM)

CALIFORNIA:
{|
|
* Bakersfield (BFL)
* Blythe (BLH)
* '''Burbank''' (BUR): [[Bob Hope Airport]]
* Chico (CIC)
* Crescent City (CEC)
* El Centro (IPL)
* '''Eureka/Arcata''' (ACV)
* '''Fresno''' (FAT)
* Inyokern (IYK)
* Lake Tahoe (TVL)
* Long Beach (LGB): [[Long Beach Airport]]
|
* '''Los Angeles''' (LAX): [[Los Angeles International Airport]] - '''Hub'''
* Marysville/Yuba City (MYV)
* '''Monterey''' (MRY)
* Oakland (OAK): [[Oakland International Airport]]
* Ontario (ONT): [[Ontario International Airport]]
* Oxnard/Ventura (OXR)
* Palmdale/Lancaster (WJF)
* Palm Springs (PSP)
* Paso Robles/San Luis Obispo (PRB)
* Redding/Red Bluff (RDD)
* Riverside (RAL)
|
* Sacramento (SMF)
* '''San Diego''' (SAN): [[Lindbergh Field]]
* '''San Francisco''' (SFO): [[San Francisco International Airport]] - '''Hub''' & '''airline headquarters'''
* '''San Jose''' (SJC): [[Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport]]
* '''Santa Ana''' aka Orange County (SNA): [[John Wayne Airport]]
* '''Santa Barbara''' (SBA): [[Santa Barbara Municipal Airport]]
* Santa Maria (SMX)
* Santa Rosa (STS)
* Stockton (SCK)
* Vandenberg Air Force Base (VBG)
|}
IDAHO:

* '''Boise''' (BOI) - '''Hub'''
* Burley/Rupert (BYI)
* Idaho Falls (IDA)
* Lewiston (LWS)
* Pocatello (PIH)
* Twin Falls (TWF)
* Sun Valley/Hailey/Ketchum (SUN)

MONTANA:

* Great Falls (GTF)
* Kalispell (FCA)

NEVADA:

* '''Las Vegas''' (LAS): [[McCarran International Airport]] - '''Hub'''
* '''Reno''' (RNO)

OREGON:
{|
|
* Albany/Corvallis (CVO)
* Astoria/Seaside (AST)
* Baker (BKE)
* '''Eugene''' (EUG)
* Klamath Falls (LMT)
* '''Medford''' (MFR)
|
* North Bend/Coos Bay (OTH)
* Ontario (ONO)
* '''Portland''' (PDX): [[Portland International Airport]] - '''Hub'''
* Redmond/Bend (RDM)
* Roseburg (RBG)
|}
UTAH:

* Cedar City (CDC)
* '''Salt Lake City''' (SLC): [[Salt Lake City International Airport]] - '''Hub'''

WASHINGTON:
{|
|
* Aberdeen/Hoquiam (HQM)
* Ephrata/Moses Lake (EPH)
* Olympia (OLH)
* '''Pasco/Kennewick/Richland''' (PSC)
* Pullman (PUW)
* '''Seattle''' (SEA): [[Seattle-Tacoma Airport]] - '''Hub'''
|
* '''Spokane''' (GEG)
* Tacoma (TIW)
* Walla Walla (ALW)
* Wenatchee (EAT)
* '''Yakima''' (YKM)
|}
CANADA:

* Calgary, Alberta (YYC): [[Calgary International Airport]]

MEXICO:

* '''La Paz''' (LAP)
* '''Mazatlan''' (MZT)
* '''Puerto Vallarta''' (PVR)
* '''Guadalajara''' (GDL)
* '''Guaymas''' (GYM)

=== Hughes Airwest in September 1980 ===
In 1980, Hughes Airwest was an all-jet airline operating [[Boeing 727-200]], [[Douglas DC-9-10]], and [[McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30]] aircraft. The timetable for September 1 lists service to:<ref>http://www.departedflights.com, September 1, 1980, Hughes Airwest system timetable</ref>

ARIZONA:

* Grand Canyon (GCN)
* '''Phoenix''' (PHX): [[Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport]] - '''Hub'''
* Tucson (TUS)

CALIFORNIA:
{|
|
* Burbank (BUR): [[Bob Hope Airport]]
* Eureka/Arcata
* Fresno
* '''Los Angeles''' (LAX): [[Los Angeles International Airport]] - '''Hub'''
* Oakland (OAK): [[Oakland International Airport]]
* Ontario (ONT): [[Ontario International Airport]]
* Palm Springs
|
* Redding/Red Bluff
* Sacramento
* San Diego (SAN): [[Lindbergh Field]]
* '''San Francisco''' (SFO): [[San Francisco International Airport]] - '''Hub''' & '''airline headquarters'''
* San Jose (SJC): [[Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport]]
* Santa Ana aka Orange County (SNA): [[John Wayne Airport]]
|}
COLORADO:

* Denver (DEN): [[Stapleton International Airport]]

IDAHO:

* '''Boise''' (BOI) - '''Hub'''
* Idaho Falls
* Lewiston
* Pocatello
* Twin Falls

IOWA:

* Des Moines

MONTANA:

* Kalispell

NEVADA:

* '''Las Vegas''' (LAS): [[McCarran International Airport]] - '''Hub'''
* Reno

OREGON:

* Eugene
* Klamath Falls
* Portland (PDX): [[Portland International Airport]]
* Redmond/Bend

TEXAS:

* Houston (HOU): [[William P. Hobby Airport]]

UTAH:

* '''Salt Lake City''' (SLC): [[Salt Lake City International Airport]] - '''Hub'''

WASHINGTON:

* Pasco/Kennewick/Richland (Tri-Cities Airport)
* '''Seattle''' (SEA): [[Seattle-Tacoma International Airport]] - '''Hub'''
* Spokane
* Yakima

WISCONSIN:

* Milwaukee

CANADA:

* Calgary, Alberta (YYC): [[Calgary International Airport]]
* Edmonton, Alberta (YEG): [[Edmonton International Airport]]

MEXICO:

* Manzanillo
* Mazatlan
* Puerto Vallarta

==Accidents and incidents==
===1971 – Flight 706===
{{Main|Hughes Airwest Flight 706}}
On the evening of Sunday, June 6, 1971, Flight 706, a [[McDonnell Douglas DC-9#Series 30 subvariants|Douglas DC-9-31]] [[Mid-air collision|collided in mid-air]] with a [[United States Marine Corps Aviation|U.S. Marine Corps]] [[McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II|F-4B]] [[Fighter aircraft|fighter]] over [[southern California]] near [[Duarte, California|Duarte]]. All 49 on the airliner and the F-4 pilot were killed; the sole survivor was the F-4 [[Naval flight officer|radar intercept officer]]. Flight 706 had departed [[Los Angeles International Airport|Los Angeles]] for [[Seattle–Tacoma International Airport|Seattle]], with five intermediate stops, the first in [[Salt Lake City International Airport|Salt Lake City]].

===1972 – Flight 800 hijacking===
Two months after the [[Aircraft hijacking|hijacking]] by [[D. B. Cooper]] of [[Northwest Airlines|Northwest Orient]] flight 305, Hughes Airwest was the target of a [[Copycat crime|copycat]] hijacker in early 1972.<ref name="ctnsjal">{{cite news |date=January 21, 1972 |title=Nab skyjacker after leap |page=1, sec. 1 |work=Chicago Tribune |agency=Associated Press |url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1972/01/21/page/1/article/nab-skyjacker-after-leap}}</ref><ref name="hjcapoc">{{cite news |date=January 21, 1972 |title=Hijacker caught after parachuting over Colorado with $50,000 in cash |page=1 |newspaper=Lewiston Daily Sun |agency=Associated Press |location=(Maine) |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=M5UgAAAAIBAJ&pg=1442%2C2185479}}</ref><ref name="dethfls">{{cite news |date=January 21, 1972 |title=This hijacker fails |page=A1 |work=Deseret News |agency=UPI |location=(Salt Lake City, Utah) |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=mdZjAAAAIBAJ&pg=6620%2C4063000}}</ref> After boarding Flight 800 at [[McCarran International Airport|McCarran]] airport in [[Las Vegas]] in late morning on Thursday, January 20, 23-year-old Richard Charles LaPoint claimed he had a bomb while the plane was on the taxiway and demanded $50,000 cash, two [[parachute]]s, and a helmet.<ref name="skycod">{{cite news |last=Miniclier |first=Kit |date=January 21, 2001 |title=Skyjacker a Colorado oddity? |newspaper=Denver Post |url=http://extras.denverpost.com/news/news0121g.htm |url-status=dead |access-date=February 16, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140424062530/http://extras.denverpost.com/news/news0121g.htm |archive-date=April 24, 2014}}</ref> When these demands were met, 51 [[Reno, Nevada|Reno]]-bound passengers and two flight attendants were released; the DC-9 departed eastward toward [[Denver]], followed by two [[General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark|F-111]] aircraft of the [[United States Air Force|U.S. Air Force]] from nearby [[Nellis Air Force Base|Nellis AFB]].<ref name="parhjcap">{{cite news |last=Taylor |first=Daniel L. |date=January 21, 1972 |title=Parachutist hijacker captured |page=3A |newspaper=Eugene Register-Guard |agency=UPI |location=(Oregon) |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wthVAAAAIBAJ&pg=6730%2C4283362}}</ref> The parachutes were high-visibility and equipped with emergency locator devices.

Without a coat and in [[cowboy boot]]s, the hijacker bailed out from the lower aft door over the treeless plains of [[Eastern Plains|northeastern]] [[Colorado]] in mid-afternoon. LaPoint was apprehended a few hours later,<ref name="dethfls" /><ref name="chhijcbp">{{cite news |date=January 21, 1972 |title=Chuting hijacker caught by police |page=1 |newspaper=Spokesman-Review |agency=Associated Press |location=(Spokane, Washington) |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=je9LAAAAIBAJ&pg=6586%2C1917285}}</ref> with minor injuries and very cold.<ref name="skycod" /><ref name="hi50j">{{cite news |date=January 21, 1972 |title=Hijacker with $50,000 loot captured after bailing out |page=1 |newspaper=Milwaukee Journal |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=P_IdAAAAIBAJ&pg=2850%2C8504 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref name="hftbj">{{cite news |date=January 21, 1972 |title=Hijacker foiled; tracked by jets |page=19 |newspaper=Spokane Daily Chronicle |agency=Associated Press |location=(Washington) |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=CLVYAAAAIBAJ&pg=5884%2C1649602}}</ref> The plane, with two pilots and a flight attendant on board, landed safely at Denver's [[Stapleton International Airport|Stapleton]] airport at 2:55 p.m. [[Mountain Time Zone|MST]].<ref name="hjcapoc" /> Facing potential [[Capital punishment|death penalty]] charges for [[Aircraft hijacking|air piracy]],<ref name="hfhwob">{{cite news |date=January 22, 1972 |title=Hijack figure held without bail |page=1 |newspaper=Lewiston Morning Tribune |agency=Associated Press |location=(Idaho) |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=_bdeAAAAIBAJ&pg=4216,4324876}}</ref> the [[Vietnam veteran]] and former [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] [[paratrooper]]<ref name="ctchapr">{{cite news |date=January 22, 1972 |title=Ex-paratrooper is charged with piracy in hijack bid |page=5, sec. 1 |work=Chicago Tribune |agency=Associated Press |url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1972/01/22/page/21/article/ex-paratrooper-is-charged-with-piracy-in-hijack-bid}}</ref> was sentenced to forty years, but served less than eight, and was released from a [[halfway house]] in 1979;<ref name="skycod" /> he died at age 60 in his native [[New Hampshire]] in 2008.

== See also ==
* [[List of defunct airlines of the United States]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.hughesairwest.com/ Hughes Airwest enthusiast site] — hughesairwest.com

{{Portal bar|San Francisco Bay Area|Companies|Aviation}}
{{Delta Air Lines}}
{{Legacy carrier}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Hughes Airwest| ]]
[[Category:Airlines established in 1968]]
[[Category:Airlines disestablished in 1980]]
[[Category:Defunct airlines of the United States]]
[[Category:Howard Hughes]]
[[Category:Defunct companies based in the San Francisco Bay Area]]
[[Category:1980 disestablishments in California]]
[[Category:1968 establishments in California]]
[[Category:Airlines based in California]]

Pacific Southwest Airlines

2025-06-29T11:10:29Z

182.232.34.176:

{{Short description|US intrastate airline based in San Diego (1949–1988)}}
{{About|the airline that operated from 1949 to 1988|the current American Airlines regional subsidiary|PSA Airlines|the present day airline based in Dallas, Texas|Southwest Airlines|the now-defunct airline that also used the IATA Code PS|Ukraine International Airlines}}
{{Infobox airline
| airline = Pacific Southwest Airlines
| logo = PSA Airlines Logo.svg
| logo_size = 220
| image = Boeing 727-214, Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) JP5964380.jpg
| caption = A [[Boeing 727-200]] of PSA
| alt =
| IATA = PS
| ICAO = PSA
| callsign = PSA
| founded = {{start date|1949|05|06}} in [[San Diego, California]]
| commenced = {{start date|1949|05|06}}<ref name="magic">[https://archive.org/details/scan_robert.adams_2022-01-20-12-32-45 ''Low Fare Magic: The Twenty-year Success Story of Pacific Southwest Airlines'' Reprinted from Esso Air World - November/December 1969]</ref>
| ceased = {{end date|1988|04|09}} {{small|(merged into [[US Airways|USAir]])}}
| aoc =
| bases =
| hubs = {{ubl|class=nowrap
| [[Los Angeles International Airport|Los Angeles]]
| [[San Diego International Airport|San Diego]]
| [[San Francisco International Airport|San Francisco]]}}
| secondary_hubs =
| focus_cities =
| frequent_flyer =
| alliance =
| subsidiaries =
| fleet_size =
| destinations =
| parent = {{ubl|class=nowrap
| PSA, Inc. {{small|(1973–1986)}}
| PS Group, Inc. {{small|(1986–1987)}}
| [[US Airways Group]] {{small|(1987–1988)}}}}
| headquarters = [[San Diego, California|San Diego]], [[California]], [[United States]]
| key_people = [[Kenny Friedkin]] J. Floyd Andrews
| website =
}}

'''Pacific Southwest Airlines''' ('''PSA''') was a [[low-cost airline]] in the [[United States]] headquartered in [[San Diego, California]], that operated from 1949 to 1988. It was the first substantial scheduled [[low-cost carrier|discount airline]]. PSA called itself "The World's Friendliest Airline" and painted a smile on the nose of its airplanes, the ''PSA Grinningbirds''.<ref name=spodv>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=XdURAAAAIBAJ&pg=5228%2C52144 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=(Spokane, Washington) |agency=(advertisement) |title=PSA |date=June 1, 1983 |page=A9}}</ref> The ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' called PSA "practically the unofficial [[flag carrier]] airline of California for almost forty years."<ref>"[http://opinion.latimes.com/opinionla/2009/03/southwest-airli.html Southwest Airlines has a flashback – emphasis flash]." ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''. March 3, 2009. Retrieved on February 18, 2010.</ref>

For three quarters of its existence, PSA operated as a California [[intrastate airline]]. PSA's early success as an intrastate airline served as a model for [[Southwest Airlines]], which did in Texas what PSA had done in California.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7b9BBa_X5aI&t=1m42s Voices of San Antonio: Herb Kelleher] (Dec 2017 interview, published to YouTube on Mar 29, 2018)</ref> After the [[Airline Deregulation Act]] of 1978, PSA expanded to cities in other US western states and Mexico. However, PSA's performance in the new deregulated era was disappointing relative to that of Southwest and PSA's former fellow California intrastate carrier [[AirCal]].

In 1986, [[US Airways|USAir]] agreed to purchase PSA, the transaction closed in 1987 and PSA was integrated into USAir in 1988. The PSA acquisition gave USAir a network on the West Coast, but by 1991 USAir had largely withdrawn from California in the face of fierce fare wars driven, in significant part, by the spread of Southwest. Today's [[American Airlines Group]] continues to protect the PSA trademark by using it as a name for a regional airline subsidiary, [[PSA Airlines]]. PSA did not survive for long after deregulation, but its influence lives on through the continued success of Southwest.

==History==
[[File:PSA1953.jpg|right|thumb|PSA 1953 logo]]
===Startup, early competition===
PSA started as an offshoot of San Diego–based Friedkin Aeronautics, the flight school Kenny Friedkin started to train returning [[G.I.|GI]]s. When GI business dried up, on May 6, 1949, Friedkin started flying once a week from San Diego to [[Oakland, California|Oakland]] via [[Burbank, California|Burbank]] with a $1,000-a-month leased [[Douglas DC-3]]. Friedkin obtained information from a travel agent upon starting the airline due to lessons learned from a failed precursor airline ([[Friedkin Airlines]]).<ref>;Trinkle, Kevin, [http://www.psa-history.org/articles/hist.html PSA History] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081219150521/http://www.psa-history.org/articles/hist.html |date=2008-12-19 }}. Retrieved June 2, 2011</ref> Reservations were initially taken at a World War II surplus latrine refitted as a ticket office. The original fare from Burbank to Oakland was $9.99. In July 1951 PSA added a flight to [[San Francisco]]. Oakland was dropped in 1954, but restored to the system in 1965. DC-3s went in and out of the fleet, but the total number was never more than four.<ref name="magic"/>

PSA was one of eight California intrastate carriers that started flying in the 13 month period from January 1949 through January 1950 - but only [[California Central Airlines]] (CCA) and PSA lasted longer than a year.<ref name="Hearing">{{cite report|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SZcqAAAAMAAJ|title=Aviation Regulatory Reform: (Part I) Hearings before the Subcommittee on Aviation of the Committee on Public Works and Transportation, House of Representatives, Ninety-Fifth Congress, First Session on H.R. 8813 (Introduced August 13, 1977)|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office|location=Washington, DC|year=1977|page=671|ref={{sfnref|Hearings|1977}}}}</ref> CCA started in January 1949 and through its demise in February 1955 was larger, and flew better equipment ([[Martin 2-0-2]]s) than PSA. But CCA was not as focused as PSA (which stuck just to the San Diego to Bay Area route) and ultimately went bankrupt. PSA bid on CCA in the bankruptcy auction, but lost to a group composed of [[Allegheny Airlines]] and [[Southwest Airways]] (no relation to today's [[Southwest Airlines]]) which shut CCA immediately, leaving PSA as the only intrastate competitor.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/386291099 ''Finn Twins Try to Buy Airlines at Auction Sale'', Los Angeles Times, February 2, 1955]</ref><ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/458509105 ''Airlines Sell for $800,000'', San Francisco Examiner, February 15, 1955]</ref><ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/693828419 ''Econoscope'', Los Angeles Mirror, February 24, 1955]</ref>

{{Table alignment}}
{|class="wikitable plain-row-headers defaultright"
|+ California Central Airlines and Pacific Southwest Airlines annual passengers, 1949–1954
! scope="row" style=text-align:left | Passengers !! 1949 !! 1950 !! 1951 !! 1952 !! 1953 !! 1954
|-
! scope="row" style=text-align:left | California Central Airlines
|73,487<ref name="Fare">[https://www.newspapers.com/image/683775480 ''Flying Fare'', Los Angeles Evening Citizen News, January 5, 1951]</ref>||93,045<ref name="Fare"/>||145,101<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/245479359 ''Airline Reports New Traffic Record'', Oakland Tribune, Jan 3, 1952]</ref>||190,187<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/277425592 ''Intra-State Airline Sets Traffic Record'', Oakland Tribune, January 21, 1953]</ref>||148,091<ref name="T1954"/>||162,012<ref name="T1954">[https://www.newspapers.com/image/580666814 ''L.A.-to-Oakland Air Service Gains'', Valley Times, January 10, 1955]</ref>
|-
! scope="row" style=text-align:left |Pacific Southwest Airlines<ref>[https://www.psa-history.org/memorabilia/history_by_year/index.html ''The PSA History Page: Chronological history of PSA, by year'']</ref>
|15,011||45,390||75,995||92,484||115,028||102,124
|}

===Better aircraft, expansion===
[[File:PSA Electra, circa 1960s.jpg|thumb|[[Lockheed L-188 Electra]] of PSA around 1959]]
[[File:Lockheed L188C N376PS (4974613794).jpg|thumb|[[San Francisco International Airport|San Francisco]] 1963]]
In 1955, four [[Douglas DC-4]]s replaced the DC-3s,<ref>{{cite report|url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc1.c101364329|title=California Legislature, Transcript of Proceedings: Intrastate Carriers in California Aviation|year=1964|page=1|ref={{sfnref|Transcript|1964}}}}</ref> with PSA painting rectangles around the windows to make them resemble the more modern [[Douglas DC-6]].

In January 1958, PSA scheduled 37 DC-4s a week Burbank to San Francisco (29 of which originated in San Diego) and four nonstops San Diego to San Francisco; [[United Airlines]], [[Western Airlines]] and [[TWA]] then scheduled a total of 241 nonstop flights each week from Los Angeles to San Francisco, plus 49 flights a week from Burbank to San Francisco. About half of these flights by the competition were First Class only ($22.05); the rest carried coach passengers for $13.50, all fares subject to then 5% federal excise tax.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Henry|first=Eric|date=Winter 2003–2004|title=Excise Taxes and the Airport and Airway Trust Fund, 1970-2002|journal=Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Bulletin|location=Washington DC|url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc1.32106012393499|volume=23|issue=3|pages=44–51|hdl=2027/uc1.32106012393499 |access-date=March 25, 2024}}</ref> In July 1958 PSA shifted some flights from Burbank to [[Los Angeles International Airport]] (LAX); that year it carried 296,000 passengers.

In late 1959, PSA began flying [[Lockheed L-188 Electra|Lockheed Electra]] [[turboprop]]s<ref>''Airlift'' December 1959</ref> with 92 seats and a six-seat lounge, replacing 70-seat DC-4s. In 1963 PSA got its sixth Electra; by then it carried more passengers between the Bay Area and Los Angeles than any other airline. Total PSA passengers climbed from 355,000 in 1959 to 1,305,000 in 1963 and 5,162,000 in 1970.<ref>''Aviation Week'' 20 January 1964, 22 February 1971</ref>

===Public company===
On March 16, 1962, founder Kenny Friedkin, only 47 years old, died of a [[cerebral hemorrhage]]. He had lived to see his airline become a success, but it was still tiny, with only five aircraft. J. Floyd Andrews, one of Friedkin's fellow founders, took over.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/381420263 ''K. G. Friedkin, President of Airline, Dies'', Los Angeles Times, March 17, 1962]</ref><ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/1111341 ''Andrews Elected'', Redland Daily Facts, April 10, 1962]</ref> Andrews's era was tumultuous, PSA achieving a high national profile. This was the era of hot-pant clad flight attendants on pink-liveried aircraft, a classic image of California in the late 1960s and early 1970s. As discussed below, PSA became utterly dominant in the intra-California market, but also overreached to the point it almost went bankrupt.

Less than a year later, PSA went public, with a February 14, 1963, [[initial public offering]], 313,000 shares (100,000 of them [[primary shares|primary]]) at $19.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/382092044 Offering tombstone in Los Angeles Times, February 14, 1963]</ref> Preparations had been underway for some time. PSA had an unusual corporate structure, with its aircraft owned through three companies owned by founders (Friedkin and others). In January 1962, these were merged into PSA.<ref>[https://sandiegoairandspace.org/files/PSA-Collection-FG-SC.10201_1.pdf ''Descriptive Finding Guide for Pacific Southwest Airlines Collection'', San Diego Air and Space Museum, March 2, 2018]</ref> Prospectus facts that caught the eye of one observer included:<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/458545531 ''Big Guys Don't Always Win'', San Francisco Examiner, January 15, 1963]</ref>
* With only five 98-seat Electras, PSA nonetheless had the second-highest passenger marketshare in San Francisco, and the fifth largest in Los Angeles.
* Speedy 20 minute aircraft turnarounds and no-frills service.
* Nine months profit to September 30, 1962, of over $1 million (at a time when the Los Angeles to San Francisco fare was just $13.50)
* 937,000 passengers carried between San Francisco and Los Angeles in 11 months ending November 30, 1962, compared to 642,000 in the same period the prior year.

{{Table alignment}}
{|class="wikitable plain-row-headers defaultright"
|+ Pacific Southwest Airlines Financial Results, 1955 thru 1965<ref>{{cite book|last=Jordan |first= William A.|title=Airline Regulation in America: Effects and Imperfections|date=1970|publisher=Johns Hopkins Press|location=Baltimore |pages=336-338|isbn=0801810620}}</ref>
! (USD 000) !! 1955 !! 1956 !! 1957 !! 1958 !! 1959 !! 1960 !! 1961 !! 1962 !! 1963 !! 1964 !! 1965
|-
! Op revenue
| 1,588 || 2,265 || 3,126 || 3,930 || 4,776 || 8,130 || 10,300 || 14,205 || 17,852 || 20,773 || 24,015
|-
! Op profit
| 64 || 120 || 399 || 663 || 909 || 21 || 1,127 || 3,402 || 4,952 || 5,946 || 4,410
|-
! Net profit
| 244 || 59 || 197 || 322 || 456 || 0 || 310 || 1,369 || 2,252 || 2,946 || 2,035
|-
! Op margin
| 4.1% || 5.3% || 12.8% || 16.9% || 19.0% || 0.3% || 10.9% || 23.9% ||27.7% || 28.6% || 18.4%
|-
! Net margin
| 15.4% || 2.6% || 6.3% || 8.2% || 9.5% || 0.0% || 3.0% || 9.6% || 12.6% || 14.2% || 8.5%
|}

=== CPUC era, 1965–1978 ===
Until 1965, as an intrastate airline PSA had a free hand in terms of how and where it flew within California. The [[California Public Utilities Commission]] (CPUC) was limited to regulating PSA's prices. So long as PSA stayed within the boundaries of an intrastate airline, the federal [[Civil Aeronautics Board]] (CAB), which otherwise tightly regulated US airlines, had no say, though as with any US airline, the [[Federal Aviation Administration]] (FAA) operationally regulated PSA. As of September 17, 1965, the CPUC had new powers over California intrastate airlines of economic certification (PSA was grandfathered) route entry/exit and service quality (e.g. frequency).<ref>{{cite journal |last=La Mond|first=Annette M.|date=Autumn 1976|title=An Evaluation of Intrastate Airline Regulation in California|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3003277|journal=The Bell Journal of Economics|volume=7|issue=2|pages=641–657|access-date=March 2, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite report|title=Decisions of the Public Utilities Commission of the State of California|volume=66|pages=537–545|year=1966|url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc1.b3274574}}</ref>

PSA was in favor of this.{{sfn|Transcript|1964|p=6}} In the early 1960s, a number of new entrant California intrastate carriers had come and gone, the most notorious being [[Paradise Airlines]], which had a terrible accident in 1964. PSA believed it would benefit from market stability,{{sfn|Hearings|1977|p=670}} but observers predicted that over time the CPUC would become just as restrictive as the CAB,<ref>{{cite journal|last=Levine|first=Michael E.|author-link=Michael E. Levine|title=Is Regulation Necessary? California Air Transportation and National Regulatory Policy|journal=Yale Law Journal|volume=74|number=8|date=July 1965|pages=1416–1447|url=https://openyls.law.yale.edu/handle/20.500.13051/15038}}</ref> which, in fact, happened. From 1965 through US airline deregulation in 1978, the CPUC certified only two intrastate airlines: [[Air California]] and [[Holiday Airlines (US Airline)|Holiday Airlines]].{{sfn|Hearings|1977|p=670}} From September 17, 1965, through 1978, PSA had to apply to the CPUC for all new routes, generally in competition with Air California.

===Air California and lost opportunity===
Despite having total network freedom, PSA evolved its network minimally from 1949 to 1965: it served only five airports: San Diego, LAX, Burbank, San Francisco and Oakland.{{sfn|Hearings|1977|p=676}} In 1965, [[John Wayne Airport|Orange County Airport]] (later John Wayne Airport (SNA)), had a new runway. It approached PSA (among other airlines) about serving it (SNA had long-standing minimal service from [[Bonanza Air Lines]]), and like the others, PSA demurred.<ref name="SNAchrono">[https://files.ocair.com/media/2022-09/JWA%20Chronology_0.pdf ''John Wayne Airport Chronology: 1923-Present'']</ref> This was a mistake:
* The CPUC certificated Air California to bring intrastate air service to [[Orange County, California|Orange County]], and the airport became a big deal. The County was the fastest growing in the nation in the 1960s, population increasing from 700K in 1960 to 1.4mm in 1970.<ref name="TIME">[https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,843909,00.html ''Airlines: Competing with the Freeways'', Time Magazine, June 9, 1967]</ref> There was a lot of demand for Orange County service.
* Having certificated Air California, the CPUC was open about its desire that Air California survive,<ref>{{cite report|title=Decisions of the Public Utilities Commission of the State of California|volume=70|page=91|year=1969|url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc1.b3274578}}</ref> so it kept PSA out of Orange County, gave other desirable routes to Air California and otherwise took steps to protect it. The CPUC assigned routes to PSA or Air California but rarely both. Despite a rocky first five years, Air California survived and the CPUC ensured minimal competition between it and PSA.<ref>{{cite journal |last=La Mond|first=Annette M.|date=Autumn 1976|title=An Evaluation of Intrastate Airline Regulation in California|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3003277|journal=The Bell Journal of Economics|volume=7|issue=2|page=644|access-date=March 2, 2024}}</ref>

PSA tried to buy Air California twice:
* In December 1969, an ailing Air California agreed to a merger, but the CPUC was slow to approve. In May 1970, PSA withdrew, citing the slow CPUC, and almost immediately thereafter, San Diego tycoon [[C. Arnholt Smith]] took control of Air California through his [[Westgate-California Corporation]] (WCC).<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/165693463 ''Air California Now Talking Deal with San Diego Company'', Los Angeles Times, May 28, 1970]</ref>
* In mid 1972, PSA agreed to buy WCC's majority stake in Air California. Against heavy opposition, the CPUC agreed to the merger when WCC said it would no longer fund Air California losses.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/386285363 ''Westgate Refuses to Prop Up Airline Further, PUC Told'', Los Angeles Times, September 29, 1972]</ref><ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/385361883/ ''PUC Votes Approval of PSA's Purchase of Air California'', Los Angeles Times, February 24, 1973]</ref> However, the [[United States Department of Justice|US Department of Justice]] sued to prevent the merger, noting PSA had a 70% intra California market share and Air California had an 11% share.<ref>[https://www.justice.gov/atr/case/us-v-pacific-southwest-airlines-inc-and-westgate-california-corp ''U.S. v. Pacific Southwest Airlines Inc. and Westgate-California Corp.'', Anti-Trust Division, Department of Justice, December 5, 1972]</ref> By now a year had passed. PSA withdrew from the merger<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/381871026 ''PSA and Air California Merger Plan Dropped'', Los Angeles Times, July 6, 1973]</ref> after Air California auditors withdrew certification of 1971 and 1972 financial statements,<ref>[https://www.sec.gov/news/digest/1973/dig051473.pdf SEC News Digest, May 14, 1973]</ref> one of the first steps in a scandal that enveloped C. Arnholt Smith including the [[United States National Bank of San Diego|1973 seizure of his bank]], the largest in San Diego, and the [[Westgate-California Corporation#Collapse|1974 bankruptcy of WCC]].

=== 1960s–1970s fleet ===
[[File:Passengers queue to board airplane in rainy weather, 1971.jpg|thumb|right|[[Boeing 727-200]] in 1971]]
[[File:PSA Lockheed L-188C Electra N171PS at TVL South Lake Tahoe 1977.jpg|thumb|[[Lockheed L-188 Electra|Electra]] [[South Lake Tahoe Airport|South Lake Tahoe]] 1977]]
PSA’s fleet changed constantly in the 1960s and 1970s. The 1960s started with Electras, then Boeing 727-100s arrived in 1965, PSA's first pure jet.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/458566255 ‘’PSA Buys 5 Jets for $27.5 million’’, San Francisco Examiner, June 30, 1964]</ref> The last Electra flight was September 1968 <ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/477738692 ''PSA Goes ‘All-Jet’ On Sunday'', Oakland Tribune, September 6, 1968]</ref> By 1969, PSA was swapping out 727-100s and replacing them with bigger 727-200s plus 737-200s.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/383018635 ''Japan Line To Lease 2 PSA Planes'', Los Angeles Times, February 9, 1969]</ref> At the beginning of 1970, the fleet comprised one 727-100, 16 727-200s and nine 737s.<ref name="Reader"/> In the late 1960s PSA also briefly had DC-9s, the justification was to train pilots of other airlines.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/74322765 ''Airline Buys Jets To Train Other Pilots'', San Rafael Daily Independent Journal, November 8, 1965]</ref> As discussed below, the L-1011s made a brief appearance in 1974-1975, but by then PSA was shedding the 737s; the last left in the fleet in 1976.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/620671586 ''PSA Notes Turnabout'', Los Angeles Times, July 28, 1976]</ref> In 1975, Lockheed Electras returned to support flights to Tahoe (see below). Other than the Electras (required to operate to Tahoe), PSA settled on 727s in the late 1970s, acquiring used 727-100s as well as additional new 727-200s.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/384009038 ''Pacific Southwest Airlines will buy seven Boeing planes'', Los Angeles Times, Feb 7, 1977]</ref>

PSA entered Tahoe after Holiday Airlines collapsed. Holiday basically served nowhere other than Tahoe, a choice [[Holiday Airlines (US airline)#Non-economic|that sealed its fate]]. PSA applied to the CPUC for Holiday's routes in 1974<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/61256090 ''PSA Seeking Tahoe Routes'', Santa Cruz Sentinel, September 24, 1974]</ref> Holiday said it couldn’t afford to defend itself in front of the CPUC and went out of business in February 1975.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/798090069 ''Airline Drops Redding Plan'', Redding Record-Searchlight, January 8, 1975]</ref><ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/620651138/ ''Airline Halts Scheduled Flights To S. Lake Tahoe'', Sacramento Bee, February 7, 1975]</ref> The CPUC split the Tahoe routes between Air California and PSA on an emergency basis, but required the two carriers use Electras for Tahoe.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/251927125 ''Airlines To Serve Tahoe Area'', Petaluma Argus-Courier, February 20, 1975]</ref> One of PSA's first actions of the deregulated era (which started January 1, 1979) was to exit Tahoe, citing the high cost of Electras in a fleet that otherwise comprised 31 727s.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/384941243/ ‘‘PSA will suspend service to Monterey, South Tahoe’’, Los Angeles Times, January 25, 1979]</ref><ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/620985749 ‘‘PSA Will Halt Service To Lake Tahoe’’, Sacramento Bee, January 25, 1979]</ref>

In 1967 PSA was finally allowed to use offshore airway V25 to San Diego, despite being an intrastate airline.<ref>''Aviation Week'' 10 Apr 1967 p43, 17 July 1967 p47</ref>

===Attempted Western Air Lines merger===
An early indication that, for J. Floyd Andrews, PSA was not enough came in December 1968 with an audacious bid for [[Western Air Lines]], then under attack by [[Kirk Kerkorian]]. Western was four times the revenue of PSA, and as an interstate carrier, regulated by the CAB. It was unclear how this would work, putting together two airlines with different regulators, whether CAB approval would be forthcoming.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/383103516/ ''Small Firms and Big Men Tangle Over 2 Airlines'', Los Angeles Times, December 16, 1968]</ref> PSA pulled the bid in April 1969, citing deteriorating Western results. By that time, Kerkorian was, while not a majority owner of Western, difficult to dislodge, controlling nine out of 21 seats on the board.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/383091310 ''PSA Abandons Tender For Western Air Lines'', Los Angeles Times, April 26, 1969]</ref> As outlined in a section below, PSA instead pursued a non-airline acquisition strategy.

===Southwest Airlines===
[[Southwest Airlines]] was founded in 1967, but grueling legal challenges caused its operational start to be delayed until June 1971. Founder [[Rollin King]] took inspiration from PSA. Founding president [[Lamar Muse]] was open about the debt to PSA, saying "we don't mind being copycats of an operation like that", including hotpants.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/625329891 ''Sex Appeal Pays Off For Bold Texas Airline'', September 12, 1971]</ref> PSA hosted King and Muse for a four day visit in 1971 and gave them a copy of PSA's FAA operating manuals, from which Southwest created its own in what Muse said was "primarily a copy-and-paste procedure".<ref>{{cite book |last=Muse |first=Lamar |author-link=Lamar Muse |date=2002 |title=Southwest Passage |publisher=Eakin Press |page=84 |isbn=1571687394}}</ref> PSA helping Southwest made sense in 1971, with each airline strictly limited to flying within its state and seemingly no prospect of that ever changing. Mutual admiration was expressed monetarily: in 1978, Southwest management and directors owned 6% of PSA, while PSA directors and management owned 10% of Southwest.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/568814285 ''PSA stock flying high'', Escondido Times-Advocate, February 23, 1978]</ref>

===Laid low by diversification and widebodies===
[[File:Pacific Southwest Airlines B-737 N379PS.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Boeing 737#737-200|Boeing 737-200]] with the “smiling” livery in 1974]]
In July 1968, PSA bought rental car company Valcar, a former [[Hertz Global Holdings|Hertz]] subsidiary with a west-coast presence.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1964/03/06/archives/hertz-forms-new-unit-to-meet-budget-carrental-competition.html ''Hertz Forms New Unit to Meet Budget Car‐Rental Competition'', New York Times, March 6, 1964]</ref><ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/382454216 ''L.A. Group Buys Hertz's Valcar'', December 10, 1967]</ref> Like PSA, Valcar had a budget orientation, but PSA couldn't make it work and shut it down in 1971, after failing to sell it.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/385477100 ''Pacific Southwest Airlines plans to sell its rent-a-car operation'', Los Angeles Times, September 21, 1971]</ref><ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/385564983 ''PSA's Valcar Subsidiary to Die on Oct. 15'', October 7, 1971]</ref>

In April 1969, PSA bought the [[Hotel Whitcomb|San Franciscan Hotel]] in downtown San Francisco.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/460168436 ''PSA buys Hotel San Franciscan'', San Francisco Examiner, April 17, 1969]</ref> In June, PSA bought the Islandia in San Diego's [[Mission Bay (San Diego)|Mission Bay]].<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/383077546 ''PSA Buys $5 Million Bay Hotel'', Los Angeles Times, June 19, 1969]</ref> In June 1971, PSA committed to a to-be constructed hotel at the Los Angeles [[Hollywood Park Racetrack]] (now the site of [[SoFi Stadium]]),<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/385355177 ''PSA to Lease, Run Hollywood Turf Club Hotel'', Los Angeles Times, June 20, 1971]</ref> and in December 1971, committed to a to-be constructed hotel within the [[RMS Queen Mary|Queen Mary]] attraction in [[Long Beach, California|Long Beach]]<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/385382507 ''$4 Million Hotel to Be Developed on Queen Mary'', Los Angeles Times, December 14, 1971]</ref> The synergies were not obvious. None of the hotels were located at airports, none of them were value-oriented. In 1973, CEO Andrews called the hotels "a complete flop"<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/620256000 ''Success-Inspired Chief Of PSA Considers Going National'', Sacramento Bee, October 9, 1973]</ref> and in 1974 gave three of them to [[Hyatt]] to run.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/706701795 ''Hotel QM now under control of Hyatt chain'', Long Beach Press-Telegram, Feb 28, 1974]</ref> It took years for PSA to extricate itself. In 1979, PSA finally sold the San Franciscan but had yet to sell the Queen Mary hotel.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/62640587 ''Queen Mary Hotel is For Sale'', Santa Cruz Sentinel, March 7, 1979]</ref>

In August 1970, PSA started buying radio stations.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/460433959 ''PSA Getting Into Radio Broadcasting'', San Francisco Examiner, August 12, 1970]</ref> By 1975, its four stations were for sale.<ref name="Survival">[https://www.newspapers.com/image/620631952 ''Grins on PSA's 'Birds' Hide Deep Worries Over Survival'', Sacramento Bee, May 29, 1975]</ref> PSA also bought a [[catamaran]].<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/706421587 ''An island in the sky'', Long Beach Press-Telegram, November 26, 1972]</ref> In 1973, PSA created a holding company, "PSA, Inc." for the airline and many non-airline subsidiaries.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/747694614 ''Holding Company Formed'', Palm Springs Desert Sun, March 5, 1973]</ref>

[[Image:Pacific Southwest Airlines L-1011 N1079.jpg|thumb|[[Lockheed L-1011]] pre-delivery]]
In late summer 1970, PSA ordered five [[Lockheed L-1011]] widebody aircraft, deliveries starting 1972.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/384780320 ''PSA Selects L-1011, Giving a Boost to Lockheed Airbus'', Los Angeles Times, September 1, 1970]</ref> In the next 12 months, the L-1011 engine maker, Rolls-Royce, [[Rolls Royce Limited#RB211—the 1971 receivership and nationalisation|went bankrupt]], and Lockheed [[Lockheed Corporation#Loan guarantee|required a US government bailout]] to avoid the same. In December 1971, PSA cancelled the order, but Lockheed said it couldn't.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/547320593 ''TriStars Dropped By PSA'', Oakland Tribune, December 27, 1971]</ref> In September 1972, PSA signed a new order, deliveries starting 1974.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/386053050 ''PSA Changes Plan Again; Orders Five Lockheed L-1011s'', September 7, 1972]</ref> PSA grounded its two L-1011s after eight months.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/706709750 ''PSA gets 1st of 5 jumbo jetliners'', Long Beach Press-Telegram, July 4, 1974]</ref><ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/620634795 ''Sales Slump Idles PSA's Two TriStars'', Sacramento Bee, March 7, 1975]</ref> A 300 seat aircraft never made sense in a business model that depended on quick aircraft turnarounds. Economics presented to the CPUC showed L-1011 per-seat costs no better than a 727 despite being twice as large. PSA refused the last three aircraft and was stuck paying a 15-year lease on the first two.<ref name="CPUC75"/> It entered into years of litigation with Lockheed.<ref name="Reader">[https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/1980/oct/30/cover-tales-of-an-airline/ ''How PSA grew with San Diego'', San Diego Reader, October 30, 1980]</ref>

By 1975, losses from diversification and L-1011s brought PSA to the brink of bankruptcy. Operating losses on rental cars, radio stations and hotels through 1974 (not including cost of acquisition) were almost $9M.<ref name="Survival"/> Through 1977, PSA lost another $1M on discontinued businesses and recognized $18mm in L-1011 losses.<ref>[https://www.departedflights.com/PS77reportp14.html PSA 1977 Annual Report, pg 14]</ref> In 1982, PSA took another $4.2M loss against its two L-1011s, still unable to find a home for them.<ref>[https://www.departedflights.com/PS82reportp4.html PSA 1982 Annual Report]</ref> PSA's troubles attracted national attention.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1975/07/13/archives/a-fallen-model-for-deregulation-a-fallen-model-for-deregulation.html ''A Fallen Model For Deregulation'', New York Times, July 13, 1975]</ref> PSA went to the CPUC asking for a fare increase to bail them out. The CPUC excoriated PSA, questioning management competency at length and especially withering about a 1974 $8mm share buyback.<ref name="CPUC75">{{cite report|title=Decisions of the Public Utilities Commission of the State of California|volume=78|pages=417–442|year=1975|url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc1.b3274586|ref={{sfnref|Decisions|1975}}}}</ref> In March 1976, J. Floyd Andrews gave up the CEO position, and in May, resigned as chair of the board.<ref name="NewChief">[https://www.newspapers.com/image/383359647/ ''New Chief Sets Course to Give PSA a Lift'', Los Angeles Times, May 16, 1976]</ref>

===Getting out from under the CPUC===
As airline deregulation was being debated, for most of the country, it promised lower prices. But California already had lower prices, set by the CPUC. By comparison, in Texas, Southwest Airlines set its own fares, the [[Texas Aeronautics Commission]] didn’t get involved.<ref>{{cite thesis |last=Dockrey |first=Christy E. |date=December 1996 |title=Southwest Airlines: A Texas Airline in an Era of Deregulation |url=https://ttu-ir.tdl.org/items/65c8cfe1-1221-41ed-be48-7e2df3464273/full |degree=Master of Arts |publisher=Texas Tech University |page=14}}</ref> The concern (and expectation) was deregulation would lead to higher prices. California legislators and governor [[Jerry Brown]] wanted the CPUC to remain in charge of any airline that did over 50% of its business in California. This amendment was voted down in the relevant [[United States House of Representatives|US House of Representatives]] subcommittee by one vote.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/384317484/ ‘‘California May Lose Bargain Air Fares’’, Los Angeles Times, March 16, 1978]</ref> Instead, deregulation as passed included strong [[Federal preemption]] – states had little say over an airline with a Federal certificate.

By then, the CPUC had become the restrictive bureaucracy observers had predicted when it was given additional powers in 1965, second-guessing (in glacial and burdensome processes that could and did last for years) everything California intrastate carriers did, and even itself, as exemplified in the role the CPUC played in the [[Holiday Airlines (US airline)#Too little, too late, too bureaucratic|1975 demise of Holiday Airlines]]. PSA also played a special role at the CPUC. It was assumed to be the most efficient carrier, therefore CPUC fares were set relative to what would make the highest permissible profit for PSA – all other carriers operating in California then had to toe that line.{{sfn|Decisions|1975|p=435}} So PSA had ample reason to regret its support of that 1965 legislation. However, under the Airline Deregulation Act, the minute PSA started flying to Nevada in December 1978, it was free of the CPUC.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/620991061 ‘‘PSA Gets Ready To Go Interstate’’, Sacramento Bee, December 7, 1978]</ref> The CPUC didn’t take that lying down. The CPUC sued in Federal court to overturn the [[Airline Deregulation Act]], lost, appealed, and lost again.<ref>[https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/644/1334/358796/ ‘‘Hughes Air Corp vs Public Utilities Com’n’’, 644 F.2d 1334 (9th Cir. 1981)]</ref>

===Flight 182===
{{main|Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 182}}

As the regulated era drew to a close, PSA suffered a terrible crash in September 1978 when a 727 collided with a small plane over San Diego, fatal to all on both aircraft and to some on the ground. It was made worse for PSA by:
* The presence of so many [[Deadheading (employee)|deadheading]] employees on the aircraft. 37 PSA employees died out of 135.<ref>[https://airlines.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/1979.pdf PSA 1978 employee count contained in Air Transport Association 1979 Annual Report]</ref>
* The fact that San Diego was the company's hometown.
* The culpability of the flight crew. It was responsible for keeping track of the small aircraft, but lost focus.

===Harold Simmons===
1978 wasn't through with PSA yet. At the end of 1978 it transpired corporate raider [[Harold Simmons]] had accumulated a 20% stake. When PSA, appealing to investors, referred to a 30-year history of success, Simmons printed ads summarizing PSA’s far-from-successful 1970s financials and noting 1977 profits were about half those of 1971, despite revenues almost twice as large.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/384541722 Harold Simmons advertisement in Los Angeles Times, November 16, 1978]</ref> But as PSA said, Andrews was gone.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/384556226 ''PSA Says Valhi Letter Is Misleading as Dispute Escalates'', Los Angeles Times, November 17, 1978]</ref> Simmons evinced no desire to "destroy" PSA, seeing it instead as a takeover candidate from which he could profit.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/384934482 '' 'Not Out to Destroy PSA,' Simmons Says'', Los Angeles Times, December 9, 1978]</ref> PSA won a shareholder vote to implement takeover defenses with just a bit more than 50% but the company had post-dated the shareholder [[Stockholder of record|record date]] to ensure Simmons couldn’t vote his whole stake. Simmons said he’d sue.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/385268746 ''PSA Holders Back Management'', Los Angeles Times, December 15, 1978]</ref> In the end, PSA paid him off by giving him some aircraft in exchange for his stake.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/385344374 ''PSA Completes Delayed Stock Swap With Valhi Inc.'', Los Angeles Times, February 27, 1980]</ref> To be fair, notwithstanding Flight 182, PSA’s 1978 financials were somewhat better, but significantly flattered by an accounting change.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/386332053/ ''PSA and Valhi Agree to Settle Takeover Feud'', Los Angeles Times, February 22, 1979]</ref>

===PSA on the brink of deregulation===
As PSA headed towards deregulation, both the airline and [[Wall Street]] thought it would be a winner.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/384575334 ''PSA Executives Are Grinning, Too, at Thought of Deregulation'', Los Angeles Times, July 16, 1978]</ref> But in December 1978, Paul Barkley, then PSA’s chief operating officer (later CEO), spoke about the deregulated future a few weeks away. He expected something fairly sedate, quite different from the bitter Darwinistic struggle that would engulf the industry:<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/460637508 ''Air executive says discounts will fade'', San Francisco Examiner, December 8, 1978]</ref>
* Discounted airfares would fade away due to a shortage of aircraft and “passenger capacity”. Another factor against discount airfares was that they were too hard to administer.
* Capacity would be tight through the mid-1980s due to lack of aircraft
* The airline industry would be healthier in deregulation, there would be no revolutionary changes. Competition would not be intense, again, due to lack of aircraft.

{{Table alignment}}
{|class="wikitable plain-row-headers defaultright"
|+ Pacific Southwest Airlines(1) Financial Results, 1979 thru 1986
! (USD mm) !! 1979<ref>[https://airlines.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/1980.pdf Air Transport Association 1980 Annual Report]</ref><ref name="FS80">{{cite report|title=Air Carrier Financial Statistics|publisher=Civil Aeronautics Board|date=December 1980|page=45|url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/msu.31293024880514}}</ref> !! 1980<ref>[https://airlines.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/1981.pdf Air Transport Association 1981 Annual Report]</ref><ref name="FS80"/> !! 1981<ref>[https://airlines.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/1982.pdf Air Transport Association 1982 Annual Report]</ref> !! 1982<ref>[https://airlines.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/1983.pdf Air Transport Association 1983 Annual Report]</ref> !! 1983<ref>[https://airlines.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/1984.pdf Air Transport Association 1984 Annual Report]</ref> !! 1984<ref>[https://airlines.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/1985.pdf Air Transport Association 1985 Annual Report]</ref> !! 1985<ref>[https://airlines.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/1986.pdf Air Transport Association 1986 Annual Report]</ref> !! 1986<ref name="ATA86">[https://airlines.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/1987.pdf Air Transport Association 1987 Annual Report]</ref>
|-
! Op revenue
| 293.0 || 301.6 || 335.2 || 378.1 || 443.9 || 505.4 || 582.8 || 694.1
|-
! Op profit (loss)
| 35.5 || 2.6 || (16.0)|| (17.4)|| (10.0)|| 31.0 || 31.9 || 23.0
|-
! Net profit (loss)
| 23.1 || 4.2 || 22.7 || 18.6 || (12.6)|| (4.8)|| (0.6)|| (3.1)
|-
! Op margin
| 12.1% || 0.9% || -4.8% || -4.6% || -2.3% || 6.1% || 5.5% || 3.3%
|-
! Net margin
| 7.9% || 1.4% || 6.8% || 4.9% || -2.8% || -0.9% || -0.1% || -0.4%
|+ align="bottom" style="caption-side: bottom; text-align: left;" | (1) Solely the airline, not the holding company containing the airline and other subsidiaries
|}

===Striking out in Texas===
[[Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport|Dallas-Fort Worth]]–based [[Braniff International Airways]] was the first [[trunk carrier]] to fail after deregulation. US trunk airlines were the descendants of the original 16 airlines certified by the CAB and thereafter regulated to be the main US carriers.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Kennedy|first=Edward M.|title=Airline Regulation by the Civil Aeronautics Board|volume=41|number=4|date=1975|journal=Journal of Air Law and Commerce|pages=607-636|url= https://scholar.smu.edu/jalc/vol41/iss4/5}}</ref> Braniff had been successful just prior to deregulation, but [[Harding Lawrence]], Braniff’s imperious long-time leader, [[History of Braniff International Airways#Deregulation and global expansion|expanded the carrier excessively]] immediately after deregulation, resulting in its May 1982 bankruptcy and shut-down.<ref>{{cite book |last=Nance |first=John J. |title=Splash of Colors: The Self Destruction of Braniff International |year=1984 |publisher=William Morrow and Company |location=New York|isbn=0-688-03586-8|url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/splashofcolorsse00nanc}}</ref> Until Continental did so in 1983, no one knew an airline could recover from [[Chapter 11, Title 11, United States Code|Chapter 11 bankruptcy]].<ref name="COBK"/>

In October 1982, PSA announced a cheap and low-risk deal to expand into a new geography: under an eight year contract, Braniff would fly 25 to 30 727s from its Texas base with PSA colors and marketing, employing 1,500 Braniff employees (who would have to agree to lower wages and higher productivity) as well as gates and takeoff/landing slots. These slots were key Braniff assets. In the wake of the [[Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (1968)#August 1981 strike|August 1981 air traffic controllers strike]], the FAA had limited air traffic control capacity, so allocated each airline takeoff/landing slots at specific airports. When Braniff collapsed, those rights were temporarily allocated to others. If Braniff flew again, it could recover those rights, grounding some operations at other carriers. It was a strong competitive lever.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/390447637 ''PSA, Braniff Agree on Joint Venture'', Los Angeles Times, October 19, 1982]</ref>

The initial deal failed when Braniff pilots refused to agree to lower seniority than PSA pilots in the event PSA ever merged with the PSA-Braniff operation (to ensure PSA pilots always got first pick of flying).<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/390204646/ ''Braniff Venture Off, PSA Says'', Los Angeles Times, November 24, 1982]</ref> Pride as well as pay was in play: PSA was perceived as junior-league relative to Braniff.{{sfn|Nance|1984|p=394}} A new deal with Braniff simply equipped a new carrier with Braniff equipment to fly under contract to PSA, sidestepping Braniff’s unions. Braniff would even loan PSA the funds.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/390400343 ''PSA Will Form Texas Unit to Lease Braniff Planes and Hire 1,500'', Los Angeles Times, December 9, 1982]</ref> Further, the FAA noted if Braniff resumed flying it was entitled to its takeoff/landing slots, but a new airline that just happened to use Braniff assets was not. The deal died in March 1983.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/633647320, ''PSA, Thwarted by US Court, Calls Off Plan to Lease Braniff Planes'', March 3, 1983]</ref> A [[Braniff (1983-1990)|second iteration of Braniff]] did start flying in 1984 without PSA help, ultimately without success, possible due to Texas already being home to Southwest (which, expanding westward, had already entered PSA’s home city of San Diego in January 1982),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://swamedia.com/media_storage/city_fact_sheets/SAN.pdf|website=Southwest Airlines Media|publisher=Southwest Airlines|title=Southwest City Facts San Diego|access-date=22 April 2024}}</ref> [[American Airlines]] (which viewed Dallas-Fort Worth as its own, having moved its headquarters there in 1979)<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1978/11/16/archives/american-will-shift-headquarters-from-manhattan-to-dallas-airport.html ''American Will Shift Headquarters From Manhattan to Dallas Airport'', New York Times, November 16, 1978]</ref> and [[Continental Airlines]], which in 1983 would go through a bankruptcy that dramatically lowered its costs.<ref name="COBK">{{cite book |last=Petzinger|first=Thomas|title=Hard Landing: The Epic Contest For Power and Profits That Plunged the Airlines into Chaos|publisher=[[Random House]]|year= 1996|isbn=9780307774491|pages=192–218}}</ref>

Meanwhile, PSA was making money, but not by flying passengers. In 1982 and 1981 it sold aircraft and tax credits on aircraft to make a net profit while still producing an operating loss.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/389013586 ''PSA’s Barkley Likes the Profits but Not the Source'', Los Angeles Times, January 5, 1982]</ref><ref>[https://www.departedflights.com/PS82reportcover.html Pacific Southwest Airlines 1982 Annual Report]</ref>

===Disappointing deregulation performance===
In the years prior to deregulation, PSA said it must be ready for the day it was able to fly outside of California.<ref name="Reader"/><ref name="NewChief"/> When the day came, PSA management saw themselves as one of the natural beneficiaries of deregulation (see prior sections). But in fact, PSA did poorly. As the nearby table shows, AirCal’s nominal growth from 1978 (the last year of regulation) to 1985 was double that of PSA, Southwest was nearly triple. Perhaps most striking was the comparison of PSA with [[Piedmont Airlines]], which pre-deregulation had been a [[local service airline]] regulated by the CAB. Piedmont was smaller than PSA in 1978 but well over twice its size in 1985. Piedmont also had an unbroken string of profits since deregulation.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1986/08/31/business/now-even-piedmont-flies-the-fast-lane.html, ‘’Now Even Piedmont Flies in The Fast Lane’’, New York Times, August 31, 1986]</ref>
{{Table alignment}}
{|class="wikitable plain-row-headers defaultright"
|+ 1985 operating revenue as multiple of 1978 for four airlines(1)
! (USD mm) !! 1978<ref>[https://airlines.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/1979.pdf Air Transport Association 1979 Annual Report]</ref> !! 1985<ref name="ATA86"/>!! 1985/1979
|-
! scope="row" style=text-align:left |Pacific Southwest Airlines
| 229.8 || 582.8 || 2.54x
|-
! scope="row" style=text-align:left |AirCal
| 67.6 || 344.5 || 5.10x
|-
! scope="row" style=text-align:left |Piedmont Airlines
| 205.6 || 1,366.6 || 6.65x
|-
! scope="row" style=text-align:left |Southwest Airlines<ref>[https://www.southwestairlinesinvestorrelations.com/~/media/Files/S/Southwest-IR/documents/company-reports-ar/ar-1978.pdf Southwest Airlines 1978 Annual Report]</ref><ref>[https://www.southwestairlinesinvestorrelations.com/~/media/Files/S/Southwest-IR/documents/company-reports-ar/ar-1985.pdf Southwest Airlines 1985 Annual Report]</ref>
| 81.1 || 606.1(2) || 7.48x
|+ align="bottom" style="caption-side: bottom; text-align: left;" | (1) In each case, airline revenue only (not including other holding company subsidiaries, if any)
|+ align="bottom" style="caption-side: bottom; text-align: left;" | (2) Does not include [[Muse Air]], bought by Southwest in 1985 
|}

[[Image:Boeing 727-214, Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) JP5964380.jpg|thumb|Pre-delivery [[Boeing 727-200]]]]
A July 1984 [[Los Angeles Times]] article noted PSA had been hanging fire since deregulation; management always waiting for some obstacle to clear. For instance, waiting to swap out the 727 fleet it had at deregulation (yet the abortive 1982/1983 Braniff deal would have doubled-down on 727s), which were too large and too fuel inefficient (given the rise in fuel prices, which PSA also blamed) and too labor intensive (given its three person cockpit vs two places for the MD-80).<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/400597278 ''PSA Chief is Waiting for Airline to Really Take Off'', Los Angeles Times, July 31, 1984]</ref> 727s were a big factor in driving the company to ordering 20 BAe-146 aircraft in late 1983, which were both smaller and extremely quiet (an advantage in California where noise politics was a factor at airports like Orange County, Long Beach and Burbank).<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/387222417/ ''Uproar Grows Over Airport Noise'', Los Angeles Times, April 26, 1981]</ref> PSA may have overcorrected – PSA ultimately configured BAe-146s with only 85 seats vs 150 for the MD-80s and 175 for the 727-200s.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/401472970 ''PSA’s (sic) Takes a Flier on British Jet'', Los Angeles Times, July 16, 1985]</ref> In one respect, PSA was lucky: the BAe-146 was eventually notorious for fairly [[British Aerospace 146#Engines|significant engine problems]] that PSA management never had to deal with because it sold the company before they became well known. As a stopgap, the airline also acquired four 110-seat used DC-9s from Air Canada in 1983.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/633705316 ''PSA Set to Expand S.F. Operations, Buys DC-9s'', Los Angeles Times, April 7, 1983]</ref> PSA did not prioritize a single fleet type.

But if looking for reasons for underperformance, management might have considered itself, since it was of long-standing. William Shimp, CEO and Chairman from 1976 to 1984, joined PSA in 1949.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/400575667 ''PSA Chief William R. Shimp Dies at 59'', Los Angeles Times, May 13, 1984]</ref> Paul Barkley, who succeeded Shimp, had been a [[C-suite]] officer at PSA since 1967.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/400805375 ''PSA names Barkley as Chief Officer'', Los Angeles, March 13, 1984]</ref> Notwithstanding the disastrous experience of the 1970s, management never lost its taste for diversification, diverting corporate attention from the airline. PSA, Inc.'s 1983 annual report noted energy subsidiaries involved in fuel supply and distribution and oil and gas exploration and production, as well as aviation-related subsidiaries providing engine maintenance, aircraft leasing and flight training.<ref>[https://www.departedflights.com/PS83reportcover.html PSA 1983 Annual Report]</ref>

===Employee givebacks, PS Group, sale to USAir and Flight 1771===
In 1984, following another poor year in 1983, PSA asked for wage givebacks from airline employees. Employees would reduce pay by 15% in exchange for 15% of pre-tax airline profits and a 15% stake in the airline. Note, "airline profits", not the holding company, PSA, Inc., which included aircraft leasing and fuel distribution among other businesses. After some back-and-forth, employees went along with this in late 1984.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/390400392 ''PSA Chief Says Pay Cuts May Save $40 million'', Los Angeles Times, December 29, 1984]</ref> Employees got to nominate four directors to the airline board. Famed retailer [[Sol Price]] of [[Price Club]] (a [[Costco]] constituent) and [[FedMart]] was one such employee director.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/402417670/ ''Lineup of PSA Board Gives Airline Diversity'', Los Angeles Times, September 17, 1985]</ref> Another requirement was a separate publicly traded stock for the airline. On July 28, 1986, there was an [[initial public offering]] for the airline (1.8mm shares at $7).<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/404582873 PSA offering tombstone in Los Angeles Times, Jul 28, 1986]</ref> Meanwhile, to eliminate confusion, the parent company (which retained its own stock listing) was renamed "PS Group, Inc.". In the midst of this activity, the holding company continued to diversify. In September 1985, it added to its oil and gas investments.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/402330353 ''PSA Agrees to Buy Control of Oil Company'', Los Angeles Times, September 4, 1985]</ref>

1986 was the year of the airline merger – [[Republic Airlines#Northwest Airlines|Republic]] into [[Northwest Airlines|Northwest]], [[Ozark Air Lines#Merger with TWA|Ozark]] into [[Trans World Airlines|TWA]], [[Western Airlines#Delta Air Lines merger|Western]] into [[Delta Air Lines]] and others. In November, AirCal accepted an offer from American Airlines. On December 8, [[US Airways|USAir]] announced an agreement to purchase PSA for $400mm.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/404660452/ ''USAir Plans to Buy PSA, Become 6th Largest Line'', Los Angeles Times, December 8, 1986]</ref> The combination had its skeptics: USAir’s pre-PSA California presence was 12 flights per day to Pittsburgh and Indianapolis so its brand awareness among Californians was minimal.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/405102231/ ''Let’s Clear the Air: Flying West Coast Will Never Be the Same'', Los Angeles Times, October 19, 1987]</ref>
The purchase closed May 29, 1987, but PSA and USAir pilot union chapters fought over transition agreements, delaying the merger of PSA into USAir beyond the original January 1, 1988, date.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/404795057/ ''Merger of PSA Into USAir Snags on Pilot Work Rules'', Los Angeles Times, September 3]</ref>

{{main|Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771}}
PSA thus still existed under USAir ownership when on December 7, 1987, a fired USAir employee used his credentials (which had not been recovered from him) to sneak a gun on board PSA Flight 1771. En-route, he shot, among others, the flightcrew, causing the aircraft to crash, killing everyone on board. The fact pattern of a (former) USAir employee killing PSA crew and passengers overshadowed the last days of PSA.

PSA finally merged into USAir on April 9, 1988.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/404163792 ''Exit Smiling'', Los Angeles Times, April 8, 1988]</ref> PS Group had long since banked what it was paid for its PSA, creating a well-funded life-raft for select former PSA executives, among which Chairman Paul Barkley.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/403024002/ ''PS Group’s Executives Outline Plans'', Los Angeles Times, May 27, 1987]</ref> By the time the merger was consummated, PS Group had used some the PSA money to buy a stake in a travel agency business, to go along with its aircraft leasing and oil & gas interests.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/405073298 ''PS Group Acquires 81% of Travel Firm Linked to West'', Los Angeles Times, October 27, 1987]</ref>

==Legacy==
The successors of PSA and AirCal, USAir and American, raised prices, reflecting their higher costs. In early 1990, the last-minute roundtrip fare from Los Angeles to Sacramento was $456, over $1000 in 2024 dollars. State legislators were increasingly irate, finally proposing a raft of bills to punish the carriers, even suggesting a state-owned airline,<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/176646554/ ''6-Bill Package Seeks to Lower State Air Fares'', Los Angeles Times, February 28, 1990]</ref> but the market had already taken care of the problem. [[United Airlines]] had already announced an increase in frequency on Los Angeles to San Francisco from 16 to 27 per day<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/175494368 ''United Plans Sharp Boost in Number of L.A.-S.F. Flights'', Los Angeles Times, January 23, 1990]</ref> and Southwest Airlines had announced it was entering Burbank with 10 a day service to Oakland at a last-minute fare of $59 one way, $29 in advance.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/779376167 ''Southwest expanding Oakland flights'', Oakland Tribune, February 1, 1990]</ref>

The resulting Los Angeles Basin to San Francisco Bay fare war was brutal, made worse when Iraq invaded Kuwait thereby spiking oil prices, collapsing demand for international travel and tipping the US into the [[Gulf War]]. In January 1991, in announcements only two weeks apart, first American and then USAir gutted the former AirCal and PSA systems, throwing in the towel less than five years after offering to buy the former intrastate airlines.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/176379160/ ''USAir to Cut Most California Flights'', Los Angeles Times, January 26, 1991]</ref>

The indirect legacy of PSA is [[Southwest Airlines]], originally a Texas intrastate airline that PSA inspired. Southwest inspired [[low-cost airlines]] globally. PSA therefore was a key company in the advent of low-cost air travel.

Another legacy stems from Kenny Friedkin's son [[Thomas H. Friedkin]], a PSA pilot in 1962 when his father died. A year later, Tom's mother (Kenny's widow) died, making him the largest PSA shareholder. Tom had a seat on the Board of Directors but continued as a full-time pilot for the airline.<ref name=FORBES /> Tom astutely invested in a Toyota distributorship in the late 1960s, [[Gulf States Toyota Distributors|Gulf States Toyota]], now a multi-billion dollar business run by Tom's son, Kenny's grandson, [[Dan Friedkin]].

PSA's successor airlines also made legacy liveries. [[US Airways]] painted an [[Airbus A319]] (N742PS) in the PSA livery and even after US Airways merged with [[American Airlines]], it continued to wear the PSA colours until 2024. American themselves also painted an [[Airbus A321]] (N582UW) in the PSA colours and the A321 still wears the scheme as of 2025.

==Corporate culture==
[[File:Pacific Southwest Airlines L-1011 N10114 1.jpg|thumb|left|PSA smile on an [[L-1011]]]]
PSA was known for its sense of humor. Founder Ken Friedkin wore [[Hawaiian shirt]]s and encouraged his pilots and stewardesses to joke with passengers. Its slogan was "The World's Friendliest Airline", and its recognizable trademark was a smile painted on the nose of each plane and an accompanying advertising campaign declaring "Catch Our Smile".<ref name=spokad87>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=uIZOAAAAIBAJ&pg=4487%2C1545533 |newspaper=Spokane Chronicle |title=PSA's Spring SuperSmile fares... |agency=advertisement |date=March 24, 1987 |page=A9 }}</ref> Because of the major San Diego flight schedule and its discount fares, military personnel nicknamed PSA the "Poor Sailor's Airline."<ref name=FORBES>[https://web.archive.org/web/20031004231520/http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2001/1008/118_print.html Forbes Magazine: October 1, 2001-Under the Radar by Doug Donovan]</ref> After PSA was bought by USAir, ex-PSA mechanics would occasionally paint smiles on USAir planes as a joke.<ref>{{cite web|last=Trinkle|first=Kevin|url=http://www.psa-history.org/about_psa/smiles_on_usair|title=Smiles on US Airways|work=The PSA History Page|access-date=January 7, 2014}}</ref>

[[File:Pacific Southwest Airlines female flight attendants.jpg|thumb|right|upright|PSA flight attendants in microskirt and boots uniform]]
In the 1960s PSA was known for the brightly colored [[flight attendant]] uniforms, with [[miniskirt]]s; in the early 1970s the fashion changed to [[hotpants]].<ref name=FORBES /> A PSA flight attendant, Marilyn Tritt, wrote a book about her tenure at the company titled ''Long Legs and Short Nights''.<ref>{{cite book|last=Tritt|first=Marilyn|title=Long Legs & Short Nights|publisher=Airtime Publishers|year=1995|location=San Diego|isbn=9780964957701}}</ref>

Throughout PSA's lifetime, the flight attendants, with their humor, over-the-top passenger service, and sense of duty, helped to create a loyal passenger following. One flight attendant, Sandy Daniels, with the help of a frequent flyer, started the "Precious Stewardess Association". Frequent fliers would bring tasty treats to the crew, particularly on morning flights. In turn, PSA started the "Precious Passenger Association", with certificates and free drinks given to friendly and helpful passengers.

==Headquarters==
PSA headquarters were a windowless gray-brown building on Harbor Drive in [[San Diego, California]].<ref>Ray, Nancy. "[https://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/sunset-music-festival-stresses-safety-in-statement-on-death-of-2/2279784/ Family mourns daughter who died after attending festival]" Tampa Bay Times. June 2, 2016. Retrieved on September 26, 2023..</ref><ref>"World Airline Directory." ''[[Flight International]]''. March 31, 1984. [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1984/1984%20-%200578.html?search=%22Pacific%20Southwest%20Airlines%22 876].</ref> The building was San Diego International Airport's commuter terminal until 2015 when it was converted into administrative offices of the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority.

==Accidents and incidents==
*On January 15, 1969, while it was climbing to its cruising altitude, PSA Flight 990,<ref>{{cite news |title=Plane and Jetliner Collide; All Safe |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/oakland-tribune-plane-and-jetliner-colli/164365387/ |access-date=31 January 2025 |location=Oakland, California, United States|work=[[Oakland Tribune]] |date=15 January 1969 |page=1 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> a [[Boeing 727-100]] registered as N973PS, collided with a [[Cessna 182]] registered as N42242 at around what the Cessna 182's pilot, Richard A. Bridgeford, believes was {{Convert|1800|ft|m}}. Both aircraft were in controlled airspace on the same frequency. The 727 continued on to [[Ontario, California|Ontario, CA]] and made a safe landing. The Cessna lost its right wingtip and three-quarters of its right aileron, so Bridgeford decided returning to [[San Francisco]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19690115-1|title=ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727-14 N973PS San Francisco, CA}}</ref><ref name="UPI Ventura">{{cite news |title=Pilot Has Close Brush With Death |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/ventura-county-star-pilot-has-close-brus/164367066/ |access-date=31 January 2025 |work=[[UPI]] |publisher=[[Ventura County Star]] |date=16 January 1969 |location=Ventura, California, United States |page=12 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> He also decided to cut his engine and managed to glide to San Francisco International Airport without any further incident.<ref name="UPI Ventura" /> A passenger on board the Boeing 727 reported that he had seen a light plane fly very close to the aircraft. ''[[UPI]]'' reported that "A PSA spokesman said that a [[nacelle]] on one of the engines and the bottom tip of the tail were slightly damaged."<ref name="UPI Ventura" />
*On March 5, 1974, a PSA [[NAMC YS-11]] training aircraft's engines failed, resulting in the aircraft crashing in the desert near [[Borrego Springs]], California. The turboprop aircraft was doing a simulated landing stall. All of the four crew members survived the crash. The aircraft was written off.<ref name="ASN YS11">[http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19740305-0 ASN accident NAMC YS-11A-202 N208PA Borrego Springs, California] Retrieved April 8, 2008</ref>
*On September 25, 1978, [[Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 182|PSA Flight 182]], a [[Boeing 727-200]], crashed in [[San Diego]] while trying to land at [[Lindbergh Field]], California, after colliding with a [[Cessna 172]]. All 135 aboard the PSA flight were killed, as were the two in the Cessna and seven on the ground. At the time, it was the deadliest plane crash in U.S. airspace; it remains the worst [[mid-air collision]] in the United States.<ref>[http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19780925-0 ASN accident Boeing 727-214 N533PS San Diego International Airport, CA (SAN)] Retrieved April 1, 2009</ref> A lawsuit argued by [[Gary J. Aguirre|Gary Aguirre]] resulted in a verdict against PSA for damages.<ref>Ted Vollmer, "PSA Ruled Liable for Crash Damage Claims", ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' San Diego County edition (August 15, 1979)</ref>
*On December 7, 1987, [[Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771|PSA Flight 1771]], a [[British Aerospace 146|BAe 146]], bound for [[San Francisco International Airport|San Francisco]] from [[Los Angeles International Airport|Los Angeles]], was airborne above the California central coast when it entered a high-speed nosedive and crashed near the town of [[Cayucos]] in [[San Luis Obispo County]]. Investigations determined that David Burke, a former [[US Air]] employee who had been fired for theft, armed himself and boarded the flight, which was carrying his former manager. After writing a note on an air sickness bag, Burke shot his ex-manager, a flight attendant, both pilots and the airline's chief pilot. Burke then pushed down on the control column, causing the aircraft to enter a dive. There were no survivors among the 38 passengers and five crew.<ref>[http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19871207-0 ASN Aircraft accident British Aerospace BAe-146-200 N350PS Paso Robles, CA]</ref>

===Hijackings===
There were other attempted hijackings which resulted in no injuries and the surrender of the hijacker(s). These incidents are not included. The following are notable hijackings because of fatalities or because the aircraft flew to another country:
* On January 7, 1972, PSA Flight 902, a Boeing 727-200 flight from San Francisco to Los Angeles was hijacked to Cuba. The captain negotiated the release of the passengers in Los Angeles and the hijackers, who had with them a baby and were armed with a shotgun and other arms, proceeded to Cuba,<ref>[http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19720107-2 ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727 ?]</ref> with a fueling stop in Tampa. Three flight attendants and three off-duty flight attendants accompanied the flight to Cuba.<ref>Airliner Magazine, November, 2000</ref><ref name=ergskyj>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=tthVAAAAIBAJ&pg=4001%2C1579385 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=(Oregon) |agency=Associated Press |title=California airliner skyjacked to Cuba |date=January 8, 1972 |page=1A}}</ref>
* On July 5, 1972, [[Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 710|PSA Flight 710]], a Boeing 737-200 flight from Sacramento to San Francisco was hijacked with demands to fly to the [[Soviet Union]]. The plane was stormed while on the ground at San Francisco, resulting in the deaths of one passenger and the two hijackers.<ref>[http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19720705-0 ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 737-200 San Francisco International Airport, CA (SFO)]</ref> One of the passengers, who survived being shot in the back, was the actor [[Victor Sen Yung]], best known as [[Hop Sing (Bonanza)|Hop Sing]] from the ''[[Bonanza]]'' television series. One other passenger was shot and survived.<ref>''Ada Evening News'', July 6, 1972, p. 1</ref><ref name="PSA Flight 710">{{cite web|url=http://sfnewspaperman.blogspot.com/2009/09/anatomy-of-hijack.html?m=1|title=Anatomy of a Hijack|last=Emch|first=Tom|date=September 12, 2009|work=SF Chronicle and Examiner|access-date=1 April 2013}}</ref><ref name=fbifoil>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=w6xVAAAAIBAJ&pg=5557%2C1325008|work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=(Oregon) |agency=Associated Press |last=Yeager |first=Bob |title=FBI agents foil skyjacking; 1 passenger, 2 gunmen die |date=July 6, 1972 |page=4A}}</ref>

==Destinations==
PSA served the following domestic destinations in the U.S. at various times during its existence.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.psa-history.org/flying/routemap.html |title=The PSA/Oldtimers Page |access-date=2009-08-07 |archive-date=2008-12-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081219150602/http://www.psa-history.org/flying/routemap.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>[http://www.jetpsa.com/tags/tags.html PSA Pacific Southwest Airlines bag tags]</ref>

{{div col}}
'''Arizona'''
* [[Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport]], [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]] (PHX)
* [[Tucson International Airport]], [[Tucson, Arizona|Tucson]] (TUS)

'''California'''
* [[Arcata-Eureka Airport]], [[Arcata, California|Arcata]]/[[Eureka, California|Eureka]] (ACV)
* [[Bob Hope Airport|Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport]], [[Burbank, California|Burbank]] (BUR)
* [[Buchanan Field Airport]], [[Concord, California|Concord]] (CCR)
* [[Fresno Yosemite International Airport]], [[Fresno, California|Fresno]] (FAT)
* [[Lake Tahoe Airport]], [[South Lake Tahoe, California|South Lake Tahoe]] (TVL)
* [[Long Beach Airport]], [[Long Beach, California|Long Beach]] (LGB)
* [[Los Angeles International Airport]], [[Los Angeles]] ([[LAX]])
* [[Monterey Peninsula Airport]], [[Monterey, California|Monterey]] (MRY)
* [[Oakland International Airport]], [[Oakland, California|Oakland]] (OAK)
* [[LA/Ontario International Airport|Ontario International Airport]], [[Ontario, California|Ontario]] (ONT)
* [[Palm Springs International Airport]], [[Palm Springs, California|Palm Springs]] (PSP)
* [[Sacramento Municipal Airport]] (SAC) – (all airlines serving Sacramento then moved to the then-new SMF in October 1967 and SAC was renamed [[Sacramento Executive Airport]])
* [[Sacramento International Airport|Sacramento Metropolitan Airport]], [[Sacramento, California|Sacramento]] (SMF)
* [[San Diego International Airport]], [[San Diego]] (SAN) – '''home base'''
* [[San Francisco International Airport]], [[San Francisco]] ([[SFO]])
* [[San Jose International Airport]], [[San Jose, California|San Jose]] (SJC)
* [[John Wayne Airport]], [[Santa Ana, California|Santa Ana]] (SNA)
* [[Stockton Metropolitan Airport]], [[Stockton, California|Stockton]] (SCK)

'''Colorado'''
* [[Yampa Valley Airport]], [[Steamboat Springs, Colorado|Steamboat Springs]] (HDN)

'''Idaho'''
* [[Boise Airport|Boise Air Terminal]], [[Boise, Idaho|Boise]] (BOI)

'''New Mexico'''
* [[Albuquerque International Sunport]], [[Albuquerque, New Mexico|Albuquerque]] (ABQ)

'''Nevada'''
* [[McCarran International Airport]], [[Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas]] (LAS)
* [[Reno-Tahoe International Airport]], [[Reno, Nevada|Reno]] (RNO)

'''Oregon'''
* [[Eugene Airport]]-Mahlon Sweet Field, [[Eugene, Oregon|Eugene]] (EUG)
* [[Medford-Jackson County Airport]], [[Medford, Oregon|Medford]] (MFR)
* [[Portland International Airport]], [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]] (PDX)
* Redmond-[[Roberts Field]], [[Redmond, Oregon|Redmond]] (RDM)

'''Texas'''
* [[Dallas, Texas]] - [[Dallas Love Field|Love Field]] (DAL)
* [[San Antonio, Texas]] - [[San Antonio International Airport]] (SAT)

'''Utah'''
* [[Salt Lake City International Airport]], [[Salt Lake City]] (SLC)

'''Washington'''
* [[Bellingham International Airport]], [[Bellingham, Washington|Bellingham]] (BLI)
* [[Tri-Cities Airport (Washington)|Pasco-Tri Cities Airport]], [[Pasco, Washington|Pasco]] (PSC)
* [[Seattle-Tacoma International Airport]], [[Seattle, Washington|Seattle]] (SEA)
* [[Spokane International Airport]], [[Spokane, Washington|Spokane]] (GEG)
* [[Yakima Air Terminal]], [[Yakima, Washington|Yakima]] (YKM)

'''Mexico'''

PSA also served the following destinations in Mexico at various times during its existence:<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.departedflights.com/PS021788.html|title = Pacific Southwest Airlines February 17, 1988 Route Map}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.departedflights.com/PS091780.html|title = Ps091780}}</ref>

* [[Los Cabos]] ([[Cabo San Lucas]]) (SJD)
* [[Mazatlan]] (MZT)
* [[Puerto Vallarta]] (PVR)
{{end div col}}

==Fleet==
===Final fleet===
As of April 9, 1988, at the time of the merger, Pacific Southwest Airlines' fleet consisted of the following aircraft:<ref name="Fleet list">{{cite web|url=http://aerobernie.bplaced.net/PSA.html|title=PSA fleet|website=aerobernie.bplaced.net|access-date=February 20, 2021}}</ref>

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Pacific Southwest Airlines fleet
|-
!Aircraft
!In service
!Passengers
!Notes
|-
|[[BAe 146-100]]
|1
|rowspan=2|85
|Transferred to [[US Airways]] and retired in 1988.
|-
|[[BAe 146-200]]
|22
|All were transferred to [[US Airways]] and later retired in 1991.
|-
|[[McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32]]
|4
|100
|Former [[Altair Airlines]] fleet. All were transferred to [[US Airways]] and later retired in 2001.
|-
|[[McDonnell Douglas MD-81]]
|21
|rowspan=2|150
|rowspan=2|All were transferred to [[US Airways]] and later retired in 2002.
|-
|[[McDonnell Douglas MD-82]]
|10
|-
!Total
!58
!colspan=3|
|-
|}

===Retired fleet===
Pacific Southwest Airlines previously operated the following aircraft:<ref name="Fleet list"/>

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Pacific Southwest Airlines retired fleet
|-
!Aircraft
!Total
!Introduced
!Retired
!Notes
|-
|[[Bell 206]]
|1
|1967
|{{unknown}}
|
|-
|[[Boeing 727|Boeing 727-100]]
|16
|1965
|1983
|
|-
|[[Boeing 727|Boeing 727-200]]
|33
|1968
|1985
|One crashed as [[Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 182|Flight 182]]
|-
|[[Boeing 737|Boeing 737-200]]
|14
|1968
|1976
|
|-
|[[Douglas DC-3]]/[[C-47 Skytrain]]
|9
|1949
|1955
|
|-
|[[Douglas C-54 Skymaster]]
|4
|1955
|1961
|
|-
|[[Douglas DC-6|Douglas DC-6B]]
|1
|1960
|1963
|Operated to [[Oakland, California|Oakland]] while awaiting [[Lockheed L-188 Electra|Electra]]s.
|-
|[[Lockheed L-188A Electra]]
|4
|1961
|rowpsan=2|1979
|rowspan=2|Type was in the fleet on two separate occasions.{{efn|name=fn3}}
|-
|[[Lockheed L-188C Electra]]
|5
|1959
|-1980
|[[Lockheed L-1011 TriStar|Lockheed L-1011-1 TriStar]]
|2{{efn|name=fn2}}
|1974
|1975
|Used briefly between [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]] and [[San Francisco, California|San Francisco]].
|-
|[[McDonnell Douglas DC-9|McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31]]
|2
|1967{{efn|name=fn1}}
|1970
|
|-
|}

===PSA training fleet===
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ '''Pacific Southwest Airlines training aircraft fleet'''<ref name="Training">Trinkle, Kevin. [http://www.psa-history.org/hangar/ft.php "Flight Training"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120519084333/http://www.psa-history.org/hangar/ft.php |date=2012-05-19 }} – The PSA History/Olditimers Page – Retrieved March 28, 2009</ref><ref name="Fleet list"/>
|-
!Aircraft
!Total
!Introduced
!Retired
!Notes
|-
|[[Beechcraft Model 99]]
|1
|1972
|1975
|
|-
|[[Bell 47|Bell 47-G4A]]
|1
|{{unknown}}
|1969
|
|-
|[[Brantly B-2]]
|1
|{{unknown}}
|{{unknown}}
|
|-
|[[Beech Bonanza|Beech Bonanza F33-A]]
|8
|{{unknown}}
|{{unknown}}
|
|-
|[[Learjet 24]]
|1
|{{unknown}}
|{{unknown}}
|
|-
|[[NAMC YS-11|NAMC YS-11A-202]]
|1
|1972
|1974<ref name="ASN YS11" />
|Never painted in PSA livery
|-
|[[NAMC YS-11|NAMC YS-11A-212]]
|1
|1974
|1975
|Never painted in PSA livery
|-
|[[Piper PA-23|Piper Aztec 23-350]]
|16
|{{unknown}}
|{{unknown}}
|
|-
|[[Piper PA-24 Comanche|Piper Comanche 24-260]]
|5
|1967
|{{unknown}}
|
|-
|[[Piper PA-23|Piper Aztec 28R-180]]
|1
|{{unknown}}
|{{unknown}}
|
|-
|}

===Detailed fleet notes===
{{notelist|refs=
{{efn|name=fn1|Two DC-9-30 aircraft were delivered to PSA in 1967 new. These were operated and owned, prior to the four ex-[[Air Canada]] DC-9-32 aircraft, purchased used from [[Altair Airlines]] in 1983.}}
{{efn|name=fn2|A total of five L-1011-1 aircraft were initially ordered from Lockheed by PSA. The airline only accepted the delivery of two aircraft, with the examples being operated briefly as high capacity commuter aircraft. The further three examples were cancelled during production and were resold by Lockheed to [[LTU International]].}}
{{efn|name=fn3|Originally, six L-188 examples were delivered new or used by Lockheed to PSA, between 1959 and 1963. The aircraft were retired in 1968 in favor of newer jet aircraft, including the [[Boeing 727]], [[Boeing 737]] and [[McDonnell Douglas DC-9]]. Four L-188 aircraft, including one aircraft previously owned by PSA, were purchased used or leased, between 1975 and 1977, due to jet aircraft restrictions at [[Lake Tahoe Airport]]. Due to high operating costs, service to Lake Tahoe was discontinued and the four aircraft were sold in 1979.}}
}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Pacific Southwest Airlines}}
* {{cite web|url=https://sandiegoairandspace.org/collection/item/pacific-southwest-airlines-collection|title=Pacific Southwest Airlines Collection|publisher=San Diego Air & Space Museum|website=sandiegoairandspace.org|language=en|date=March 2, 2018}}
* {{cite web|url=https://sandiegoairandspace.org/newsletters/article/pacific-southwest-airlines-a-san-diego-icon|title=Pacific Southwest Airlines: A San Diego Icon|publisher=San Diego Air & Space Museum|website=sandiegoairandspace.org|language=en}}
* {{cite web|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/sdasmarchives/albums/72157624565525530/|title=PSA Airlines: These are some of the images from our Pacific Southwest Airlines archive!|publisher=SDASM Archive|website=flickr.com|format=photo|language=en}}
* {{cite web|url=https://www.psa-history.org/|title=The PSA History Page|first=Kevin|last=Trinkle|website=psa-history.org|language=en|date=2024}}
* {{cite book|last=Kissel|first=Gary|title=Poor Sailors' Airline: The Story of Kenny Friedkin's Pacific Southwest Airlines|publisher=Paladwr Press|year=2002|location=McLean, Virginia|isbn=9781888962185}}
* {{cite book|last=Tritt|first=Marilyn|title=Long Legs & Short Nights|publisher=Airtime Publishers|year=1995|location=San Diego|isbn=9780964957701}}
* {{cite web|title=Pacific Southwest Airlines playlist|publisher=United Jet Mainliner |url=https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL80FjnqZiMqm9AXilJ90RAMCGSJnYMEek|website=youtube.com|language=en|format=video|date=August 29, 2021}}
* {{cite web|title=PSA (Pacific Southwest Airlines) Commercials playlist|publisher=Aviation Commercials |url=https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3QwopPRHOLWtAeCthbnURak_1kRVzwQn|website=youtube.com|language=en|format=video|date=November 13, 2022}}
* {{cite web|title=PSA Farewell Video (Pacific Southwest Airlines)|publisher=David Alexander |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IC1Rd2CeL54|website=youtube.com|language=en|format=video|date=November 16, 2014}}

{{US Airways Group}}
{{American Airlines}}
{{Portal bar|California|United States|Companies|Aviation}}

[[Category:Pacific Southwest Airlines| ]]
[[Category:Airlines established in 1949]]
[[Category:Airlines disestablished in 1988]]
[[Category:Companies based in San Diego]]
[[Category:Defunct companies based in California]]
[[Category:Defunct low-cost airlines of the United States]]
[[Category:US Airways Group]]
[[Category:1949 establishments in California]]
[[Category:American companies established in 1949]]
[[Category:Airlines based in California]]

US Airways

2025-06-29T11:09:27Z

182.232.34.176:

{{Short description|Defunct airline of the United States (1939–2015)}}
{{about|the airline known as US Airways|a list of airlines of the United States|List of airlines of the United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2018}}
{{Infobox airline
| airline = US Airways
| logo = US Airways Logo Star Alliance 2011.svg
| logo_size =
| image = Boeing 767-201(ER), US Airways JP7088690.jpg
| caption = A [[Boeing 767-200ER]] of US Airways
| IATA = {{ubl|class=nowrap
| AL (1979–1988)
| US (1988–2015)}}
| ICAO = {{ubl|class=nowrap
| USA (1979–2008)
| AWE (2008–2015)}}
| callsign = {{ubl|class=nowrap
| US AIR (1979–2008)
| CACTUS (2008–2015)}}
| founded = {{start date|1937|03|05}} {{small|(as ''[[All American Aviation]]'')}}
| commenced = {{ubl|
| {{start date|1939|03|07}} {{small|(as ''[[All American Aviation]]'')}}
| {{start date|1953|01|01}} {{small|(as ''[[Allegheny Airlines]]'')}}
| {{start date|1979|10|28}} {{small|(as ''USAir'')}}
| {{start date|1997|02|27}} {{small|(as ''US Airways'')}}}}
| ceased = {{ubl|
| {{end date|1953|01|01}} {{small|(as ''[[All American Aviation]]'')}}
| {{end date|1979|10|28}} {{small|(as ''[[Allegheny Airlines]]'')}}
| {{end date|1997|02|27}} {{small|(as ''USAir'')}}
| {{end date|2015|10|17}} {{small|(merged into [[American Airlines]])}}}}
| aoc = AALA025A<ref name=faa_aoc>{{cite web |url=http://av-info.faa.gov/detail.asp?DSGN_CODE=AALA&OPER_FAR=121&OPER_NAME=AMERICAN+AIRLINES+INC+AND%2FOR+US+AIRWAYS+INC |title=Airline Certificate Information – Detail View |date=May 12, 2015 |work=av-info.faa.gov |publisher=Federal Aviation Administration |quote=Certificate Number AALA025A |access-date=May 15, 2015 |archive-date=July 13, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150713203943/http://av-info.faa.gov/detail.asp?DSGN_CODE=AALA&OPER_FAR=121&OPER_NAME=AMERICAN+AIRLINES+INC+AND%2FOR+US+AIRWAYS+INC |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| headquarters = {{ubl|class=nowrap
| [[Pittsburgh]], [[Pennsylvania]] {{small|(1937–1960)}}
| [[Crystal City, Virginia|Crystal City]], [[Virginia]] {{small|(1960–2004)}}
| [[Tempe, Arizona|Tempe]], [[Arizona]] {{small|(2005–2015)}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usairways.com/en-US/contact/general.html|title=US Airways{{dash}}Phone/email|work=usairways.com|access-date=April 3, 2015}}</ref>}}
| key_people = [[Doug Parker]] ([[Chief executive officer|CEO]])<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.frequentbusinesstraveler.com/2013/06/american-airlines-and-us-airways-announces-post-merger-management-team/|title=American Airlines and US Airways Announce Post-Merger Management Team| work=frequentbusinesstraveler.com| access-date=April 3, 2015}}</ref>
| hubs = {{ubl|class=nowrap
| [[Charlotte Douglas International Airport|Charlotte]] {{small|(1989–2015)}}
| [[Indianapolis International Airport|Indianapolis]] {{small|(1987–1997)}}
| [[Harry Reid International Airport|Las Vegas]] {{small|(2007–2008)}}
| [[Philadelphia International Airport|Philadelphia]]
| [[Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport|Phoenix–Sky Harbor]] {{small|(2007–2015)}}
| [[Pittsburgh International Airport|Pittsburgh]] {{small|(1979–2004)}}
| [[Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport|Washington–National]]}}
| frequent_flyer = Dividend Miles
| alliance = {{ubl|class=nowrap
| [[Star Alliance]] {{small|(2004–2014)}}
| [[Oneworld]] {{small|(affiliate; 2014–2015)}}}}
| fleet_size =
| destinations =
| parent = [[US Airways Group]]
| subsidiaries = {{ubl|class=nowrap
| [[MetroJet (American airline)|MetroJet]] {{small|(1998–2001)}}
| [[US Airways Express]] {{small|(1989–2015)}}
| [[US Airways Shuttle]] {{small|(1992–2015)}}}}
| website = <nowiki>www.usairways.com</nowiki> ({{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150223175621/http://www.usairways.com/default.aspx?redir=http://www.americawest.com/awa/content/aboutawa/pressroom/gob/advantages.aspx}})
| num_employees =
}}

'''US Airways''' was a major airline originally founded in [[History of aviation in Pittsburgh|Pittsburgh]], Pennsylvania as a mail delivery airline in 1939 called [[All American Aviation]], which soon became a commercial passenger airline. In 1953, it was renamed '''[[Allegheny Airlines]]''' and operated under that name for a quarter-century. In October 1979, after the enactment of the [[Airline Deregulation Act]], Allegheny Airlines changed its name to USAir. A decade later it had acquired [[Piedmont Airlines (1948–1989)|Piedmont Airlines]] and [[Pacific Southwest Airlines]] (PSA), and was one of the United States' seven transcontinental [[legacy carriers]]. In 1997, it rebranded as US Airways.

The airline had an extensive international and domestic network, with 193 destinations in 24 countries in North America, South America, Europe, and the Middle East. The airline was a member of the [[Star Alliance]], before becoming an affiliate member of [[Oneworld]] in March 2014. US Airways had 343 [[mainline (flight)|mainline]] jets, as well as 278 [[regional jet]] and turboprops flown by contract and subsidiary airlines under the name [[US Airways Express]] via [[code sharing]] agreements.

The airline had severe financial difficulties in the early 2000s, filing for [[chapter 11 bankruptcy]] twice in two years. In 2005, [[America West Airlines]] carried out a [[reverse merger]], acquiring the assets and branding of the larger US Airways while putting the America West leadership team largely in charge of the merged airline.

In 2013, [[American Airlines]] and US Airways announced plans to merge, creating the [[World's largest airlines|largest airline in the world]].<ref>{{cite news |title=State Attorneys General Join Probe Of American Airlines, U.S. Airways Merger |first1=Diane |last1=Bartz |first2=Karen |last2=Jacobs |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/01/american-airlines-us-airways-merger_n_3530531.html |newspaper=[[The Huffington Post]] |date=July 1, 2013 |access-date=July 1, 2013}}</ref> The holding companies of American and US Airways merged effective December 9, 2013.<ref>{{cite news |last=Maxon |first=Terry |title=Judge OKs American Airlines-US Airways merger, American's exit from bankruptcy |url=http://aviationblog.dallasnews.com/2013/11/judge-oks-american-airlines-us-airways-merger-americans-exit-from-bankruptcy.html/ |access-date=November 29, 2013 |newspaper=[[The Dallas Morning News]] |date=November 27, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131128075802/http://aviationblog.dallasnews.com/2013/11/judge-oks-american-airlines-us-airways-merger-americans-exit-from-bankruptcy.html/ |archive-date=November 28, 2013 |df=mdy-all}}</ref> The combined airline carried the American Airlines name and branding and maintained the existing US Airways hubs for a period of at least five years under the terms of a settlement with the Department of Justice and several state attorneys general.<ref name="AAUS1">{{cite press release |title=American Airlines and US Airways to Create a Premier Global Carrier -- The New American Airlines |date=February 14, 2013 |publisher=AMR & US Airways Group |location=Fort Worth, TX & Tempe, AZ |url=http://hub.aa.com/en/nr/pressrelease/american-airlines-us-airways-merger |access-date=February 14, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130216235338/http://hub.aa.com/en/nr/pressrelease/american-airlines-us-airways-merger |archive-date=February 16, 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=AMR, US Airways Reach Settlement with Justice Department on Merger |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2013/11/12/amr-us-airways-reach-settlement-with-justice-department-on-merger |date=November 12, 2013 |first=Danielle |last=Kurtzleben |journal=[[U.S. News & World Report]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305155423/http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2013/11/12/amr-us-airways-reach-settlement-with-justice-department-on-merger |archive-date=March 5, 2016 |df=mdy-all}}</ref> US Airways management ran the combined airline from the American headquarters in [[Fort Worth, Texas]].<ref name="AAUS1" /><ref name="Reuters">{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-americanairlines-merger-idUSBRE91D0MF20130214 |title=American Airlines, US Airways unveil $11 billion merger |publisher=[[Reuters]] |date=February 14, 2013 |access-date=February 14, 2013}}</ref> On April 8, 2015, the FAA officially granted a single operating certificate for both carriers, marking the end of US Airways as an independent carrier. The brand continued to exist until October 2015.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/ct-american-airlines-certificate-0409-biz-20150407-story.html?track=rss |title=American Airlines, US Airways get FAA approval to fly as one carrier |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date=April 8, 2015 |access-date=October 22, 2015 |last=Karp |first=Gregory}}</ref>

Its first hub was in [[Pittsburgh International Airport|Pittsburgh]], and it operated hubs in [[Charlotte Douglas International Airport|Charlotte]], [[Harry Reid International Airport|Las Vegas]], [[Philadelphia International Airport|Philadelphia]], [[Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport|Phoenix–Sky Harbor]], and [[Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport|Washington–Reagan]].

The final US Airways flight was [[San Francisco]] to [[Philadelphia]] via [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]] and [[Charlotte, North Carolina|Charlotte]], operating as Flight 1939 with 1939 commemorating the birth of All American Aviation, which eventually became US Airways.<ref>{{cite news |title=Last US Airways flight taking off from Philadelphia, stopping in Charlotte, Phoenix, San Fran |url=http://www.startribune.com/final-us-airways-flight-taking-off-from-philadelphia/333090211/ |agency=[[Associated Press]] |date=October 18, 2015 |work=[[Star Tribune]] |location=Minneapolis |access-date=October 22, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016115456/http://www.startribune.com/final-us-airways-flight-taking-off-from-philadelphia/333090211/ |archive-date=October 16, 2015 |df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name=FinalFlight>{{cite news |last=Mutzabaugh |first=Ben |title=US Airways' Final Flight Closes Curtain on Another Major Airline |work=[[USA Today]] |date=October 16, 2015 |access-date=October 22, 2015 |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/todayinthesky/2015/10/16/us-airways-final-flight-american-merger/73922874/}}</ref> Repainting of US Airways' planes into the American Airlines scheme was expected to take until "late 2016", with new flight attendant uniforms also being introduced in 2016.<ref name=FinalFlight />

==History==

===Early years===
[[File:Allegheny Airlines BAC 1-11 N1132J 1.jpg|thumb|[[Allegheny Airlines]] [[BAC One-Eleven]]]]
{{See also|Allegheny Airlines}}
US Airways traces its history to [[All American Aviation]] Inc., a company founded in 1939 by [[du Pont family]] brothers [[Richard C. du Pont]] and [[A. Felix du Pont Jr.|Alexis Felix du Pont Jr.]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aa.com/i18n/customer-service/about-us/history-of-american-airlines.jsp|title=History of American Airlines - About us |publisher=American Airlines|language=en |access-date=June 23, 2018}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wn38CQAAQBAJ&q=A.+Felix+duPont+Jr.+us+airways&pg=PA118|title=Franklin|last=Benton|first=Sarah Ann|date=June 22, 2015|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|isbn=9781439652008|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://mashable.com/2015/10/17/us-airways-takes-off/#YSH9pjR2cuqE|title=US Airways takes off: A look back at the now former airline|last=Plautz|first=Jessica|work=Mashable|access-date=June 23, 2018|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-timeline-of-major-events-in-us-airways-history-2013nov12-story.html|title=Timeline of major events in US Airways history|author=Scott Mayerowitz|work=The San Diego Union-Tribune|access-date=June 24, 2018|language=en-US}}</ref> Headquartered in [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania|Pittsburgh]], the airline served the [[Ohio River]] valley in 1939. In 1949 the company was renamed All American Airways as it switched from [[airmail]] to passenger service; it changed its name again to [[Allegheny Airlines]] on January 1, 1953.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/620250/US-Airways |title=US Airways |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] |date=October 19, 2015 |access-date=October 22, 2015}}</ref>

Allegheny's first jet was the [[Douglas DC-9]] in 1966; it absorbed [[Lake Central Airlines]] in 1968 and [[Mohawk Airlines]] in 1972 to become one of the largest carriers in the northeastern United States. In 1973 it was the ninth-largest airline in the free world by passengers carried (and 24th largest by passenger-miles).<ref>''Air Transport World'' May 1974</ref> With expansion came growing pains: in the 1970s Allegheny had the nickname "Agony Air".<ref>{{cite news |title=Hoover's profile of US Airways, Company History |url=http://www.answers.com/topic/us-airways-group-inc?cat=biz-fin |work=[[Hoover's]] |date=September 7, 2007 |access-date=September 7, 2007}}</ref>

Allegheny's agreement with [[Henson Airlines]], the forerunner to today's [[US Airways Express]] carrier [[Piedmont Airlines]], to operate "Allegheny Commuter" flights was the industry's first [[code sharing|code-share]] agreement,<ref>{{cite journal |last=Arnoult |first=Sandra |journal=[[Air Transport World]] |url=http://atwonline.com/aircraftenginescomponents/article/piedmonts-roots-run-deep-0309 |title=Piedmont's Roots Run Deep |date=October 31, 2005}}</ref> a type of service now offered throughout the industry.

===1970s: Deregulation and rebranding===
[[File:USAir DC-9 CLT.jpg|thumb|[[Douglas DC-9]] in USAir livery, used from 1989 to 1997]]
[[File:2345 Crystal Drive Hbrackett.jpg|thumb|alt=Brown metal and glass building, curved at the center and angled at the sides/|Crystal Park Four, former headquarters in [[Crystal City, Virginia]]]]
Allegheny changed its name to USAir in 1979<ref>{{cite news |work=[[The Blade (Toledo)|The Toledo Blade]] |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=9XYUAAAAIBAJ&pg=4437,7427487&dq=us+air+allegheny&hl=en |title=Allegheny Asks New Name |date=March 30, 1979 |agency=Associated Press |access-date=October 22, 2015 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> after the passage of the [[Airline Deregulation Act]] the previous year, which enabled the airline to expand its route network to the southeastern United States.

USAir was a launch customer for the [[Boeing 737 Classic|Boeing 737-300]], as the airline needed an aircraft with greater capacity to serve its growing Florida markets. USAir was the world's largest operator of [[Douglas DC-9|DC-9]] aircraft at the time and approached [[McDonnell Douglas]] to negotiate a new design. However, in the late 1970s, the McDonnell Douglas' proposed successor to the DC-9-50 did not suit USAir. After the negotiations with McDonnell Douglas broke down, [[Boeing Commercial Airplanes|Boeing]] came forward with a proposed variant of the 737. USAir selected the new 737 and the company worked closely with Boeing during its development, taking delivery of the first plane on November 28, 1984.

===1980s: Mergers and expansion===
{{Rail freight
|title=Revenue Passenger-kilometres, in millions
|float=left
|1980|8,977
|1985|15,659
|1990|55,903
|1995|61,271
|2000|75,728
|2005|64,600
|source=''Air Transport World''}}
[[File:Boeing 737-3B7 USAir N360AU 7283623.jpg|thumb|A USAir Boeing 737-300 at [[Washington National Airport]] in 1986.]]
In 1979, USAir's network was east of the Mississippi, plus spokes to Houston and Phoenix; it added Dallas-Ft Worth and Kansas City in 1981, Denver in 1982 and Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego in 1983. It acquired two commuter airlines, '''Pennsylvania Airlines''' and '''Suburban Airlines''', in 1985.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.stanwing.com/Pennsylvania%2012%20Commuter%20Airline%20Pilot%20Hat%20Badge%201st%20Issue | title = Pennsylvania Airlines | publisher = StanWing | access-date = May 9, 2020 | archive-date = November 10, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151110141410/http://www.stanwing.com/Pennsylvania%2012%20Commuter%20Airline%20Pilot%20Hat%20Badge%201st%20Issue | url-status = dead }}</ref> It bought [[San Diego]]–based [[Pacific Southwest Airlines]] (PSA) in 1986 and [[Winston-Salem, North Carolina]]–based [[Piedmont Airlines (1948–1989)|Piedmont Airlines]] in 1987.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/US-Airways-Group-Inc-Company-History.html |title=US Airways Group, Inc. – Company History |publisher=Fundinguniverse.com |access-date=May 17, 2012}}</ref> The PSA acquisition was completed on April 9, 1988, and the Piedmont acquisition on August 5, 1989.<ref name=Hamilton1>{{cite news |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1192625.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130513041641/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1192625.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 13, 2013 |title=USAir Rolls Out a Brand-New Image; Spruced-Up Jet's New Graphics Aim to Show National Carrier Status |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=April 3, 2015 |date=May 25, 1989 |last=Hamilton |first=Martha M.}}</ref>

The PSA acquisition gave USAir a network on the West Coast, while the Piedmont acquisition gave USAir a strong East Coast presence and hubs in [[Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport|Baltimore]] and [[Charlotte/Douglas International Airport|Charlotte]], which remained hubs for USAir. The Piedmont acquisition in 1989 was the largest airline merger until then and USAir became one of the world's largest airlines, with more than 5,000 flights daily to 134 airports (plus 48 more airports on USAir Express).<ref name="Life After Merger">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/01/19/business/usair-discovers-there-is-life-after-a-messy-merger.html?scp=2&sq=us%20airways%20new%20terminal%20pittsburgh&st=nyt&pagewanted=2 |title=USAir Discovers There is Life After a Messy Merger |work=[[The New York Times]] |first=Agis |last=Salpukas |date=January 19, 1992 |access-date=May 27, 2010}}</ref> In the next few years USAir closed down PSA's hubs in [[California]] and Piedmont's hubs in [[Dayton International Airport|Dayton]] and [[Syracuse International Airport|Syracuse]], though both remained focus cities.

By 1990, the airline had consolidated its headquarters, moving from Washington National Airport to a new building at [[Crystal City, Virginia|Crystal City]], in [[Arlington County, Virginia]], near the airport. Maintenance and operations headquarters remained at Pittsburgh International Airport.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/6258251.html?dids=6258251:6258251&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=May+12%2C+1988&author=Hamilton%2C+Martha+M.&pub=The+Washington+Post&desc=USAir+Plans+Move+to+Crystal+City%3B+Will+Add+First-Class+Air+Service&pqatl=google |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120131144247/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/6258251.html?dids=6258251:6258251&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=May+12%2C+1988&author=Hamilton%2C+Martha+M.&pub=The+Washington+Post&desc=USAir+Plans+Move+to+Crystal+City%3B+Will+Add+First-Class+Air+Service&pqatl=google |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 31, 2012 |title=USAir Plans Move to Crystal City |date=May 12, 1988 |newspaper=The Washington Post |last=Hamilton |first=Marcha M. |access-date=October 22, 2015}}</ref>

===1990s: Rebranding, fleet modernization, and failed sell-off===
In the early 1990s, USAir expanded to Europe with flights to London, Paris, and Frankfurt from its four main hubs. The company formed partnerships, marketing the [[Trump Shuttle]] as the "USAir Shuttle" and accepting a large investment from [[British Airways]] that started one of the first transatlantic [[airline alliance|alliances]], resulting in several [[Boeing 767-200ER]]s being painted in the British Airways livery, but operated by USAir.<ref>[http://airliners.net/open.file/0214428/M/ US Air 767 in British Airways Livery] at airliners.net</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?airlinesearch=British%20Airways%20%28USAir%29&distinct_entry=true |title=Search of US Air Planes in British Airways Livery |publisher=Airliners.net |access-date=August 8, 2011}}</ref> In 1992, it also invested in a new terminal at its hub in [[Pittsburgh International Airport|Pittsburgh]].<ref name="Life After Merger" />

In 1996 the alliance between USAir and British Airways ended in a court battle when British Airways announced its intentions to partner with American Airlines.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B05E1DA1439F932A05754C0A960958260 |title=USAir Sues British Airways Over Pact With American |work=The New York Times |first=David J. |last=Morrow |date=July 31, 1996 |access-date=May 27, 2010}}</ref>

About March 1, 1997 USAir changed its name to '''US Airways''' and introduced a new corporate identity. A stylized version of the United States flag was adopted as a new logo. The new branding was applied to terminals and ticket jackets. The airline painted aircraft in deep blue and medium gray with red and white accent lines.<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.usair.com/news/nw_11_14.htm |title=USAir to Become US Airways |publisher=USAir. |date=November 12, 1996 |access-date=April 29, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970128134755/http://www.usair.com/news/nw_11_14.htm |archive-date=January 28, 1997 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[File:MetroJet B737-200 (N282AU) taxiing at Washington Dulles International Airport.jpg|thumb|[[Boeing 737|Boeing 737-200]] in MetroJet livery (1998–2001)]]
That same year, the airline also introduced a single-class subsidiary known as [[MetroJet]], which competed with [[low-cost carrier]]s like [[Southwest Airlines]] expanding to the East. MetroJet operated [[Boeing 737-200]]s, the oldest aircraft in the fleet, allowing it to achieve the best utilization possible before being retired.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/06/17/business/business-travel-u-s-airways-low-fare-metro-jet-service-effort-beat-southwest.html?scp=1&sq=us%20airways%20metrojet&st=cse |title=Business Travel; U S Airways' low-fare Metro Jet service is an effort to beat Southwest Airlines at its own game |work=The New York Times |first=Janet |last=Piorko |date=June 17, 1998 |access-date=May 27, 2010}}</ref>

On November 6, 1996, immediately prior to the rebranding to US Airways, the airline placed an order for up to 400 Airbus A320-series narrow-body aircraft, with 120 firm orders at the time of signing. The order was regarded as the largest bulk aircraft request in history. In 1998 the airline followed with an order for up to 30 Airbus A330-series [[wide-body aircraft]], with an initial firm order for seven of the Airbus A330-300s. These orders enabled US Airways to replace its older aircraft with newer, more efficient aircraft.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/07/03/business/u-s-airways-turns-to-airbus-in-ordering-long-haul-planes.html |title=US Airways Turns to Airbus in Ordering Long Haul Planes |work=The New York Times |date=July 3, 1998 |access-date=May 27, 2010}}</ref>

In 1997 US Airways bought the remains of [[Trump Shuttle]]. US Airways expanded its flights to Europe through the end of the decade. Although the airline returned to profitability in the mid-1990s, its route network's concentration in the [[Northeastern United States]] and high operating costs prompted calls for the company to merge with another airline.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/08/03/business/hedge-fund-may-seek-sale-of-u-s-airways.html?pagewanted=1 |title=Hedge Fund May Seek Sale of US Airways |work=The New York Times |first=Richard A. Jr. |last=Oppel |date=August 3, 1999 |access-date=May 27, 2010}}</ref>

===2000s===

====2000–2004: September 11 and financial woes====
Beginning in 2000 US Airways started retiring aircraft in an attempt to simplify its fleet and reduce costs, replacing many of its older planes with the new [[Airbus A320]]-family aircraft. On March 30, 2000, US Airways received its first [[Airbus A330-300]].

On May 24, 2000, US Airways announced plans to be acquired for $4.3 billion by UAL Corp., the parent company of [[United Airlines]], the world's largest commercial carrier at the time. The complex deal drew immediate objections from [[labor union]]s, consumer advocates and [[antitrust]] regulators.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/05/24/business/markets-market-place-stalwart-investors-us-airways-stand-gain-vindication-but.html?scp=1&sq=us+airways+ual+merger&st=nyt |title=Stalwart Investors in US Airways Stand to Gain Vindication |work=The New York Times |first=Floyd |last=Norris |date=May 24, 2000 |access-date=May 27, 2010}}</ref> Negotiations stalled; with both airlines losing money and the deal all but certain to be blocked by the federal government, UAL withdrew its purchase offer on July 27, 2001, paying US Airways a $50 million penalty for withdrawing from the deal.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/07/28/business/antitrust-challenge-stops-united-merger-with-us-airways.html?scp=1&sq=us+airways+ual+merger+50&st=nyt|title=Antitrust Challenge Stops United Merger with US Airways |work=The New York Times |first=Kenneth N. |last=Gilpin |date=July 28, 2001 |access-date=May 27, 2010}}</ref>
[[File:N649US US Airways (7708685480).jpg|thumb|[[Boeing 767-200]] in livery from before the America West merger]]

As the largest carrier at [[Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport|Washington National Airport]], US Airways was disproportionately affected by that airport's extended closure following the [[September 11, 2001, attacks|September 11]] terrorist attacks. The resulting financial disaster precipitated the closure of the airline's [[MetroJet]] network, which led to the closing of the subsidiary's primary operating base at [[Baltimore-Washington International Airport]] and the furloughing of thousands of employees. The airline entered [[Chapter 11, Title 11, United States Code|Chapter 11 bankruptcy]] on August 11, 2002, but received a government-guaranteed loan through the [[Air Transportation Stabilization Board]] and was able to exit bankruptcy in 2003<ref>"[http://www.unisys.com/transportation/insights/articles/articles.htm?insightsID=88353 Congratulations, US Airways. Now What?, Scorecard 7]", ''[[Unisys]]'' {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060528004710/http://www.unisys.com/transportation/insights/articles/articles.htm?insightsID=88353 |date=May 28, 2006}}</ref> after a relatively short period. The airline made major cost reductions during its bankruptcy, but it still encountered higher-than-average per-seat-mile costs.

In 2003, US Airways began exploring the availability of financing and merger partners, and after no financing was available, it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy again in 2004 for the second time in two years.<ref name=NBC>{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |title=US Airways files for bankruptcy....Second time in two years. |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna5982378 |work=[[NBC News]] |date=September 13, 2004 |access-date=October 22, 2015}}</ref> The airline merged in 2005 with [[America West Airlines]]. Under terms of the merger agreement, the America West board of directors created two new entities. First, a new "US Airways Group" was created to receive the bankrupt US Airways' assets and form the new corporation. Second, "America West Holdings" was merged into "Barbell Acquisition Corporation", a subsidiary of the new "US Airways Group", on September 27, 2005; through this transaction, "America West Holdings" became a wholly owned subsidiary of the new "US Airways Group". The "America West Holdings" stockholders were required to authorize these changes. Upon completion, 37% of the new "US Airways Group" would be owned by "America West Holdings" stockholders, 11% by the old "US Airways Group" debtholders and 52% by new equity investors.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/701345/000095012305011287/p70803a2sv1za.htm |title=PROSPECTUS US AIRWAYS GROUP, INC.|access-date=October 22, 2015 |publisher=[[U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission]] |date=September 20, 2005 |pages=A-2–4, B-2–18}}</ref> The result was the fifth largest US-based airline in terms of revenue.<ref>{{cite news |last=Gilbertson |first=Dawn |title=US Airways starts push to ditch America West name |url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2006-01-04-amwest-usair_x.htm |work=USA Today |date=January 4, 2006 |access-date=October 22, 2015}}</ref> The merger was completed on November 4, 2007. While America West was the nominal survivor, the merged airline retained the US Airways name, since studies indicated that "US Airways" had better brand recognition worldwide than did "America West".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/19/AR2005051901972.html |title=US Airways merges with America West |newspaper=The Washington Post |first=Keith L. |last=Alexander |date=May 20, 2005}}</ref>

In early 2003, US Airways management liquidated the pensions of its 6,000 pilots by releasing their pensions into the federal pension program [[Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation]]. The company was one of the first major airlines to eliminate pilots' pensions in order to cut costs.<ref>{{cite news |title=US Airways Seeks Reworking of Pilots' Pension Plan |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/30/business/us-airways-seeks-reworking-of-pilots-pension-plan.html |date=January 30, 2003 |last=Walsh |first=Mary Williams |work=The New York Times |access-date=October 22, 2015}}</ref>

Following a trial run of selling in-flight food in 2003, US Airways discontinued free meal service on domestic flights later that year.

====2003–2004: Pittsburgh hub conflict====
[[File:PIT US Airways.JPG|thumb|US Airways operations in [[Pittsburgh International Airport|Pittsburgh]] following hub elimination (2007)]]
In late 2003-early 2004, US Airways lobbied for lower operating fees at [[Pittsburgh International Airport]], citing its [[economies of scale]] as the primary carrier and largest tenant at the airport. US Airways attempted to leverage its adverse cash position and "red ink" in the years following 9/11 to negotiate better financial terms with the airport. The [[Allegheny County Airport Authority]] rejected US Airways' demands for reduced landing fees and lower lease payments, in part due to antitrust and [[Federal Aviation Administration|FAA]] regulations that required the airport operator to extend the same financial terms to all carriers if it accepted US Airways' demands. US Airways threatened to move traffic to rival hubs in Philadelphia and Charlotte, and the airline made good on its threat in November 2004, reducing its flights at Pittsburgh International Airport from primary-hub to secondary-hub status. This action also resulted in the closing of the commuter terminal, also known as concourse E. The airline, led by former [[ExpressJet Airlines]] CEO [[David N. Siegel]], continued to demote Pittsburgh International Airport in subsequent years until it became only a [[focus city]] airport for the company.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://u.osu.edu/mireyacole/2025/02/12/%E3%80%9Atravelguide%E3%80%9Bwhat-is-the-cheapest-day-to-buy-flights-on-united/ |title=Dismantling Pittsburgh: Death of an airline hub |work=USA Today |date=October 12, 2007 |access-date=September 5, 2010}}</ref> By 2010, Pittsburgh was no longer listed as a US Airways focus city.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www2.usairways.com/en-IL/about/default.html |title=About US Airways |publisher=.usairways.com |access-date=September 5, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091102093258/http://www.usairways.com/en-IL/about/default.html |archive-date=November 2, 2009}}</ref> US Airways now operated an average of only 39 departures a day exclusively to domestic destinations, compared to 2001 when it was a hub with 500+ flights a day with service across the United States and to Europe.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pitairport.com/daily_nonstop_flights |title=Daily NonStop Flights (pdf) |publisher=Pitairport.com |access-date=September 5, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110102145739/http://pitairport.com/daily_nonstop_flights |archive-date=January 2, 2011 |df=mdy-all}}</ref>

[[Western Pennsylvania]] leaders and most notably the designer of the 1992 modernization of Pittsburgh International, [[Tasso Katselas]], pointed out that the reason fees and payments were higher than average is expressly because US Airways requested the most modern and advanced airport in the world in return for basing its hub there. Katselas has also been vocal that the issue of negotiable fees and payments are irrelevant when compared to the three biggest costs of any airline: fuel, time, and labor, all of which his redesign of PIT from 1987 to 1992 helped to reduce. In fact, those changes created the most efficient, least costly, and least financially wasteful airfield in the world. Although conceding that those updates cost more, he argued they were more than offset by Pittsburgh's vast built-in nonnegotiable fuel and time, and to a lesser degree, labor savings.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08048/857841-35.stm |title=Sunday Forum: Abandoned by US Airways |work=[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]] |date=March 16, 2012 |access-date=May 17, 2012}}</ref> Local officials maintain that Allegheny County "bent over backwards" to accommodate US Airways and saved them millions of dollars, only to be abandoned.<ref>[https://www.timesonline.com/article/20151011/News/310119954 Promises made and broken: Picking up the pieces left by US Airways’ departure from Pittsburgh]</ref>

US Airways's abandonment of its Pittsburgh hub nearly bankrupted the Pittsburgh airport itself, since US Airways had signed a 30-year lease and the county had issued $600 million in bonds for construction, which were supposed to be paid by US Air.<ref name="governing">[https://www.governing.com/archive/gov-pittsburgh-international-airport.html The Revival of a Once-Bustling Airport]</ref> US Air's move eliminated thousands of jobs and was a financial gut punch for the entire Pittsburgh region; former Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said US Air's departure was the "second devastating economic blow after [[History of the iron and steel industry in the United States#Contraction: 1979-1984|steel in the early '80s]]."<ref name="governing"/>

====2004–2005====
In August 2004, US Airways attempted to build a Latin American gateway at [[Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport|Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood]], announcing service to 10 cities in Latin America and the Caribbean.<ref>{{cite press release |date=August 23, 2004 |url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/US+Airways+Announces+Fort+Lauderdale+Hollywood+as+Caribbean+and+Latin...-a0121078951 |title=US Airways Announces Fort Lauderdale Hollywood as Caribbean and Latin America Gateway; GoFares Are a Hallmark of the Airline's Newest Focus City |publisher=Thefreelibrary.com |access-date=October 22, 2015 |archive-date=October 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017235700/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/US+Airways+Announces+Fort+Lauderdale+Hollywood+as+Caribbean+and+Latin...-a0121078951 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The attempt was largely unsuccessful and short-lived, in part due to Fort Lauderdale's proximity to American Airlines' hub at [[Miami International Airport]] and its extensive Latin American network. US Airways also began a process of de-emphasizing its [[Spoke-hub distribution paradigm|hub-and-spoke]] system to capitalize on direct flights between major [[East Coast of the United States|eastern]] airports such as [[Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport|Washington National Airport]] and [[LaGuardia Airport|New York-LaGuardia]].

The airline became the 15th member of the [[Star Alliance]] on May 4, 2004.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/02/business/us-airways-joins-star-alliance.html |title=US Airways Joins Star Alliance |work=The New York Times |date=June 2, 2003 |access-date=October 22, 2015}}</ref>

Fuel costs and deadlocked negotiations with organized labor, chiefly the [[Air Line Pilots Association]], traditionally the first group to come to a concessionary agreement, forced US Airways into a second round of Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection proceedings on September 12, 2004. Widespread employee discontent and a high volume of employee sick calls were blamed by the airline for a staff shortage around the 2004 Christmas holiday, a [[public relations]] disaster which led to speculation that the airline could be liquidated; the [[United States Department of Transportation|USDOT]] found that the problems were caused primarily by poor airline management.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wsws.org/articles/2004/dec2004/air-d28.shtml |title=US Airways workers stage Christmas job action |publisher=[[World Socialist Web Site]] |last=White |first=Jerry |date=December 28, 2004 |access-date=October 22, 2015}}</ref>

====US Airways/America West merger{{Anchor|America West merger}}====
[[File:US Airways Planes at Sky Harbor.jpg|thumb|US Airways 737-300 at [[Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport|Phoenix Sky Harbor]] Terminal 4 Concourse A (2008)]]
{{See also|America West Holdings#Merger with US Airways Group}}
Even before the second bankruptcy filing of 2004, one of the alternatives US Airways Group explored was a possible merger with America West, as the two airlines had complementary networks and similar labor costs. The parties held preliminary discussions and conducted [[due diligence]] from February through July 2004. Ultimately, these talks ended due to issues related to labor, pension, and benefit costs.

By December 2004, US Airways had cut labor costs significantly. Its investment adviser, the [[Seabury Group]], suggested putting the airline up for sale. The following month, US Airways Group and America West Holdings resumed their discussions. On May 19, 2005, both airlines officially announced the merger deal, structured as a [[reverse takeover]]. Financing for the deal was supplied by outside investors included [[Airbus]], [[Air Wisconsin]] (a ''US Airways Express'' operator), and [[ACE Aviation Holdings]], the parent company of [[Air Canada]]. The merged airline retained the US Airways name to emphasize its national scope, as well as to capitalize on US Airways' worldwide recognition, Dividend Miles [[frequent flyer program]], and [[Star Alliance]] membership.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/701345/000095012305011287/p70803a2sv1za.htm#134 |title=AMENDMENT NO. 2 TO FORM S-1 |date=September 20, 2005 |publisher=Securities and Exchange Commission |access-date=October 22, 2015}}</ref> On September 13, 2005, America West shareholders voted to approve the merger agreement and three days later the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia approved US Airways' emergence from bankruptcy, allowing the merger to close on September 27.

Since the merger, US Airways had been headquartered at the former America West corporate offices in [[Tempe, Arizona]], and America West executives and board members were largely in control of the merged company. The company's aircraft merged FAA operating certificate included America West's airline call sign and identifiers "CACTUS" and "AWE".

====Post-2005 merger====
During 2006, the airline began consolidating its operations under the US Airways brand. Operations were not fully integrated until October 2008, when government approval was obtained to allow the airlines to operate under a single [[operating certificate]].

In May 2006, the US Airways and America West web sites were merged. The new US Airways web site united the two brands using graphics and styles reflective of the airline's new livery and services.

In July 2006, US Airways and America West ordered 20 new [[Airbus A350]] aircraft.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Aviation Explorer |url=http://www.aviationexplorer.com/a350_facts.htm |title=Airbus A350 XWB Aircraft Airliner History Pictures and Facts |access-date=September 5, 2010}}</ref>

In December 2006, US Airways became the first American "legacy" carrier to add the [[Embraer E-Jet family#E190 and E195|Embraer 190]] to its [[mainline (flight)|mainline]] fleet.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.flightwisdom.com/2006/12/31/us-airways-takes-delivery-of-e190-aircraft/ |title=US Airways takes Delivery of E190 Aircraft |date=December 31, 2006 |access-date=October 22, 2015 |publisher=Flight Wisdom}}</ref> It remains one of only three American carriers to operate the E190 in scheduled service, [[JetBlue]] and [[Breeze Airways|Breeze]] being the others.

At the end of 2006, US Airways made a bid for competitor [[Delta Air Lines]], which it opposed, treating it as a hostile takeover by US Airways. The final bid was valued at $10 billion but was withdrawn on January 31, 2007, since US Airways failed to secure backing from Delta's creditors. The airline stated that it would no longer pursue a possible takeover of Delta.<ref>{{cite news |title=US Airways' hopes dashed |url=http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/business/articles/0201biz-usairways0201.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070323183519/https://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/business/articles/0201biz-usairways0201.html |archive-date=March 23, 2007 |work=[[The Arizona Republic]]|first=Dawn |last=Gilbertson |date=February 1, 2007 |access-date=February 6, 2007}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Aircraft were equipped with [[Verizon]] [[Airfone]] in every row of seats. Since Verizon ended this service, the airline has deactivated the service and as of 2007, has removed the phones or has covered them in all aircraft.

Overnight on March 4, 2007, the US Airways and America West computer reservation systems merged. US Airways, which previously used the [[Sabre (computer system)|Sabre]] airline computer system, switched to the new [[QIK]] system, an overlay for the SHARES system, that had been used by America West. A few of the features from the [[Sabre (computer system)|Sabre]] system were incorporated into the new joint system, with the most prominent being the continued utilization of the Sabre ramp partition "DECS" for all computer functions related to weight and balance, aircraft loading and technical flight tracking within the company.

America West Airlines and US Airways merged FAA certificates on September 25, 2007. Former America West employees (including pilots, fleet service personnel, flight attendants) remained on their original America West union contracts and did not fully combine workforces with their pre-merger US Airways counterparts. Until October 2008, former America West aircraft flew with their respective crews and used the call sign "CACTUS", while the pre-merger US Airways crews primarily flew with their respective aircraft and used the call sign "US AIR". In October 2008, the company began operating under a single operating certificate (that of the former US Airways). This required operation under a single call sign and identifier and that of America West ("CACTUS" and "AWE") were chosen as a sign of the company lineage. In addition, flights operated using former America West aircraft and crews were numbered 1–699, whereas flights operated by pre-merger US Airways aircraft and crews were numbered 700–1999. (Flights numbered 2000–2199 were shuttle services and those 2200 and higher were operated by express subsidiaries.) Aircraft operated by pre-merger US Airways crews or former America West crews flew under two different [[United States Department of Transportation]] operating certificates until September 25, 2007. However, until pilot and flight attendant union groups from both sides successfully negotiated a single contract, each group of crewmembers would fly only on its pre-merger airlines' aircraft and the flights would be marked accordingly.

Since the computer systems were merged, former America West-operated flights were marketed as though America West was a wholly owned carrier. This marketing is common practice for airlines that have code-share agreements with other airlines operating aircraft for feeder or regional routes and although the practice is uncommon for major airlines, it greatly simplified the process for passengers connecting between historically US Airways-operated flights and former America West-operated flights.

In the summer of 2007, US Airways began upgrading its in-flight services, from food and entertainment to the training of flight attendants. The airline was planning to test-market a new seatback entertainment system in early 2008, however, the [[2008 financial crisis]] ended those plans. As a further result of the skyrocketing fuel costs, the airline rolled back the planned summer 2007 service upgrades as well as ending its existing in-flight entertainment on all domestic routes.<ref>{{cite news |first=Dawn |last=Gilbertson |title=Glitches cloud US Airways' outlook |url=http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/business/articles/0415biz-usairways0415.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070420053746/https://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/business/articles/0415biz-usairways0415.html |archive-date=April 20, 2007 |work=[[The Arizona Republic]] |date=April 15, 2007 |access-date=December 15, 2023}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

====2007====
A [[Consumer Reports]] survey of 23,000 readers in June 2007 ranked US Airways as the worst airline for customer satisfaction. The survey was conducted before the airline's March 2007 service disruptions. A follow-up survey polling a smaller sample size, conducted in April, found that US Airways remained in last place, with its score dropping an additional 10 points.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/travel/airlines-7-07/overview/0707_air_ov_1.htm |title=Best airlines for today's busy skies |access-date=September 30, 2007 |work=[[Consumer Reports]] |date=July 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927223513/http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/travel/airlines-7-07/overview/0707_air_ov_1.htm |archive-date=September 27, 2007}}</ref> Also in 2007, the Today/Zagat Airline Survey rated US Airways as the worst airline overall in the United States, ranking it 10/30 for comfort, 5/30 for food, 10/30 for service and 15/30 for its online reservations system.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.zagat.com/downloads/pdf/USAirline07ALL.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101204193837/http://www.zagat.com/downloads/pdf/USAirline07ALL.pdf |archive-date=December 4, 2010 |title=Zagat Survey 2007 Guide to U.S. Airlines |access-date=September 5, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

On August 1, 2008, US Airways ceased providing free drinks; passengers could buy bottled water or soda for $2 or coffee and tea for $1. Shuttle flights between [[LaGuardia Airport|LGA]], [[Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport|DCA]] and [[Boston Logan Airport|BOS]] continued to offer free beverages.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://blogs.wsj.com/middleseat/2008/08/01/starting-today-no-more-free-water-on-us-air/ |title=Starting Today, No More Free Water on US Air |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=August 1, 2008 |first=Nikki |last=Waller}}</ref> US Airways resumed serving complimentary drinks in March 2009.

US Airways ranked last out of 20 domestic airline carriers for on-time performance in March, April, and May 2007, according to [[US Department of Transportation|DOT]] figures. According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics June 2008 report (using data from May 2008), US Airways ranked seventh for percentage of on-time arrivals.

US Airways was the leader in service complaints with 4.4 complaints per 100,000 customers. The US Airways rate of customer complaints was 7.5 times the rate of JetBlue (0.59 complaints per 100,000 customers) and 11 times the rate of [[Southwest Airlines]] (0.4 complaints per 100,000 customers).<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite news |first=Ben |last=Mutzabaugh |url=http://travel.usatoday.com/flights/post/2007/10/us-airways-tops-for-complaints-american-eagle-has-worst-bag-handling-rate/166464/1 |work=USA Today |date=October 4, 2007 |access-date=February 19, 2013 |title=US Airways tops for complaints |quote=US Airways scored the lowest with 4.4 complaints per 100,000 customers. That was double its rate from a year ago}}</ref> US Airways had a very poor record of addressing customer complaints, answering only 50% of the telephone calls to its customer service department.<ref>{{cite news |first=Keith |last=Alexander |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/31/AR2006073101201.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=August 1, 2006 |access-date=January 20, 2008 |title=US Airways To Tackle Complaints |quote=The correspondence, mostly complaints, is piling up at the airline's Tempe, Ariz., headquarters... Only about 50 percent of customer service phone calls are now getting answered}}</ref>

By September 2007, US Airways continued to downgrade [[Pittsburgh International Airport]]'s status from 500 flights a day (with 12,000 employees) in 2001 to just 68 flights a day (with only 1,800 employees). CEO Parker stated his frustration at the economics of [[Pittsburgh International Airport|Pittsburgh]] and referred to the possibility of service further decreasing. This represented a further deterioration of a strained relationship with [[Allegheny County, Pennsylvania|Allegheny County]], with which the airline shared significant historical ties.<ref>{{cite web |last=Vellucci |first=Justin |url=http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/business/s_527588.html |title=US Airways' Pittsburgh market share under 40 percent |work=[[Pittsburgh Tribune-Review]] |date=September 15, 2007 |access-date=September 5, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090126132322/http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/business/s_527588.html |archive-date=January 26, 2009 |df=mdy-all}}</ref> US Airways Group Inc. said October 3, 2007 it would cut [[Mainline (flight)|mainline]] flights at Pittsburgh International Airport to 22 a day from 31 and reduce regional flights to 46 a day from 77, beginning January 6, 2008, essentially reducing the airport to a destination spoke in its network.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://triad.bizjournals.com/triad/othercities/pittsburgh/stories/2007/10/01/daily15.html?b=1191211200^1529450 |title=US Airways cutting Pittsburgh service |work=[[Pittsburgh Business Times]] |date=October 3, 2007 |access-date=November 8, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071018053201/http://triad.bizjournals.com/triad/othercities/pittsburgh/stories/2007/10/01/daily15.html?b=1191211200%5E1529450 |archive-date=October 18, 2007}}</ref> Pittsburgh was no longer a focus city for the airline as of its most recent annual report and January 2008 flight schedule reductions.

====2008====
US Airways East pilots took steps to relinquish their [[Air Line Pilots Association, International|ALPA]] membership and form their own in-house union.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://azcentral.newspapers.com/image/126206263/?terms=US%2BAirways%2Bpilots%2Bat%2Bodds%2Bover%2Bcontract |title=US Airways pilots at odds over contract |access-date=October 22, 2015 |last=Gibbons |first=Christia |date=August 21, 2007 |page=29 |work=[[The Arizona Republic]] |url-access=subscription }}</ref> "East" pilots were dissatisfied with the results of binding arbitration when the arbitrator's ruling placed all active former America West pilots, including their most junior pilot, who had been hired only three months previous to the merger, ahead of furloughed US Airways pilots with up to seventeen years of service. The former US Airways pilots petitioned the National Mediation Board to conduct a vote to determine whether to replace their union. East pilots (3,200) outnumbered west pilots (1,800) and the proposed union's president stated that the union had a sufficient number of requests to call a vote according to National Mediation Board regulations.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thestreet.com/s/us-airways-pilots-to-seek-new-union/newsanalysis/transportation/10382899.html |title=US Airways Pilots to Seek New Union |access-date=October 21, 2007 |last=Reed |first=Ted |work=[[TheStreet.com]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071018013146/http://www.thestreet.com/s/us-airways-pilots-to-seek-new-union/newsanalysis/transportation/10382899.html |archive-date=October 18, 2007 |df=mdy-all}}</ref> The new union would be called the [[US Airline Pilots Association]] (USAPA). On April 17, 2008, USAPA was voted in as the sole bargaining agent for the pilots of US Airways, East and West.

It took more than a year to correct problems stemming from the merger and by 2008, US Airways was one of the best performers among the legacy carriers. The carrier had the best departure and arrival performances among the other major US carriers. Because of the strong On-Time departure and On-Time arrival performances, it was the number one major carrier. Northwest was the only other carrier that had better performances but became a part of Delta during that year.

On April 25, 2008, it was reported that US Airways was in talks to merge its operations with either [[American Airlines]] or [[United Airlines]], partially as a response to the recent [[Delta Air Lines]] and [[Northwest Airlines]] merger.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Wayback |date=April 25, 2008 |url=https://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080425/bs_nm/americanairlines_dc |title=American Airlines in talks with Continental, US Air |agency=[[Reuters]] |first=Jui Chakravorty |last=Das}}</ref> Then, on April 28, 2008, reports stated that US Airways would announce its intent to merge with United within two weeks.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://petergreenberg.com/2010/04/09/united-us-airways-merger-talks-underway-continental-totally-jealous/ |title=United & US Airways Merger Talks Underway, Continental Totally Jealous? |publisher=[[Peter Greenberg]].com |date=April 9, 2010 |access-date=October 22, 2011}}</ref> At the end of May 2008, the airline announced that merger talks were formally ended.<ref>{{cite news |title=US Airways-United Merger is 'off at this time' |url=https://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2008-05-30-usair-united_N.htm |work=USA Today |access-date=October 14, 2012 |first=Dave |last=Carpenter |date=May 30, 2008}}</ref>

On May 20, 2008, according to the annual American Customer Satisfaction Index by the University of Michigan, US Airways ranked last in customer satisfaction among the major airlines.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eturbonews.com/2588/us-airways-bottom-airline-customer-satisfacti |title=Customer Satisfaction Hits The Rock Bottom US Airways at the bottom of airline customer satisfaction survey |work=[[American City Business Journals]] |publisher=Global Travel Industry News |date=May 20, 2008 |access-date=October 22, 2015}}</ref> However, it was making steady ground to bridge its gap with other airlines.

In late 2008, US Airways closed its [[McCarran International Airport|Las Vegas hub]], which was part of the America West network.

====2009====
{{Main|US Airways Flight 1549}}
[[File:Flight1549CrashAndRescue.ogg|thumbtime=50|thumb|Coast Guard video (8:07 long) of the crash and rescue; splashdown is at 3:31:02 pm]]
On January 15, 2009, an Airbus A320 registered N106US, [[US Airways Flight 1549|Flight 1549]] under the command of Captain [[Chesley Sullenberger]], flying from New York City's [[LaGuardia Airport]] to [[Charlotte-Douglas International Airport|Charlotte Douglas International Airport]], [[Water landing|ditched]] into the [[Hudson River]] shortly after takeoff. [[Bird strike|Multiple bird hits]] from a flock of [[Canada goose|Canada geese]] caused both engines to lose power.<ref>{{cite news |title=NTSB Confirms Birds In Engines Of Flight 1549 |url=http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/02/ntsb_confirms_birds_in_engines.html |agency=Associated Press |work=[[The Star-Ledger]] |location=Newark |date=February 4, 2009 |access-date=October 22, 2015}}</ref> All 150 passengers and 5 crew members (2 pilots and 3 flight attendants) survived. New York's [[David Paterson|Governor David Paterson]] called it "the miracle on the Hudson".<ref>{{cite news |title=Miracle on the Hudson: 155 survive crash as jet hits river in New York |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/jan/16/us-airways-plane-crash-lands-on-hudson |last=Pilkington |first=Ed |work=[[The Guardian]] |location=London |date=January 15, 2009 |access-date=October 22, 2015}}</ref>

US Airways received its first Airbus A330-200 in June 2009.

In mid-2009 it was reported that US Airways, along with American Airlines and United Airlines was placed under credit watch. Experts say several factors, including capital and revenue, played a role in the airline's addition to the list.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://aviationblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2009/07/sp-puts-us-airways-on-credit-w.html |title=S&P puts US Airways on credit watch |last=Maxon |first=Terry |work=[[The Dallas Morning News]] |date=July 27, 2009 |access-date=October 22, 2015 |archive-date=February 23, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120223171145/http://aviationblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2009/07/sp-puts-us-airways-on-credit-w.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Gilbertson |first=Dawn |url=http://www.azcentral.com/business/articles/2009/08/02/20090802biz-southwest0802.html |title=S&P: Southwest remains on credit watch |work=[[The Arizona Republic]] |date=August 2, 2009 |access-date=August 8, 2011}}</ref> On October 2, US Airways reported that it had a buyer for 10 of its 25 Embraer 190 Aircraft. The remaining 15 aircraft were scheduled to be redeployed to Boston where they would operate Boston to Philadelphia and the Boston to New York LaGuardia leg of the US Airways Shuttle service. On December 8, 2009, US Airways began service to Rio de Janeiro-Galeão airport operated by a Boeing 767-200, its first route to South America.

===2010s===
The airline continued to operate scheduled flights and profits were seen to be sustainable. The airline was in good shape. 2010 was a better year for the airline due to no recorded incidents or accidents following the ditching of flight 1549 the previous year. The airline was profitable up to the merging with American Airlines in 2015.

====2010====
US Airways cut many routes to close its focus cities at [[Las Vegas Valley|Las Vegas]], [[Boston]], and [[New York LaGuardia]]. The airline was given tentative government approval to trade many of its LaGuardia takeoff and landing slots to [[Delta Air Lines]] in exchange for Delta's slots at Washington National. This exchange would strengthen each airline's presence at both airports. The DOT gave approval pending the carriers selling a small percentage of their routes to other carriers. US Airways and Delta disagreed with the decision and said they planned to sue the US DOT.<ref name="news.delta.com">{{cite press release |url=http://news.delta.com/delta-reinforces-new-york-commitment-plan-domestic-hub-laguardia-airport |title=Delta Reinforces New York Commitment with Plan for Domestic Hub at LaGuardia Airport |date=August 12, 2009 |publisher=Delta Airlines |access-date=October 22, 2015}}</ref>

On April 7, 2010, ''[[The New York Times]]'' reported that US Airways was "deep in merger discussions" with United Airlines. The report stated that a deal would not be reached for several weeks, but indicated that a deal was close.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://dealbook.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/07/united-and-us-airways-hold-merger-talks/?ref=business |title=United and US Airways Said to be in Merger Talks |work=The New York Times |date=April 7, 2010 |access-date=April 7, 2010}}</ref> Several weeks later, however, on April 22, 2010, the airline ended discussions with United regarding the merger.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/MONEY/usaedition/2010-04-22-us-airways-ends-merger-talks-united-airlines_NU.htm?csp=34 |work=USA Today |title=Irked US Airways ends merger talks with United |first=Dan |last=Reed |date=April 22, 2010 |access-date=May 27, 2010}}</ref> Shortly thereafter, United announced that it would merge with [[Continental Airlines]] instead.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://money.cnn.com/2010/05/03/news/companies/United_Continental_merge/ |title=United and Continental to merge |publisher=[[CNN]] |last=Smith |first=Aaron |date=May 3, 2010 |access-date=October 22, 2015}}</ref>

====2011====
In April 2011, US Airways earned the top spot in the 2011 Airline Quality Rating (AQR) report among "Big-Five" hub-and-spoke carriers.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110404006657/en/Airways-Soars-Top-Annual-Airline-Quality-Rating |title=US Airways Soars to Top of Annual Airline Quality Rating |work=[[Business Wire]] |date=April 4, 2011 |access-date=August 8, 2011}}</ref> US Airways President Scott Kirby said that US Airways was the last viable airline in the U.S. to merge and that any potential merger would be with one of three U.S. carriers: [[United Airlines]], [[American Airlines]] or [[Delta Air Lines]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Reed |first=Ted |title=Merger Probability Is High |publisher=TheStreet.com |date=June 1, 2010 |url=http://www.thestreet.com/story/10771279/1/us-airways-merger-probability-is-high.htm |access-date=July 9, 2011}}</ref> Kirby also commented that US Airways' membership in the [[Star Alliance]] would make a merger with [[United Airlines]] easier, but added that "it's not meaningful enough to really be a factor".<ref>{{cite web |last=Reed |first=Ted |title=US Airways: Merger Still Looms |publisher=TheStreet.com |date=May 22, 2011 |url=http://www.thestreet.com/story/11055191/1/us-airways-merger-still-looms.html |access-date=July 9, 2011}}</ref> Among the 10 largest domestic airlines, consumers scored US Airways last for overall customer satisfaction in a May 2011 ''[[Consumer Reports]]'' survey.<ref>{{cite web|last=Neighbor |first=Megan |url=http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/business/articles/2011/05/11/20110511biz-usairways0511.html |title=US Airways workers rewarded for baggage handling |work=[[The Arizona Republic]] |date=May 11, 2011 |access-date=August 8, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.chathamjournal.com/weekly/living/consumer/cr-rates-airlines-70621.shtml |title=Consumer Reports rates airlines and JetBlue and Widwest topped surveys|location=[[Pittsboro, North Carolina]] |work=Chatham Journal |date=June 21, 2007 |access-date=October 22, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://articles.philly.com/2011-05-10/news/29528542_1_cabin-cleanliness-cabin-crew-major-airlines|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117023337/http://articles.philly.com/2011-05-10/news/29528542_1_cabin-cleanliness-cabin-crew-major-airlines|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 17, 2015|title=US Airways scores lowest in consumer survey |first=Linda |last=Loyd |work=The Philadelphia Inquirer |date=May 10, 2011 |access-date=October 22, 2015}}</ref>

In May 2011, ''[[Business Insider]]'' reported that [[American Customer Satisfaction Index]] (ACSI) ranked US Airways sixth in a list of "The 19 Most Hated Companies in America".<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/most-hated-companies-america-2011-6?op=1 |journal=Business Insider |title=The 19 Most Hated Companies In America |first1=Gus |last1=Lubin |first2=Vivian |last2=Giang |date=June 29, 2011 |access-date=October 22, 2015}}</ref>

In July 2011, the pilots' union, USAPA, purchased a full-page advertisement in ''USA Today'', questioning US Airways management's commitment to safety. US Airways transmitted a communication to all of its employees, on the same day as the ad, denying the accusations. In September 2011, US Airways requested and was granted an injunction against the pilots, claiming the pilots union, USAPA, was using their commitment to safety as a negotiating tactic.

====2012====
In January 2012, US Airways expressed interest in taking over bankrupt carrier [[American Airlines]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2012/01/26/us-airways-ceo-confirms-interest-in.html |title=US Airways CEO confirms interest in American Airlines |work=[[American City Business Journals|Charlotte Business Journal]] |first=Matt |last=Joyce |date=January 26, 2012 |access-date=March 24, 2012}}</ref> [[Thomas W. Horton|Tom Horton]], CEO of American parent [[AMR Corporation]], said in March that American was open to a merger.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/morning_call/2012/03/american-airlines-open-to-merger-ceo.html |title=American Airlines open to merger, CEO hints |work=Charlotte Business Journal |date=March 19, 2012 |access-date=March 24, 2012}}</ref> A [[Bloomberg L.P.|Bloomberg News]] report dated March 23, 2012, stated that US Airways had been in talks with AMR's creditors about a takeover bid.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2012/01/26/us-airways-ceo-confirms-interest-in.html |title=US Airways Said to Brief AMR Creditors on Takeover Plan |publisher=Bloomberg L.P. |first1=Mary |last1=Schlangenstein |first2=Jeffrey |last2=McCracken |date=March 23, 2012 |access-date=March 25, 2012}}</ref> On December 7, 2012, US Airways announced a merger proposal with [[American Airlines]]. The merger required approval from a bankruptcy judge, which was successful. The combined airline would keep the American Airlines name and would be based in American's hometown of [[Fort Worth, Texas|Fort Worth]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newson6.com/story/20292721/american-airlines-closer-to-merger-with-us-airways |title=American Airlines Closer To Merger With US Airways |publisher=[[KOTV-DT|KOTV News]] |date=December 7, 2012 |access-date=December 12, 2012}}</ref>

====2013====
{{main|American Airlines Group}}
On February 14, 2013, US Airways Group and AMR Corporation announced that the two companies would merge to form the largest airline in the world. In the deal, shareholders of AMR would own 72% of the new company and US Airways Group shareholders would own the remaining 28%. The combined airline would carry the American Airlines name and branding, while US Airways' management team, including CEO Doug Parker, would retain most operational management positions. The headquarters for the new airline would also be consolidated at American's current headquarters in [[Fort Worth, Texas]].<ref name="AAUS1" /><ref name="Reuters" /> On August 13, 2013, the [[United States Department of Justice]] along with attorneys general from six states and the [[District of Columbia]] filed a lawsuit seeking to block the merger, arguing that it would mean less competition and higher prices. [[Arizona]], [[Florida]], [[Pennsylvania]], [[Texas]], and [[Virginia]], states where either American or US Airways maintained a large presence, were among the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, as was [[Tennessee]].<ref name="justicedept">{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/13/us/airline-merger-antitrust-lawsuit/index.html?hpt=hp_t2 |publisher=CNN |title=US government seeks to block American-US Airways merger |first=Evan |last=Perez |date=August 13, 2013}}</ref>

On November 12, 2013, the two companies reached a deal with the Department of Justice.<ref name="mergerallowed">{{cite news |url=https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2013/11/12/u-s-said-to-be-near-settling-american-us-airways-merger-lawsuit/ |work=The New York Times |title=Justice Dept. Clears Merger of 2 Airlines |first1=Jad |last1=Mouawad |first2=Christopher |last2=Drew |date=November 12, 2013}}</ref> That allowed the companies to complete the merger on December 9, 2013.<ref name="mergercompleted">{{cite press release |url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/amr-corporation-and-us-airways-group-come-together-to-build-the-new-american-airlines-235042921.html |title=AMR Corp and US Airways Group Come Together |date=December 9, 2013 |publisher=American Airlines}}</ref>

====Final years and ceasing operations====
On April 8, 2015, American Airlines flights operated by US Airways retired the Cactus callsign used by US Airways since the America West merger. The final flight to use it was Flight 774 from London-Heathrow to Philadelphia.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.azcentral.com/story/travel/2015/04/11/us-airways-american-cactus-call-sign-is-history/25622473/ |title='Cactus' call sign fades into US Airways history |first=Dawn |last=Gilbertson |work=The Arizona Republic |date=April 10, 2015}}</ref>

On July 13, 2015, American announced that it planned to discontinue the US Airways brand name on October 17, 2015. On that date, US Airways made its final flight: Flight 1939 (originally named Flight 434, changed for the year the airline was founded), using an [[Airbus A321]] registered N152UW,<ref>{{cite news |last=Bookbinder |first=Adam |date=October 16, 2015 |title=US Airways Comes To An End |url=http://kearth101.cbslocal.com/2015/10/16/us-airways-comes-to-an-end/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018154954/http://kearth101.cbslocal.com/2015/10/16/us-airways-comes-to-an-end/ |archive-date=October 18, 2015 |access-date=October 18, 2015 |work=[[KRTH]] News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-07-11 |title=US Airways name flies into the sunset on Oct. 17 |url=https://www.dallasnews.com/business/airlines/2015/07/11/us-airways-name-flies-into-the-sunset-on-oct-17/ |access-date=2020-07-29 |website=Dallas News}}</ref> and would take off as US Airways Flight 1939 and land as American Airlines Flight 1939. The flight originated from [[Philadelphia International Airport]] at 10:05 AM, October 16, 2015, continuing to [[Charlotte Douglas International Airport]], then to [[Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport]], and then to [[San Francisco International Airport]]. (The final flight did not stop in Pittsburgh, which some local officials regarded as the "final insult" by US Air to Pittsburgh.)<ref name="trib101615">[https://archive.triblive.com/news/us-airways-goes-on-final-flight-and-skips-pittsburgh/ US Airways goes on final flight, and skips Pittsburgh]</ref> The aircraft made its final leg on the evening of October 16, as a [[red-eye flight]] from San Francisco International Airport back to Philadelphia International Airport. It landed ahead of schedule at 5:52 AM EDT, and at that point, the US Airways brand and all operations under its name were officially terminated.<ref>{{cite news |title=US Airways' final flight closes curtain on another major airline |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/todayinthesky/2015/10/15/us-airways-final-flight-american-merger/73922874/ |work=USA Today |date=October 16, 2015 |access-date=October 22, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Patterson |first=Thom |date=October 17, 2015 |title=US Airways' last flight evokes 'golden age' |url=http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/15/aviation/us-airways-last-flight-american-airlines-merger-feat/index.html |access-date=October 22, 2015 |work=CNN}}</ref>

==Company affairs and identity==

===Headquarters===
[[File:USAirwaysHQTempe.jpg|thumb|US Airways headquarters in [[Tempe, Arizona]], formerly the [[America West Airlines]] headquarters until AWA's acquisition of US Airways assets and brand name]]
Prior to the merger with American Airlines, US Airways had its headquarters in [[Tempe, Arizona]], in [[Greater Phoenix]]. The nine-story,<ref name=ATLPhoenixshrugs>{{cite news |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=AT&p_theme=at&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=115806F0B18C72C0&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |title=Phoenix mostly shrugs at prospect of Delta merger |work=[[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]] |date=November 19, 2006 |page=A1 |access-date=October 22, 2015 |quote="More than 700 people work at US Airways' nine-story headquarters."}}</ref> {{convert|225000|sqft|sqm|adj=on}} building was originally occupied by [[America West Airlines]].<ref name=Highbeam>{{cite press release |url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Carey+Diversified+Finances+America+West+Headquarters%3B+$25+Million...-a055264733 |title=Carey Diversified Finances America West Headquarters; $25 Million Non-Recourse Mortgage Secured by Recently Completed Facility |publisher=Highbeam.com |date=July 27, 1999 |access-date=October 22, 2015 |archive-date=October 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017235700/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Carey+Diversified+Finances+America+West+Headquarters%3B+$25+Million...-a055264733 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Jahna Berry of the ''Arizona Business Gazette'' said in 2005 that the building "is one of the dominant buildings in downtown Tempe".<ref>{{cite news |last=Berry |first=Jahna |url=http://www.azcentral.com/abgnews/articles/0602amwest-tempe.html |title=Tempe breathes a sigh on AmWest merger plan |work=[[Arizona Business Gazette]] |date=June 2, 2005 |access-date=October 22, 2015}}</ref> It is located in proximity to the southwest intersection of Rio Salado Parkway and Mill Avenue.<ref name=HansenUSHQSold>{{cite news |last=Hansen |first=Kristena |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/news/2013/06/17/us-airways-headquarters-building.html?page=all |title=US Airways headquarters building sold in Tempe for $42 million |work=[[Phoenix Business Journal]] |date=June 17, 2013 |access-date=October 22, 2015}}</ref> The city of Tempe gave America West $11 million in incentives and tax breaks so it would occupy what became the US Airways headquarters, which cost $37 million to construct.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=UGczAAAAIBAJ&pg=4255,2375296&dq=america-west+headquarters&hl=en |title=United-America West Deal Has Implications Across The West |agency=Associated Press |work=[[Lodi News-Sentinel]] |date=January 22, 1999 |page=Business 13 |access-date=October 22, 2015}}</ref>

Construction began in January 1998, although the official groundbreaking ceremony was held on February 19 of that year.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/america-west-completes-financing-of-new-corporate-headquarters-76856562.html |title=America West Completes Financing of New Corporate Headquarters |publisher=PR Newswire |date=February 23, 1998 |access-date=October 22, 2015}}</ref> By of 2006 over 700 employees worked in the building.<ref name=ATLPhoenixshrugs/> On May 31, 2013, [[W.P. Carey Inc.]] gave 75% interest in the US Airways headquarters to [[Parkway Properties Inc.]] for $41.8 million or $185 per square foot.<ref name=HansenUSHQSold/> As of December 2013, 780 employees worked in the building. After the merger between [[American Airlines]] and US Airways concluded, Hayley Ringle of the ''[[Phoenix Business Journal]]'' stated in December 2013 that the facility became "just a large office of [[American Airlines Group]]". That month, John McDonald, the [[American Airlines]] vice president of corporate communications and public affairs stated that the US Airways headquarters would continue to be used for at least five years and for the time being most of the employees at the US Airways headquarters would remain.<ref name=Ringleworkerscelebrate>{{cite news |last=Ringle |first=Hayley |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/news/2013/12/09/workers-at-former-us-airways-hq-in.html?page=all |title=Workers at former US Airways HQ in Tempe celebrate new American Airlines |work=Phoenix Business Journal |date=December 9, 2013 |access-date=October 22, 2015}}</ref>

Previously US Airways had its headquarters in Crystal Park Four, a [[Class A office|class A]] mixed-use development in [[Crystal City, Virginia|Crystal City]], [[Arlington County, Virginia]], near [[Washington, D.C.]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usair.com/ci_comff.htm |title=Fast Facts. |access-date=May 30, 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970128134324/http://www.usair.com/ci_comff.htm |archive-date=January 28, 1997 }} USAir. January 28, 1997. Retrieved on April 29, 2010.</ref> Park Four is between [[Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport|Reagan National Airport]], [[the Pentagon]], and the District of Columbia.<ref name="SmithRealty">{{cite news |title=US Airways: Bye-bye, Crystal City? |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2005/05/16/daily39.html |work=Washington Business Journal |date=May 20, 2005 |access-date=October 22, 2015}}</ref> After the merger with America West Airlines, the company decided to close its Virginia headquarters and moved the employees into the former America West building in three to six months after the merger closed.<ref>{{cite news |title=Tempe breathes a sigh on AmWest merger plan |url=http://archive.azcentral.com/abgnews/articles/0602amwest-tempe.html |work=Arizona Business Gazette |last=Berry |first=Jahna |date=June 2, 2005 |access-date=October 22, 2015}}</ref> Russell Grantham at ''[[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]]'' said that the decision to move the headquarters to Tempe was not that difficult because the Crystal City facility "consisted of like two or three floors of people."<ref>{{cite news|last=Grantham |first=Russell |title=US Airways vows fight for hostile Delta |url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-157056534/us-airways-vows-fight.html |work=[[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]] |date=January 7, 2007 |quote="In the case of US Airways-America West, it was a good bit easier because their headquarters in Crystal City, Virginia, consisted of like two or three floors of people. ... That's not the case in Atlanta. It's a much harder decision to make." |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022004425/http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-157056534/us-airways-vows-fight.html |archive-date=October 22, 2012}}</ref>

===Flight Operations Center===
[[Pittsburgh International Airport]] won a three-way competition with [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]] and [[Charlotte, NC|Charlotte]] in 2007 for the right to continue as US Airways' Global Flight Operations center. Opening in November 2008, US Airways invested more than $25 million (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|25|2008|r=1}}}} million today) into a {{convert|72000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} facility. It replaced a smaller 11-year-old (pre-merger) operations center closer to downtown [[Pittsburgh]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Gallagher |first=Jim |title=USAir, Piedmont merger takes off tomorrow |newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |date=August 4, 1989 |page=1 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=0LFRAAAAIBAJ&pg=5511%2C1405999}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Fitzpatrick |first1=Dan |last2=Belko |first2=Mark |title=US Airways shifts 130 training jobs to N.C. |newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |date=June 10, 2004 |url=http://www.post-gazette.com/businessnews/2004/06/10/US-Airways-shifts-130-training-jobs-to-N-C/stories/200406100098}}</ref> The state-of-the-art Ops Center opened ahead of schedule and was home to approximately 600 employees. It served as the nerve center for all of US Airways' nearly 1,400 daily mainline flights. As part of its merger with [[American Airlines]], the airline intended to close the flight operations center and would consolidate with the American Airlines Integrated Flight Operations Center near [[Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport]], the headquarters of American Airlines. The move was expected to take within 18 months.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.ellwoodcityledger.com/news/local_news/us-airways-closing-operations-center-at-pittsburgh-international/article_d0c1b8e9-653e-5077-9d2c-9e7b0f543337.html |title=US Airways closing operations center at Pittsburgh International |work=Elwood City Ledger |date=January 25, 2014 |access-date=January 27, 2014 |archive-date=January 30, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140130024238/http://www.ellwoodcityledger.com/news/local_news/us-airways-closing-operations-center-at-pittsburgh-international/article_d0c1b8e9-653e-5077-9d2c-9e7b0f543337.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> It was announced that the operations center would close on August 23, 2015.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.post-gazette.com/local/west/2015/07/29/US-Airways-center-in-Moon-to-close-in-late-August/stories/201507290114 |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |title=US Airways operations center in Moon to close in late August |date=July 29, 2015}}</ref>

===Community support===

====Do Crew====
The US Airways ''Do Crew'' program was the airline's employee community-service program. Employee volunteers in the program participated in community-based projects on a monthly basis through local chapters in [[Boston]], [[Charlotte, NC|Charlotte]], [[Las Vegas Valley|Las Vegas]], [[New York City]], [[Philadelphia]], [[Phoenix, AZ|Phoenix]], [[Pittsburgh]], [[Washington, D.C.]], and [[Winston-Salem, North Carolina]].

===Livery===
[[File:N647AW-2008-09-13-YVR.jpg|thumb|US Airways [[Airbus A320 family|Airbus A320]] ]]
{{Main|US Airways livery}}
[[File:US Airways Airbus A330-200 (N280AY) arrives London Heathrow 21Sep2014 arp.jpg|thumb|US Airways [[Airbus A330-200]] ]]
US Airways had various liveries under the US Airways name. In general, the Express and Shuttle divisions had liveries that closely paralleled the company-wide livery, but later shared the same aircraft with mainline US Airways.

The pre-2005 US Airways had a dark blue livery; after it merged with America West, US Airways, switched to a mostly white livery.<ref name="Mouawad1">{{cite news |last=Mouawad |first=Jad |title=On Jet Exteriors, a Parade of Vanilla |work=The New York Times |date=December 23, 2011 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/24/business/on-the-exterior-of-jetliners-a-parade-of-plain-vanilla.html?_r=2&ref=business |access-date=December 25, 2011}}</ref>

Following US Airways merger with [[American Airlines]], US Airways aircraft were painted into the American Airlines livery. The first jet to re-enter revenue service in the American livery in January 2014 was an Airbus A319, tail number N700UW, which previously sported a [[Star Alliance]] scheme.<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://hub.aa.com/en/nr/pressrelease/first-us-airways-aircraft-takes-to-the-skies-in-american-airlines-livery |title=First US Airways Aircraft Takes to the Skies in American Airlines Livery |publisher=American Airlines |access-date=October 22, 2015}}</ref>

One aircraft, an Airbus A321 under registration N578UW, has been left painted in the US Airways livery, as one of American's heritage aircraft. The actual US Airways logo near the front of the fuselage has been replaced with the American Airlines logo, but the rest of the aircraft remains in the US Airways livery.

==Slogans==
*USAir – "Fly the USA on USAir"
*USAir (late 1980s) – "USAir is Your Choice"
*PSA and USAir (late 1980s) – "Now our smile is even wider."
*USAir (early 1990s) – "USAir Begins With You"
*USAir (mid 1990s) – "Fly the Flag With USAir"
*US Airways (early 2000s) – "Where I Fly the Flag"
*US Airways (post 9/11) – "The Carrier of Choice"
*US Airways (first bankruptcy) – "Together We Fly"
*US Airways (post first bankruptcy) – "Clear Skies Ahead"
*US Airways (post America West merger) – "Fly with US"
*US Airways (post American Airlines merger) – "The new American is arriving"

==Destinations==
[[File:Riverapproach.jpg|thumb|US Airways [[Airbus A319]] ]]

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%"
|+ US Airways hubs listed by departures (Average as of 4Q13)
! Rank
! Airport
! Flights
|-
| 1
| [[Charlotte/Douglas International Airport|Charlotte, North Carolina]]
| 613
|-
| 2
| [[Philadelphia International Airport|Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]]
| 429
|-
| 3
| [[Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport|Phoenix, Arizona]]
| 255
|-
| 4
| [[Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport|Washington, D.C. – Ronald Reagan Washington National]]
| 222
|}
US Airways operated 3,031 flights a day to 193 destinations in 24 countries from its hubs in Phoenix, Charlotte, and Philadelphia.

US Airways' routes were concentrated along the [[East Coast of the United States]], [[Southwestern United States]], and the Caribbean, with a number of routes serving Europe and primary destinations along the [[West Coast of the United States|U.S. West Coast]]. The airline's western U.S. presence had increased following the merger with America West. Codesharing with [[United Airlines]] (before leaving the Star Alliance) had helped US Airways by enabling the airline to offer its customers service throughout the [[Midwestern United States|Midwest]], [[Great Plains]], and [[Rocky Mountains]] states. Services to South America, Asia, and Australia also were offered via the American Airlines codeshare. Likewise, American passengers benefitted from increased access via US Airways to the U.S. East Coast, Europe, and the Caribbean. US Airways Express carriers operated a large number of domestic routes, primarily into US Airways' hubs and focus cities, but with some exceptions, particularly small markets where the regional express carriers operated service under the [[Essential Air Service|EAS]] program, as well as some point-to-point commuter routes in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions and south through the Carolinas. Before US Airways completely merged into [[American Airlines]], US Airways was the last and only major US airline that has never flown to [[Eastern Asia]], although it had codeshares with American Airlines and most Asian air carriers partnered in the OneWorld Alliance.

In 2007 the airline applied for flights to [[Bogotá]], Colombia, but the U.S. Department of Transportation denied the application after the agency awarded [[Delta Air Lines]], [[JetBlue]], and [[Spirit Airlines]] the routes from Delta's New York-JFK hub, JetBlue from Orlando and Spirit from Fort Lauderdale.

In 2008, US Airways and other airlines struggled with the price of fuel. Despite that, US Airways CEO Doug Parker said "It [[Philadelphia International Airport|[Philadelphia]]] is our international gateway. We'd like to expand that". Service to [[London Heathrow Airport]] began in March 2008. The airline also added three international flights during the summer of 2009, including [[Tel Aviv]], from Philadelphia.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://articles.philly.com/2008-07-20/business/24997732_1_airline-economics-baggage-problems-fewer-flights |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110715075432/http://articles.philly.com/2008-07-20/business/24997732_1_airline-economics-baggage-problems-fewer-flights |url-status= dead |archive-date= July 15, 2011 |title=US Airways CEO: We'll get through the turmoil |work=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]] |date=July 20, 2008 |access-date=August 8, 2011}}</ref> US Airways also started year-round service between Charlotte and Rio de Janeiro, which was discontinued in early 2015.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2014/02/04/us-airways-to-drop-clt-flight-to-rio-de-janeiro.html |title=US Airways to drop CLT flight to Rio de Janeiro |work=Charlotte Business Journal |date=February 4, 2014 |access-date=February 28, 2014}}</ref>

In 2009 US Airways and Delta reached an agreement to exchange landing/takeoff slots at [[LaGuardia Airport]] and [[Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport]]. US Airways also planned to receive additional route authority to [[São Paulo]] from Delta as a result of this transaction. Service to São Paulo from its Charlotte hub was discontinued on October 1, 2014.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/07/31/5078466/american-to-discontinue-charlotte.html#.U-LXE9Eg-Uk |title=American to discontinue flight from Charlotte to Sao Paulo |work=[[The Charlotte Observer]] |date=July 31, 2014 |access-date=July 31, 2014}}</ref>

On November 21, 2012, the airline was awarded a landing slot at [[London Heathrow Airport]] for nonstop flights between Charlotte and [[London Heathrow Airport]], complementing the existing route from Philadelphia to London Heathrow.<ref>{{cite news |title=US Airways wins rights for Charlotte-Heathrow route |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/todayinthesky/2012/11/21/us-airways-charlotte-london-heathrow/1719255/ |work=USA Today |date=November 21, 2012 |access-date=November 26, 2012 |first1=Ben |last1=Mutzabaugh}}</ref> The airline began service from Charlotte to Heathrow on March 30, 2013, replacing its service from Charlotte to Gatwick, which ended the airline's service at Gatwick.<ref>{{cite web |title=US Airways starts Charlotte-London Heathrow flights |url=http://business.blogs.starnewsonline.com/23214/us-airways-starts-charlotte-london-heathrow-flights/ |work=[[Star-News]] |location=[[Wilmington, North Carolina]] |date=December 17, 2012 |access-date=October 22, 2015 |archive-date=September 6, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906025158/http://business.blogs.starnewsonline.com/23214/us-airways-starts-charlotte-london-heathrow-flights/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Codeshare agreements===
Throughout its existence, US Airways had [[codeshare agreement]]s with the following airlines:<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.usairways.com/en-US/aboutus/alliances/codeshare.html |title=US Airways Codeshare partners |publisher=US Airways |access-date=August 8, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110929165351/http://www.usairways.com/en-US/aboutus/alliances/codeshare.html |archive-date= September 29, 2011}}</ref>

{{div col}}
* [[Aegean Airlines]] {{small|(ended with US Airways' withdrawal from [[Star Alliance]])}}
* [[Air Berlin]]<ref>{{cite web |title=US Airways / airberlin Plans Codeshare Service from May 2014 |url=http://www.routesonline.com/news/29/breaking-news/241055/us-airways-airberlin-plans-codeshare-service-from-may-2014/ |date=April 23, 2014 |access-date=October 22, 2015 |publisher=RoutesOnline.com |archive-date=January 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160105163502/http://www.routesonline.com/news/29/breaking-news/241055/us-airways-airberlin-plans-codeshare-service-from-may-2014/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* [[Air China]] {{small|(ended with US Airways' withdrawal from [[Star Alliance]])}}
* [[Air New Zealand]] {{small|(ended with US Airways' withdrawal from [[Star Alliance]])}}
* [[All Nippon Airways]] {{small|(ended with US Airways' withdrawal from [[Star Alliance]])}}
* [[American Airlines]] {{small|(Merger partner)}}<ref name="codeshare">{{cite news | title=American Airlines and US Airways Begin Codeshare Agreement | url=https://www.travelpulse.com/news/airlines/american-airlines-and-us-airways-begin-codeshare-agreement.html | last=Thomaselli | first=Rich | work=[[TravelPulse]] | date=January 13, 2014}}</ref>
* [[Asiana Airlines]] {{small|(ended with US Airways' withdrawal from [[Star Alliance]])}}
* [[Avianca]] {{small|(ended with US Airways' withdrawal from [[Star Alliance]])}}
* [[Big Sky Airlines]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Docket OST-2004-19934-25 {{!}} Response of Big Sky Transportation Co., doing business as Big Sky Airlines to 2006-6-19 Order Requesting Proposals for Essential Air Service at Pendleton, Oregon. |url=https://downloads.regulations.gov/DOT-OST-2004-19934-0025/attachment_1.pdf |publisher=[[Department of Transportation]] |access-date=October 6, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241006084606/https://downloads.regulations.gov/DOT-OST-2004-19934-0025/attachment_1.pdf |archive-date=October 6, 2024 |date=December 26, 2006 |url-status=}}</ref>{{Rp|5}} {{small|(ceased operations March 8, 2008)}}<ref>{{cite news |first=Gregory |last=Polek |title=Big Sky leaves Montana high & dry |url=https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2008-04-02/big-sky-leaves-montana-high-dry |access-date=October 6, 2024 |work=[[Aviation International News]] |date=April 2, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231011044751/https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2008-04-02/big-sky-leaves-montana-high-dry |archive-date=October 11, 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[British Airways]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://atwonline.com/airports-routes/us-airways-joins-transatlantic-jv-adds-british-airways-codeshare |title=US Airways joins transatlantic JV; adds British Airways codeshare |work=[[Air Transport World]] |date=May 7, 2014 |access-date=May 7, 2014}}</ref>
* [[Brussels Airlines]] {{small|(ended with US Airways' withdrawal from [[Star Alliance]])}}
* [[Caribbean Sun]] {{small|(ceased to exist when the airline shut down on January 31, 2007)}}
* [[Continental Airlines]] {{small|(codeshared with America West Airlines<ref>{{cite news |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A05E1DC1E3BF93BA15750C0A9649C8B63 |title=Continental Ends Ticket Alliance With America West |work=The New York Times |date=March 28, 2002}}</ref> and ended the agreement on May 1, 2002, citing low code-shared flight sales; Continental resumed its reciprocal frequent flyer agreement on October 25, 2009, when it joined the [[Star Alliance]] and ended the agreement in 2012 when it merged with United)}}
* [[Croatia Airlines]] {{small|(ended with US Airways' withdrawal from [[Star Alliance]])}}
* [[EVA Air]] {{small|(ended with US Airways' withdrawal from [[Star Alliance]])}}
* [[Finnair]]<ref>{{cite news|title=Airline Routes |work=Air Transport World |date=August 1, 2014 |url=http://atwonline.com/airports-routes/airline-routes-32 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140801221615/http://atwonline.com/airports-routes/airline-routes-32 |archive-date=August 1, 2014 }}</ref>
* [[Hawaiian Airlines]] {{small|(Hawaii inter-island routes only)}}
* [[Iberia (airline)|Iberia]]<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://hub.aa.com/en/nr/pressrelease/customers-to-have-more-access-to-spain-and-portugal-through-us-airways-codeshare-agreement-with-atlantic-joint-business-partner-iberia |title=Customers To Have More Access To Spain And Portugal Through US Airways' Codeshare Agreement With Atlantic Joint Business Partner Iberia |publisher=American Airlines |date=June 11, 2014 |access-date=June 12, 2014 |archive-date=September 13, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160913175156/http://hub.aa.com/en/nr/pressrelease/customers-to-have-more-access-to-spain-and-portugal-through-us-airways-codeshare-agreement-with-atlantic-joint-business-partner-iberia |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* [[Lufthansa]] {{small|(ended with US Airways' withdrawal from [[Star Alliance]])}}
* [[Qantas]] {{small|(codeshared with both US Airways in the 1990s and America West Airlines before the merger; and after the merger with the combined US Airways/America West Airlines and ended the agreement February 28, 2007 due to Qantas being in the competing [[Oneworld]] airline alliance)}} {{citation needed|date=March 2013}}
* [[Qatar Airways]]
* [[Royal Jordanian]]
* [[South African Airways]] {{small|(ended with US Airways' withdrawal from [[Star Alliance]])}}
* [[Spanair]] {{small|(ended with Spanair's collapse in January 2012)}}
* [[Swiss International Air Lines]] {{small|(ended with US Airways' withdrawal from [[Star Alliance]])}}
* [[TAM Airlines]]
* [[TAP Air Portugal]] {{small|(ended with US Airways' withdrawal from [[Star Alliance]])}}
* [[United Airlines]] {{small|(ended with US Airways' withdrawal from [[Star Alliance]])}}
{{div col end}}

==Fleet==
[[File:US Airways A320-231 SAN N632AW.jpg|thumb|US Airways [[Airbus A320 family|Airbus A320]] ]]
{{main|US Airways fleet}}

By mid-2014, US Airways maintained a predominantly Airbus fleet, with some Boeing jets and small fleet of Embraer jets. The post-merger US Airways continued to operate the largest fleet of Airbus aircraft in the world.<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.airbus.com/presscentre/pressreleases/press-release-detail/detail/7000th-airbus-aircraft-delivered-an-a321-to-us-airways/ |title=7,000th Airbus aircraft delivered – an A321 to US Airways |date=December 12, 2011 |publisher=Airbus SAS |access-date=April 16, 2014}}</ref>

Subsidiaries [[Piedmont Airlines|Piedmont]] and [[PSA Airlines|PSA]] exclusively flew [[Bombardier CRJ]]s (PSA), and [[de Havilland Canada Dash 8]]s (Piedmont).

==Cabin==

===Envoy===
Envoy was US Airways' international [[business class]] product. It was offered on all Airbus A330s and Boeing 767-200ERs, as well as select Boeing 757-200s. There were three types of Envoy seating in the US Airways fleet:
* Fully flat suites in a reverse [[Herringbone seating|herringbone]] 1–2–1 configuration were found on all Airbus A330s. These were the ''Cirrus'' model designed by Sicma Aeroseat and featured a fully flat semi-private "pod".<ref name="US Airways Fleet information">{{cite web |url=http://www.airreview.com/USAirways/Fleet.htm|title=US Airways Fleet information |publisher=Airreview.com |access-date=January 18, 2010}}</ref>
* Internationally configured Boeing 757-200s and all 767-200ERs featured deep recline cradle seats with around 165 degrees of recline.

Previously, the first row of all Airbus A330-300s were fully flat seats, formerly US Airways' international first class product. With the transition from three- to two-class international service, these seats were, for a time, offered at a fee to Envoy customers.

Every seat had a personal on-demand video screen either attached to the arm rest or as a portable unit passed out by the crew that offered movies, games and syndicated television shows in multiple languages. There was also an EmPower or AC outlet at each seat.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.airreview.com/USAirways/IFE.htm |title=US Airways IFE information |publisher=Airreview.com |access-date=January 18, 2010}}</ref>

The airline offered complimentary food and beverage service for all Envoy passengers.

===First Class===
First Class was offered on all domestically configured aircraft. Seat pitch ranged from {{convert|35|to|38|in|cm}} and a seat width ranging from {{convert|20|to|21|in|cm}}. Free wine, beer and spirits and a snack basket were offered on all flights, as were blankets. Meals were provided on flights of 2.5 hours or longer.

===Main Cabin===
Main Cabin (Economy Class) was available on all aircraft, with a seat pitch ranging from {{convert|30|to|33|in|cm}} and a seat width ranging from {{convert|17|to|18|in|cm}}. Domestic service was a buy-on-board program with full meals available for purchase on flights of 3.5 hours or longer, while shorter flights offered snack boxes. Coffee, tea and soft drinks were complimentary with alcohol available for purchase. Transatlantic and South American flights included standard meals and beverages (including wine) free of charge, with premium meals available for purchase, which included one alcoholic beverage.<ref>{{cite web|title=Food and beverages |url=http://www.usairways.com/awa/content/traveltools/intheair/foodandbeverages/maincabin.aspx |work=Main Cabin |publisher=US Airways |access-date=October 11, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081011194550/http://www.usairways.com/awa/content/traveltools/intheair/foodandbeverages/maincabin.aspx |archive-date=October 11, 2008 }}</ref>

===Inflight entertainment===
US Airways offered GoGo Inflight Internet on Airbus A319/A320/A321 and Embraer 170/175/190 aircraft. US Airways had also signed up for GoGo Vision streaming video service which would be available on all GoGo equipped aircraft. Flights to Europe, South America, Hawaii, and domestic flights over 700 miles operated with Boeing aircraft featured movies and TV episodes on overhead screens in Coach. The Airbus A330s featured AVOD at every seat in both Economy and Business Class with a selection of movies, TV episodes, music, and games. Complimentary headsets were available in both Business and Economy on flights to Europe, South America, and the Middle East.

GoGo was usually priced US$5–15 on domestic flights. It was never available on international flights.

==Dividend Miles==
[[File:USAir dividendmiles.png|frameless|left|upright=0.75]]
[[File:USAir Frequent Traveler Program Rules & Information 1988.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Pamphlet for earlier USAir program, 1988]]
Dividend Miles was [[US Airways Group]]'s [[frequent-flyer program]]. Members earned one mile for every mile flown on US Airways on any published fare – paid flights taken in First Class or Envoy received a 50% mileage bonus. Members also earned miles on flights on partner airlines and for partner hotel stays, car rentals, shopping at the Dividend Miles mall and for purchases made with a US Airways credit card. Miles could be redeemed for free flights, upgrades, and more. Dividend Miles was to be absorbed into [[American Airlines]]'s AAdvantage program in the second quarter of 2015.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/10/28/5272407/us-airways-american-to-combine.html#.VE_cXtEtCUk |title=US Airways, American to combine frequent flyer programs in 2015 |work=The Charlotte Observer |date=October 28, 2014 |access-date=October 28, 2014}}</ref> However, American Airlines announced on March 13, 2015, that Dividend Miles would be merged into American's AAdvantage program "within the next 30 days".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/todayinthesky/2015/03/13/aa-us-airways-loyalty-programs-will-merge-within-30-days/70268468/ |title=AA, US loyalty programs to merge 'within 30 days' |work=USA Today |date=March 13, 2015 |access-date=March 15, 2015}}</ref> On March 24, 2015, it was confirmed that Dividend Miles would be absorbed into American's AAdvantage program on March 28, 2015.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/todayinthesky/2015/03/24/american-set-to-absorb-us-airways-frequent-flier-accounts/70382042/ |title=American to absorb US Airways' frequent flier accounts on Saturday |work=USA Today |date=March 24, 2015 |access-date=March 24, 2015|first=Dawn|last=Gilbertson}}</ref> On March 28, 2015, Dividend Miles was officially absorbed into American Airlines's AAdvantage program.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.usairways.com/en-US/contact/dmilesacct.html |title=US Airways - Contact AAdvantage |work=usairways.com |access-date=April 3, 2015}}</ref>

In addition to its [[US Airways Express]] and [[Oneworld]] partnerships, the Dividend Miles program with other partner airlines or programs included:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.usairways.com/en-US/dividendmiles/earnmiles/airlines.html |title=Airline Partners |publisher=US Airways |access-date=April 21, 2014}}</ref>
* [[Aegean Airlines]]
* [[Air China]]
* [[Hawaiian Airlines]]
* [[Jet Airways]]
* [[Shenzhen Airlines]]
* [[South African Airways]]
* [[TAP Portugal]]
* [[Turkish Airlines]]

==Airport lounges==

===US Airways Club===
US Airways' [[airport lounge]] was called the US Airways Club. There were 19 lounges in 13 airports across the United States. As part of the merger, all US Airways clubs were gradually rebranded as American's Admirals Clubs in 2014, except for a few that closed.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.usairways.com/en-US/traveltools/club/default.html?re=1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131208185019/http://www.usairways.com/en-US/traveltools/club/default.html?re=1 |title=US Airways - US Airways Club |archive-date=December 8, 2013 |work=usairways.com |access-date=April 3, 2015}}</ref><ref name="2014 merger">{{cite journal |title=AA and US Airways Merge Loyalty Programs, Lounge Access, More |url=http://www.fodors.com/news/aa-and-us-airways-merge-loyalty-programs-lounge-access-more-7405 |last=Miller |first=Seth |date=January 7, 2014 |journal=[[Fodor's]] |access-date=October 22, 2015}}</ref>

In addition to those with paid memberships, the following customers also had complimentary access to Admirals Club locations:
* Passengers traveling in Business Class (renamed from Envoy Class) on an international flight
* [[Oneworld]] Emerald and Sapphire members, except American's AAdvantage members and US Airways Dividend Miles members who were travelling domestically.

=== Envoy Lounge ===
Philadelphia International Airport's Terminal A formerly had an Envoy Lounge reserved exclusively for Envoy Class, Star Alliance international premium passengers, and Star Alliance Gold members traveling on long-haul international flights. Due to the lounge's proximity to departing long-haul international flights, this lounge offered a much wider array of food than was typically found at US Airways Clubs. In 2011, the airline converted the Envoy Lounge into a standard US Airways Club, now an Admirals Club.

==Accidents and incidents==
The incidents and crashes listed below include only those of US Airways and US Air (not predecessor or merger airlines such as Allegheny, Piedmont, PSA or America West; or partnering regional commuter airlines operating US Airways flights under the brand US Airways Express).

{| class="collapsible wikitable toccolours"
|+ US Airways reported incidents
|-
!rowspan="2"|Flight
!rowspan="2"|Date
!rowspan="2"|Aircraft
!rowspan="2"|Location
!rowspan="2"|Description
!colspan="4"|Injuries
!colspan-"10"|Photo of aircraft involved or similar aircraft
|-
!Fatal
!Serious
!Minor
!Uninjured
|-
|[[Erie International Airport#Accidents and incidents|499]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://app.ntsb.gov/pdfgenerator/ReportGeneratorFile.ashx?EventID=20001213X32835&AKey=1&RType=Final&IType=AA |title=NTSB Aviation Accident Final Report DCA86AA018 |publisher=[[National Transportation Safety Board]]|access-date= July 1, 2020}}</ref>
|February 21, 1986
|[[McDonnell Douglas DC-9|Douglas DC-9-31]]
|[[Erie, Pennsylvania]]
|Overran icy runway; hull loss but no fatalities
|0
|0
|1
|22
|[[File:USAir Flight 499 (N961VJ) after overrun.jpg|frameless|150x150px]]
|-
|[[USAir Flight 5050|5050]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20001213X29335&key=1 |title=NTSB Identification: DCA89MA074 |publisher=Ntsb.gov |date=September 20, 1989 |access-date=September 5, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090621021408/https://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20001213X29335&key=1 |archive-date=June 21, 2009 }}</ref>
|September 20, 1989
|[[Boeing 737 Classic|Boeing 737-400]]
|[[Flushing, New York]]
|Deflection of rudder during takeoff
|2
|3
|18
|40
|[[File:USAir Flight 5050 wreckage.jpg|center|frameless|150x150px]]
|-
|[[Los Angeles runway disaster|1493]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20001212X16433&key=1 |title=NTSB Identification: DCA91MA018A |publisher=Ntsb.gov |date=February 1, 1991 |access-date=September 5, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090621060510/https://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20001212X16433&key=1 |archive-date=June 21, 2009 }}</ref>
|February 1, 1991
|[[Boeing 737 Classic|Boeing 737-300]]
|Los Angeles, California
|Runway collision with SkyWest Airlines Flight 5569; ATC controller separation error
|35
|12
|17
|37
|[[File:USAir Boeing 737-3B7 N388US January 1990 MIA.jpg|150px]]
|-
|[[USAir Flight 405|405]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20001211X14270&key=1 |title=NTSB Identification: DCA92MA025 |publisher=Ntsb.gov |date=March 22, 1992 |access-date=September 5, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090703143303/https://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20001211X14270&key=1 |archive-date=July 3, 2009 }}</ref>
|March 22, 1992
|[[Fokker F-28|Fokker 28-4000]]
|[[Flushing, New York]]
|Improper [[deicing]] procedures, [[pilot error]]
|27
|9
|12
|3
|[[File:15-10-90 N485US Pittsburgh.jpg|150px]]
|-
|[[USAir Flight 1016|1016]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20001206X01727&key=1 |title=NTSB Identification: DCA94MA065 |publisher=Ntsb.gov |date=July 2, 1994 |access-date=September 5, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090701021313/https://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20001206X01727&key=1 |archive-date=July 1, 2009 }}</ref>
|July 2, 1994
|[[McDonnell Douglas DC-9|McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32]]
|[[Charlotte, North Carolina]]
|[[Windshear]] during missed approach
|37
|16
|4
|
|[[File:N954VJ McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31, New York La Guardia.jpg|150px]]
|-
|[[USAir Flight 427|427]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ntsb.gov/doclib/reports/1999/aar9901.pdf|title=NTSB Identification: DCA94MA076|publisher=Ntsb.gov|date=September 8, 1994|access-date=October 5, 2011}}</ref>
|September 8, 1994
|[[Boeing 737 Classic|Boeing 737-300]]
|[[Hopewell Township, Beaver County, Penn.]]
|Uncommanded rudder deflection
|132
|
|
|
|[[File:N513AU in Florida, 1991.jpg|150px]]
|-
|-
|[[2005 Logan Airport runway incursion|1170]]
|June 9, 2005
|[[Boeing 737 Classic|Boeing 737-3B7]]
|[[Boston, Massachusetts]]
|[[Air traffic control|ATC]] error, [[runway incursion]]
|0
|0
|0
|108
|[[File:USAirways N588US 737.JPG|150px]]
|-
|[[US Airways Flight 1549|1549]]
|January 15, 2009
|[[Airbus A320|Airbus A320-214]]
|[[New York City, New York]]
|[[Bird strike]] in both engines, causing [[Turbine engine failure|dual engine failure]] and [[Water landing|ditching]] into the [[Hudson River]]
|0
|5
|95
|50
|[[File:2008 Las Vegas N106US US Airways.jpg|150px]]
|-
|1702<ref>{{ASN accident|id=20140313-0|title=N113UW|access-date=September 14, 2022}}</ref>
|March 13, 2014
|[[Airbus A320-214]]
|[[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]]
|Rejected takeoff, tail and landing gear strike, pilot error.
|0
|0
|0
|154
|[[File:US Airways Airbus A320-214; N113UW@CLT;13.10.2011 625be (6301815846).jpg|150px]]
|-
|
|- style="background:lightblue;"
!colspan="3"|'''Total casualties'''
|
|
|Fatal
|Serious
|Minor
|Uninjured
|- style="background:lightblue;"
!colspan="3"|(9 incidents)
|
|
|233
|45
|147
|414
|}

==See also==
{{Portal|Arizona|Virginia|Companies|Aviation}}
* [[List of airlines of the United States]]
* [[List of defunct airlines of the United States]]
* [[List of airports in the United States]]
* [[Air transportation in the United States]]
* [[Transportation in the United States]]
* [[Footprint Center]] (formerly Talking Stick Resort Arena)

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|US Airways}}
* [https://web.archive.org/*/www.usairways.com Official website] (Archive)
* [https://web.archive.org/*/mobile.usairways.com Official website] (Mobile)
* {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/*/http://www.usair.com|title=USAir Official Website}}
* [https://www.youtube.com/user/usairways US Airways] at YouTube
* [http://timetableimages.com/ttimages/us.htm Airline Timetable Images] has several Allegheny timetables from 1949 to 1963, showing where they flew, how often, how long it took and how much it cost.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20131207201714/http://newamericanarriving.com/ US Airways and American Airlines merger site]

{{Portalbar|United States|Virginia|Companies|Aviation}}

{{Navboxes|list1=
{{US Airways Group}}
{{American Airlines}}
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{{Oneworld}}
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{{Airlines of the United States}}
}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Us Airways}}
[[Category:American Airlines Group]]
[[Category:US Airways Group| ]]
[[Category:Airlines established in 1939]]
[[Category:Defunct airlines of the United States]]
[[Category:Companies based in Tempe, Arizona]]
[[Category:Companies based in Virginia]]

[[Category:Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2002]]
[[Category:Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2004]]
[[Category:Former Oneworld members]]
[[Category:Former Star Alliance members]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]


[[Category:Airlines disestablished in 2015]]
[[Category:American companies established in 1939]]
[[Category:Airlines based in Arizona]]
[[Category:Airlines based in Virginia]]

Northeast Airlines

2025-06-29T11:05:15Z

182.232.34.176:

{{Short description|Defunct airline of the United States (1933–1972)}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Infobox airline
| airline = Northeast Airlines
| logo = Northeast Airlines Logo, April 1971.png
| caption = 
| IATA = NE
| ICAO = NEA
| callsign = NORTHEAST
| aoc =
| focus_cities =
| frequent_flyer =
| lounge =
| fleet_size =
| destinations = See [[#Destinations|Destinations]]
| parent = {{nowrap|[[Storer Broadcasting]] {{small|(1965–1972)}}}}
| num_employees = 
| founded = {{start date|1931|07|20}} {{small|(as ''Boston-Maine Airways'')}}
| commenced = {{start date|1933|08|11}} {{small|(as ''Boston-Maine Airways'')}}
| ceased = {{end date|1972|08|01}} {{small|(merged into [[Delta Air Lines]])}}
| hubs = {{ubl|class=nowrap
| [[Boston Logan International Airport|Boston]]
| [[John F. Kennedy International Airport|New York–JFK]]}}
| headquarters = [[Boston]], [[Massachusetts]]
| key_people =
| founders = {{ubl|class=nowrap
| [[Amelia Earhart]]
| [[Eugene Luther Vidal]]}}
| website =
}}

'''Northeast Airlines''' was a [[trunk carrier]], a scheduled airline based in [[Boston]], [[Massachusetts]], originally founded in 1931 as '''Boston-Maine Airways''' that chiefly operated in the [[Northeastern United States]], and later to [[Canada]], [[Florida]], [[the Bahamas]], [[Bermuda]] and other cities. It was notably small and unprofitable relative to other trunk carriers, being less than half the size, by revenue, than the next biggest trunk in 1971. Northeast was acquired by and merged into [[Delta Air Lines]] in August 1972.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.deltamuseum.org/exhibits/delta-history/family-tree/northeast-airlines|title=Northeast Airlines|website=www.deltamuseum.org|access-date=2018-01-08}}</ref>

From 1975 onward, [[Air New England (1970–1981)|Air New England]] was essentially a reincarnation of many of the New England routes of Northeast Airlines, complete with the aircraft Northeast used to fly those routes and Northeast's IATA code.

==History==
[[File:Douglas DC-6B, Northeast Airlines JP6994439.jpg|thumb|left|Northeast DC-6B at Boston, 1966]]

===Early days and certification===
The airline began as Boston-Maine Airways,<ref>Not to be confused with [[Boston-Maine Airways]] founded in 1999</ref> founded as a [[Pan American World Airways|Pan Am]] contract carrier on July 20, 1931, by the [[Boston and Maine Railroad]] and [[Maine Central Railroad]], flying from Boston to [[Bangor, Maine|Bangor]] via [[Portland, Maine|Portland]]. It flew only sporadically until August 11, 1933, when National Airways began to operate its flights under contract. National also operated Central Vermont Airways, a subsidiary of the [[Central Vermont Railway]], and the two carriers together had a network across New England to New Hampshire, Vermont, and Montreal.<ref name=":0" /> [[Amelia Earhart]] and [[Eugene Luther Vidal|Eugene Vidal]] were among the co-founders of National, and Earhart was a prominent salesperson for the airline in its early years.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|url=http://deltamuseum.org/docs/site/family-tree/ne_pub_pictorial_history_1933-72.pdf?sfvrsn=0|title=A Pictorial History of Northeast Airlines, 1933-1972|publisher=Northeast Airlines|year=1972|location=Boston}}</ref> National initially operated [[Stinson Airliner]]s, and switched to a fleet of 10-passenger [[Lockheed Model 12 Electra Junior|Lockheed Electras]] in November 1936.<ref name=":1" />

On May 31, 1939, Boston-Maine was certificated to be a United States scheduled airline by the [[Civil Aeronautics Authority]] (CAA) under the terms of the [[Civil Aeronautics Act]] of 1938, which granted certificates to airlines that had been providing bona fide scheduled service prior to the Act. The CAA noted that Boston-Maine was 25% owned each by the Boston and Maine Railroad and Maine Central Railroads.<ref name="cert">{{cite journal|journal=Civil Aeronautics Authority Reports|volume=1|title=Boston-Maine Airways, Inc.—Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity |date=February 1939 – July 1940 |publisher=Civil Aeronautics Authority|pages=145–150|url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc1.b2938502|hdl=2027/uc1.b2938502}}</ref> The next year, the airline regulatory functions of the CAA would be moved to the [[Civil Aeronautics Board]] (CAB), which would closely regulate Boston-Maine/Northeast as a [[trunk carrier]] for the rest of its existence.

===New name, World War II and jets===
The name Northeast Airlines was adopted on November 19, 1940, which was duly approved by the CAB, including the required signature of President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]].<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Civil Aeronautics Board Reports|volume=2|title=Northeast Airlines, Inc.—Amendment of Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity|date=July 1940 – August 1941 |publisher=Civil Aeronautics Board|pages=444–446|url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc1.b2938503|hdl=2027/uc1.b2938503}}</ref> During World War II Northeast pioneered transatlantic service for the military under contract from the [[U.S. Army Air Forces]].<ref name=":0" /> In June 1944, the CAB approved the takeover of moribund [[Mayflower Airlines]], giving Northeast routes to [[Cape Cod]], [[Nantucket]] and [[Martha's Vineyard]] from Boston.<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Civil Aeronautics Board Reports|volume=4|title=Acquisition of Mayflower Airlines, Inc., by Northeast Airlines, Inc.|date=December 1942 – June 1944 |publisher=Civil Aeronautics Board|pages=680–685|url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc1.b2988894|hdl=2027/uc1.b2988894}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|journal=Civil Aeronautics Board Reports|volume=6|title=Acquisition of Mayflower Airlines, Inc., by Northeast Airlines, Inc.|date=July 1944 – May 1946 |publisher=Civil Aeronautics Board|pages=139–141|url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc1.b2988895|hdl=2027/uc1.b2988895}}</ref> After the war, Northeast began hourly service between Boston and New York using [[Douglas DC-4|DC-4]]s.<ref name=":1" /> Northeast applied for authorization to operate passenger service across the Atlantic but were stymied by the [[Civil Aeronautics Board]], which in June 1945 awarded the routes to [[Pan American World Airways]], [[American Export Airlines]] and [[Trans World Airlines|TWA]].<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Civil Aeronautics Board Reports|volume=6|title=Northeast Airlines, Inc., et al., North Atlantic Route Case|date=July 1944 – May 1946 |publisher=Civil Aeronautics Board|pages=319–369|url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc1.b2988895|hdl=2027/uc1.b2988895}}</ref>

[[File:Convair CV-880, Northeast Airlines JP7772406.jpg|thumb|Convair 880 at New York, 1961]]
In 1956 Northeast began service to [[Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport|Washington National Airport]], and received a temporary certificate to serve Florida, for which the airline purchased a fleet of new [[Douglas DC-6|DC-6B]]s.
Northeast ordered ten [[Vickers Viscount]]s in the late 1950s and used them until financial problems in the early 1960s forced the company to return them to the manufacturer. Beginning on December 17, 1959, Northeast became one of the early jet operators, flying a leased TWA [[Boeing 707-331]] round trip between New York and Miami.<ref name=":0" /> In 1960 Northeast leased six [[Convair 880]]s and flew them to Florida for several years.

{{Table alignment}}
{|class="wikitable plain-row-headers defaultright"
|+ Northeast Airlines Financial Results, 1962 thru 1971
! USD mm !! 1962<ref>{{cite report|title=Northeast Airlines Annual Report 1962|date=30 April 1963|publisher=Northeast Airlines|url=https://dlg.usg.edu/record/delta_nea-ar_nea-ar-1962 |access-date=28 May 2024}}</ref> !! 1963<ref>{{cite report|title=Northeast Airlines Annual Report 1963|date=29 May 1964|publisher=Northeast Airlines|url=https://dlg.usg.edu/record/delta_nea-ar_nea-ar-1963 |access-date=28 May 2024}}</ref> !! 1964<ref>{{cite report|title=Northeast Airlines Annual Report 1964|date=30 June 1965|publisher=Northeast Airlines|url=https://dlg.usg.edu/record/delta_nea-ar_nea-ar-1964 |access-date=28 May 2024}}</ref> !! 1965<ref>{{cite report|title=Northeast Airlines Annual Report 1965|date=15 March 1966|publisher=Northeast Airlines|url=https://dlg.usg.edu/record/delta_nea-ar_nea-ar-1965 |access-date=28 May 2024}}</ref> !! 1966<ref>{{cite report|title=Northeast Airlines Annual Report 1966|date=2 March 1967|publisher=Northeast Airlines|url=https://dlg.usg.edu/record/delta_nea-ar_nea-ar-1966 |access-date=28 May 2024}}</ref> !! 1967<ref>{{cite report|title=Northeast Airlines Annual Report 1967|date=15 March 1968|publisher=Northeast Airlines|url=https://dlg.usg.edu/record/delta_nea-ar_nea-ar-1967 |access-date=28 May 2024}}</ref> !! 1968<ref name="AR68">{{cite report|title=Northeast Airlines Annual Report 1968|date=18 February 1969|publisher=Northeast Airlines|url=https://dlg.usg.edu/record/delta_nea-ar_nea-ar-1968 |access-date=28 May 2024}}</ref> !! 1969<ref name="AR69">{{cite report|title=Northeast Airlines Annual Report 1969|date=2 March 1970|publisher=Northeast Airlines|url=https://dlg.usg.edu/record/delta_nea-ar_nea-ar-1969 |access-date=28 May 2024}}</ref> !! 1970<ref>{{cite report|title=Northeast Airlines Annual Report 1970|date=11 March 1971|publisher=Northeast Airlines|url=https://dlg.usg.edu/record/delta_nea-ar_nea-ar-1970 |access-date=28 May 2024}}</ref> !! 1971<ref name="AR71">{{cite report|title=Northeast Airlines Annual Report 1971|date=16 March 1972|publisher=Northeast Airlines|url=https://dlg.usg.edu/record/delta_nea-ar_nea-ar-1971 |access-date=28 May 2024}}</ref>
|-
! Op revenue
| 51.39 || 43.91 || 42.70 || 48.21 || 62.27 || 78.58 || 111.71 || 122.09 || 122.84 || 126.00
|-
! Of which subsidy
| || 0.99 || 3.44 || 3.63 || 2.20 || 2.82 || || || ||
|-
! Op profit (loss)
| (6.36) || (8.64) || (0.99) || 0.21 || 0.43 || (3.03) || 0.86 || (17.07) || (4.70) || (8.84)
|-
! Net profit (loss)
| (8.24) || (15.30) || 2.88 || 0.47 || 0.13 || (6.53) || (2.42) || (28.84) || (10.72) || (13.99)
|-
! Op margin
| -12.4% || -19.7% || -2.3% || 0.4% || 0.7% || -3.9% || 0.8% || -14.0% || -3.8% || -7.0%
|-
! Net margin
| -16.0% || -34.8% || 6.7% || 1.0% || 0.2% || -8.3% || -2.2% || -23.6% || -8.7% || -11.1%
|-
! Subsidy/op revenue
| || 2.2% || 8.0% || 7.5% || 3.5% || 3.6% || || || ||
|}

===Last turbulent decade===
[[Howard Hughes]] acquired control of the airline in 1962. The airline's temporary Miami route authority was terminated by a CAB decision that year, and Hughes decided to exit from the company, selling control to a trustee in 1964.<ref name=":0" /> Northeast launched an aggressive campaign against the CAB's decision, and got a permanent Florida certificate in 1965.<ref name=":1" /> In 1965 the airline was bought by [[Storer Broadcasting]], who tried to rejuvenate Northeast in 1966 with a new marketing campaign and new aircraft.<ref name=":0" /> Northeast ordered a fleet of [[Boeing 727-100]]s for their Florida routes, and [[McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30]]s and [[Fairchild-Hiller FH-227]]s for shorter routes. These "Yellowbirds" featured a new yellow and white livery. In 1966 Northeast was the launch customer for the [[Boeing]] [[727-200]], which they began flying in December 1967.<ref name=":0" /> Except for Florida their network was all north and east of [[Washington National Airport]] until 1969 when they added three 727 nonstops between Miami and Los Angeles, with Fort Lauderdale getting a short-lived LAX nonstop soon after (fuel stops were sometimes required on these transcontinental 727 flights). Northeast obtained rights to fly between Miami and Montreal in 1967, followed by rights to serve the Bahamas in 1968, and rights to serve Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago, and Bermuda in 1969, along with a new Miami-Los Angeles route authority.<ref name=":1" />

Northeast was the [[runt]] of the trunks. In 1971, the largest [[local service carrier]], [[Allegheny Airlines]], had operating revenue over 40% bigger than that of Northeast, while the next smallest trunk, [[National Airlines (1934-1980)|National]], had significantly more than twice as much revenue. The largest trunk, [[United Airlines|United]], had revenue over twelve times that of Northeast.<ref>{{cite report|publisher=Air Transport Association|title=1972 Air Transport Facts & Figures|page=22|url=https://airlines.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/1972.pdf|access-date=28 May 2024}}</ref> As George C. Eads said about Northeast in his definitive book on [[local service carrier]]s (the next tier of airlines down from the trunks in the CAB's [[Civil Aeronautics Board#Airline categories|categorization of airlines]]), "Although classified as a trunk, since it was certificated under the grandfather provisions of the Civil Aeronautics Act, it has always resembled a local service carrier with a few trunk routes appended."<ref>{{cite book|last=Eads|first=George C.|title=The Local Service Airline Experiment|year=1972|page=7|publisher=Brookings Institution|isbn=9780815720225|url=https://archive.org/details/localserviceairl0000eads}}</ref> Like Local Service Carriers, Northeast needed government subsidies. Despite subsidies, it had a long history of incredibly poor financial results (see nearby table). Some of that had to do with its route network, as Eads said. But some of it was self-inflicted. In 1968 Northeast, for some reason, ordered eight [[Lockheed L-1011]]s which were to be delivered in a 268 seat configuration. The total order was to cost $128mm including spares.<ref name="AR68"/> In early 1970, following another abysmal set of financial results in 1969, Northeast cancelled the order, taking a $3.6mm charge against 1969 to do so.<ref name="AR69"/>

{|class="wikitable sortable" style=text-align:right
|+ New England destinations dropped by Northeast Airlines in 1969
|-
! Destination !! 1970 Population
|-
| [[Hancock County-Bar Harbor Airport|Bar Harbor, Maine]]* || 3,716
|-
| [[Auburn/Lewiston Municipal Airport|Lewiston, Maine]] || 41,779
|-
| [[Knox County Regional Airport|Rockland, Maine]]* || 8,505
|-
| [[Waterville Robert LaFleur Airport|Waterville, Maine]] || 18,192
|-
| [[Dillant-Hopkins Airport|Keene, New Hampshire]] || 20,467
|-
| [[Laconia Municipal Airport|Laconia, New Hampshire]] || 14,888
|-
| [[Lebanon Municipal Airport (New Hampshire)|Lebanon, New Hampshire]]* || 9,725
|-
| [[Berlin Regional Airport|Berlin, New Hampshire]] || 15,256
|-
| [[Edward F. Knapp State Airport|Montpelier, Vermont]] || 8,609
|-
| [[Northeast Kingdom International Airport|Newport, Vermont]] || 4,664
|+ align="bottom" style="caption-side: bottom; text-align: left;" | * served by [[Cape Air]] {{As of|2024|lc=y}}.
|}

Northeast also wrote off its three year old FH-227s in 1969, the circumstances providing insight into the problems that plagued the airline. Northeast originally had seven FH-227s, delivered in 1966 to replace DC-3s.<ref>{{cite report|title=Look better [Northeast introductory brochure on FH-227s]|date=1966 |url=https://www.deltamuseum.org/docs/site/aircraft-pages/ne_fairchild_hiller_fh-227_brochure_1966.pdf|access-date=30 May 2024}}</ref> One (N380NE) crashed in Lebanon, NH as [[Northeast Airlines Flight 946|Flight 946]] in 1968, leaving six (N374NE thru N379NE). But in 1969, as its finances deteriorated, Northeast pulled out of ten New England airports, grounding the FH-227s and taking a write-down on them.<ref name="AR69"/><ref>{{cite report|title=Adequacy of Northern New England Air Service: Hearings Before the Subcommittee on Aviation of the Committee on Commerce, United States Senate, Ninety-Second Congress, First Session, September 9, and 10, 1971|publisher=U.S. General Printing Office|location=Washington, DC|page=346|url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015026256902|hdl=2027/mdp.39015026256902}}</ref> The ten airports were for small New England points (the biggest of these, Lewiston, also being only 38 miles from the [[Portland International Jetport|airport at Portland, Maine]]).<ref>{{cite web|title=Directions from Lewiston to Portland International Jetport |url=https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Lewiston,+Maine/Portland+International+Jetport,+1001+Westbrook+St,+Portland,+ME+04102|website=maps.google.com|language=en|access-date=30 May 2024}}</ref> Of the ten points, seven of them have, as of 2024, no form of commercial air service, while the other three have [[Cape Air]] service which flies aircraft in the 10-seat class, yet Northeast served them with 44-seat FH-227s. Every trunk airline started with small points on their network (some just for the purposes of refueling), but over time, most of them shifted these to [[local service carrier]]s or otherwise abandoned them.{{sfn|Eads|1972|p=105-149}} Northeast still had these small points on its network in 1969.

That wasn’t the end of FH-227s for Northeast. It was able to walk away from some of the New England points by turning them over to [[Mohawk Airlines]], which thought it could do better. Mohawk then had a disastrous strike in 1971 (which ultimately forced it to merge with Allegheny in 1972), after which it could no longer support Keene service. The CAB forced Northeast back into some of these points (like Keene, NH) and it had to pull two FH-227s out of storage, leaving three still stored with one leased out.<ref name="AR71"/><ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/924530549 ''Northeast Move: ‘Holding Pattern’ '' Concord Monitor, September 21, 1971]</ref>

===Waiting to merge===
[[File:N1646 B727-295 Northeast A-l JFK 09JUL70 (6064249119).jpg|thumb|727-200 at New York, 1970]]
At the end of 1969, following a long period of financial difficulties, Northeast announced its intention to merge with [[Northwest Airlines]]. The merger was approved by both the CAB and President Richard Nixon in 1970, but it was conditional upon relinquishing the Miami-Los Angeles route. Northwest terminated the merger negotiations in March 1971, and Northeast announced a new merger plan with [[Delta Air Lines]] the following month. The Delta merger was approved in May 1972, with the same condition that Delta could not operate the Miami-Los Angeles route.<ref name=":1" /> The merger was completed in August 1972.<ref name=":0" /> Note the delays between each merger announcement and final disposition. The CAB process took a long time, during which the company continued to lose a lot of money.

The airline's [[International Air Transport Association|IATA]] code was '''NE'''.

==Legacy==
Broadly-speaking, there were two legacies from Northeast:

===Air New England===
{{main|Air New England (1970–1981)}}
Nominally, Delta took over all of Northeast, including some (but not all) of the New England routes that caused Northeast so many problems; the CAB did not require that Delta them all.<ref>{{cite report|title=Delta Air Lines, Inc. Annual Report 1974|date=August 1974|publisher=Delta Air Lines|url= https://dlg.usg.edu/record/delta_dal-ar_dal-ar-1974 |access-date=30 May 2024|pages=16–17}}</ref> For a couple of years, Delta operated ex-Northeast FH-227s, at least the five that had not been leased out, the only passenger turboprop Delta operated directly. The [[Delta Flight Museum]] has pictures of FH-227s in Delta livery.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.deltamuseum.org/delta-history/aircraft-by-type/turbo-prop/Fairchild-Hiller-FH-227C |website=deltamuseum.org|title=Aircraft By Type: Fairchild-Hiller FH-227C|language=en|access-date=30 May 2024}}</ref> Delta’s July 1974 schedule shows Lebanon, Keene, New Bedford, Hyannis, Martha’s Vinyard and Nantucket on-line,<ref>{{cite report|title=Delta Air Lines System Timetable 1974 July 1|date=1 July 1974|publisher=Delta Air Lines|url= https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/data/delta/dal-tt/pdfs/delta_dal-tt_dal-tt-19740701.pdf |access-date=30 May 2024}}</ref> and gone in July 1975.<ref>{{cite report|title=Delta Air Lines System Timetable 1975 July 1|date=1 July 1975|publisher= Delta Air Lines |url= https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/data/delta/dal-tt/pdfs/delta_dal-tt_dal-tt-19750701.pdf |access-date=30 May 2024}}</ref> However, in 1974, the CAB certificated Air New England (ANE), to that point a commuter/air taxi operator, specifically to operate the former problematic New England Northeast destinations with “big” aircraft, which it did from 1975.<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Civil Aeronautics Board Reports|volume=65|number=1|title=New England Service Investigation|pages=220–460|date=June–October 1974|url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/osu.32437011658453|hdl=2027/osu.32437011658453}}</ref> Delta lent ANE the money to buy the ex-Northeast FH-227s (and another loan to help ANE to transition to certificated status)<ref>{{cite journal|title=Docket 27426, Air New England-Delta, Loan Agreement—order 79-3-73 adopted March 14, 1979|journal=Civil Aeronautics Board Reports|volume=80|page=628|date=January–March 1979|url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/ien.35559002074650|hdl=2027/ien.35559002074650}}</ref> and N374NE thru N379NE duly appeared in Air New England’s fleet.<ref>{{cite book|title=World Airline Fleets 1979|last=Endres|first=Günter G.|date=1979 |publisher=Airline Publications and Sales|location=Hounslow (UK)|page=197|isbn=0905117530|url=https://archive.org/details/worldairlineflee0000unse}}</ref> Air New England was in some ways a partially reconstituted Northeast Airlines, at least insofar as New England routes were concerned. From 1975, when Air New England took over the routes, until the 1981 when it ceased operations, ANE was in significant financial distress notwithstanding CAB subsidies that reached up to 25% of ANE’s annual revenues. In this respect, at least, the Northeast Airlines tradition lived on.

===Delta Air Lines===
Northeast’s lasting impact on Delta was that it was Delta’s entrée into Boston and points north\, plus the Northeast to Florida routes, and routes to Bermuda and Bahamas. These are the bits that Delta wanted. This was the origin of Delta’s presence in these markets. Northeast also contributed the [[Boeing 727-100]] and [[727-200]] to Delta's fleet, types Delta did not operate prior to acquiring Northeast. Delta used these types as the workhorses of their fleet in the 1970s and 1980s and at one time was the world's largest operator of the Boeing 727-200.<ref>http://www.delta.com, Delta Museum, Delta's 85 Years of Service, Aircraft By Type</ref>

==Destinations==
Northeast Airlines served the following destinations during its existence:<ref>{{cite web|title=Northeast Airlines June 1, 1969 System Timetable|url=http://www.departedflights.com/NE060169intro.html|publisher=DepartedFlights.com|access-date=6 September 2013}}</ref>

===Domestic===
{{div col}}
*[[California]]
**[[Los Angeles]] – [[Los Angeles International Airport]]
*[[Connecticut]]
**[[Hartford, Connecticut|Hartford]] – [[Bradley International Airport]]
**[[New London, Connecticut|New London]] – [[Groton–New London Airport]]*
*[[District of Columbia]]/[[Virginia]]
**[[Washington, D.C.]] – [[Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport]]
*[[Florida]]
**[[Fort Lauderdale, Florida|Fort Lauderdale]] – [[Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport]]
**[[Jacksonville, Florida|Jacksonville]] – [[Imeson Airport]]*
**[[Miami]] – [[Miami International Airport]]
**[[Tampa, Florida|Tampa]] – [[Tampa International Airport]]
*[[Illinois]]
**[[Chicago]] – [[Chicago Midway International Airport]]
*[[Maine]]
**[[Auburn, Maine|Auburn/Lewiston]] – [[Auburn/Lewiston Municipal Airport]]*
**[[Augusta, Maine|Augusta]] – [[Augusta State Airport]]
**[[Bangor, Maine|Bangor]] – [[Bangor International Airport]]
**[[Bar Harbor, Maine|Bar Harbor]] – [[Hancock County–Bar Harbor Airport]]
**[[Caribou, Maine|Caribou]] – [[Caribou Municipal Airport]]*
**[[Houlton, Maine|Houlton]] – [[Houlton International Airport]]*
**[[Machias, Maine|Machias/Calais]] – [[Machias Valley Airport]]*
**[[Millinocket, Maine|Millnocket]] – [[Millinocket Municipal Airport]]*
**[[Portland, Maine|Portland]] – [[Portland International Jetport]]
**[[Presque Isle, Maine|Presque Isle]] – [[Northern Maine Regional Airport at Presque Isle]]
**[[Rockland, Maine|Rockland]] – [[Knox County Regional Airport]]
**[[Waterville, Maine|Waterville]] – [[Waterville Robert LaFleur Airport]]
*[[Maryland]]
**[[Baltimore]] – [[Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport]]
*[[Massachusetts]]
**[[Boston]] – [[Boston Logan International Airport]] ('''Hub''')
**[[Fall River, Massachusetts|Fall River]] – [[Fall River Municipal Airport]]*
**[[Martha's Vineyard]] – [[Martha's Vineyard Airport]]
**[[Fitchburg, Massachusetts|Fitchburg]] – [[Fitchburg Municipal Airport]]*
**[[Hyannis, Massachusetts|Hyannis]] – [[Barnstable Municipal Airport]]
**[[Lawrence, Massachusetts|Lawrence]] – [[Lawrence Municipal Airport (Massachusetts)|Lawrence Municipal Airport]]*
**[[Nantucket, Massachusetts|Nantucket]] – [[Nantucket Memorial Airport]]
**[[New Bedford, Massachusetts|New Bedford]] – [[New Bedford Regional Airport]]
**[[Springfield, Massachusetts|Springfield]] – [[Westover Metropolitan Airport|Metropolitan Airport]]*
**[[Worcester, Massachusetts|Worcester]] – [[Worcester Regional Airport]]
*[[Michigan]]
**[[Detroit]] – [[Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport]]
*[[New Hampshire]]
**[[Berlin, New Hampshire|Berlin]] – [[Berlin Regional Airport]]*
**[[Concord, New Hampshire|Concord]] – [[Concord Municipal Airport]]*
**[[Keene, New Hampshire|Keene]] – [[Dillant-Hopkins Airport]]*
**[[Laconia, New Hampshire|Laconia]] – [[Laconia Municipal Airport]]*
**[[Lebanon, New Hampshire|Lebanon/White River Jct.]] – [[Lebanon Municipal Airport (New Hampshire)|Lebanon Municipal Airport]]
**[[Manchester, New Hampshire|Manchester]] – [[Grenier Field]]
*[[New Jersey]]
**[[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]] – [[Newark Liberty International Airport]]
*[[New York (state)|New York]]
**[[New York City]]
***[[John F. Kennedy International Airport]] ('''Hub''')
***[[LaGuardia Airport]]
*[[Ohio]]
**[[Cleveland]] – [[Cleveland Hopkins International Airport]]
*[[Pennsylvania]]
**[[Philadelphia]] – [[Philadelphia International Airport]]
*[[Rhode Island]]
**[[Providence, Rhode Island|Providence]] – [[North Central State Airport|Pawtucket-Providence North Central Airport]]*
*[[Vermont]]
**[[Burlington, Vermont|Burlington]] – [[Burlington International Airport]]
**[[Montpelier, Vermont|Montpelier/Barre]] – [[Edward F. Knapp State Airport]]*
**[[Newport (city), Vermont|Newport]] – [[Newport State Airport (Vermont)|Newport State Airport]]*
{{div col end}}

===International===
{{div col}}
*[[Bahamas]]
**[[Freeport, The Bahamas|Freeport]] – [[Grand Bahama International Airport]]
**[[Nassau, The Bahamas|Nassau]] – [[Lynden Pindling International Airport]]
**[[West End, Bahamas|West End]] – [[West End Airport]]*<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.departedflights.com/NE0871.html | title=Northeast Airlines August 1971 Route Map }}</ref>
*[[Bermuda]]
**[[L.F. Wade International Airport]]
*Canada
**[[New Brunswick]]
***[[Moncton, New Brunswick|Moncton]] – [[Greater Moncton Roméo LeBlanc International Airport]]
***[[Saint John, New Brunswick|Saint John]] – [[Saint John Airport]]
**[[Nova Scotia]]
***[[Halifax, Nova Scotia|Halifax]] – [[Halifax Stanfield International Airport]]
**[[Quebec]]
***[[Montréal]] – [[Montréal–Dorval International Airport]]
{{div col end}}

''An asterisk (*) denotes this airport is no longer served by scheduled air service.''

==Fleet==
{{col div}}
'''Prop Aircraft'''

*[[Douglas DC-3]]
*[[Douglas DC-6]] ''("A" and "B" models)''
*[[Convair 240]]
*[[Curtiss C-46 Commando|Curtiss C-46]] - one aircraft acquired in 1954<ref name=":1" />

'''Turboprop Aircraft'''

*[[Bristol Britannia]] ''(ordered but not delivered to the airline)''
*[[Fairchild Hiller FH-227]]
*[[Vickers Viscount]] 798 ''(operated until repossessed by [[Vickers]])''

'''Jet Aircraft'''

*[[Boeing 707]] (''leased from [[Trans World Airlines]] ([[TWA]]))''
*[[Boeing 727-100]]
*[[Boeing 727-200]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Aircraft By Type |url=https://www.deltamuseum.org/exhibits/delta-history/aircraft-by-type/jet/boeing-727 |website=www.deltamuseum.org |access-date=6 September 2020}}</ref>
*[[Convair 880]]
*[[Convair 990]]
*[[Douglas DC-9-15]]
*[[McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31]]
*[[Lockheed L-1011]] ''(ordered but not delivered to the airline)''

{{col div end}}

==Accidents and incidents==
A series of crashes damaged the airline's image:
* On 27 August 1931, a [[Sikorsky S-41|Sikorsky S.41B]] (NC41V) on a Boston-Maine Airways flight from [[Halifax, Nova Scotia|Halifax]] to [[Boston]], with a stop in [[Portland, Maine|Portland]], ditched in the Atlantic off of [[Gloucester, Massachusetts]]. The pilot had been forced to descend to maintain visibility in thick fog and decided to ditch the plane, tearing a hole in the left pontoon. A fishing schooner rescued all but 1 of the 13 occupants from the wing, and the plane sank.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ranter |first=Harro |title=ASN Aircraft accident Sikorsky S.41B NC41V Gloucester, MA |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19310827-0 |access-date=2022-03-18 |website=aviation-safety.net}}</ref>
* On 11 August 1949 Portland, Maine — Convair CV-240-13<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/336355|title=ASN Aircraft accident Convair CV-240-13 NC91241 Portland Airport, ME (PWM)}}</ref>
* On 30 November 1954, Northeast Airlines Flight 792 crashed on approach to [[Berlin Regional Airport]], with two fatalities.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19541130-0|title=ASN Aircraft accident Douglas DC-3A N17891 Berlin Airport, NH (BML)}}</ref>
* On 1 February 1957, [[Northeast Airlines Flight 823]] crashed shortly after takeoff from [[New York City]]'s [[LaGuardia Airport]], with 20 fatalities.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19570201-0|title=ASN Aircraft accident Douglas DC-6A N34954 Rikers Island, NY}}</ref>
* On 15 September 1957, [[Northeast Airlines Flight 285]] crashed on approach to [[New Bedford Regional Airport]], killing 12 of the 24 passengers and crew.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19570915-0|title=ASN Aircraft accident Douglas C-53-DO (DC-3) N34417 New Bedford, MA}}</ref>
* On 15 August 1958, [[Northeast Airlines Flight 258]] crashed on approach to [[Nantucket Memorial Airport]], killing 25 of the 34 passengers and crew.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19580815-1|title=ASN Aircraft accident Convair CV-240-2 N90670 Nantucket Memorial Airport, MA (ACK)}}</ref>
* On 15 November 1961, [[Vickers Viscount]] N6592C was written off when it collided with [[Douglas DC-6]] N8228H of [[National Airlines (NA)|National Airlines]] after landing at [[Logan International Airport]]. The DC-6 had started to take off without receiving clearance.<ref name=ASN1511661a>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19611115-1|title=Accident description|publisher=Aviation Safety Network|access-date=2 October 2009}}</ref><ref name=ASN151161b>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19611115-0|title=Accident description|publisher=Aviation Safety Network|access-date=2 October 2009}}</ref>
* On 25 October 1968, [[Northeast Airlines Flight 946]] crashed on approach to [[Lebanon Municipal Airport (New Hampshire)|Lebanon Municipal Airport]], killing 32 of the 42 passengers and crew.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19681025-2|title=ASN Aircraft accident Fairchild FH-227C N380NE Lebanon Airport, NH (LEB)}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Air New England (1970–1981)]]
* [[List of defunct airlines of the United States]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}

{{Portal bar|United States|Companies|Aviation}}
{{Airlines of the United States|state=collapsed}}
{{Delta Air Lines}}
{{Defunct airlines of the United States}}
{{Maine Central}}

[[Category:Northeast Airlines| ]]
[[Category:Defunct airlines of the United States]]
[[Category:Airlines based in Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Delta Air Lines]]
[[Category:Pan Am]]
[[Category:Defunct companies based in Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Airlines established in 1931]]
[[Category:Airlines disestablished in 1972]]
[[Category:American companies established in 1931]]
[[Category:1931 establishments in Maine]]
[[Category:1931 establishments in Massachusetts]]
[[Category:1972 disestablishments in Massachusetts]]

Texas International Airlines

2025-06-29T10:58:10Z

182.232.34.176:

{{Short description|Defunct airline of the United States (1944–1982)}}
{{More citations needed|date=February 2009}}
{{Infobox airline
| airline = Texas International Airlines
| logo = Texas_International_Airlines_Logo,_January_1981.svg
| logo_size =
| IATA = TI
| ICAO = TIA
| callsign = TEXAS INTERNATIONAL
| founded = {{start date|1944||}} {{small|(as ''Aviation Enterprises'')}}
| commenced =
| ceased = {{end date|1982|10|31}} {{small|(merged into [[Continental Airlines]])}}
| aoc =
| hubs = {{ubl|class=nowrap
| [[Robert Mueller Municipal Airport|Austin–Mueller]]
| [[Dallas Fort Worth International Airport|Dallas/Fort Worth]] {{small|(1973–1982)}}
| [[Dallas Love Field|Dallas–Love]]
| [[William P. Hobby Airport|Houston–Hobby]]
| [[George Bush Intercontinental Airport|Houston–Intercontinental]] {{small|(1969–1982)}}}}
| secondary_hubs =
| focus_cities =
| frequent_flyer = Payola Pass
| alliance =
| subsidiaries =
| fleet_size =
| destinations =
| parent = {{nowrap|[[Texas Air Corporation]] {{small|(1980–1982)}}}}
| headquarters = [[Houston]], [[Texas]], [[United States|U.S.]]
| key_people = [[Frank Lorenzo]]
| website =
}}

'''Texas International Airlines Inc.''' was a [[local service carrier]], a scheduled airline in the United States, known from 1940 until 1947 as '''Aviation Enterprises''',<ref>{{cite web | url = https://airlinehistory.co.uk/airline/aviation-enterprises/ | title = Aviation Enterprises | publisher = Airline History | access-date = 8 April 2020}}</ref> until 1969 as '''Trans-Texas Airways''' ('''TTA'''), and as '''Texas International Airlines''' until 1982, when it merged with [[Continental Airlines]]. It was headquartered near [[William P. Hobby Airport]] in [[Houston]], Texas.<ref>''World Airline Directory''. Flight International. March 20, 1975. "[http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1975/1975%20-%200567.html 505]. "Head Office: PO Box 12788. 8437 Lockheed, Houston, Texas 77017, USA."</ref>

Trans-Texas Airways originally operated in Texas and surrounding states.<ref>timetableimages.com, August 1968 Trans-Texas Airways system timetable</ref> In August 1953, it scheduled flights to 36 airports from [[El Paso, Texas|El Paso]] to [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]]; in May 1968, TTA flew to 48 U.S. airports plus [[Monterrey]], [[Tampico]] and [[Veracruz]] in Mexico. The airline changed its name to Texas International and continued to grow.

When Texas International was merged into Continental Airlines in 1982, it had grown to reach [[Baltimore]], [[Colorado Springs, Colorado|Colorado Springs]], [[Denver]], [[Fort Lauderdale, Florida|Fort Lauderdale]], [[Hartford, Connecticut|Hartford]], [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]], [[Los Angeles]], [[Ontario, California|Ontario CA]]., [[Mexico City]], [[Milwaukee]], [[Minneapolis–Saint Paul|Minneapolis/St. Paul]], [[Omaha, Nebraska|Omaha]], [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]], [[St. Louis]], [[Salt Lake City]], [[Tucson, Arizona|Tucson]], and [[Washington, D.C.|Washington, DC]], and had an all-[[DC-9]] jet fleet.<ref>departedflights.com; April 1, 1981 Official Airline Guide (OAG), North American edition</ref><ref>departedflights.com, June 1, 1982 Continental/Texas International joint timetable</ref> In 2010, Continental merged into [[United Airlines]].

==History==
[[File:Welcome Aboard! A Typical Trans-Texas Airways Hostess (cropped).jpg|thumb|Promotional postcard for Trans-Texas Airways]]
{{pax
| note = (scheduled flights only, domestic plus international)
| footnotes = <ref>Handbook of Airline Statistics (biannual CAB publication)</ref>
| 1951 | 17
| 1955 | 35
| 1960 | 70
| 1965 | 209
| 1970 | 659
| 1975 | 580<ref>Shut down by strike until 4 April; sched RPMs were 947 million in 1976.</ref>
}}
In 1949, all Trans-Texas Airways flights were operated within the state of [[Texas]] with [[Douglas DC-3]]s which the airline called "Starliners".<ref>timetableimages.com, Nov. 1, 1949 Trans-Texas timetable</ref> In November 1949, it served [[Alpine, Texas|Alpine]], [[Beaumont, Texas|Beaumont]]/[[Port Arthur, Texas|Port Arthur]], [[Beeville, Texas|Beeville]], [[Brownsville, Texas|Brownsville]], [[Brownwood, Texas|Brownwood]], [[Carrizo Springs, Texas|Carrizo Springs]]/[[Crystal City, Texas|Crystal City]], [[Coleman, Texas|Coleman]], [[Dallas]] ([[Dallas Love Field|Love Field]]), [[Del Rio, Texas|Del Rio]], [[Eagle Pass, Texas|Eagle Pass]], [[El Paso, Texas|El Paso]], [[Fort Stockton, Texas|Fort Stockton]], [[Fort Worth, Texas|Fort Worth]], [[Galveston, Texas|Galveston]], [[Harlingen, Texas|Harlingen]], [[Houston]] ([[Hobby Airport]]), [[Laredo, Texas|Laredo]], [[Lufkin, Texas|Lufkin]], [[Marfa, Texas|Marfa]], [[McAllen, Texas|McAllen]], [[Palestine, Texas|Palestine]], [[San Angelo, Texas|San Angelo]], [[San Antonio]], [[Uvalde, Texas|Uvalde]], [[Van Horn, Texas|Van Horn]], and [[Victoria, Texas|Victoria]].<ref>timetableimages.com, Nov. 1, 1949 Trans-Texas route map</ref>

The network expanded to Memphis and Marshall in 1953, Lafayette in 1956, New Orleans and Jackson in 1959, into Mexico in 1967, and to Denver in 1969. In late 1963 the carrier added 13 new cities by taking over service formerly operated by [[Continental Airlines]]. These cities included Albuquerque, Carlsbad, Clovis, Hobbs, Roswell, and Santa Fe in New Mexico as well as Abilene, Amarillo, Big Spring, College Station, Lubbock, Temple, and Waco in Texas.<ref>Trans Texas Airways timetable, October 15, 1963</ref>

About April 1961, [[Convair 240]]s formerly operated by [[American Airlines]] began carrying Trans-Texas passengers; the airline later converted them to [[Convair 600]]s, replacing the piston engines with [[Rolls-Royce Dart]] turboprop engines. These turboprop powered Convair aircraft were referred to by the airline as the "Jet Powered TTa Silver Cloud 600".<ref>[https://www.timetableimages.com/i-t/ti/6603a.jpg Time Tables]</ref> First scheduled CV-600 flights were in March 1966. Small [[Beechcraft C99]] commuter turboprops were later added to serve the smaller cities of Longview, Lufkin, Galveston, Tyler and Victoria (the last DC-3 flight was in 1968).
[[File:Texas International Airlines McDonnell Douglas DC-9-15MC Silagi-1.jpg|thumb|A Texas International Airlines [[Douglas DC-9|DC-9-15]] at [[Los Angeles International Airport]]]]

In October 1966, Trans-Texas Airways introduced the [[Douglas DC-9-10]] (which the airline marketed as the "Pamper-jet")<ref>timetableimages.com, Oct. 20, 1966 Trans-Texas timetable</ref> with its jet fleet subsequently being expanded to nineteen DC-9-10s and seven [[McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30]]s. By 1968, TTa was flying DC-9s to Beaumont/Port Arthur; Harlingen; [[Hot Springs, Arkansas]], [[Lake Charles, Louisiana]]; [[Roswell, New Mexico]], and [[Santa Fe, New Mexico]] in addition to larger cities in its route system.<ref>timetableimages.com, August 1968 Trans-Texas timetable</ref> DC-9's briefly flew to [[Clovis, New Mexico]], [[Carlsbad, New Mexico]], and [[Hobbs, New Mexico]] in 1977.<ref>Texas International June 1, 1977 timetable</ref> Also, in 1977, Texas International became the first airline to ban cigar and pipe smoking onboard.

[[File:CV-600 N94253 Texas Intl. F0 A17-4-b.jpg|thumb|A Texas International Airlines Convair CV-600 at [[Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport|Dallas/Fort Worth]], 1973]]
Trans-Texas was derisively called "Tree Top Airlines," "Tinker Toy Airlines", and "Teeter-Totter Airlines"<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.houstonarchitecture.com/haif/topic/25945-trans-texas-airlines-service-1949/|title=Trans Texas Airlines service (1949) |author=Michelle C |date=March 23, 2014 |access-date=May 11, 2016}}</ref> by competitors and cynical customers. When it changed its name to Texas International Airlines in April 1969,<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Air Progress|date=August 1989|page=76|author=Nock Komos}}</ref> the company ran newspaper ads showing a Tinker Toy airplane flying along treetops. The copy read "No More Tinker Toys. No More Treetops. We are now Texas International Airlines." As Texas International, the airline standardized on the [[DC-9]] and [[Convair 600]]. The last Convair 600 flights were in 1979 and Texas International became all-jet with DC-9-10s and DC-9-30s.

In 1970, Texas International served: [[Abilene, Texas|Abilene]], [[Amarillo, Texas|Amarillo]], [[Austin, Texas|Austin]], [[Beaumont, Texas|Beaumont]]/[[Port Arthur, Texas|Port Arthur]], [[Big Spring, Texas|Big Spring]], [[Brownwood, Texas|Brownwood]], [[Bryan, Texas|Bryan]]/[[College Station, Texas|College Station]], [[Corpus Christi, Texas|Corpus Christi]], [[Dallas]]/[[Fort Worth, Texas|Ft. Worth]], [[El Paso, Texas|El Paso]], [[Galveston, Texas|Galveston]], [[Harlingen, Texas|Harlingen]], [[Houston]], [[Laredo, Texas|Laredo]], [[Longview, Texas|Longview]], [[Lubbock, Texas|Lubbock]], [[Lufkin, Texas|Lufkin]], [[McAllen, Texas|McAllen]], [[Midland, Texas|Midland]]/[[Odessa, Texas|Odessa]], [[San Angelo, Texas|San Angelo]], [[San Antonio]], [[Temple, Texas|Temple]], [[Tyler, Texas|Tyler]], [[Victoria, Texas|Victoria]], [[Waco, Texas|Waco]], and [[Wichita Falls, Texas]].<ref name="auto1">departedflights.com, July 1, 1970 Texas International route map</ref>

Outside of Texas in 1970, Texas International flew to '''[[Arkansas]]''' ([[El Dorado, Arkansas|El Dorado]], [[Hot Springs, Arkansas|Hot Springs]], [[Jonesboro, Arkansas|Jonesboro]], [[Little Rock, Arkansas|Little Rock]], [[Pine Bluff, Arkansas|Pine Bluff]] and [[Texarkana, Arkansas|Texarkana]]); '''[[California]]''' ([[Los Angeles]]); '''[[Colorado]],''' ([[Denver]]); '''[[Louisiana]]''' ([[Alexandria, Louisiana|Alexandria]], [[Baton Rouge, Louisiana|Baton Rouge]], [[Fort Polk]], [[Lafayette, Louisiana|Lafayette]], [[Lake Charles, Louisiana|Lake Charles]], [[Monroe, Louisiana|Monroe]], [[New Orleans]] and [[Shreveport, Louisiana|Shreveport]]); '''[[Mississippi]]''' ([[Jackson, Mississippi|Jackson]]); '''[[New Mexico]]''' ([[Albuquerque, New Mexico|Albuquerque]], [[Carlsbad, New Mexico|Carlsbad]], [[Clovis, New Mexico|Clovis]], [[Hobbs, New Mexico|Hobbs]], [[Roswell, New Mexico|Roswell]] and [[Santa Fe, New Mexico|Santa Fe]]); '''[[Tennessee]]''' ([[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]]); and '''[[Utah]]''' ([[Salt Lake City]]). In '''Mexico''' flights reached [[Monterrey]], [[Tampico, Tamaulipas|Tampico]], [[Mérida, Yucatán|Mérida]] and [[Veracruz, Veracruz|Veracruz]].<ref name="auto1"/> The airline had several "milk run" flights, such as flight 904, a DC-9-10 that left Los Angeles at 11:00 a.m. and stopped in Albuquerque, Roswell, Midland/Odessa, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Houston, and Beaumont/Port Arthur, before arriving in Lafayette at 8:34 p.m.<ref>Feb. 1, 1976 Official Airline Guide, North American edition</ref>

After suffering annual losses of up to $3 million, Texas International was acquired in 1972 by Jet Capital Corporation headed by 32-year-old [[Frank Lorenzo]]. The airline quickly realized a $6 million profit, largely due to wage cuts spearheaded by Lorenzo and sharp marketing efforts.

In the mid-1970s, in response to competition from [[Southwest Airlines]], Texas International successfully petitioned the [[Civil Aeronautics Board]] to allow discounted fares. These fares become a staple of the airline and were advertised as "Peanuts Fares".<ref>departedflights.com, July 15, 1981 Texas International route map</ref> In spring 1978, the airline was flying nonstop between Dallas/Ft. Worth (DFW) and both [[Houston Intercontinental Airport]] (IAH) and [[Houston Hobby Airport]] (HOU), up to 18 round trip DC-9 flights a day, all with "Peanut Fares".<ref name="auto">{{Cite web |title=March 15, 1978 Texas International timetable |url=http://www.departedflights.com/ |access-date=2025-06-06 |website=www.departedflights.com}}</ref> The Texas International March 15, 1978 timetable advertised "Peanut Fares" in other markets as well.<ref name="auto"/>

The first modern frequent-flyer program was created at Texas International Airlines in 1979 called "Payola Passes."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://thetravelinsider.info/airlinemismanagement/airlinederegulation2.htm|title=A History of US Airline Deregulation Part 4 : 1979 - 2010 : The Effects of Deregulation - Lower Fares, More Travel, Frequent Flier Programs|author=David M Rowell|date=August 13, 2010|publisher=The Travel Insider|access-date=September 21, 2010|archive-date=August 16, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100816114115/http://www.thetravelinsider.info/airlinemismanagement/airlinederegulation2.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> Lacking the computer resources of their larger competitors, Texas International was overtaken by [[American Airlines|American]]'s introduction of [[AAdvantage]] in May 1981.

On June 11, 1980, Lorenzo established a [[holding company]], [[Texas Air Corporation]], for Texas International and [[New York Air|New York Air, the first holding company in the airline industry.]]<ref>{{cite news |title=Hard Landings: the epic contest for power and profits that plunged the airlines into chaos |author=Thomas Petzinger |year=1995 |publisher=Times Business}}</ref> Texas Air then acquired [[Continental Airlines]] in 1982 and merged Continental and Texas International on October 31, 1982, under the former's name. The last Texas International aircraft were seen in 1983.

Today's successor to Trans-Texas Airways and Texas International is [[United Airlines]], which merged with Continental in 2010. United currently operates a large hub at [[Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport]] (IAH), a former hub for Texas International. The [[Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport]] (DFW) was also a hub for Texas International before its merger with Continental.<ref>departedflights.com, July 15, 1981 Texas International timetable map</ref>

==Fleet==

''World Airline Fleets 1979'' (copyright 1978) lists the following for Texas International:<ref name="fleets79">{{cite book|title=World Airline Fleets 1979|last=Endres|first=Günter G.|date=1979 |publisher=Airline Publications and Sales|location=Hounslow (UK)|pages=278–279|isbn=0905117530|url=https://archive.org/details/worldairlineflee0000unse}}</ref>
{{col div}}
*15 DC-9-14
*4 DC-9-15
*6 DC-9-31
*1 DC-9-32
*3 CV-600
{{col div end}}

Over the years, Texas International Airlines operated the following aircraft:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aerobernie.bplaced.net/Trans-Texas.html|title=Texas International|website=Aerobernie.bplaced.net|access-date=April 12, 2023}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:0.5em auto; text-align:center"
|-
!Aircraft
!Total
!Introduced
!Retired
!Notes
|-
|[[Beechcraft Model 99]]
|5
|1969
|1978
|
|-
|[[Convair CV-600]]
|27
|1961
|1979
|Turboprop conversion from the piston-powered Convair CV-240
|-
|[[Douglas C-47 Skytrain]]
|9
|1948
|1968
|
|-
|[[Douglas DC-3]]
|14
|1947
|1969
|
|-
|[[McDonnell Douglas DC-9-10]]
|20
|1966
|rowspan=3|1982
|
|-
|[[McDonnell Douglas DC-9|McDonnell Douglas DC-9-10MC]]
|5
|1967
|
|-
|[[McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30]]
|30
|1969
|
|-
|}

===Livery===
Following the name change to Texas International, the airline's early livery consisted of a dark purple [[cheatline]] above the windows leading up into three branches on the tail, which in 1973 was changed to a thick red cheatline across the windows on a white fuselage, along with a Columbia blue cheatline with a large white star on a blue tail.

==Accidents==
* On February 6, 1969, Douglas DC-9-15MC N1304T collided in midair with a small, single engined [[Piper PA-28]] aircraft over Harlingen, Texas; the Piper crashed, seriously injuring the pilot; the DC-9 landed safely with no casualties to the 59 on board.<ref>{{ASN accident|title= N1304T|id= 19690206-1|access-date= 2014-12-11}}</ref>
* On September 27, 1973, [[Texas International Airlines Flight 655|Flight 655]], a Convair 600, crashed in Arkansas while on a scheduled passenger/cargo flight from El Dorado, Arkansas, to Texarkana, Arkansas; all 11 on board died. This accident was the only fatal accident involving the airline, as well as the only fatal accident involving the Convair 600.
* On November 16, 1976, Flight 987, a Douglas DC-9-14 (N9104) overran the runway and crashed on takeoff from Denver [[Stapleton International Airport]] (DEN) due to an unexplained malfunction of the stall warning system; all 86 on board survived, but the aircraft was written off.<ref>{{ASN accident|title= N9104|id= 19761116-0|access-date= 2014-12-11}}</ref>
* On March 17, 1980, Douglas DC-9-14 N9103 overran the runway while landing in rain at Baton Rouge Ryan Airport (BTR) due to pilot and ATC errors; all 50 on board survived, but the aircraft was written off.<ref>{{ASN accident|title= N9103|id= 19800317-0|access-date= 2014-12-11}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of defunct airlines of the United States]]
* [[Texas Air Corporation]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* "[http://www.cah.utexas.edu/db/dmr/image_lg.php?variable=e_bb_2414 Trans Texas Airlines, no. 13620; Aircraft]." [[Dolph Briscoe Center for American History]], [[University of Texas at Austin]]. Bailey (Bob) Studios. May 24, 1949.

{{Portal bar|United States|Texas|Companies|Aviation}}
{{Airlines of the United States|state=collapsed}}
{{Legacy carrier}}
{{United Airlines Holdings}}

[[Category:United Airlines| ]]
[[Category:Defunct companies based in Texas]]
[[Category:Airlines established in 1944]]
[[Category:Airlines disestablished in 1982]]
[[Category:Airlines based in Texas]]
[[Category:American companies established in 1944]]
[[Category:Defunct regional airlines of the United States]]
[[Category:American companies disestablished in 1982]]
[[Category:1944 establishments in Texas]]
[[Category:1982 disestablishments in Texas]]

North Central Airlines

2025-06-29T10:57:12Z

182.232.34.176:

{{Short description|Defunct airline of the United States (1944–1979)}}
{{Infobox airline
| airline = North Central Airlines
| logo = North_Central_Airlines_Logo,_April_1979.svg
| logo_size = 250
| alt =
| IATA = NC
| ICAO = NC
| callsign = NORTH CENTRAL
| founded = {{start date|1944||}} {{small|(as ''Wisconsin Central Airlines'')}}
| commenced = {{start date|1952||}} {{small|(as ''North Central Airlines'')}}
| ceased = {{end date|1979|07|01}} {{small|(merged with [[Southern Airways]] to become [[Republic Airlines (1979–1986)|Republic Airlines]])}}
| aoc =
| bases =
| hubs = {{ubl|class=nowrap
| [[Chicago O'Hare International Airport|Chicago–O'Hare]]
| [[Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport|Detroit]]
| [[Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport|Milwaukee]]
| [[Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport|Minneapolis/St. Paul]]}}
| secondary_hubs =
| focus_cities =
| frequent_flyer =
| lounge =
| alliance =
| subsidiaries =
| fleet_size =
| destinations =
| parent =
| headquarters = {{ubl|class=nowrap
| [[Clintonville, Wisconsin|Clintonville]], [[Wisconsin]] {{small|(1944–1947)}}
| [[Madison, Wisconsin|Madison]], Wisconsin {{small|(1947–1952)}}
| [[Minneapolis, Minnesota|Minneapolis]], [[Minnesota]] {{small|(1952–1979)}}}}
| key_people = {{ubl|
| Francis Higgins ([[President (corporate title)|President]])
| Hal Carr ([[Vice President]])}}
| website =
}}

[[File:Douglas DC-3, Wisconsin Central Airlines JP6994441.jpg|thumb|Wisconsin Central Airlines Douglas DC-3]]

'''North Central Airlines''' was a [[local service carrier]], a scheduled airline in the [[Midwestern United States]]. Founded as '''Wisconsin Central Airlines''' in 1944 in [[Clintonville, Wisconsin]], the company moved to [[Madison, Wisconsin|Madison]] in 1947. This is also when the "Herman the duck" logo was born on Wisconsin Central's first [[Lockheed Model 10 Electra|Lockheed Electra 10A]], NC14262, in 1948.<ref>''World Airline Directory''. Flight International. March 20, 1975."[http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1975/1975%20-%200560.html 482].</ref> North Central's headquarters were moved to [[Minneapolis–St. Paul]] in 1952.<ref>"World Airline Directory." ''[[Flight International]]''. 22 April 1978. p. [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1978/1978%20-%200669.html?search=%22North%20Central%22 1181]. "Head Office: 7500 Northliner Drive, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55450, USA."</ref>

Following a merger with [[Southern Airways]] in 1979, North Central became [[Republic Airlines (1979–1986)|Republic Airlines]], which in turn was merged into [[Northwest Airlines]] in 1986. Northwest Airlines was then merged into [[Delta Air Lines]] in 2010.

==History==
===Wisconsin Central Airlines===
In 1939 the [[Four Wheel Drive]] Auto Company (FWD), a major manufacturer of [[transmission (mechanics)|four-wheel transmissions]] and [[truck|heavy-duty trucks]] based in [[Clintonville, Wisconsin]], opened a flight department and traded a company truck for a [[Waco Aircraft Company|Waco]] [[biplane]] for their company's use.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nwa.com/corpinfo/upclose/1930.shtml|title=Northwest Airlines nwa.com – About Northwest – NWA Up Close|website=www.nwa.com|access-date=26 June 2017}}</ref> In 1944 company executives decided to start an [[airline]] named '''Wisconsin Central Airlines''', and service started among six [[Wisconsin]] cities in 1946. This led the company to buy two [[Cessna AT-17 Bobcat|Cessna UC-78 Bobcats]], and, soon after, three Lockheed Electra 10As. Certificated flights started with Electras to 19 airports on 25 February 1948; more revenue allowed three more Electra 10As, then six [[Douglas DC-3]]s.

===Post-Wisconsin Central history===
In [[1952 in aviation|1952]] the airline moved their [[headquarters]] from [[Wisconsin]] to [[Minneapolis, Minnesota]]; that December their name became North Central Airlines.<ref name=rtoftp>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=mEMxAAAAIBAJ&pg=7099%2C5313723 |newspaper=Milwaukee Sentinel |title=Right off the tape |date=February 17, 1953 |page=5, part 2}}</ref><ref>"[http://www.nwa.com/corpinfo/upclose/1950.shtml Northwest Historical Timeline 1950s]." [[Northwest Airlines]]. Retrieved on December 30, 2009.</ref> Soon the airline ran into financial trouble when President Francis Higgins left, making Hal Carr the president. Carr quickly got the company out of [[debt]] and made it more reliable. Over time the company expanded their fleet to 32 DC-3s.

===A growing airline===
{{pax|float=right
| note = (scheduled flights only)
| footnote = <ref>Handbook of Airline Statistics (biannual CAB publication)</ref>
| 1951 | 15
| 1955 | 67
| 1960 | 169
| 1965 | 268
| 1970 | 778
| 1975 | 1029
}}
In October 1952 Wisconsin Central scheduled flights to 28 airports, all west of Lake Michigan, from Chicago to Fargo and Grand Forks. It added Detroit in 1953, Omaha, and the Dakotas in 1959, Denver in 1969, and nonstop flights from Milwaukee to New York LaGuardia in 1970. It added five [[Convair 340]]s from [[Continental Airlines]] to its fleet of DC-3s, the first ones entering service in 1959. In 1960 North Central hit the one million passenger mark; in May 1968, it flew to 64 airports, including two in Canada. Turbine flights with [[Convair 580]] turboprops began in April 1967.<ref>''Aviation Week'' 20 March 1967</ref> The airline then initiated jet service 160 days later with new [[McDonnell Douglas DC-9]] series 30 aircraft in September 1967.<ref>"Ceiling Unlimited:
The Story of North Central Airlines" by Robert J. Serling, page 188, Walsworth Publishing Company</ref>
[[File:Douglas DC-9-31 N960N N.Central TOR 26.03.71l edited-2.jpg|thumb|left|North Central [[Douglas DC-9|DC-9]]-31 at Toronto's [[Toronto Pearson International Airport|Malton Airport]] in 1971]]

Like other local service airlines, North Central was subsidized; in 1962 its "revenue" of $27.2 million included $8.5 million "Pub. serv. rev."<ref>Moody's Transportation Manual 1964</ref>

The airline worked with the U.S. government to aid troubled airlines in South America. The first of five [[Douglas DC-9|Douglas DC-9-31]]s entered service in September 1967 and the piston-powered Convair 340s and Convair 440s were all converted to Convair 580s with turboprop engines; the airline also acquired more DC-9s and was operating 29 Convair 580s.<ref>Gradidge, 1997, p. 105</ref> The last DC-3 flight was early 1969; NC was the last local service carrier to use it.

In 1969 North Central Airlines moved its headquarters to the south side of [[Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport]]; in 2009 the building was the Building C Maintenance and Administrative Facility of [[Northwest Airlines]].<ref>"[http://www.nwa.com/corpinfo/upclose/1960.shtml Northwest Historical Timeline 1960's]." [[Northwest Airlines]]. Retrieved on December 30, 2009.</ref> It is now used by Delta Air Lines after its 2008 merger with Northwest.

The [[Civil Aeronautics Board|Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB)]] classified North Central as a "local service carrier," flying to cities in one region and feeding passengers to larger "trunk airlines" that flew nationwide. North Central eventually was allowed a few routes outside the Midwest: to Washington, D.C.-[[Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport|National]], New York-[[LaGuardia Airport|LaGuardia]], [[Logan International Airport|Boston]], [[Stapleton International Airport|Denver]], and [[Tucson International Airport|Tucson]]. After deregulation of the airline industry, North Central expanded and began operating [[McDonnell Douglas DC-9-50]]s, its largest jet aircraft type.

===Mergers===
North Central purchased Atlanta-based [[Southern Airways]] and the two airlines formed [[Republic Airlines (1979–1986)|Republic Airlines]] in July [[1979 in aviation|1979]], the first [[merger]] following [[Airline Deregulation Act|airline deregulation]].<ref name=ncsamok>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZHlQAAAAIBAJ&pg=3952,818124|newspaper=Milwaukee Sentinel|agency=UPI |title=North Central, Southern Airlines merger gets final OK from Carter|date=June 5, 1979|page=5-part 2}}</ref> Republic soon targeted [[San Francisco]]-based [[Hughes Airwest]] for acquisition,<ref name=reloaaw>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ImcaAAAAIBAJ&pg=6372,680158|newspaper=The Milwaukee Journal|title=Republic looking at Airwest|date=March 12, 1980|page=17}}</ref> and the deal was finalized in October [[1980 in aviation|1980]] for $38.5 million.<ref name=ratohawoct>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ESFTAAAAIBAJ&pg=4348,933691|newspaper=Deseret News|agency=UPI |title=Republic Airlines takes over Hughest Airwest on Oct. 1|date=September 18, 1980 |page=10B}}</ref> Saddled with debt from two acquisitions and new aircraft, the airline struggled in the early 1980s,<ref name=rfwlmv>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=i8AcAAAAIBAJ&pg=6761,3072865|newspaper=Milwaukee Journal|last=Sussman |first=Lawrence |title=Republic's financial woes leave Milwaukee vulnerable|date=December 15, 1981|page=12-part 2}}</ref> and even introduced a human [[mascot]] version of Herman the Duck.<ref name=dtiawta>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=8BoQAAAAIBAJ&pg=2756,1012604|newspaper= Free-Lance Star|agency=Associated Press|location=Fredericksburg, Virginia|title=Duck the issue? Airline promoters try anything|date=April 8, 1982|page=5}}</ref><ref name=tajohtd>{{cite web |url=https://www.tcdailyplanet.net/herman-the-duck/|publisher=Twin Cities Daily Planet |first=Lizzie |last=Ehrenhalt |agency=Minnesota Historical Society|title=The amazing journey of Herman the Duck, Minnesota's goofiest historic artifact|date=December 19, 2011}}</ref>

Republic kept North Central's hubs at Detroit and Minneapolis, and Southern's hub at Memphis. Within a few years, they closed the former Hughes Airwest hub at [[Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport|Phoenix]] and also largely dismantled the Hughes Airwest route network in the western U.S.; they also reduced North Central's sizeable station at [[O'Hare International Airport|Chicago-O'Hare]]. Southern's sizeable station was also reduced at [[Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport|Hartsfield]] at [[Atlanta]]. Republic also quickly downsized North Central's operations to and among smaller airports in the upper Midwest, concentrating their fleet at the Detroit and Minneapolis hubs.

In [[1986 in aviation|1986]], Republic merged with [[Northwest Airlines|Northwest Orient Airlines]],<ref name=nrmctlc>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=U_4lAAAAIBAJ&pg=4195%2C133082 |newspaper=Miami News |agency=Associated Press |title=Northwest-Republic merger creates third-largest carrier |date=August 1, 1986 |page=9A}}</ref> which was also headquartered at Minneapolis and had a large operation at Detroit, which ended the legacy of Wisconsin Central and North Central. Following the merger, the new airline became [[Northwest Airlines]] (dropping the "Orient"), which [[Delta Air Lines–Northwest Airlines merger|merged]] into [[Delta Air Lines]] in 2008. Once the [[Delta Air Lines–Northwest Airlines merger|merger]] was finalized in early 2010, the Northwest Airlines brand fully retired with the Delta Air Lines name surviving as the successor to North Central Airlines.

===Codes===
When North Central Airlines started operations, the company's ICAO code was "NOR"; this was later changed to "NCA". When ICAO went from three to two characters, North Central became "NC", the same as its IATA code.{{citation needed|date=November 2015}}

===Destinations in June 1979===
According to its June 8, 1979 system timetable, North Central was operating 130-passenger seat [[McDonnell Douglas DC-9-50]] and 100-passenger seat [[McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30]] jets as well as 48-passenger seat [[Convair 580]] turboprops with service to the following destinations in the U.S. and Canada shortly before the acquisition of and merger with [[Southern Airways]] was completed thus resulting in the formation of [[Republic Airlines]] in July 1979:<ref>{{Cite web |title=North Central Airlines Schedule June 8th 1979 |url=https://www.northwestairlineshistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/NOR-schedule-1979-06-08.pdf}}</ref>

'''Domestic U.S. destinations'''

* [[Aberdeen, South Dakota]] (ABR)
* [[Alpena, Michigan]] (APN)
* [[Atlanta, Georgia]] (ATL)
* [[Baltimore, Maryland]] (BWI)
* [[Beloit, Wisconsin|Beloit]] / [[Janesville, Wisconsin]] (JVL)
* [[Bemidji, Minnesota]] (BJI)
* [[Benton Harbor]] / [[St. Joseph, Michigan]] (BEH)
* [[Bismarck, ND|Bismarck]] / [[Mandan, North Dakota]] (BIS)
* [[Boston, Massachusetts]] (BOS)
* [[Brainerd, Minnesota]] (BRD)
* [[Brookings, South Dakota]] (BKX)
* [[Chicago, Illinois]] - [[O'Hare Airport]] (ORD) - '''hub'''
* [[Cincinnati, Ohio]] (CVG)
* [[Cleveland, Ohio]] (CLE)
* [[Columbus, Ohio]] (CMH)
* [[Dayton, Ohio]] (DAY)
* [[Denver, Colorado]] (DEN)
* [[Detroit, Michigan]] (DTW) - '''hub'''
* [[Devils Lake, North Dakota]] (DVL)
* [[Duluth, Minnesota]] / [[Superior, Wisconsin]] (DLH)
* [[Eau Claire, Wisconsin]] (EAU)
* [[Escanaba, Michigan]] (ESC)
* [[Fairmont, Minnesota]] (FRM)
* [[Fargo, North Dakota]] / [[Moorhead, Minnesota]] (FAR)
* [[Flint, Michigan]] (FNT)
* [[Fort Lauderdale, Florida]] (FLL)
* [[Grand Forks, North Dakota]] (GFK)
* [[Grand Rapids, Michigan]] (GRR)
* [[Green Bay, Wisconsin]] / [[Clintonville, Wisconsin]] (GRB)
* [[Hancock, Michigan|Hancock]] / [[Houghton, Michigan]] (CMX)
* [[Hibbing, Minnesota|Hibbing]] / [[Chisholm, Minnesota]] (HIB)
* [[Houston, Texas]] - [[Intercontinental Airport]] (IAH)
* [[Huron, South Dakota]] (HON)
* [[International Falls, Minnesota]] (INL)
* [[Iron Mountain, Michigan]] / [[Kingsford, Michigan]] (IMT)
* [[Ironwood, Michigan]] / [[Ashland, Wisconsin]] (IWD)
* [[Jackson, Michigan]] (JXN)
* [[Kalamazoo, Michigan]] / [[Battle Creek, Michigan]] (AZO)
* [[Kansas City, Missouri]] (MCI)
* [[La Crosse, Wisconsin]] (LSE)
* [[Lansing, Michigan]] (LAN)
* [[Madison, Wisconsin]] (MSN)
* [[Manistee, Michigan]] / [[Ludington, Michigan]] (MBL)
* [[Manitowoc, Wisconsin]] (MTW)
* [[Mankato, Minnesota]] (MKT)
* [[Marquette, Michigan]] (MQT)
* [[Menominee, Michigan]] / [[Marinette, Wisconsin]] (MNM)
* [[Miami, Florida]] (MIA)
* [[Milwaukee, Wisconsin]] (MKE) - '''hub'''
* [[Minneapolis, Minnesota|Minneapolis]] / [[St. Paul, Minnesota]] (MSP) - '''hub & headquarters'''
* [[Minot, North Dakota]] (MOT)
* [[Mitchell, South Dakota]] (MHE)
* [[Muskegon, Michigan]] (MKG)
* [[New York City, New York]] - [[LaGuardia Airport]] (LGA)
* [[Norfolk, Nebraska]] (OFK)
* [[Omaha, Nebraska]] (OMA)
* [[Oshkosh, Wisconsin]] (OSH)
* [[Pellston, Michigan]] (PLN)
* [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]] (PHL)
* [[Pierre, South Dakota]] (PIR)
* [[Rapid City, South Dakota]] (RAP)
* [[Rhinelander, Wisconsin|Rhinelander]] / [[Land O'Lakes, Wisconsin]] (RHI)
* [[Rochester, Minnesota]] (RST)
* [[Saginaw, Michigan|Saginaw]] / [[Bay City, Michigan|Bay City]] / [[Midland, Michigan]] (MBS)
* [[Sarasota, Florida|Sarasota]] / [[Bradenton, Florida]] (SRQ)
* [[Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan]] (CIU)
* [[Sioux City, IA]] (SUX)
* [[Sioux Falls, South Dakota]] (FSD)
* [[South Bend, Indiana]] (SBN)
* [[Syracuse, New York]] (SYR)
* [[Tampa, Florida|Tampa]] / [[St. Petersburg, Florida]] (TPA)
* [[Thief River Falls, Minnesota]] (TVF)
* [[Traverse City, Michigan]] (TVC)
* [[Tucson, Arizona]] (TUS)
* [[Washington, DC]] - [[National Airport]] (DCA)
* [[Watertown, South Dakota]] (ATY)
* [[Wausau, Wisconsin|Wausau]] / [[Stevens Point, Wisconsin]] (CWA)
* [[West Palm Beach, Florida]] (PBI)
* [[Worthington, Minnesota]] (OTG)
* [[Yankton, South Dakota]] (YKN)

'''Canadian destinations'''

* [[Thunder Bay, Ontario]] (YQT)
* [[Toronto, Ontario]] (YYZ)
* [[Winnipeg, Manitoba]] (YWG)

According to the route map in the aforementioned June 8, 1979 system timetable, North Central's network stretched from as far west as [[Tucson]] to as far east as [[Boston]] and as far north as [[Winnipeg]] to as far south as [[Miami]] with such cities as [[Atlanta]], [[Baltimore]], [[Chicago]], [[Cincinnati]], [[Cleveland]], [[Denver]], [[Detroit]], [[Fort Lauderdale]], [[Houston]], [[Kansas City]], [[Milwaukee]], [[Minneapolis]]/[[Saint Paul, Minnesota|St. Paul]], [[New York City]], [[Omaha]], [[Philadelphia]], [[Syracuse, New York|Syracuse]], [[Tampa]], [[Toronto]] and [[Washington D.C.]] also being served at this time.

==Fleet==
[[File:North Central Airlines CV-580 N4825C.jpg|thumb|300px|Two North Central CV-580 aircraft at Chicago's O'Hare Airport in 1973]]

{| class="toccolours" border="1" cellpadding="3" style="border-collapse:collapse; margin:auto; text-align:center"
|+ '''North Central Airlines historical fleet'''
|-style="background:#B1D1FC ;color:black;"
!Aircraft
!Total
!Introduced
!Retired
!Remark
|-
| [[Cessna AT-17 Bobcat|Cessna UC-78 Bobcat]] || 2 || 1946 || 1946 || NC51401, NC63662 operated by Wisconsin Central Airlines<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.hermantheduck.org/pages/aircraft%20section%20pages/paintschemes1.html#bobcat | title = Cessna Bobcat | publisher = hermantheduck.org | access-date = 18 August 2019}}</ref>
|-
| [[Lockheed Model 10 Electra]] || 6 || 1948 || 1951 || operated by Wisconsin Central Airlines<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.hermantheduck.org/pages/aircraft%20section%20pages/lockheed10A.html | title = Lockheed Model 10 Electra | publisher = hermantheduck.org | access-date = 18 August 2019}}</ref>
|-
| [[Douglas DC-3]] || 32 || 1951 || 1969 || <ref>{{cite web | url =http://www.hermantheduck.org/pages/aircraft%20section%20pages/dc3.html | title = Douglas DC-3 | publisher = hermantheduck.org | access-date = 18 August 2019}}</ref>
|-
| [[Convair CV-340]] / [[Convair CV-440]] || 34 || 1959 || 1969 || 32 aircraft were converted to Convair CV-580<ref>{{cite web | url =http://www.hermantheduck.org/pages/aircraft%20section%20pages/cv440.html | title = Convair 440 | publisher = hermantheduck.org | access-date = 18 August 2019}}</ref>
|-
| [[Convair CV-580]] || 35 || 1967 || 1979 || <ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.hermantheduck.org/pages/aircraft%20section%20pages/cv580.html | title = Convair 580 | publisher = hermantheduck.org | access-date = 18 August 2019}}</ref>
|-
| [[McDonnell Douglas DC-9#Series 30 versions|McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31]] || 22 || 1967 || 1979 || <ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.hermantheduck.org/pages/aircraft%20section%20pages/dc93.html | title = McDonnell Douglas DC-9 | publisher = hermantheduck.org | access-date = 18 August 2019}}</ref>
|-
| [[McDonnell Douglas DC-9#Series 50|McDonnell Douglas DC-9-51]] || 19 || 1976 || 1979 || <ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.hermantheduck.org/pages/aircraft%20section%20pages/dc93.html | title = McDonnell Douglas DC-9-51 | publisher = hermantheduck.org | access-date = 18 August 2019}}</ref>
|}

==Accidents and incidents==
* June 24, 1968: A North Central Airlines plane clipped a [[Guy-wire|guy wire]] on the {{convert|2032|ft|adj=on}} tower for KELO-TV ([[Sioux Falls, South Dakota]]). The tower in [[Rowena, South Dakota|Rowena]] was in service less than a year and was completely destroyed. Luckily, the plane landed safely with no injuries.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ntsb.gov/Pages/brief.aspx?ev_id=13191&key=0|title=Accident description for N4824C at NTSB|website=ntsb.gov|accessdate= December 20, 2024}}</ref>
* August 4, 1968: Flight 261, a [[Convair CV-580]], collided with a [[Cessna 150|Cessna 150F]] {{convert|11.5|mi|0}} southwest of [[Milwaukee General Mitchell International Airport|General Mitchell Airport]] in [[Milwaukee]]<ref name=mackt>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=O-opAAAAIBAJ&pg=6338%2C637262 |newspaper=Milwaukee Sentinel|title=Midair crash kills 3 near Mitchell Field|date=August 5, 1968|page=1-part 1}}</ref><ref name=usbtpmac>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=lEoaAAAAIBAJ&pg=4485%2C2174507|newspaper=The Milwaukee Journal|last=Williams|first=Edward D.|title=US begins to probe midair crash here|date=August 5, 1968|page=1-part 1}}</ref> at {{convert|2700|ft}}, as the northbound Convair from [[Chicago]] descended for an approach to the airport's runway 7R. The cabin section of the northwest-bound Cessna embedded itself in the Convair's forward baggage compartment. The Convair lost electrical power and the right engine was shut down due to a damaged propeller; the captain completed a successful emergency landing six minutes later. All three teenagers aboard the Cessna were killed and the first officer on the Convair was injured, but the other three crew and eight passengers were uninjured. Heavy insect debris which had accumulated on the Convair's cockpit windshield during the flight was cited as a contributing factor.<ref>{{cite web |title=NTSB Accident Report NTSB-AR-69-04, July 8, 1969, p. 1-2 |url=https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAR6904.pdf |access-date=26 June 2017}}</ref><ref name=bhvacps>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=lUoaAAAAIBAJ&pg=2081%2C2461184|newspaper=The Milwaukee Journal|title=Bugs hurt visibility, air crash pilot says|date=August 6, 1968|page=1-part 1}}</ref><ref name=hpcosc>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=POopAAAAIBAJ&pg=5855%2C854884|newspaper=Milwaukee Sentinel |last=Roesslein|first=Kenneth |title=Heroic pilot confident of safe landing|date=August 6, 1968|page=1-part 1}}</ref><ref name=macrsh>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=z0UxAAAAIBAJ&pg=7239%2C4205254 |work=Milwaukee Sentinel |last=Thien |first=Alex |title=Midair crash 'was avoidable' |date=November 21, 1968 |page=5, part 1}}</ref>
* December 27, 1968: [[North Central Airlines Flight 458|Flight 458]], a [[Convair CV-580]], crashed into a [[hangar]] while attempting to land at [[O'Hare International Airport]] at [[Chicago, Illinois]], killing 27 of the 45 people on board and killing one and injuring six people on the ground.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.airdisaster.com/cgi-bin/view_details.cgi?date=12271968&reg=N2045&airline=North+Central+Airlines|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090107052609/http://www.airdisaster.com/cgi-bin/view_details.cgi?date=12271968&reg=N2045&airline=North+Central+Airlines|archive-date=7 January 2009|title=airdisaster.com|url-status=usurped|access-date=26 June 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=NTSB Accident Report NTSB-AR-70-27, November 12, 1970, p. 6. |url=https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAR7027.pdf |access-date=26 June 2017}}</ref>
* April 23, 1970: Flight 945, a [[McDonnell Douglas DC-9|DC-9]] destined for [[Sault Ste. Marie Airport]], was hijacked shortly after departure from [[Pellston Regional Airport]]. The hijacker demanded to be taken to Detroit. The hijacker was soon taken down, and there were no fatalities.<ref name= "Aviation Safety Network">{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19700423-0|title=Hijacking Description 19700423-0|publisher=Aviation Safety Network|access-date=16 January 2013}}</ref>
* June 29, 1972: All five aboard (three crew, two passengers) [[1972 Lake Winnebago mid-air collision|Flight 290]], a Convair CV-580, were killed when it collided with [[Air Wisconsin]] Flight 671, a [[de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter]], with eight aboard (two crew, six passengers). Both crashed into the north end of [[Lake Winnebago]], {{convert|3|mi|0}} east of [[Neenah, Wisconsin]], with no survivors from either plane.<ref name=wdtpcol>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-sgdAAAAIBAJ&pg=3790,6393270|newspaper=The Milwaukee Journal|last=Lubenow|first=Thomas G.|title=Why did 2 planes collide over lake?|date=June 30, 1972|page=1-part 1}}</ref> The collision occurred at {{convert|2500|ft|-1}} on a mostly clear but hazy late morning as 290, two hours late, approached [[Wittman Regional Airport|Oshkosh]] from [[Austin Straubel International Airport|Green Bay]]. The Air Wisconsin air taxi flight originated in Chicago and was set to arrive at [[Outagamie County Regional Airport|Appleton]] from [[Sheboygan County Memorial Airport|Sheboygan]]; both were operating under [[visual flight rules]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19720629-1|title=ASN Aircraft accident Convair CV-580 N90858 Appleton, WI|first=Harro|last=Ranter|website=aviation-safety.net|access-date=26 June 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=April 25, 1973 |title=Aircraft Accident Report North Central Airlines, Inc., Allison Convair 340/440 (CV-580), N90858, and Air Wisconsin, Inc., DHC-6, N4043B, Near Appleton, Wisconsin, June 29, 1972 |url=http://libraryonline.erau.edu/online-full-text/ntsb/aircraft-accident-reports/AAR73-09.pdf |access-date=26 June 2017 |publisher=National Transportation Safety Board |id=NTSB-AAR-73-09}}</ref><ref name=wdjac>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=r68oAAAAIBAJ&pg=7228,7279839|newspaper=The Milwaukee Journal|title=Witnesses describe June air crash|date=September 20, 1972|page=11-part 1}}</ref><ref name=NTSBPage2>{{cite report|url=http://www.airdisaster.com/reports/ntsb/AAR73-09.pdf|date=April 25, 1973|title=NTSB Accident Report NTSB-AR-73-09|publisher=[[National Transportation Safety Board]]|access-date=February 16, 2013|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121004130606/http://www.airdisaster.com/reports/ntsb/AAR73-09.pdf|archive-date=October 4, 2012}}</ref>
* December 20, 1972: [[North Central Airlines Flight 575|Flight 575]], a [[McDonnell Douglas DC-9|DC-9]]-31, was cleared by an air traffic controller for takeoff at [[O'Hare International Airport|O'Hare]] in [[Chicago]], while recently arrived Delta Air Lines Flight 954, a [[Convair CV-880]], was instructed to taxi across the runway to a holding area. The DC-9 had just started to climb in the heavy fog when it clipped the tail of the CV-880.<ref name=elarkich>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=C-ANAAAAIBAJ&pg=5009%2C3309540|newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|agency=Associated Press|title=11 are killed in crash of Airliner in Chicago|date=December 21, 1972|page=1}}</ref> Ten of the 45 people on board the North Central DC-9 were killed in the resulting collision and crash and 15 were injured; there were two minor injuries on the Delta CV-880.<ref>{{cite web |title=Aircraft Accident Report...Dec 20, 1972 |url=https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAR7315.pdf |website=[[NTSB]] |access-date=16 March 2019}}</ref>
* July 25, 1978: Flight 801 departed the [[Kalamazoo-Battle Creek International Airport|Kalamazoo]] airport in [[Michigan]] at 7:00 am EDT in fog. The [[Convair 580]] struck a bird immediately after lifting off from runway 17 and lost power in its left engine. It flew an additional 79 seconds, banking left, then crash-landed into a cornfield east of the airport. Of the 40 passengers and three crew on board, two passengers and a crewman had serious injuries, but there were no fatalities.<ref>{{cite web|title=AAR-79-04|url=http://www.airdisaster.com/reports/ntsb/AAR79-04.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051029150325/http://www.airdisaster.com/reports/ntsb/AAR79-04.pdf|archive-date=2005-10-29|work=www.airdisaster.com|url-status=usurped|publisher=NTSB}}</ref><ref name=fothsupl>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=EPZLAAAAIBAJ&pg=5624,4209894|newspaper=Spokesman-Review|location=Spokane|title=43 survive plane crash|agency=Associated Press|date=July 26, 1978|page=2}}</ref><ref name=ftsncpc>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=OdFBAAAAIBAJ&pg=2051,2985983|newspaper=Telegraph-Herald|location=Dubuque, Iowa|agency=UPI|title=43 survive North Central plane crash|date=July 25, 1978|page=13}}</ref><ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=SKcfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=R9YEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2971,3736043 photo]</ref><ref name=phgtnf>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=SKcfAAAAIBAJ&pg=2971,3736043|newspaper=Gadsden Times|location=Gadsden, Alabama|title=Photo: No fatalities in plane crash|date=July 25, 1978|page=1}}</ref> The [[National Transportation Safety Board|NTSB]] report attributed the cause of the crash to the captain's failure to follow proper emergency procedures.<ref name=blmpfc>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Wo5QAAAAIBAJ&pg=5779,4761263|newspaper=Milwaukee Sentinel|title=Blame pilot in North Central crash|date=February 24, 1979|page=7-part 1}}</ref><ref name="ntsbre">{{cite web |title=NTSB Accident Report NTSB-AR-79-04, February 22, 1979 |url=https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAR7904.pdf |access-date=26 June 2017}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of defunct airlines of the United States]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
*Gradidge, J.M., ''The Convairliners Story'', 1997, Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd, {{ISBN|0-85130-243-2}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|North Central Airlines}}
*[http://www.hermantheduck.org Herman the Duck]

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[[Category:North Central Airlines| ]]
[[Category:Airlines established in 1944]]
[[Category:1944 establishments in Wisconsin]]
[[Category:Airlines disestablished in 1979]]
[[Category:Defunct companies based in Minneapolis]]
[[Category:Defunct companies based in Minnesota]]
[[Category:American companies established in 1944]]
[[Category:1979 disestablishments in Minnesota]]
[[Category:Defunct regional airlines of the United States]]
[[Category:Airlines based in Minnesota]]

Piedmont Airlines (1948–1989)

2025-06-29T10:56:30Z

182.232.34.176:

{{Short description|Defunct airline of the United States (1948–1989)}}
{{for|the current American Airlines subsidiary|Piedmont Airlines}}
{{More citations needed|date=February 2009}}
{{Infobox airline
| airline = Piedmont Airlines
| logo = Piedmont Airlines logo.svg
| IATA = PI
| ICAO = PAI
| callsign = PIEDMONT
| founded = {{start date|1948|01|01}}
| commenced = {{start date|1948|02|20}}
| ceased = {{end date|1989|08|05}} {{small|(merged into [[US Airways|USAir]])}}
| bases =
| hubs = {{ubl|class=nowrap
| [[Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport|Baltimore]]
| [[Charlotte Douglas International Airport|Charlotte]]}}
| secondary_hubs = {{ubl|class=nowrap
| [[Dayton International Airport|Dayton]]
| [[Syracuse Hancock International Airport|Syracuse]]}}
| focus_cities =
| frequent_flyer =
| lounge =
| alliance =
| subsidiaries = Piedmont Regional Airlines
| fleet_size =
| destinations =
| parent = [[US Airways Group]]
| headquarters = One Piedmont Plaza [[Winston-Salem, North Carolina|Winston-Salem]], [[North Carolina]], [[United States|U.S.]]
| founder = [[Thomas Henry Davis (businessman)|Thomas Henry Davis]]
| key_people = [[William R. Howard]] ([[Chief executive officer|CEO]])
| website =
}}

'''Piedmont Airlines''' was a [[local service carrier]], a scheduled airline in the United States that operated from 1948 until it merged with [[US Airways|USAir]] in 1989. Its headquarters were at One Piedmont Plaza in [[Winston-Salem, North Carolina]], a building that is now part of [[Wake Forest University]].<ref name="flightintl1989">"World Airline Directory." ''[[Flight International]]''. April 1, 1989. [https://web.archive.org/web/20121024230441/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1989/1989%20-%200923.html?search=%22Presidential%20Airways%22 113].{{Dead link|date=April 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.emporis.com/building/1piedmontplaza-winstonsalem-nc-usa|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120731191353/http://www.emporis.com/building/1piedmontplaza-winstonsalem-nc-usa|url-status=usurped|archive-date=July 31, 2012|title=One Piedmont Plaza, Winston-Salem - 207116 - EMPORIS|first=Emporis|last=GmbH|website=[[Emporis]]|access-date=26 January 2018}}</ref>

In April 1989, shortly before it merged into USAir, Piedmont had 22,000 employees.<ref name="flightintl1989" /> In September 1988 it flew to 95 airports from hubs in the eastern United States; its commuter and regional affiliates flew turboprop aircraft via [[code sharing]] agreements to 39 more airports.

==History==
The company that would become Piedmont Airlines was founded by [[Thomas Henry Davis (businessman)|Thomas Henry Davis]] (March 15, 1918 – April 22, 1999<ref name="NYTimes">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/04/24/arts/thomas-h-davis-dies-at-81-founder-of-piedmont-airlines.html|title=Thomas H. Davis Dies at 81; Founder of Piedmont Airlines|first=Melody|last=Petersen|newspaper=The New York Times |date=24 April 1999|access-date=26 January 2018}}</ref>) in [[Winston-Salem, North Carolina]] in 1940, when Davis purchased Camel City Flying Service and changed the name to Piedmont Aviation.<ref>{{cite web|title=Piedmont Aviation Employee Newsletter Archives on DigitalNC.org|url=http://www.digitalnc.org/collections/newspapers/piedmont-aviation-employee-newsletter|access-date=23 January 2013}}</ref> Piedmont originally operated as an airplane repair service and a training school for pilots in the War Department Civilian Pilot Training Program. In 1944, Davis filed an application to run a passenger flight service in the southeast. After several years of lobbying government agencies and fighting legal challenges from other airlines, Piedmont received authorization on January 1, 1948. The first flight, from [[Wilmington, North Carolina]] to [[Cincinnati]], was on February 20, 1948.<ref>{{cite web|title=JetPiedmont.com, website of the Piedmont Aviation Historical Society|url=http://jetpiedmont.com/thd/?page=4|access-date=23 January 2013}}</ref>

Davis grew up in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.<ref name="JetPiedmont">{{cite web|url=http://www.jetpiedmont.com/thd/|title=JetPiedmont – Salute to T.H. Davis|website=www.jetpiedmont.com|access-date=26 January 2018}}</ref> As a child, he loved airplanes and often used his allowance to take flying lessons. He took [[pre-med]] classes at the [[University of Arizona]].<ref name=NYTimes/><ref name=JetPiedmont/> At the same time, he worked as a part-time [[flight instructor]].

===Foundation===
[[File:Martin 404 N462M Ex Piedmont LGB 17.10.70 edited-2.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Martin 4-0-4]] was Piedmont's first pressurized airliner]]
Like most airlines before [[Airline Deregulation Act|deregulation]], Piedmont did not have hubs. The airline would eventually fly jets to small airports and connected unlikely city pairs with jet flights: [[Kinston, North Carolina]], and [[Florence, South Carolina]]; [[Roanoke, Virginia]], and [[Asheville, North Carolina]]; [[Lynchburg, Virginia]], and New York City's [[LaGuardia Airport]]; Chicago's [[O'Hare International Airport]] and [[Bristol, Tennessee|Bristol]]/[[Kingsport, Tennessee|Kingsport]]/[[Johnson City, Tennessee]]; and Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to Lynchburg, Virginia.

Its early routes stretched from [[Wilmington, North Carolina]], northwest to [[Cincinnati, Ohio]], with intermediate stops. All flights were on [[Douglas DC-3]]s.

===Growth===
{{pax
| note = (scheduled flights only)
| footnote = <ref>''Handbook of Airline Statistics'' (biannual CAB publication) and ''Air Carrier Traffic Statistics''</ref>
| 1951 | 44
| 1955 | 69
| 1960 | 94
| 1965 | 287
| 1970 | 745
| 1975 | 1061
| 1980 | 2363
| 1985 | 8164
}}
[[Image:NAMC YS-11A N254P Piedt DCA 13.04.72 edited-1.jpg|thumb|right|Piedmont [[NAMC YS-11A]] at Washington National.]]
[[Image:Fairchild FH-227B N709U Piedmont DCA 13.04.72 edited-2.jpg|thumb|right|[[Fairchild-Hiller FH-227B]] at Washington National in 1972.]]
[[Image:Boeing 727-51 N838N Piedmont ORD 30.09.79 edited-2.jpg|thumb|right|[[Boeing 727-100]] at [[Chicago O'Hare Airport]] in 1979.]]
[[Image:1988 10 12 KMIA N485US 1.jpg|thumb|right|A [[Fokker F28-4000]] at [[Miami International Airport]] in October 1988.]]
[[Image:Boeing 737-301 N301P Piedmont La Guardia 17.08.85.jpg|thumb|right|A [[Boeing 737-200]] and a [[Boeing 737-300]] at [[LaGuardia Airport]] in August 1985.]]

Piedmont started with [[Douglas DC-3]]s; it added [[Fairchild F-27]]s in late 1958 and [[Martin 4-0-4]]s at the beginning of 1962. FH-227B flights started (and F27 flights ended) in 1967 and [[NAMC YS-11|NAMC YS-11A]] flights started in 1968.<ref>Davies says YS11 flights started in 1969, which must be a typo.</ref> In August 1953 it scheduled flights to 26 airports and in May 1968 to 47.

Like other Local Service airlines, Piedmont was subsidized; in 1962, its operating "revenues" of $18.2 million included $4.8 million "Pub. serv. rev."<ref>Moody's Transportation Manual 1964</ref>

===The jet age===

Piedmont's first jet flights took off in March 1967: 92-seat [[Boeing 727-100]]s on such routes as Atlanta - Asheville - Winston-Salem - Roanoke - New York [[LaGuardia Airport]]. [[Boeing 737-200]]s arrived in 1968; six 727-100s were added from 1977, and in June 1981 the airline added the [[Boeing 727-200]]. Piedmont's fleet was all-turbine after the last Martin 4-0-4 piston powered flights in 1972 and all-jet after the last NAMC YS-11 turboprop flights in 1982 (one 727-100 that Piedmont bought from [[Northwest Airlines|Northwest Orient Airlines]] was the aircraft hijacked by [[D. B. Cooper]]). [[Fokker F28 Fellowship]] jets were added to the fleet as well as [[Boeing 737-300]]s, [[737-400]]s and [[767-200ER]]s.

=== Route expansion ===

In 1949 the network extended from Cincinnati and Louisville east to Norfolk and points south. The map reached Knoxville in 1951–1952, Columbus OH and Washington DC in 1955, Atlanta and Baltimore in 1962, New York La Guardia in 1966, Nashville and Memphis in 1968 and Chicago Midway in December 1969.

In 1978, still under U.S. route regulation, Piedmont added Boston, Denver, and Miami. Flights to Dallas/Ft. Worth and Tampa began in 1979 followed by Houston in January 1980 and New Orleans in 1982.<ref>http://www.departedflights.com/<nowiki/>,{{Dead link|date=April 2024}} April 29, 1979; Jan. 15, 1980; June 1, 1982, Piedmont route maps</ref> In 1984 Los Angeles and San Francisco were added followed by Minneapolis/St. Paul in 1985, Montreal and Ottawa with the [[Empire Airlines (1976–1985)|Empire Airlines]] merger in July 1986, and Seattle, Phoenix and San Diego in 1987.<ref>http://www.departedflights.com<nowiki/>,{{Dead link|date=April 2024}} June 1, 1984; Nov. 1, 1984; July 1, 1985; June 1, 1986; June 15, 1987, Piedmont route maps</ref> In 1988 the airline was serving a new international destination, Nassau, Bahamas<ref>http://www.departedflights.com<nowiki/>,{{Dead link|date=April 2024}} June 1, 1988, Piedmont route map</ref> and by 1989 was flying to Bermuda and nonstop between Los Angeles and Baltimore, Charlotte, Dayton, and Tampa; nonstop between San Francisco and Charlotte, Dayton and Kansas City; nonstop between Phoenix and Baltimore and Charlotte; and nonstop between Seattle and Charlotte<ref name="auto">http://www.departedflights.com<nowiki/>,{{Dead link|date=April 2024}} June 1, 1989, Piedmont route map</ref> Shortly before the merger with USAir in 1989, Piedmont had hubs at Baltimore, Charlotte, Dayton and Syracuse.<ref name="auto"/> Syracuse was the smallest hub; it had been an Empire hub.<ref>http://www.departedflights.com<nowiki/>,{{Dead link|date=April 2024}} Sept. 1, 1984 Empire route map</ref>

===Deregulation===
[[File:Piedmont 767-201ER.jpg|thumb|right|A [[Boeing 767-200ER]] at [[London Gatwick Airport]] in 1988.]]
After deregulation in the late 1970s the airline grew rapidly and developed a hub at [[Charlotte/Douglas International Airport]] in [[Charlotte, North Carolina]]. Piedmont bought [[Empire Airlines (1974–1986)|Empire Airlines]], based in [[Utica, New York]], in 1985 which brought more [[Fokker F28 Fellowship]]s into the fleet.<ref name="flightintl1989" /> Passenger-miles for the merged airline in 1987 were almost nine times Piedmont's RPMs in 1977.

Later hubs included [[Baltimore/Washington International Airport]]; [[James M. Cox Dayton International Airport]] in [[Dayton, Ohio]]; and [[Syracuse Hancock International Airport]] in [[Syracuse, New York]]. Non-stop flights from Charlotte to the [[West Coast of the United States|West Coast]] began in 1984 on [[Boeing 727-200|Boeing 727-200s.]] These were Piedmont's first jets with a first-class section. New [[Boeing 767|Boeing 767-200ER]]s (ER for "Extended Range"), the airline's only wide-body jet, flew nonstop Charlotte to [[London Gatwick Airport]] beginning in 1987. The 767 also flew nonstop Charlotte-Los Angeles.<ref>http://www.airliners.net, photos of Piedmont 767-200 at LAX</ref> Shortly before it was acquired by USAir, Piedmont was the first airline to announce fleet-wide adoption of the [[Traffic Collision Avoidance System]] (TCAS).<ref name="flightintl1989" />

===Commuter and regional airline affiliates===

Several commuter and regional airline affiliates provided passenger feed for Piedmont via [[code sharing]] agreements, including [[Britt Airways]], [[Brockway Air]], [[CCAir]], [[Henson Airlines]] and [[Jetstream International Airlines]].<ref>http://www.departedflights.com, June 1, 1986 & June 1, 1989 Piedmont Airlines system route maps</ref> These operations were identified by several different names including Piedmont Commuter System, Piedmont Shuttle Link and The Piedmont Regional Airline.<ref>http://www.departedflights.com, June 1, 1988 Piedmont Airlines system route map</ref> Turboprop aircraft operated by these airlines included the [[Beechcraft 99]], [[Beechcraft 1900C]], [[British Aerospace]] [[BAe Jetstream 31]], [[de Havilland Canada DHC-7 Dash 7]], [[de Havilland Canada DHC-8 Dash 8]], [[Fokker F-27]]-600, [[Saab 340]], [[Short 330]] and [[Short 360]].<ref>http://www.airliners.net, photos of Piedmont Commuter and Piedmont Regional aircraft</ref>

===Absorption into USAir===
[[File:Piedmont A319 Retrojet.jpg|thumb|US Airways A319 in a hybrid US Airways/Piedmont "retro" livery]]
Piedmont's expanding route system, its loyal passenger following, and its profitability caused it to gain notice among other airlines for a potential buyout. On August 5, 1989, Piedmont Airlines was absorbed by [[US Airways|USAir]] (formerly [[Allegheny Airlines]]); the combination became one of the East Coast's largest airlines. USAir later changed its name to [[US Airways]], which merged with [[America West Airlines]] on November 4, 2007. US Airways merged with [[American Airlines]] on October 17, 2015, with the American name being retained. The Charlotte hub established by Piedmont and maintained by US Airways continues under American; it is now American's second-largest hub.

[[Piedmont Airlines]] (formerly [[Henson Airlines]]) still exists as a brand within American Airlines, doing business as [[American Eagle (airline brand)|American Eagle]].

==Historical fleet==
*[[Boeing 727|Boeing 727-100]]
*[[Boeing 727|Boeing 727-200]]
*[[Boeing 737|Boeing 737-200]]
*[[Boeing 737|Boeing 737-300]]
*[[Boeing 737|Boeing 737-400]]
*[[Boeing 767|Boeing 767-200ER]] (The 767 enabled Piedmont to operate nonstop flights to [[London Gatwick Airport]])
*[[Douglas DC-3]]
* [[Fairchild F-27]]
*[[Fairchild Hiller FH-227]]
*[[Fokker F28 Fellowship]] - (formerly operated by [[Empire Airlines (1976–1985)|Empire Airlines]] which was acquired by Piedmont)
*[[Martin 4-0-4]]
*[[NAMC YS-11]]

==Accidents==
{{main|Piedmont Airlines Flight 349}}
On October 30, 1959, Piedmont suffered its first crash when [[Piedmont Airlines Flight 349|Flight 349]] slammed into Bucks Elbow Mountain near [[Charlottesville, Virginia]] due to a navigational error, whose cause remains in dispute. Twenty-six of the 27 people on board the [[Douglas DC-3]] perished.

{{main|Piedmont Airlines Flight 22}}
On July 19, 1967, Piedmont suffered another fatal accident when [[Piedmont Airlines Flight 22|Flight 22]], a [[Boeing 727-100]], collided with a [[Cessna 310]] over [[Hendersonville, North Carolina]]. The [[National Transportation Safety Board]] (NTSB) found that the pilot of the Cessna went off course, placing his aircraft in the path of the 727. 82 perished in the mid-air collision.

{{Main|Piedmont Airlines Flight 230}}

On August 10, 1968, [[Piedmont Airlines Flight 230|Piedmont Flight 230]] was on an ILS localizer only approach to Charleston-Kanawha County Airport (CRW) runway 23 when it struck trees {{convert|360|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us}} from the runway threshold. The aircraft continued and struck up sloping terrain (+30 degrees) {{convert|250|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us}} short in a 4-5 degree nose-down altitude, slightly left wing down. The [[Fairchild-Hiller FH-227]] continued up the hill and on to the airport, coming to rest {{convert|6|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us}} beyond the threshold and {{convert|50|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us}} from the right edge of the runway.
A layer of dense fog (about {{convert|150|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us}} thick) was obscuring the threshold and about half of the approach lights. Visual conditions existed outside the fog area. The [[National Transportation Safety Board]] (NTSB) found that the probable cause was "an unrecognized loss of altitude orientation during the final portion of an approach into a shallow, dense fog. The disorientation was caused by a rapid reduction in the ground guidance segment available to the pilot at a point beyond which a go-around could not be successfully effected."<ref>National Transportation Safety Board. Aircraft Accident Report AAR69-06, August 21, 1969.{{usurped|[https://web.archive.org/web/20051029132127/http://www.airdisaster.com/reports/ntsb/AAR69-06.pdf]}}</ref> 35 passengers and crew out of the 37 on board were killed.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://asn.flightsafety.org/wikibase/331782|title=Fairchild-Hiller FH-227B N712U Charleston-Kanawha County Airport, WV (CRW)|website=Aviation-safety.net|publisher=Aviation Safety Network|access-date=16 July 2024}}</ref>
[[File:Piedmont Airlines Flight 467 right side of forward fuselage.jpg|thumb|Wreckage of Piedmont Airlines Flight 467 after its crash in October 25, 1986]]

== See also ==
* [[List of defunct airlines of the United States]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Piedmont Airlines (1948-89)}}
* [http://www.jetpiedmont.com/ Piedmont Aviation Historical Society]
* [http://www.carolinasaviation.org/ Carolinas Aviation Museum] Custodian of the Piedmont Airlines DC-3 (Airworthy & formerly owned and operated by Piedmont Airlines and USAir)
*[http://www.usairways.com/pv_obj_cache/pv_obj_id_1516B41E5B8B938A632C306238674FD9DD990000/filename/Piedmont_Airlines.pdf Story of Piedmont]
*[http://www.airtimes.com/cgat/usc/piedmont.htm Piedmont Timetables]
*[http://solesurvivor.info/ "Sole survivor: Wreck of Flight #349"]

{{Portal bar|Companies|Aviation}}
{{Legacy carrier}}
{{US Airways Group}}
{{American Airlines}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Piedmont Airlines (1948-1989)}}
[[Category:Airlines established in 1948]]
[[Category:Airlines disestablished in 1989]]
[[Category:Companies based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina]]
[[Category:Defunct airlines of the United States]]
[[Category:Defunct companies based in North Carolina]]
[[Category:US Airways Group]]
[[Category:American companies established in 1948]]
[[Category:1948 establishments in North Carolina]]

Southern Airways

2025-06-29T10:55:37Z

182.232.34.176:

{{Short description|Defunct airline of the United States (1949–1979)}}
{{Distinguish|China Southern Airlines|Southern Air|Southern Airways Express|Straight Corporation#Southern Airways Ltd{{!}}Southern Airways Ltd}}
{{More citations needed|date=June 2009}}
{{Infobox airline
| airline = Southern Airways
| image =
| logo = Southern Airways logo.svg
| logo_size = 200
| frequent_flyer =
| fleet_size =
| destinations =
| parent =
| IATA = SO
| ICAO = SOU
| callsign = SOUTHERN
| founded = {{start date|1944|02|01}}
| ceased = {{end date|1979|07|01}} {{small|(merged with [[North Central Airlines]] to become [[Republic Airlines (1979–1986)|Republic Airlines]])}}
| aoc =
| num_employees =
| headquarters = [[Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport]] [[Atlanta]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], [[United States|U.S.]]
| founder = [[Frank Hulse]]
| key_people =
| hubs = {{ubl|class=nowrap
| [[Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport|Atlanta]]
| [[Memphis International Airport|Memphis]]}}
| focus_cities = {{ubl|class=nowrap
| [[Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport|New Orleans]]
| [[Orlando International Airport|Orlando]]}}
}}

'''Southern Airways''' was a [[local service carrier]], a scheduled airline in the United States that operated from 1949 until 1979, when it merged with [[North Central Airlines]] to become [[Republic Airlines]]. Southern's corporate headquarters were in Atlanta, with operations headquartered at [[Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport]], near Atlanta.<ref>''World Airline Directory''. Flight International. March 20, 1975. "[http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1975/1975%20-%200565.html 503].</ref>

Following a merger with [[North Central Airlines]] in 1979, Southern became [[Republic Airlines (1979–1986)|Republic Airlines]], which in turn was merged into [[Northwest Airlines]] in 1986. Northwest Airlines was then merged into [[Delta Air Lines]] in 2010.

[[File:Martin 404 N145S Southern Aws ATL 15.04.72 edited-2.jpg|thumb|right|Nine [[Martin 4-0-4]]s at the Atlanta hub in 1972 before departing on the morning wave of flights]]

==History==
{{pax
| note = (scheduled flights only)
| footnote = <ref>Handbook of Airline Statistics (biannual CAB publication)</ref>
| 1951 | 17
| 1955 | 28
| 1960 | 47
| 1965 | 156
| 1970 | 431
| 1975 | 853
}}

Southern Airways was founded by [[Frank Hulse]] in 1944, followed by its first flight in 1949. As a local service carrier, Southern Airways covered the south-central U.S. In 1955, their network spanned from [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]] south to [[New Orleans]] and east to Charlotte and Jacksonville. In August 1953, Southern flew to 29 airports and in August 1967 to 50.

Like other local-service airlines, Southern was subsidized; in 1962, its operating "revenues" of $14.0 million included $5.35 million "Pub. serv. rev."<ref>Moody's Transportation Manual 1964</ref>

In May 1968, Southern's routes extended from [[Tri-Cities Regional Airport|Tri-Cities]] in Tennessee south to New Orleans and [[Jacksonville, Florida|Jacksonville]], and east from [[Baton Rouge, Louisiana|Baton Rouge]] and [[Monroe, Louisiana]], to the coast at [[Myrtle Beach, South Carolina|Myrtle Beach]] and [[Charleston, South Carolina|Charleston]]. Later in 1968, a route sprouted northward: three weekday [[Douglas DC-9-10]]s from Columbus, Georgia (CSG) nonstop to Washington Dulles and on to New York LaGuardia. These flights originated at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida (VPS) and also stopped at Dothan, Alabama.

Like most local-service airlines, Southern flew only [[Douglas DC-3]]s for the first few years. In 1961, they began adding 22 40-passenger, secondhand [[Martin 4-0-4]]s acquired from [[Eastern Air Lines]],<ref>Killion, 1997, p. 70</ref> newer aircraft that were pressurised and had a rear ventral stairway. The last scheduled DC-3 flight was in 1967.

Southern's first 65–75-passenger [[Douglas Aircraft Company|Douglas]] [[McDonnell Douglas DC-9|DC-9]] series 10s arrived in 1967 followed by 85–95-passenger [[McDonnell Douglas DC-9]] series 30s in 1969. The last scheduled flight by a Martin was on 20 April 1978 from Atlanta to Gadsden, Alabama, and back.<ref>Killion, 1997, p. 70</ref>

Some DC-9s were bought new and some used;<ref>http://www.southernairways.org, DC-9 aircraft list</ref> the used jets included DC-9-14s from [[Delta Air Lines]] and Eastern Air Lines.<ref>http://www.southernairways.org, DC-9 aircraft list</ref> Both airlines had purchased these aircraft new from Douglas.<ref>http://www.airliners.net, Southern Airways DC-9 photos</ref> Unlike other local-service airlines, Southern did not operate [[turboprop]]s (such as the [[Convair 580]] and [[Fairchild F-27]] used by other local-service airlines) during the 1960s and 1970s, but by the time of the merger with North Central, Southern had replaced their Martin 4-0-4s with several 19-passenger [[Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner]] "Metro II"s.

===1970s===
[[File:Douglas DC-9-10 N92S Southern ATL 06.10.73.jpg|thumb|right|Douglas DC-9-15 at Atlanta in October 1973]]
By 1971, Southern was flying to [[New York City]] and [[Chicago]] and south to [[Orlando, Florida|Orlando]] and [[Miami]]. [[United States government role in civil aviation|U.S. government regulation]] did not allow Southern to fly nonstop from New York or [[Washington, DC]], to Atlanta, so Southern had nonstops to [[Columbus, Georgia]], then on to [[Dothan, Alabama]]; [[Mobile, Alabama]]; [[Panama City, Florida]], [[Eglin Air Force Base, Florida]]; and/or [[Gulfport, Mississippi|Gulfport]]/[[Biloxi, Mississippi]]. Many flights made five or six intermediate stops en route.

With more DC-9s, many routes once served with propeller aircraft were served with jets that linked small cities to Atlanta and Memphis:

*Columbus, Georgia, to Washington, DC continuing to New York City.
*[[Meridian, Mississippi]], to [[Birmingham, Alabama]]; [[Columbus, Mississippi]]; and Laurel/[[Hattiesburg, Mississippi]]
*[[Tuscaloosa, Alabama]], to Atlanta, Georgia, and Columbus, Mississippi
*Muscle Shoals/[[Florence, Alabama]], to [[Memphis, Tennessee]], and [[Huntsville, Alabama|Huntsville]]/[[Decatur, Alabama]], with continuing eastbound service to Atlanta
*[[Greenville, Mississippi]], to Memphis and Monroe, Louisiana, with continuing southbound service to Baton Rouge and New Orleans
*[[Columbia, South Carolina]], to Greenville/[[Spartanburg, South Carolina|Spartanburg]] and [[Charleston, South Carolina]]
*[[Albany, Georgia]], to Atlanta, Georgia; [[Valdosta, Georgia]]; Dothan, Alabama; and Columbus, Georgia

One DC-9-14 aircraft operated a "[[milk run]]" multistop routing from Miami to Orlando, Tallahassee, Panama City, Eglin AFB, Mobile, Gulfport, New Orleans, Birmingham, Atlanta, Huntsville, Memphis, St Louis, and Chicago Midway. Time en route was 14 hours and 32 minutes.

By the mid-1970s, Southern's system had expanded to [[St. Louis, Missouri|St. Louis]], [[Detroit]], [[Ft. Lauderdale, Florida|Ft. Lauderdale]], and [[Grand Cayman]] in the Caribbean, Southern's only international destination. In 1978 Southern expanded westward from Memphis to [[Wichita, Kansas|Wichita]] and [[Denver, Colorado|Denver]].

Southern Airways called itself the "Route of the Aristocrats"<ref>{{cite journal|journal=AOPA Pilot|date=July 2011}}</ref> and they used the slogan "Nobody's Second Class on Southern" in their television commercials. They were famous for their promotional [[shot glass]]es: for a time, differently designed shot glasses were issued each year. Original Southern shot glasses are valued by collectors of airline memorabilia.

During the early 1970s, before strict airport security was implemented across the United States, several airlines experienced hijackings. [[Southern Airways Flight 49]], a DC-9 en route from Memphis to Miami was hijacked on November 10, 1972, during a stop in Birmingham. The three hijackers boarded the plane armed with [[handgun]]s and hand grenades. At gunpoint, the [[Aircraft hijacking|hijacker]]s took the airplane, the plane's crew of four, and 27 passengers, to nine American cities, [[Toronto]], and eventually to [[Havana]], Cuba. During the long flight, the hijackers threatened to crash the plane into the [[Oak Ridge, Tennessee]], nuclear facilities, insisted on talking with President [[Richard Nixon]], and demanded a [[ransom]] of $10 million. Southern Airways was only able to come up with $2 million. Eventually, the pilot talked the hijackers into settling for the $2 million when the plane landed in [[Chattanooga]] for refueling. Upon landing in Havana, the Cuban authorities arrested the hijackers, and after a brief delay, sent the plane, passengers, and crew back to the United States. The hijackers and $2 million stayed in Cuba.

Southern Airways accounted for the $2 million by debiting it to an account entitled "Hijacking Payment". This account was reported as a type of receivable under "other assets" on Southern's balance sheet. The company maintained that they would be able to collect the cash from the Cuban government, so a receivable existed. Southern Airways was repaid $2 million by the Cuban government, which was attempting to improve relations with the United States.<ref>Accounting, 23e, Warren Reeve Duchac, page 52, {{ISBN|978-0-324-66296-2}}, © 2009 South-Western</ref>

===Difficulties and merger===
{{More citations needed section|date=June 2009}}
[[File:Douglas DC-9-14 N3309L SO STL 19.02.78 edited-3.jpg|thumb|right|[[Douglas DC-9|Douglas DC-9-14]] in final color scheme at [[St Louis International Airport|St Louis]] in February 1978]]
By the late 1970s, Southern Airways began to experience difficulties. Two fatal accidents ([[Southern Airways Flight 932]], November 14, 1970, and [[Southern Airways Flight 242]], April 4, 1977) had put negative impact on the airline's once excellent safety record. Improved [[highway]]s including the [[interstate]] freeway system coupled with an increased willingness of passengers to drive to airports farther away for more convenient flights or lower air fares made many of Southern's routes obsolete. With dramatic [[1973 oil crisis|increases in the price of jet fuel]] in the 1970s, many of Southern's routes were no longer cost effective.

On July 1, 1979, Southern merged with North Central Airlines to form [[Republic Airlines (1979-1986)|Republic Airlines]] and the "Route of the Aristocrats" came to an end.<ref>http://www.departedflights.com, statement in July 1, 1979 Republic Airlines timetable: "Republic Airlines was created July 1, 1979 upon the merger of North Central Airlines and Southern Airways."</ref> Republic acquired [[Hughes Airwest]] before being acquired in 1986 by [[Northwest Airlines]], which continued to operate many flights from the former Southern hub in Memphis. Northwest merged into [[Delta Air Lines]] in 2008.

==Destinations==
{{unreferenced section|date=June 2013}}
These cities served are taken based on the airline's timetables. Cities served with DC-9s are in '''bold'''.
{{colbegin|colwidth=28em}}
* '''[[Albany, Georgia]]'''
* [[Anderson, South Carolina]]
* [[Anniston, Alabama]]
* [[Athens, Georgia]]
* '''[[Atlanta, Georgia]]''' (hub)
* [[Augusta, Georgia]]
* '''[[Baton Rouge, Louisiana]]'''
* [[Biloxi, Mississippi]] (served via [[Gulfport, Mississippi]])
* '''[[Birmingham, Alabama]]'''
* [[Bristol, Tennessee]] (served via the [[Tri-Cities Regional Airport]]) in Tennessee)
* [[Bristol, Virginia]] (served via the Tri-Cities Regional Airport in Tennessee)
* [[Charleston, South Carolina]]
* [[Charlotte, North Carolina]]
* '''[[Chattanooga, Tennessee]]'''
* '''[[Chicago, Illinois]]''' [[Midway Airport]], later [[O'Hare Airport]]
* [[Clarksdale, Mississippi]]
* [[Clarksville, Tennessee]]
* [[Columbia, South Carolina]]
* '''[[Columbus, Georgia]]'''
* '''[[Columbus, Mississippi]]'''
* [[Corinth, Mississippi]]
* [[Crossville, Tennessee]]
* [[Decatur, Alabama]]
* '''[[Denver, Colorado]]'''
* '''[[Detroit, Michigan]]'''
* '''[[Dothan, Alabama]]'''
* [[Dyersburg, Tennessee]]
* '''[[Eglin Air Force Base, Florida]]''' (airport serves [[Fort Walton Beach, Florida]], and [[Destin, Florida]])
* '''[[Fort Lauderdale, Florida]]'''
* [[Florence, Alabama]] (served via [[Muscle Shoals, Alabama]]}
* [[Gadsden, Alabama]]
* '''[[Grand Cayman]], [[Cayman Islands]]''' (only international destination served by Southern)
* '''[[Greenville, Mississippi]]'''
* '''[[Greenville, South Carolina]]/[[Spartanburg, South Carolina]]'''
* [[Greenwood, Mississippi]]
* [[Greenwood, South Carolina]]
* '''[[Gulfport, Mississippi]]'''
* '''[[Hattiesburg, Mississippi]]'''
* '''[[Huntsville, Alabama]]'''
* '''[[Jackson, Mississippi]]'''
* '''[[Jackson, Tennessee]]'''
* '''[[Jacksonville, Florida]]'''
* [[Johnson City, Tennessee]] (served via the [[Tri-Cities Regional Airport]] in Tennessee)
* [[Kingsport, Tennessee]] (served via Tri-Cities Regional Airport in Tennessee)
* '''[[Knoxville, Tennessee]]'''
* [[LaGrange, Georgia]]
* '''[[Laurel, Mississippi]]'''
* [[Macon, Georgia]]
* '''[[Memphis, Tennessee]]''' (hub)
* '''[[Meridian, Mississippi]]'''
* '''[[Milwaukee, Wisconsin]]'''
* '''[[Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota]]'''
* '''[[Mobile, Alabama]]'''
* '''[[Monroe, Louisiana]]'''
* '''[[Montgomery, Alabama]]'''
*[[Morgantown, West Virginia]]
* [[Morristown, Tennessee]]
* [[Moultrie, Georgia]]
* '''[[Muscle Shoals, Alabama]]'''
* [[Myrtle Beach, South Carolina]]
* '''[[Nashville, Tennessee]]'''
* [[Natchez, Mississippi]]
* '''[[New Orleans, Louisiana]]''' (focus city)
* '''[[New York City, New York]]''' [[LaGuardia Airport]],<ref>"[http://www.airliners.net/photo/Allegheny-Airlines/McDonnell-Douglas-DC-9-31/1995198/L/&sid=bd15e6dcff3d9c9393491a1730d95a22"airliners.net] September 23, 1976. Retrieved on October 29, 2011.</ref>
* '''[[Orlando, Florida]]''' (focus city)
* '''[[Panama City, Florida]]'''
* [[Paris, Tennessee]]
* [[Pascagoula, Mississippi]]
* [[Rockwood, Tennessee]]
* '''[[St. Louis, Missouri]]'''
* [[Selma, Alabama]]
* [[Sheffield, Alabama]] (served via Muscle Shoals, Alabama)
* [[Shelbyville, Tennessee]]
* '''[[Tallahassee, Florida]]'''
* '''[[Tampa, Florida]]'''
* [[Tullahoma, Tennessee]]
* '''Tri-Cities Regional Airport''' in Tennessee (serves the Bristol/Kingsport/Johnson City area)
* [[Tupelo, Mississippi]]
* '''[[Tuscaloosa, Alabama]]'''
* [[Tuscumbia, Alabama]] (served via Muscle Shoals, Alabama)
* [[Union City, Tennessee]]
* [[University, Mississippi]]/[[Oxford, Mississippi]]
* '''[[Washington, D.C.]]''' [[Dulles Airport]]
* [[West Memphis, AR]] (served via Memphis, Tennessee)
* '''[[Wichita, Kansas]]'''
* '''[[Valdosta, Georgia]]'''
* [[Vicksburg, Mississippi]]<ref>[http://www.southernairways.org/cities_served_by_southern.htm Cities Served By Southern] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140925220449/http://www.southernairways.org/cities_served_by_southern.htm |date=2014-09-25 }}</ref>
{{colend}}

Timetable dates used to compile the above list: July 1, 1950; Sept. 26, 1954; Nov. 1, 1960; June 18, 1962; July 1, 1964; June 1, 1966; Sept. 3, 1968; Dec. 1, 1973; July 1, 1974, July 1, 1978, and April 29, 1979.<ref>http://www.timetableimages.com; www.departedfligthts.com; www.60sairlineantiques.net, Southern Airways timetables and maps</ref>

==Fleet==
Southern Airways used to operate the following aircraft:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aerobernie.bplaced.net/Southern%20Airways.html|title=Southern Airways|website=aerobernie.bplaced.net|access-date=February 20, 2021}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:0.5em auto; text-align:center"
|+ Southern Airways fleet
|-
!Aircraft
!Total
!Introduced
!Retired
!Notes
|-
|[[Beechcraft Model 18]]
|17
|1946
|1964
|
|-
|[[Douglas DC-3]]
|27
|1949
|1967
|
|-
|[[Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner]]
|8
|1977
|1979
|"Metro II" series commuter
|-
|[[Martin 4-0-4]]
|25
|1961
|1978
|
|-
|[[McDonnell Douglas DC-9-14]]
|25
|1968
|1979
|
|-
|[[McDonnell Douglas DC-9-15]]
|10
|1967
|1979
|Includes two "Rapid Change" variants
|-
|[[McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31]]
|9
|1969
|1979
|
|-
|[[McDonnell Douglas DC-9|McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32CF]]
|1
|1978
|1979
|
|-
|}

==See also==
* [[List of defunct airlines of the United States]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{commons category}}
* Killion, Gary L, ''The Martinliners'', Airways International Inc, 1998, {{ISBN|0-9653993-2-X}}

{{Portal bar|United States|Companies|Aviation}}
{{Delta Air Lines}}
{{Legacy carrier}}

[[Category:Southern Airways| ]]
[[Category:Defunct airlines of the United States]]
[[Category:Airlines established in 1949]]
[[Category:Airlines disestablished in 1979]]
[[Category:American companies established in 1949]]
[[Category:1979 disestablishments in Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:American companies disestablished in 1979]]

Allegheny Airlines

2025-06-29T10:53:23Z

182.232.34.176:

{{Short description|Defunct airline of the United States (1952–1979)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2023}}
{{Infobox airline
| airline = Allegheny Airlines
| logo = Allegheny_Airlines_Logo,_June_1966.svg
| logo_size = 200
| alt =
| IATA = AL
| ICAO = ALO
| callsign = ALLEGHENY
| founded = {{start date|1939|03|07}} {{small|(as ''[[All American Aviation]]'')}}
| commenced = {{start date|1953|01|01}} {{small|(as ''Allegheny Airlines'')}}
| ceased = {{end date|1979|10|28}} {{small|(expanded and renamed to [[USAir]])}}
| aoc =
| bases =
| hubs = {{ubl|class=nowrap
| [[Allegheny County Airport|Allegheny County]] {{small|(1946–1951)}}
| [[Pittsburgh International Airport|Pittsburgh]] {{small|(1951–1979)}}}}
| secondary_hubs =
| focus_cities =
| frequent_flyer =
| lounge =
| alliance =
| subsidiaries =
| fleet_size =
| destinations =
| company_slogan =
| parent = [[US Airways Group]]
| headquarters = [[Crystal City, Virginia]], U.S.
| key_people = Ed Colodny ([[President (corporate title)|President]] & [[Chief executive officer|CEO]])
| website =
}}

'''Allegheny Airlines''' was a [[local service carrier]], a scheduled airline that operated out of [[Pittsburgh]], [[Pennsylvania]], from 1952 to 1979, with routes primarily located in the [[Eastern United States]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.departedflights.com/AL040179.html |title = Allegheny Airlines April 1, 1979 Route Map}}</ref> It was the forerunner of [[USAir]] that was subsequently renamed [[US Airways]], which itself merged with [[American Airlines]]. Its headquarters were at [[Washington National Airport]] in [[Arlington County, Virginia]].<ref>"World Airline Directory". ''[[Flight International]]''. April 22, 1978. [https://web.archive.org/web/20190709003739/https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1978/1978%20-%200638.html p. 1134].</ref>

==History==
Allegheny Airlines began as [[All American Aviation Company]] providing mail delivery starting on March 7, 1939.<ref>{{cite journal|title=none|journal=Air Progress|date=August 1989|page=62|author=Nick Komons}}</ref> It was founded by [[du Pont family]] brothers [[Richard C. du Pont]] and [[A. Felix du Pont Jr.|Alexis Felix du Pont Jr.]]

===Allegheny before 1979===
[[File:Allegheny Airlines CV-580 N5828.jpg|thumb|Allegheny had 41 Convair 580s in 1975.]]
[[File:Allegheny Airlines BAC 1-11 N1132J 1.jpg|thumb|BAC 1-11]]
[[File:Allegheny Airlines DC-9 N969VJ.jpg|thumb|Douglas DC-9]]
[[File:Allegheny Airlines Nord 262 N26210.jpg|thumb|Nord 262 as Allegheny Commuter]]
[[File:Allegheny Airlines BAC 1-11 N1549.jpg|thumb|BAC 1–11 in new livery in 1975]]

In 1949, the company was renamed All American Airways as it switched from air mail to passenger service. On 1 January 1953 it was again renamed, to Allegheny Airlines. Like other [[Regional airline|local service airlines]], Allegheny was [[subsidy|subsidized]]; in 1962 its revenue of $23.5 million included $6.5 million in "public service revenue".<ref>''Moody's Transportation Manual 1964''</ref>

In 1953, Allegheny's network blanketed Pennsylvania, reaching from Newark, New Jersey, to Cleveland, Ohio, and Huntington, West Virginia. It added Detroit (YIP) in 1956, Boston in April 1960, La Guardia in 1964, Norfolk in 1966, Toronto in 1967, and Louisville-Nashville-Memphis in 1968. The [[Lake Central Airlines]] merger in July 1968 added Chicago and St Louis, and the [[Mohawk Airlines]] merger in April 1972 added Montreal, Minneapolis, and many New York cities. Houston in 1978, then Florida at the end of 1978 (TPA-MCO-PBI) and Phoenix in 1979.

In 1959, Allegheny debuted its first turbine airliner, a [[Convair CV-240 family|Convair 540]], a Convair 340 with the piston engines replaced by [[Napier Eland]]s. When Rolls-Royce bought Napier it dropped the Eland, so 540s in the United States reverted to piston; Allegheny's last 540 flights were in 1962. The airline bought new [[Fairchild F-27]]Js that the company named "Vistaliner". The F-27J was a U.S.-built version of the [[Fokker F27]]. The airline switched to General Motors/Allison turboprops in the [[Convair 580]] which the carrier named the "Vistacruiser"; the first CV580 flight was in June 1965. The last DC-3 flights were in 1962 and the last piston flights were in 1967.

In 1960, Allegheny headquarters were in [[Washington, D.C.]]<ref>"World Airline Directory". Flight International. 8 April 1960. [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1960/1960%20-%200492.html 492].</ref>

In 1965, Allegheny announced it would add the first jet aircraft type to its fleet—the [[Douglas DC-9-10]]—which the airline stated would be placed into service in 1966.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.timetableimages.com/i-uz/us6506a.jpg|access-date=23 April 2023|website=timetableimages.com|title=Time Table}}</ref> Allegheny then added other jets, notably the [[McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30]], which the company named the "Vistajet". Later jets included [[Boeing 727-100]]s and [[727-200]]s and [[McDonnell Douglas DC-9-50]]s.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.departedflights.com/ALhello727.html|title = ALhello727}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.departedflights.com/ALnewdc95075.html|title=ALnewdc95075|website=www.departedflights.com|accessdate=23 April 2023}}</ref> The Mohawk merger added [[British Aircraft Corporation]] [[BAC One-Eleven]] jets to the fleet as well. Allegheny Airlines was also the first airline with a network of affiliated regional airlines, the [[Allegheny Commuter]] system, which began with [[Henson Airlines]] in 1967.

As [[airline deregulation|deregulation]] dawned, Allegheny, looking to shed its regional image, changed its name to [[USAir]] on October 28, 1979.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=9XYUAAAAIBAJ&pg=4437,7427487&dq=us+air+allegheny&hl=en|title=Allegheny Asks New Name|access-date=23 April 2023}}{{Dead link|date=August 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Revenue passenger-miles (millions)
|+(sched. service only)
|-
! !! Allegheny !! Mohawk !! Lake Central
|- style="text-align:right;"
! scope="row" | 1951
| 30 || 16 || 5
|- style="text-align:right;"
! scope="row" | 1955
| 56 || 49 || 17
|- style="text-align:right;"
! scope="row" | 1960
| 131 || 116 || 36
|- style="text-align:right;"
! scope="row" | 1965
| 289 || 348 || 95
|- style="text-align:right;"
! scope="row" | 1970
| 1683 || 566 || (merged 1968)
|- style="text-align:right;"
! scope="row" | 1975
| 3272 || (merged 1972)
|}

===USAir and US Airways===
After Allegheny Airlines rebranded itself as [[USAir]], the company retained its earlier name for its [[Allegheny Commuter]] service until 1989 when it became [[US Airways Express|USAir Express]].

Under USAir, which eventually renamed itself US Airways, the Allegheny name continued to be used by the parent company, keeping the trademark under US Airways' control. Suburban Airlines was originally headquartered at the [[Reading Airport]] in [[Reading, Pennsylvania]], and flew a large fleet of [[Short 330]]s and [[Short 360]]s, being the launch customer for the Short 360. It had three [[Fokker F27]]s, and was the last US operator of passenger F27s. After replacing much of its Short fleet with [[de Havilland Canada DHC-8 Dash 8]]s and retiring the F27s, Suburban merged with another wholly owned USAir subsidiary, Pennsylvania Airlines, which was headquartered at [[Harrisburg International Airport]] near [[Harrisburg, Pennsylvania]]. The combined airline retained the historic Allegheny Airlines name until it was merged with another wholly owned subsidiary, Piedmont Airlines.<ref>"[http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/MapItDrawServlet?geo_id=06000US4204345120&_bucket_id=50&tree_id=420&context=saff&_lang=en&_sse=on Lower Swatara township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606043311/http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/MapItDrawServlet?geo_id=06000US4204345120&_bucket_id=50&tree_id=420&context=saff&_lang=en&_sse=on |date=June 6, 2011 }}." [[U.S. Census Bureau]]. Retrieved on March 2, 2010.</ref><ref>"World Airline Directory." ''[[Flight International]]''. March 16–22, 2004. [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/2004/2004-09%20-%200085.html?search=%22aviacsa%22 83].</ref> The subsequent airline retained the Piedmont Airlines name. After retiring earlier aircraft, Allegheny, before and after its mergers, mainly flew [[De Havilland Canada Dash 8]]s to 35 airports in the northeastern United States, and eventually Canada, from hubs at [[Boston]] and [[Philadelphia]]. Its activities and Activities Dash 8 fleet were incorporated into a regional airline, [[Piedmont Airlines]], in 2004.

[[File:Airbus A321-231 (N579UW, cn 6100) (3-2-2024).jpg|thumb|N579UW at Orlando International Airport in 2024]]

{{As of|2023|October|df=}}, an American Airlines [[Airbus A321]], registered N579UW, is painted in Allegheny colors.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}} It recently was on an Airbus A319 registered N745VJ, before being repainted into standard American livery in March 2023 and US Airways also operated this aircraft with a retro Allegheny Airlines paint scheme.

==Destinations==
This is a list of cities served by Allegheny Airlines until October 1979. It does not include destinations served before that year. Allegheny flew to dozens more cities at some point, including [[Erie, Pennsylvania|Erie]], [[Providence, Rhode Island|Providence]], and the [[Wyoming Valley]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.departedflights.com/routemaps2b.html|title=routemaps2b|website=www.departedflights.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.philly.com/1993-02-18/news/25957025_1_passengers-from-small-cities-dawson-ransome-flights|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224112400/http://articles.philly.com/1993-02-18/news/25957025_1_passengers-from-small-cities-dawson-ransome-flights|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 24, 2013|title=Archives - Philly.com|website=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]}}</ref>

===Allegheny Airlines===
{{Incomplete list|date=May 2015}}
{{div col}}
*[[Akron, Ohio]] - [[Akron–Canton Airport]]
*[[Albany, New York]] – [[Albany International Airport|Albany County Airport]]
*[[Allentown, Pennsylvania]] – [[Lehigh Valley International Airport|Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton International Airport]]
*[[Baltimore, Maryland]] – [[Baltimore–Washington International Airport]]
*[[Binghamton, New York]] – [[Broome County Airport]]
*[[Boston, Massachusetts]] – [[Logan International Airport]]
*[[Bradford, Pennsylvania]] – [[Bradford Regional Airport]]
*[[Bridgeport, Connecticut]] – [[Igor I. Sikorsky Memorial Airport]]
*[[Buffalo, New York]] – [[Buffalo Niagara International Airport|Greater Buffalo-Niagara Falls International Airport]]
*[[Burlington, Vermont]] – [[Burlington International Airport]]
*[[Charleston, West Virginia]] – [[Kanawha Airport]]
*[[Chicago, Illinois]] – [[O'Hare International Airport]]
*[[Cincinnati, Ohio]] – [[Greater Cincinnati International Airport]]
*[[Cleveland, Ohio]] – [[Cleveland Hopkins International Airport|Hopkins International Airport]]
*[[Columbus, Ohio]] – [[Port Columbus International Airport]]
*[[Dayton, Ohio]] – [[Dayton International Airport|James M. Cox International Airport]]
*[[Denver, Colorado]] – [[Stapleton International Airport]]
*[[Detroit|Detroit, Michigan]] – [[Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport|Metro Airport]]
*[[DuBois, Pennsylvania]] – [[DuBois Regional Airport|DuBois-Jefferson County Airport]]
*[[Elmira, New York]] – [[Elmira Corning Regional Airport|Chemung County Airport]]
*[[Erie, Pennsylvania]] – [[Erie International Airport]]
*[[Evansville, Indiana]] – [[Evansville Regional Airport]]
*[[Glens Falls, New York]] – [[Floyd Bennett Memorial Airport|Warren County Airport]]
*[[Hagerstown, Maryland]] – [[Hagerstown Regional Airport]]{{citation needed|date=December 2015}}
*[[Harrisburg, Pennsylvania]] – [[Harrisburg International Airport]]
*[[Hartford, Connecticut]] – [[Bradley International Airport]]
*[[Huntington, West Virginia]] -[[Tri-State Airport]]
*[[Indianapolis, Indiana]] – [[Weir Cook Airport]]
*[[Islip, New York]] – [[Long Island MacArthur Airport|Islip Airport]]
*[[Ithaca, New York]] – [[Ithaca Tompkins International Airport|Tompkins County Airport]]
*[[Jamestown, New York]] – [[Chautauqua County-Jamestown Airport]]
*[[Keene, New Hampshire]] – [[Dillant–Hopkins Airport]]
*[[Kingsport, Tennessee]] – [[Tri-Cities Regional Airport]]
*[[Lawrenceville, Illinois]] - [[Lawrenceville-Vincennes International Airport]]<ref>Allegheny Airlines timetable Dec 15, 1969</ref>
*[[Lima, Ohio]] – [[Lima Allen County Airport]]
*[[Lock Haven, Pennsylvania]] – [[William T. Piper Memorial Airport]]
*[[Louisville, Kentucky]] – [[Standiford Field]]
*[[Mansfield, Ohio]] – [[Mansfield Lahm Regional Airport]]<ref>Allegheny Airlines Timetable April 27, 1969</ref>
*[[Memphis, Tennessee]] – [[Memphis International Airport]]
*[[Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota]] – [[Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport]]
*[[Nashville, Tennessee]] – [[Nashville International Airport|Berry Field]]
*[[Newark, New Jersey]] – [[Newark Liberty International Airport|Newark International Airport]]
*[[New Haven, Connecticut]] – [[Tweed New Haven Airport]]
*[[New Orleans, Louisiana]] – [[Moisant Field]]
*[[New York, New York]] – [[John F. Kennedy International Airport]]
*[[New York, New York]] – [[LaGuardia Airport]]
*[[Norfolk, Virginia]] - [[Norfolk International Airport]]
*[[Omaha, Nebraska]] – [[Eppley Airfield]]
*[[Parkersburg, West Virginia]] – [[Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport|Wood County Airport]]
*[[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]] – [[Philadelphia International Airport]]
*[[Phoenix, Arizona]] – [[Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport|Sky Harbor International Airport]]
*[[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]] – [[Greater Pittsburgh International Airport]]
*[[Portsmouth, Ohio]] - [[Greater Portsmouth Regional Airport]]<ref name=":0">Allegheny Airlines Timetable April 26, 1970</ref>
*[[Providence, Rhode Island]] – [[T. F. Green Airport|Theodore Francis Green State Airport]]
*[[Rochester, New York]] – [[Greater Rochester International Airport]]
*[[St. Louis, Missouri]] – [[St. Louis Lambert International Airport|Lambert Field]]
*[[Syracuse, New York]] – [[Syracuse Hancock International Airport|Hancock International Airport]]
*[[Toledo, Ohio]] – [[Toledo Express Airport]]
*[[Trenton, New Jersey]] – [[Trenton–Mercer Airport]]
*[[Utica, New York]] – [[Oneida County Airport]]
*[[Washington, District of Columbia]] – [[Reagan National Airport|Washington National Airport]]
*[[Wheeling, West Virginia]] - [[Wheeling Ohio County Airport]]<ref name=":0" />
*[[Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania]] – [[Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport]]
*[[Williamsport, Pennsylvania]] – [[Williamsport Regional Airport]]
*[[Wilmington, Delaware]] – [[Wilmington Airport (Delaware)|New Castle Airport]]
*[[Worcester, Massachusetts]] – [[Worcester Regional Airport]]
*[[York, Pennsylvania]] – [[Harrisburg International Airport|Olmstead State Airport]]
*[[Youngstown, Ohio]] – [[Youngstown–Warren Regional Airport]]
*[[Zanesville, Ohio]] – [[Zanesville Municipal Airport]]
{{Div col end}}

===Canada===
*[[Montreal, Quebec]] – [[Montreal International Airport]]
*[[Toronto, Ontario]] – [[Toronto International Airport]]

=== Allegheny commuter ===
{{div col}}
*[[Albany, New York]] – [[Albany County Airport]]
*[[Allentown, Pennsylvania]] – [[Lehigh Valley International Airport]]
*[[Altoona, Pennsylvania]] – [[Altoona–Blair County Airport]]
*[[Atlantic City, New Jersey]] – [[Bader Field]]
*[[Bloomington, Indiana]] – [[Monroe County Airport (Indiana)|Monroe County Airport]]
*[[Boston, Massachusetts]] – [[Logan International Airport]]
*[[Burlington, Vermont]] – [[Burlington International Airport]]
*[[Charleston, West Virginia]] – [[Kanawha Airport]]
*[[Clarksburg, West Virginia]] – [[North Central West Virginia Airport]]
*[[Cleveland, Ohio]] – [[Cleveland Hopkins International Airport]]
*[[Danville, Illinois]] – [[Vermilion Regional Airport]]
*[[Dubois, Pennsylvania]] – [[DuBois Regional Airport]]
*[[Elkins, West Virginia]] – [[Elkins Randolph County Airport]]
*[[Franklin, Pennsylvania]] – [[Venango Regional Airport|Chess Lamberton Field]]
*[[Galion, Ohio]] – [[Galion Municipal Airport]]<ref>Allegheny Commuter Timetable Sept. 5, 1979</ref>
*[[Glens Falls, New York]] – [[Floyd Bennett Memorial Airport|Warren County Airport]]
*[[Hagerstown, Maryland]] – [[Hagerstown Regional Airport]]
*[[Harrisburg, Pennsylvania]] – [[Harrisburg International Airport]]
*[[Hartford, Connecticut]] – [[Bradley International Airport]]
*[[Hazleton, Pennsylvania]] – [[Hazleton Municipal Airport]]
*[[Islip, New York]] – [[Long Island MacArthur Airport]]
*[[Johnstown, Pennsylvania]] – [[Johnstown–Cambria County Airport|Cambria County Airport]]
*[[Lafayette, Indiana]] – [[Purdue University Airport]]
*[[Lancaster, Pennsylvania]] – [[Lancaster Airport (Pennsylvania)|Lancaster Airport]]
*[[Lynchburg, Virginia]] – [[Lynchburg Regional Airport|Preston Glenn Field]]
*[[Manchester, New Hampshire]] – [[Manchester-Boston Regional Airport]]
*[[Mansfield, Ohio]] – [[Mansfield Municipal Airport]]
*[[Massena, New York]] – [[Massena International Airport|Richards Field]]
*[[Millville, New Jersey]] – [[Millville Airport]]
*[[Morgantown, West Virginia]] – [[Morgantown Municipal Airport|Walter L. Hart Field]]
*[[Muncie, Indiana]] – [[Delaware County Regional Airport|Johnson Field]]
*[[Newark, New Jersey]] – [[Newark Liberty International Airport]]
*[[New London, Connecticut]] – [[Trumbull Airport]]
*[[New York, New York]] – [[JFK Airport]] and [[La Guardia Airport]]
*[[North Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]] – [[Northeast Philadelphia Airport]]
*[[Ocala, Florida]] – [[Ocala International Airport]]
*[[Ogdensburg, New York]] – [[Ogdensburg International Airport]]
*[[Plattsburgh, New York]] – [[Plattsburgh Airport]]
*[[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]] – [[Greater Pittsburgh International Airport]]
*[[Portland, Maine]] – [[Portland International Jetport]]
*[[Providence, Rhode Island]] – [[T.F. Green Airport]]
*[[Reading, Pennsylvania]] – [[Reading Regional Airport|General Spaatz Airport]]
*[[Rutland (city), Vermont|Rutland, Vermont]] – [[Rutland State Airport]]
*[[Salisbury, Maryland]] – [[Salisbury–Ocean City–Wicomico Regional Airport|Wicomico Regional Airport]]
*[[Saranac Lake, New York]] – [[Saranac Lake Airport]]
*[[State College, Pennsylvania]] -[[Mid-State Regional Airport|Mid State Airport]]
*[[Syracuse, New York]] – [[Syracuse Hancock International Airport]]
*[[Terre Haute, Indiana]] – [[Hulman Field]]
*[[Trenton, New Jersey]] – [[Trenton-Mercer Airport|Mercer County Airport]]
*[[Watertown, New York]] – [[Watertown International Airport|Watertown Airport]]
*[[Wildwood, New Jersey|Wildwood]]/[[Cape May, New Jersey]] – [[Cape May County Airport]]
*[[Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania|Wilkes-Barre]]/[[Scranton, Pennsylvania]] – [[Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport]]
{{Div col end}}

==Historic fleet==
[[File:CLT 11-09-08 N745VJ (3020361154).jpg|thumb|US Airways [[Aircraft livery#Heritage or retro liveries|retrojet]] in Allegheny livery in 2012]]
[[File:Douglas DC-9-30 Allegheny N993VJ.png|thumb|Allegheny [[DC-9-30]], circa 1970]]
[[File:Allegheny N1136J late.png|thumb|Allegheny Airlines [[BAC 1-11]], circa 1979]]

{| class="toccolours" border="1" cellpadding="3" style="border-collapse:collapse;margin:1em auto;"
|+ '''Allegheny Airlines fleet'''
|- style="background:white;"
!Aircraft
!From
!To
!Number
|-
|[[Douglas DC-3]]
|1953
|1966
|24
|-
|[[Martin 2-0-2]]
|1955
|1966
|18
|-
|[[Convair 540]]
|1959
|1963
|5
|-
|[[Convair 340]]
|1960
|1967
|17
|-
|[[Convair 440]]
|1962
|1974
|27
|-
|[[Fokker F27 Friendship|Fairchild F-27J / Fokker F27]]
|1965
|1974
|27
|-
|[[Convair 580]]
|1965
|1978
|40
|-
|[[McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30]]
|1966
|1979
|89
|-
|[[McDonnell Douglas DC-9-50]]
|1974
|1978
|8
|-
|[[Nord 262]]
|1968
|1977
|13
|-
|[[Boeing 727-200]]
|1970
|1971
|2
|-
|[[Boeing 727-100]]
|1978
|1979
|11
|-
|[[BAC One-Eleven|British Aircraft Corp. BAC One-Eleven]]
|1972
|1979
|31
|-
|[[Mohawk 298]] (Nord 262 version)
|1975
|1979
|9
|}

Allegheny also briefly operated [[Douglas DC-9-10]] aircraft.

==Accidents and incidents==
* On November 14, 1955, an Allegheny Airlines [[Martin 2-0-2]] was undertaking training flights at [[Wilmington Airport (Delaware)|Wilmington Airport]] in [[New Castle County, Delaware]], when the No. 1 engine caught fire during a single engine approach. On landing, the left main landing gear collapsed, and the aircraft was withdrawn from service and used for spare parts.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19551114-0|title = ASN Aircraft accident Martin 2-0-2 N172A Wilmington-Newcastle County Airport, DE (ILG)}}</ref>
* On December 1, 1959, [[Allegheny Airlines Flight 371]], a Martin 2-0-2, crashed into a mountain on approach to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, United States. There were 25 fatalities.<ref name="piston">Eastwood/Roach 1991, pages 267-269</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19591201-0|title=ASN Aircraft accident Martin 2-0-2 N174A Williamsport-Lycoming County Airport, PA (IPT)|first=Harro|last=Ranter|website=aviation-safety.net}}</ref>
* On October 19, 1962, an Allegheny Airlines [[flight attendant]], Françoise de Moriere, fell to her death after being blown out a [[Convair 440]] emergency exit door on a flight from [[Washington, D.C.]], to [[Providence, Rhode Island]], during a scheduled descent into [[Hartford, Connecticut]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Stewardess is Swept Through Plane Door|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1962/10/20/archives/stewardess-is-swept-through-plane-door-air-stewardess-falls-to.html|access-date=August 20, 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=October 20, 1962}}</ref> This incident inspired [[James Dickey]]'s poem "Falling".<ref>{{cite book|last1=Dickey|first1=James|title=Self-Interviews|url=https://archive.org/details/selfinterviews00dick|url-access=registration|date=1970|publisher=Doubleday|location=New York}}</ref>
* On November 2, 1963, an Allegheny Airlines Martin 2-0-2 was damaged beyond repair under unknown circumstances while taxiing at [[Newark International Airport]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19631102-0|title = ASN Aircraft accident Martin 2-0-2 N177A Newark International Airport, NJ (EWR)}}</ref>
* On July 23, 1965, [[Allegheny Airlines Flight 604]] crashed northeast of the [[Williamsport Regional Airport]] due to a right engine failure and subsequent failure to follow engine out procedures by the flight crew. None of the 40 occupants on board were killed, but 23 were injured.
* On November 29, 1966, Allegheny Airlines Flight 305, operated by a Convair 440, suffered a complete electrical failure on takeoff from [[Capital City Airport (Pennsylvania)|Capital City Airport]] in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The pilots attempted to abort the takeoff, but the reversers did not work, and the aircraft overran the runway, striking an approach light tower. The cause of the failure was later determined to be an improperly installed heater.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19661129-0|title = ASN Aircraft accident Convair CV-440 N3414 Harrisburg Airport, PA (HAR)}}</ref>
* On December 24, 1968, [[Allegheny Airlines Flight 736]], a [[Convair 580]], crashed on approach to [[Bradford, Pennsylvania]], killing 20 of the 47 people on board.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19681224-0|title=ASN Aircraft accident Convair CV-580 N5802 Bradford Airport, PA (BFD)|first=Harro|last=Ranter|website=aviation-safety.net}}</ref>
* On January 6, 1969, [[Allegheny Airlines Flight 737]], a Convair 580, also crashed on approach to Bradford, Pennsylvania, killing 11 of the 28 people on board.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19690106-0|title=ASN Aircraft accident Convair CV-580 N5825 Bradford Airport, PA (BFD)|first=Harro|last=Ranter|website=aviation-safety.net}}</ref>
* On September 9, 1969, [[Allegheny Airlines Flight 853]], a [[DC-9]] en route from [[Cincinnati]] to [[Indianapolis]], collided with a small private plane and crashed into a soybean field southeast of Indianapolis, near [[Shelbyville, Indiana]], killing all 83 people aboard both aircraft.
* On June 7, 1971, [[Allegheny Airlines Flight 485]], a Convair 580, en route from Washington, D.C., to [[New Haven, Connecticut]] (via New London, Connecticut) crashed short of the runway at New Haven. 26 passengers and two crew members were killed; two passengers and one crew member survived. Pilot error was the cause of the crash.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://libraryonline.erau.edu/online-full-text/ntsb/aircraft-accident-reports/AAR72-20.pdf|title=NTSB Report Allegheny Airlines, Inc., Allison Prop Jet Convair 340/440, N5832, New Haven, Connecticut, June 7, 1971}}</ref>
* On June 23, 1976, Allegheny Airlines Flight 121, a DC-9, crashed on the runway due to windshear at [[Philadelphia International Airport]]. There were 86 injuries and no fatalities.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.airdisaster.com/reports/ntsb/AAR78-02.pdf|title=NTSB Report AAR-78-2 Allegheny Airlines, Inc., Douglas DC-9, N994VJ, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, June 23, 1976|access-date=2012-10-25|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121004135948/http://www.airdisaster.com/reports/ntsb/AAR78-02.pdf|archive-date=2012-10-04}}</ref>
* On July 9, 1978, Allegheny Airlines Flight 453 crash-landed at [[Greater Rochester International Airport]] while arriving from [[Boston Logan International Airport]]. The [[BAC-111]] aircraft was carrying 77 people, and there was one serious injury.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAR7902.pdf|title=NTSB report of Flight 453 crash}}</ref>
* On February 12, 1979, Allegheny Airlines Flight 561, a [[Nord 262]] bound for [[Washington-National Airport]] crashed shortly after takeoff from [[North Central West Virginia Airport]] because of snow on the aircraft's wing and empennage surfaces. Two died out of the 25 passengers and crew on board.<ref>{{ASN accident|id=19790212-0|title=N29824|accessdate= August 25, 2023}}</ref>

== See also ==
*[[Air transportation in the United States]]
*[[List of defunct airlines of the United States]]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite book|last1=Eastwood|first1=Tony|last2=Roach|first2=John|title=Piston Engine Airliner Production List|year=1991|publisher=The Aviation Hobby Shop|location=West Drayton, England|isbn=0-907178-37-5}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[http://timetableimages.com/ttimages/us.htm Timetableimages.com] has timetables from the 1950s and 1960s showing where Allegheny flew and what it cost
* [http://www.mcglaun.com/1969.htm Allegheny Airlines Flight 853] memorial website by Dan McGlaun on the September 9, 1969, crash near Indianapolis

{{Portal bar|Virginia|United States|Companies|Aviation}}
{{US Airways Group}}
{{American Airlines}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Allegheny Airlines| ]]
[[Category:Airlines established in 1952]]
[[Category:Airlines disestablished in 1979]]
[[Category:Companies based in Pittsburgh]]
[[Category:Defunct companies based in Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:US Airways Group]]
[[Category:American companies established in 1952]]
[[Category:Defunct regional airlines of the United States]]
[[Category:Airlines based in Pennsylvania]]

Ozark Air Lines

2025-06-29T10:51:33Z

182.232.34.176:

{{Short description|Defunct airline of the United States (1950–1986)}}
{{About|the defunct U.S. carrier|the airline currently using the IATA code OZ|Asiana Airlines|other uses of the abbreviation OZ|OZ (disambiguation)}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2022|cs1-dates=y}}
{{more citations needed|date=September 2012}}
{{Infobox airline
| airline = Ozark Air Lines
| logo = Ozark Air Lines Logo, December 1985.svg
| logo_size = 235px
| alt =
| IATA = OZ
| ICAO = OZA
| callsign = OZARK
| founded = {{start date|1943|09|01}}
| commenced = {{start date|1950|09|26}}
| ceased = {{end date|1986|10|26}} {{small|(integrated into [[Trans World Airlines]])}}
| aoc =
| bases =
| hubs = [[St. Louis Lambert International Airport]]
| secondary_hubs =
| focus_cities =
| frequent_flyer =
| lounge =
| alliance =
| subsidiaries =
| fleet_size = 50
| destinations = {{ubl|class=nowrap
| Ozark Mainline cities: 57
| Ozark Midwest cities: 21 }}
| parent = [[Trans World Corporation]]
| headquarters = [[St. Louis County, Missouri]], U.S.
| key_people = {{ubl|class=nowrap
| Laddie Hamilton {{small|(president, 1950–1959)}}
| Joseph A. Fitzgerald {{small|(president, 1959–1963)}}
| Floyd Jones {{small|(acting president, 1963–1964)}}
| Thomas L. Grace {{small|(president, 1964–1971)}}
| Edward J. Crane {{small|(president, 1971–1986)}}
| Lester L. Cox {{small|(chairman, 1972–1986)}}
}}
| website =
}}

'''Ozark Air Lines''' was a [[local service carrier]], a scheduled airline in the United States that operated from 1950 until it was purchased by [[Trans World Airlines]] (TWA) in 1986. Ozark got a second chance to be an airline when the carrier that won the routes for which Ozark applied, [[Parks Air Lines]], failed to start them in a timely manner. Parks had its rights revoked, Ozark won not only the routes it previously applied for, but others as well. Parks merged into Ozark and Ozark (then without any airline operations) took over the Parks operation and the single route over which Parks had recently started service, thereby launching Ozark. Ozark over time became a jet carrier with a hub in St. Louis.

In 2001, TWA was merged into [[American Airlines]]. A smaller regional airline that used the Ozark name (and whose operating certificate was purchased by [[Great Plains Airlines]]) operated in 2000–2001. From 1950 until 1986, Ozark's headquarters was located at [[St. Louis Lambert International Airport]].{{refn|{{Cite magazine |date=1985-03-30 |title=World Airline Directory |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1985/1985%20-%200965.html?search=%22Ozark%20Air%20Lines%22 |url-status=dead |magazine=[[Flight International]] |language=en-GB |page=105 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305050132/https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1985/1985%20-%200965.html?search=%22Ozark%20Air%20Lines%22 |archive-date=2016-03-05 |access-date=2022-06-14}}}}

==History==
===Pre-certification===

Ozark Air Lines was incorporated on 1 September 1943 in Missouri by Laddie Hamilton, Barak Mattingly and Floyd Jones with $100,000 in paid-up capital.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bsd.sos.mo.gov/Common/CorrespondenceItemViewHandler.ashx?IsTIFF=true&filedDocumentid=11044319&version=1|website=bsd.sos.mo.gov|publisher=State of Missouri Secretary of State|title=Business entity search filing of Articles of Incorporation for Ozark Air Lines|language=en|access-date=25 June 2024}}</ref> Ozark flew from [[Springfield, Missouri]],{{refn|name=WA|{{Cite book |last=Endres |first=Günter G. |title=World Airline Fleets 1983 |date=1982 |publisher=The Aviation Data Centre |isbn=978-0-9461-4102-9 |location=[[Feltham]] |page=327 |oclc=9203525}}}} and, in January 1945, it began flights between Springfield and [[St. Louis]] on [[Beechcraft Model 17 Staggerwing]]s, replaced by [[Cessna AT-17 Bobcat]]s in the late 1940s.

Ozark applied for certification as a feeder or [[local service airline]] in the Mississippi Valley Case of [[Civil Aeronautics Board]] (CAB). The CAB was the now-defunct federal agency that, at the time, tightly regulated almost all air transport in the United States. Without certification from the CAB (or, in some cases, flying solely within a single state as an [[intrastate airline]]), no airline could operate. When the CAB ruled in that case in December 1947, Ozark was shut out.<ref name=mv>{{cite journal|journal=Civil Aeronautics Board Reports |volume=8|pages=726–804|title=Mississippi Valley Case|date=April–December 1947|url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/osu.32437011657687| hdl=2027/osu.32437011657687 }}</ref>

===Parks Air Lines===
{{main|Parks Air Lines}}
[[File:Parks Air Lines 1950 Certificated Routes.png|thumb|left|Ozark inherited the Great Lakes and Mississippi Valley routes from [[Parks Air Lines]]]]
[[File:OzarkLogoDarkGreen.jpg|thumb|The dark green Ozark Air Lines logo]]
[[File:Ozark1.JPG|thumb|Another Ozark Air Lines logo]]
One of the winning airlines in the Mississippi Valley Case was Parks Air Transport, controlled by aviation entrepreneur [[Oliver Parks]], best known for his prominent role in developing pilot training. This was the third case in which PAT won routes, leaving it with the largest portfolio of feeder routes in the country, one that was regarded as potentially the "richest" such in the industry. But Parks failed to start service on his network and in June 1949, the CAB started proceedings to potentially revoke the certification of his airline, now called Parks Air Lines (PAL). As part of those proceedings, the CAB accepted applications for airlines to take over PAL's routes and Ozark renewed its application. The CAB came to a final decision in July 1950, revoking PAL's certification and awarded Ozark not only PAL's Mississippi Valley Case routes, but also those PAL routes from the Great Lakes Area case. In June 1950, PAL finally started flying a route from East St. Louis to Chicago via St. Louis and three central Illinois cities. An appeals court said PAL could keep operating this one route until the effective date of the CAB order (September 26, 1950) but would not prevent the CAB from enforcing the order while PAL pursued a full court case. PAL agreed to sell its airline operation (including five DC-3s) to Ozark in exchange for 37.5% of the business. Ozark had no airline operations at the time, so PAL's operations became those of Ozark and in this way, Ozark Air Lines started service on that one Chicago route on September 26, 1950. Ozark retained operations at PAL's [[Cahokia, Illinois]] home airport, then known as Parks Metropolitan Airport, today as [[St. Louis Downtown Airport]], for a period. For instance, Ozark's maintenance base moved from there to St. Louis in 1952.

===After Parks===

Services were started on {{date2|September|26, |1950}}, using [[Douglas DC-3]]s initially from St. Louis to [[Chicago]] later to [[Tulsa, Oklahoma|Tulsa]] and [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]].{{r|WA}} In 1955, the airline had 13 DC-3s flying to 35 cities between Sioux City, Indianapolis, Wichita, and Nashville. Ozark's main hub was [[St. Louis Lambert International Airport]]. Like other Local Service airlines, it was subsidized; in 1962, its operating revenues of {{currency|14.0|USD}} million (equivalent to {{currency|{{inflation|US|14.0|1962}}|USD}} million in {{inflation/year|US}}) included {{currency|4.5|USD}} million (equivalent to {{currency|{{inflation|US|4.5|1962}}|USD}} million in {{inflation/year|US}}) of federal subsidy.{{refn|{{Cite book |title=Moody's Transportation Manual |date=1964 |issn=0027-089X}}}}

In 1960, turboprop [[Fokker F27|Fairchild F-27]]s were introduced; piston-engine [[Martin 4-0-4]]s were added to the fleet in 1964 and removed in 1967.

One of three co-founders, Arthur G. Heyne was an attorney in St. Louis, Missouri, and served as Secretary-Treasurer starting in 1950.

The three swallows on Ozark fins represented on-time flights, referring to the legend of the swallows that return to the [[Mission San Juan Capistrano]], in [[California]], each year on 19 March.

===Jets===
{{pax
| note = (scheduled flights only)
| footnote = {{refn|{{Cite book |title=Handbook of Airline Statistics |publisher=[[Civil Aeronautics Board]] |language=en-US}}}}
| 1951 | 8
| 1955 | 36
| 1960 | 99
| 1965 | 229
| 1970 | 653
| 1975 | 936
}}
[[Image:Fairchild FH227B Ozark ORD 28.07.75 edited-3.jpg|thumb|right|[[Fairchild-Hiller FH-227]]B at [[Chicago O'Hare Airport]] in 1975]]
In 1961, Ozark's network reached from Minneapolis to Nashville and from Kansas City to Indianapolis and Louisville. Denver was added in 1966 and, in 1969, the network sprouted eastward: Ozark was awarded nonstops from Champaign and Peoria to Washington Dulles, continuing to New York LaGuardia. Atlanta was added in 1978 and four Florida cities in winter 1978–1979.[[Image:Douglas DC-9-31 N976Z Ozark ORD 28.07.75 edited-2.jpg|thumb|right|Ozark [[Douglas DC-9]]-31 at O'Hare in 1975]]
In September 1966, Ozark and [[Central Airlines]] announced plans to merge, subject to CAB approval; the new airline was to retain the Ozark name and would be one of the largest local service carriers in the U.S.{{refn|{{Cite news |last=Mort |first=John |date=1966-09-21 |title=Central Airlines Seeking Merger With Ozark |edition=Morning |volume=86 |page=10-C |work=[[Fort Worth Star-Telegram]] |issue=232 |location=[[Washington, D.C.]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103731468/central-airlines-seeking-merger-with-oza/ |access-date=2022-06-14 |issn=0889-0013 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}{{open access}}}} However, in November 1966, the two airlines announced that merger talks had ended by mutual consent due to financing difficulties.{{refn|{{Cite news |date=1966-11-10 |title=Ozark, Central Calls Halt to Merger Plans |language=en-US |edition=Evening |volume=86 |page=5-D |work=[[Fort Worth Star-Telegram]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |issue=283 |location=[[Washington, D.C.]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103731658/ozark-central-calls-halt-to-merger-plan/ |access-date=2022-06-14 |issn=0889-0013 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}{{open access}}}}

By 1967, the Martins and F-27s were replaced with [[Fairchild Hiller FH-227]]s, a stretched F-27; Ozark was all-turbine after the last DC-3 flight in October 1968. Ozark's introduced its first jets in July, 1966 with the [[Douglas DC-9|Douglas DC-9-10]]s. The DC-9-10s were later augmented with [[McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30]]s (DC-9-31/32) and [[McDonnell Douglas DC-9-40]]s. The airline also ordered two [[Boeing 727-200]]s but never took delivery. In late 1980, Ozark retired its last FH-227 prop aircraft and went all jet with an all DC-9 fleet. Several very small cities including Burlington, Fort Dodge, and Mason City in Iowa, Decatur, Marion, and Quincy in Illinois, and Cape Girardeau, Missouri, briefly saw DC-9 jet service before Ozark discontinued serving those cities in 1982. In 1984, larger [[McDonnell Douglas MD-80]]s were added.

===Ozark Midwest===
In 1985 Ozark began a [[code-share]] agreement with [[Air Midwest]], a commuter airline operating 17-seat [[Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner]]s. The operation was called Ozark Midwest and the Air Midwest aircraft were painted with green stripes, similar to Ozark but without the swallows. Ozark Midwest provided feeder service to Ozark from many smaller cities in the midwest that were not able to support large DC-9 jets including several cities that Ozark had previously discontinued.<ref>Ozark timetables from 1985 and 1986</ref>

===Merger with TWA===
In the mid-1980s Ozark and TWA had a de facto [[duopoly]] at St. Louis Lambert International Airport, a hub for both. Ozark accounted for 26.3 percent of boardings at STL in 1985, while TWA accounted for 56.6 percent.{{refn|{{Cite web |date=1988-09-21 |title=Airline Competition: Fare and Service Changes at St. Louis Since the TWA–Ozark Merger |url=https://www.gao.gov/assets/rced-88-217br.pdf |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220727222854/https://www.gao.gov/assets/rced-88-217br.pdf |archive-date=2022-07-27 |access-date=2022-06-14 |website=[[Government Accountability Office]] |language=en-US }}}} On {{date2|March|1, |1986}}, the two airlines announced plans to merge: TWA would buy Ozark for {{currency|242|USD}} million in cash (equivalent to {{currency|{{inflation|US|242|1986}}|USD}} million in {{inflation/year|US}}).{{refn|{{Cite news |date=1986-03-02 |title=Ozark, TWA Sign Pact |language=en-US |volume=92 |page=A3 |work=[[Kenosha News]] |agency=[[United Press International]] |issue=111 |location=[[St. Louis]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103732939/ozark-twa-sign-pact/ |access-date=2022-06-14 |issn=0749-7067 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}{{open access}}}} Shareholders of both airlines approved the merger by late summer, and the [[United States Department of Transportation]] gave its approval on {{date2|September|12, |1986}}.{{refn|{{Cite book |url={{GBurl|id=BPQCDsRNOtUC}} |title=Determinations of the National Mediation Board |date=1987-04-10 |publisher=[[National Mediation Board]] |volume=13–14 |page=218 |language=en-US |chapter=14 NMB No. 63: Case Nos. R-5684, R-5685, and File No. CR-5908 |access-date=2022-06-14 |chapter-url={{GBurl|id=BPQCDsRNOtUC|p=218}} |via=[[Google Books]]}}}}

Ozark ceased to exist as an independent company on {{date2|October|27, |1986}}. The Ozark DC-9s were gradually painted with a modified paint scheme with "TWA" in the tail. Over the next couple of years, the fifty Ozark airplanes were repainted in the TWA livery. On {{date2|December|1, |2001}}, TWA was merged into American Airlines.

===Second Ozark Air Lines (2000–2001)===
In 1998, rights to the airline's name were purchased by William E. Stricker of [[Columbia, Missouri]]. The reformed Ozark Air Lines received its operating certificate on {{date2|February|11, |2000}}, and began service 10 days later,{{refn|{{Cite magazine |last=Chase |first=Nan |date=2001-01-01 |title=Home Grown |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/air-space-magazine/home-grown-1796318/ |url-status=bot: unknown |magazine=[[Air & Space/Smithsonian]] |language=en-US |issn=0886-2257 |oclc=1054386888 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220614072955/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/air-space-magazine/home-grown-1796318/ |archive-date=2022-06-14 |access-date=2022-06-14 }}}} from [[Columbia Regional Airport]] to [[Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport]] and [[Chicago Midway Airport]], using two [[Fairchild Dornier 328JET]] aircraft. Later in 2000, service was added to [[Joplin Regional Airport]] in Joplin, Missouri, as a stop between Columbia and Dallas/Fort Worth. In early 2001, Ozark operated seasonally to the [[Taos Regional Airport]] serving Taos, New Mexico, from Dallas/Fort Worth twice a week during the winter ski season.

A year later, the company ceased operations and sold its assets to [[Great Plains Airlines]], based in [[Tulsa, Oklahoma]].{{refn|{{Cite news |date=2005-10-06 |title=Flying Tigers to offer more airport services |language=en-US |work=[[Columbia Daily Tribune]] |url=http://archive.columbiatribune.com/2005/oct/20051006busi002.asp |url-status=dead |access-date=2009-01-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311144918/http://archive.columbiatribune.com/2005/oct/20051006busi002.asp |archive-date=2007-03-11}}}}

==Sales and marketing==

===Reservations===
From the 1960s through the late 1980s, Ozark Air Lines' reservations department used a special toll-free WX telephone prefix in [[New Jersey]] which could be reached only in certain areas of the state by dialing 0 and asking the [[New Jersey Bell]] operator to connect to Ozark's [[Zenith number|WX number]]: WX-8300. The number could not be dialed directly by the customer and was only available to certain telephone exchanges where WX was available. ([[Wide Area Telephone Service|Direct-dial toll-free]] service made WX numbers obsolete, and they have been largely phased out.)

===Advertising===
In the late 1960s, comedian [[George Carlin]] appeared in Ozark advertising.{{refn|{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AA7g1oXYrqE |title=Living St. Louis – Ozark Air Lines |date=2008-04-22 |type=Television production |publisher=KETC-TV |place=[[St. Louis]] |access-date=2009-01-07 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/AA7g1oXYrqE |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live |via=[[YouTube]] |people=George Carlin (actor)}}{{cbignore}}}}

==Destinations in 1986==
{{confusing section|reason=the destinations listed below are listed in bullet points, instead of a table (in a way similar to how the United Airlines destinations mentioned in the article List of United Airlines destinations are put in two wikitables)|small=no|date=May 2019}}
{{col div}}
* [[Atlanta]] ([[Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport]])
* [[Baltimore]] ([[Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport]])
* [[Cedar Rapids, Iowa|Cedar Rapids]]/[[Iowa City, Iowa|Iowa City]] ([[The Eastern Iowa Airport]])
* [[Champaign, Illinois|Champaign]]/[[Urbana, Illinois|Urbana]] ([[University of Illinois Willard Airport]])
* [[Charlotte, North Carolina|Charlotte]] ([[Charlotte/Douglas International Airport]])
* [[Chicago]] ([[Chicago O'Hare International Airport]])
* [[Cleveland]] ([[Cleveland Hopkins International Airport]])
* [[Dallas]]/[[Fort Worth]] ([[Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport]])
* [[Denver]] ([[Stapleton International Airport]])
* [[Des Moines]] ([[Des Moines International Airport]])
* [[Detroit]] ([[Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport]])
* [[Fort Lauderdale]]/[[Hollywood, Florida|Hollywood]] ([[Fort Lauderdale – Hollywood International Airport]])
* [[Fort Myers]] ([[Southwest Florida International Airport]])
* [[Houston]] ([[William P. Hobby Airport]])
* [[Indianapolis]] ([[Indianapolis International Airport]])
* [[Jacksonville]] ([[Jacksonville International Airport]])
* [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]] ([[Kansas City International Airport]])
* [[Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas]] ([[McCarran International Airport]])
* [[Lincoln, Nebraska|Lincoln]] ([[Lincoln Airport (Nebraska)|Lincoln Airport]])
* [[Louisville, Kentucky|Louisville]] ([[Louisville International Airport]])
* [[Madison, Wisconsin|Madison]] ([[Dane County Regional Airport]])
* [[Miami]] ([[Miami International Airport]])
* [[Milwaukee]] ([[General Mitchell International Airport]])
* [[Minneapolis]]/[[Saint Paul, Minnesota|St. Paul]] ([[Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport]])
* [[Moline, Illinois|Moline]]/[[Quad Cities]] ([[Quad City International Airport]])
* [[Nashville]] ([[Nashville International Airport]])
* [[New Orleans]] ([[Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport]])
* [[New York City]] ([[LaGuardia Airport]])
* [[Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk]] ([[Norfolk International Airport]])
* [[Omaha]] ([[Eppley Airfield]])
* [[Oklahoma City]] ([[Will Rogers World Airport]])
* [[Orlando, Florida|Orlando]] ([[Orlando International Airport]])
* [[Peoria, Illinois|Peoria]] ([[General Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport]])
* [[Philadelphia]] ([[Philadelphia International Airport]])
* [[Raleigh, North Carolina|Raleigh]]/[[Durham, North Carolina|Durham]] ([[Raleigh–Durham International Airport]])
* [[Rochester, Minnesota]] ([[Rochester International Airport]])
* [[San Antonio]] ([[San Antonio International Airport]])
* [[San Diego]] ([[San Diego International Airport]])
* [[Sarasota, Florida|Sarasota]]/[[Bradenton, Florida|Bradenton]] ([[Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport]])
* [[Sioux City]] ([[Sioux Gateway Airport]])
* [[Sioux Falls]] ([[Sioux Falls Regional Airport]])
* [[Springfield, Illinois]] ([[Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport]])
* [[St. Louis, Missouri|St. Louis]] ([[St. Louis Lambert International Airport]]) ('''Hub''')
* [[Tampa]] ([[Tampa International Airport]])
* [[Tulsa]] ([[Tulsa International Airport]])
* [[West Palm Beach]] ([[Palm Beach International Airport]])
* [[Washington, D.C.]] ([[Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport]])
* [[Waterloo, Iowa|Waterloo]] ([[Waterloo Regional Airport]])
{{col div end}}

:''Note: Regional destinations were served by Ozark Midwest''

==Fleet==
World Airline Fleets 1979 (copyright 1979) lists Ozark as having the following fleet:<ref>{{cite book|title=World Airline Fleets 1979|last=Endres|first=Günter G.|publisher=Airline Publications and Sales|location=Hounslow (UK) |pages=254–255|isbn=0905117530|url=https://archive.org/details/worldairlineflee0000unse}}</ref>

{{col div}}
* 13 [[Fairchild-Hiller FH-227B]]
* 7 [[Douglas DC-9-15]]
* 20 [[Douglas DC-9-31]]
* 4 [[Douglas DC-9-32]]
* 1 [[Douglas DC-9-33CF]]
{{col div end}}
Eight of the DC-9-31s were former [[Northeast Airlines]] aircraft.{{Cn|date=May 2025}}

Ozark Air Lines operated the following aircraft:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aerobernie.bplaced.net/Ozark%20Air%20Lines.html|title=Ozark Air Lines|website=Aerobernie.bplaced.net|access-date=April 12, 2023}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:0.5em auto; text-align:center"
|-
!Aircraft
!Total
!Introduced
!Retired
!Notes
|-
|[[Boeing 727-200]]
|2
|1979
|1979
|Never entered service and sold to [[Pan Am]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.airliners.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1394333|title=Ozark & the Boeing 727|website=Airliners.net|date=May 16, 2018}}</ref>
|-
|[[Convair CV-240]]
|7
|1962
|1965
|
|-
|[[de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter]]
|3
|1972
|1974
|Used to serve Chicago [[Meigs Field]]
|-
|[[Douglas C-47 Skytrain]]
|29
|1950
|1971
|
|-
|[[Fairchild F-27]]
|7
|1959
|1967
|
|-
|[[Fairchild FH-227B]]
|21
|1966
|1981
|
|-
|[[Martin 4-0-4]]
|15
|1964
|1968
|
|-
|[[McDonnell Douglas DC-9-10]]
|10
|rowspan=2|1968
|rowspan=4|1986
|
|-
|[[McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30]]
|37
|
|-
|[[McDonnell Douglas DC-9-40]]
|3
|1982
|
|-
|[[McDonnell Douglas MD-82]]
|4
|1984
|
|-
|}

==Accidents and incidents==
*On {{date2|March|27, |1968}}, [[Ozark Air Lines Flight 965]], a Douglas DC-9-15, collided in midair with a [[Cessna 150|Cessna 150F]] while both aircraft were on approach to runway 17 at [[St. Louis Lambert International Airport|Lambert–St. Louis Municipal Airport]] (Lambert Field), St. Louis, Missouri. The Cessna was demolished by the collision and ground impact, and both of its occupants were killed. The DC-9 sustained light damage and was able to land safely; none of its 44 passengers or five crewmembers were injured.{{refn|{{Cite web |date=1969-06-30 |title=Midair collision, Ozark Air Lines, Inc., DC-9, N970Z And Interstate Airmotive, Inc., Cessna 150F, N8669G, St. Louis, Missouri, March 27, 1968 |url=https://www.fss.aero/accident-reports/dvdfiles/US/1968-03-27-US.pdf |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220531140144/https://www.fss.aero/accident-reports/dvdfiles/US/1968-03-27-US.pdf |archive-date=2022-05-31 |access-date=2022-06-14 |website=fss.aero |language=en-US }}}}
*On {{date2|December|27, |1968}}, [[Ozark Air Lines Flight 982]] crashed shortly after takeoff from [[Sioux Gateway Airport]]. 35 of the flight's 62 passengers and 4 crew members were taken to area hospitals, mostly for treatment of minor cuts and scratches. It was the "first crash of any significance for the airline." The {{currency|3|USD}} million DC-9 aircraft (equivalent to {{currency|{{inflation|US|3|1968}}|USD}} million in {{inflation/year|US}}) was a total loss.{{refn|{{Cite web |title=Loss of roll control, Ozark Air Lines, Inc., Douglas DC-9-15, N974Z, Sioux City Airport, Sioux City, Iowa, December 27, 1968 |url=https://fss.aero/accident-reports/look.php?report_key=56 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220123111843/https://fss.aero/accident-reports/look.php?report_key=56 |archive-date=2022-01-23 |access-date=2022-06-14 |website=fss.aero |language=en-US }}}}
*On {{date2|July|23, |1973}}, [[Ozark Air Lines Flight 809]], a Fairchild Hiller FH-227B, crashed while on approach to Lambert–St. Louis International Airport. Of the 45 passengers and crew on board, only seven survived. Microburst-induced windshear and the captain's decision to land in a thunderstorm were cited as the cause.{{refn|{{Cite web |title=AirDisaster.Com » Accident Database » Accident Synopsis » 07231973 |url=http://www.airdisaster.com/cgi-bin/view_details.cgi?date=07231973&reg=N4215&airline=Ozark+Airlines |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090102204614/http://www.airdisaster.com/cgi-bin/view_details.cgi?date=07231973&reg=N4215&airline=Ozark+Airlines |archive-date=2009-01-02}}}}
*On {{date2|December|20, |1983}}, [[Ozark Air Lines Flight 650]], a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31, struck a snow plow while landing at [[Sioux Falls Regional Airport]]. The driver of the snow plow was killed and two flight attendants suffered minor injuries. No passengers were injured.

== See also ==
* [[List of defunct airlines of the United States]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Ozark Air Lines}}
*{{url|http://www.ozarkairlines.com/|Site including history and gathering place for former employees}}
*{{url|http://timetableimages.com/ttimages/oz.htm}} has several Ozark timetables from 1952 to 1961, showing where they flew, how often, how long it took and how much it cost. They also have route maps for some later years.
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4LKeYChuWU Video: "Ozark Air Lines, Computer Reservation System"]
*[https://www.kshs.org/archives/44736 Ozark Air Lines, Inc. Records] at the [[Kansas Historical Society]]

{{Portal bar|United States|Companies|Aviation}}
{{Airlines of the United States|state=collapsed}}
{{Legacy carrier}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Airlines disestablished in 1986]]
[[Category:Airlines established in 1950]]
[[Category:Companies based in St. Louis County, Missouri]]
[[Category:Defunct companies based in Missouri]]
[[Category:Defunct regional airlines of the United States]]
[[Category:Ozark Air Lines| ]]
[[Category:Trans World Airlines]]
[[Category:American Airlines]]
[[Category:Airlines based in Missouri]]

Western Airlines

2025-06-29T10:39:29Z

182.232.34.176:

{{Short description|Defunct airline of the United States (1925–1987)}}
{{About|the defunct California-based airline that operated from 1925 to 1987|the defunct Washington state–based airline that operated through 2007|Western (airline)|the Bahamas-based airline|Western Air}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2023}} {{Use American English|date=December 2023}}
{{Infobox airline
| logo = Western Airlines.svg
| logo_size = 125
| alt = The Western Airlines "W" trademark in red on a white background
| IATA = WA
| ICAO = WAL
| callsign = WESTERN
| founded = {{start date|1925|07|}} {{small|(as ''Western Air Express'')}}
| commenced = {{start date|1926|04|17}} {{small|(as ''Western Air Express'')}}
| ceased = {{end date|1987|04|01}} {{small|(merged into [[Delta Air Lines]])}}
| aoc =
| bases =
| hubs = {{ubl|class=nowrap
| [[Stapleton International Airport|Denver–Stapleton]]
| [[Los Angeles International Airport|Los Angeles]]
| [[Salt Lake City International Airport|Salt Lake City]]}}
| secondary_hubs =
| focus_cities =
| frequent_flyer = TravelPass II
| lounge =
| alliance =
| subsidiaries =
| fleet_size =
| destinations =
| parent =
| headquarters = [[Los Angeles]], [[California]], [[United States]]
| founder = Harris Hanshue
| key_people =
| revenue =
| operating_income =
| net_income =
| assets =
| equity =
| website =
}}

'''Western Airlines''' was a [[trunk carrier]], a scheduled airline based in [[California]], operating in the [[Western United States]] including [[Alaska]] and [[Hawaii]], and [[western Canada]], as well as to [[New York City]], [[Boston]], [[Washington, D.C.]], and [[Miami]] and to [[Mexico City]], [[London]] and [[Nassau, Bahamas|Nassau]]. Western had hubs at [[Los Angeles International Airport]], [[Salt Lake City International Airport]], and the former [[Stapleton International Airport]] in [[Denver]]. Before it merged with [[Delta Air Lines]] in 1987 it was headquartered at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).<ref>[http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1985/1985%20-%200991.html 131 "Western Airlines"]. March 30, 1985. ''World Airline Directory''. Flight International. Retrieved on June 17, 2009. "Head Office: PO Box 92005, World Way Postal Center, Los Angeles International Airport, Los Angeles, California 90009, USA."</ref> Throughout the company's history, its slogan was "Western Airlines...The Only Way to Fly!"

==History==
===Western Air Express===
[[File:Fokker F-10 van Western Air Express (2161 026717).jpg|thumb|left|A [[Fokker F-10]] aircraft operated by the airline's precursor, Western Air Express, in the late 1920s.]]
In 1925, the [[United States Postal Service]] began to give airline contracts to carry airmail throughout the country. Western Airlines first incorporated in 1925 as ''Western Air Express'' by Harris Hanshue. It applied for, and was awarded, the 650-mile long [[Contract Air Mail Route]] #4 (CAM-4) from [[Salt Lake City]], [[Utah]], to [[Los Angeles]]. On 17 April 1926, Western's first flight took place with a [[Douglas M-2]] airplane.<ref>{{cite journal|journal=AAHS Journal Table of Contents |volume=42 |date=1997|title=Maddux Air Lines 1927–1929|author=Ed Betts|url=https://www.aahs-online.org/tocb.php?year=1997 |publisher=American Aviation Historical Society |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020063137/https://www.aahs-online.org/tocb.php?year=1997 |archive-date= Oct 20, 2021 }}</ref> It began offering passenger services a month later, when the first commercial passenger flight took place at [[Salt Lake City International Airport|Woodward Field]]. Ben F. Redman (then president of the Salt Lake City Chamber of Commerce) and J.A. Tomlinson perched atop U.S. mail sacks and flew with pilot C.N. "Jimmy" James on his regular eight-hour mail delivery flight to Los Angeles. By the mid-1930s, Western Air Express had introduced new [[Boeing 247]] aircraft. Western Air Express built and owned Vail Airport in [[Montebello, CA]] from 1926 to 1930 and the [[Alhambra Airport]] in southern California from 1930 to 1931. Western Air Express operated a seaplane route out of [[Hamilton Cove Seaplane Base]] on [[Catalina Island, California]] from 1928 to 1930<ref name=ttimages/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.airfieldsfreeman.com/CA/Airfields_CA_LA_C.htm#vail|title= California, Central Los Angeles area|website=Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231111030622/http://www.airfields-freeman.com/CA/Airfields_CA_LA_C.htm#vail |archive-date= Nov 11, 2023 }}</ref><ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.airfieldsfreeman.com/CA/Airfields_CA_PacificIslands.htm#hamiltoncove|title= California: Pacific Islands|website=Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230611143808/http://www.airfields-freeman.com/CA/Airfields_CA_PacificIslands.htm#hamiltoncove |archive-date= Jun 11, 2023 }}</ref>

===Transcontinental & Western Air===
The company reincorporated in 1928 as Western Air Express Corp. In 1930 it purchased [[Standard Air Lines]], a subsidiary of Aero Corp. of Ca., founded in 1926 by [[Paul E. Richter]], [[Jack Frye]] and Walter Hamilton. WAE with [[Fokker]] aircraft merged with [[Transcontinental Air Transport]] to form [[Trans World Airlines|Transcontinental & Western Air]] (TWA, later known as Trans World Airlines).

===General Air Lines===
In 1934 Western Air Express was severed from TWA and changed its name to General Air Lines, returning to the name Western Air Express after several months. In a 1934 press release by the company, it called itself the Western Air Division of General Air Lines.<ref>Western Air press release photo, May 13, 1934.</ref> Its route map ran [[San Diego]] to [[Los Angeles]] to Salt Lake City.

===Western Airlines===
[[File:Douglas M2.jpg|right|thumb|Douglas M-2 Operated by Western Air Express]]
[[File:James, Jimmy (4728489137).jpg|thumb]]
In 1937 Western merged [[National Parks Airways]], which extended its route north from Salt Lake to [[Great Falls, Montana|Great Falls]], and, in 1941, across the border to [[Lethbridge|Lethbridge, Alberta]]. In 1941 Western Air Express changed its name to Western Air Lines and later to Western Airlines. (In 1967–69 Western called itself Western Airlines International.)

In 1944 Western acquired a controlling interest in [[Inland Air Lines]], which became a subsidiary with Inland's schedules in Western timetables until Inland was merged into Western in 1952.<ref name=ttimages/> Western started flying Los Angeles to [[San Francisco]] in 1943, so the Western/Inland route map was a W: San Francisco south to [[San Diego]], north from San Diego to [[Lethbridge, Alberta]] in [[Canada]], south to [[Denver]], and northeast to [[Huron, South Dakota|Huron]]. (It extended to [[Minneapolis]] in 1947.)

In 1946, Western was awarded a route from Los Angeles to Denver via Las Vegas, but in 1947 financial problems forced Western to sell the route, and [[Douglas DC-6]] delivery positions, to [[United Air Lines]]. In 1947 Western extended the left arm of the W north to [[Seattle]], and added San Diego to [[Yuma, Arizona|Yuma]] for a few years; in 1950 it extended the middle of the W north to [[Edmonton]]. It finally cut across the W in 1953 when DC-6Bs started a one-stop flight MSP-SLC-LAX; in 1956 it resumed flights west out of Denver, to San Francisco via Salt Lake. In 1957 it began Los Angeles to [[Mexico City]] nonstop DC-6Bs, and in December 1957 it began Denver-Phoenix-San Diego.

The airline's president was Terrell "Terry" Drinkwater. Drinkwater got into a dispute with the administration in Washington D.C. that hampered WAL's growth. Pressured in a famous phone call by President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] to "buy American made aircraft", Drinkwater reportedly responded: "Mr. President, you run your country and let me run my airline!" For years after this exchange, the federal [[Civil Aeronautics Board]] (CAB) would not award Western new routes while its competitors, including United and American, grew enormous even though all Western airliners were of U.S. manufacture while its competitors' fleets included aircraft produced in Europe. [[File:Western Airlines ticket book.jpg|right|thumb|Covers of a 1940s ticket book]]
[[File:Convair-240-color.jpg|right|thumb|Restored [[Convair 240]] in Western Airlines paint]]

In August 1953, Western was serving 38 airports; in June 1968 that number had grown to 42.

In June 1960, Western Airlines introduced [[Boeing 707]]s (707-139s) between Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle. [[Boeing 720|720B]] nonstops MSP-SFO and MSP-LAX began in 1966, along with LAX-Acapulco. In 1967 WAL acquired '''Pacific Northern Airlines''' (PNA, the successor of [[Woodley Airways]]) based in [[Anchorage, Alaska]], its primary routes being Anchorage - Seattle nonstop as well as Anchorage - [[Juneau]] - Seattle and Anchorage - Juneau - [[Ketchikan]] - Seattle with PNA flying [[Boeing 720]] jetliners on these routes with the airline also operating nonstop [[Kodiak, Alaska]] - Seattle service with [[Lockheed Constellation]] propliners.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pacific Northern Airlines |url=https://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/pn6707.htm |access-date=2024-02-03 |website=www.timetableimages.com}}</ref> Also in 1967, Western added [[Vancouver]], and in 1969 it began nonstop flights between several California airports and [[Hawaii]].

In the late 1960s, Western aimed for an all-jet fleet, adding [[Boeing 707-320]]s, [[Boeing 727|727-200]]s and [[Boeing 737|737-200]]s to its [[Boeing 720|720B]]s. The two leased B707-139s had been sold in favor of the turbofan-powered Boeing 720B. [[Lockheed L-188 Electra]] turboprops were replaced with new 737-200s. In 1973 Western added nine [[McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10]]s, marketing its [[wide body aircraft|wide-body]] cabins as "DC-10 Spaceships". They were configured with 46 first-class seats, 193 coach, and a lower level galley.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://uppiluften.tumblr.com/image/33322148509|title=DC-10 Spaceship promotional poster|website=uppiluften.tumblr.com|access-date=2016-04-24}}</ref> From 1976 to 1981 the DC-10s flew Los Angeles to Miami nonstop.

Starting in 1968 future billionaire [[Kirk Kerkorian]] was a major investor in Western Airlines. Kerkorian had previously controlled [[Trans International Airlines]], making his first fortune by selling it to insurance conglomerate [[Transamerica Corporation]] earlier in 1968. Kerkorian built a large stake in Western from 1968 to 1970 and took control of the board, reshaping management (including side-lining Drinkwater) and, among other changes, cancelling Western's orders for [[Boeing 747]]s, helping Western minimize the impact of the [[widebody]]-driven capacity glut of the early 1970s. He remained a power at Western until 1976, when he sold his remaining stock back to the company.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia
| last = Tilford| first = Earl H., Jr.
| editor-last = Leary| editor-first = William M.| title = Kirk Kerkorian (June 6, 1917– )| encyclopedia = Encyclopedia of American Business History and Biography| volume = The Airline Industry
| pages = 255–257| publisher = Bruccoli Clark Layman and Facts On File| location = New York| date = 1992|url=https://archive.org/details/airlineindustry0000unse}}</ref>

In 1969, Western Airlines opened negotiations to merge with [[American Airlines]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=1969-10-06 |title=American Airlines Reported in Talks On Western Merger |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1969/10/06/archives/american-airlines-reported-in-talks-on-western-merger.html |access-date=2022-04-17 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> However, the merger was opposed by rival airlines such as Continental Airlines and the [[United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division]] under [[Richard Wellington McLaren]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lydon |first=Christopher |date=1971-07-11 |title=American‐Western Merger Proposal Termed Vital Test for Airline Industry |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/07/11/archives/americanwestern-merger-proposal-termed-vital-test-for-airline.html |access-date=2022-04-17 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> President [[Richard Nixon]]'s attorney [[Herbert W. Kalmbach]] suggested that the antitrust suit would be dropped in exchange for a $75,000 campaign contribution to the [[Committee for the Re-Election of the President]], which American Airlines CEO [[George A. Spater]] agreed to.<ref>Graff, Garrett M. (2022). ''Watergate: A New History'' (1 ed.). New York: Avid Reader Press. pp. 146-147. {{ISBN|978-1-9821-3916-2}}. {{OCLC|1260107112}}</ref> However, the merger was nonetheless rejected in a 4–1 decision by the Civil Aeronautics Board in July 1972.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Shanahan |first=Eileen |date=1972-07-29 |title=American‐Western Air Merger Rejected |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1972/07/29/archives/americanwestern-air-merger-rejected-big-airline-deal-rejected-by.html |access-date=2022-04-17 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
[[File:Western Airlines B-720 N93147.jpg|thumb|[[Boeing 720|Boeing 720B]] in old livery at Seattle 1972]]
[[File:Western Airlines B-727 N2806W.jpg|thumb|[[Boeing 727]]]]

Western was headquartered in Los Angeles, California. After the [[Airline Deregulation Act]] in 1978, the airline's hubs were reduced to two airports: [[Los Angeles International Airport]] and [[Salt Lake City International Airport]]. Before deregulation, Western had small hubs in [[Anchorage, Alaska]], [[Denver]], [[Las Vegas]], [[Minneapolis]]/[[Saint Paul, Minnesota|St. Paul]] and [[San Francisco]].<ref>Wadley, Carma. "Utahns were quick to embrace aviation and help achieve mastery of the skies." ''Desert Morning News'' Thursday, December 4, 2003.</ref> In spring 1987, shortly before Western was acquired by [[Delta Air Lines]], the airline had two hubs, a major operation in Salt Lake City and a small hub in Los Angeles.

At its peak in the 1970s and 1980s, Western flew to cities across the western United States, and to Mexico ([[Mexico City]], [[Puerto Vallarta]], [[Acapulco]], [[Ixtapa]]/[[Zihuatanejo]] and [[Mazatlán]]), [[Alaska]] ([[Anchorage]], [[Fairbanks]], [[Juneau]], [[Ketchikan]], [[Kodiak, Alaska|Kodiak]] and other Alaskan destinations), [[Hawaii]] ([[Honolulu International Airport|Honolulu]], [[Kahului]], [[Kona District, Hawaii|Kona]], and [[Hilo]]), and Canada ([[Vancouver]], [[Calgary]] and [[Edmonton]]). [[New York City]], [[Washington, D.C.]], [[Boston]], and [[Miami]] were added on the [[East Coast of the United States|east coast]] as well as [[Chicago]] and [[St. Louis]], and cities in [[Texas]] ([[Austin, Texas|Austin]], [[Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex|Dallas/Ft. Worth]], [[El Paso, Texas|El Paso]], [[Houston]] and [[San Antonio]]), and New Orleans in the south. Western had many intrastate flights in [[California]], competing with [[Pacific Southwest Airlines]] (PSA), [[Air California]]/[[AirCal]], Air West/[[Hughes Airwest]] and [[United Airlines]]. In addition, Western operated "Islander" service with [[Boeing 707-320]]s, [[Boeing 720B]]s and [[McDonnell Douglas DC-10]]s to Hawaii from a number of cities that previously did not have direct flights to the 50th state. In 1973, Western flew nonstop between Honolulu and Anchorage, Los Angeles, Oakland, California, San Diego, San Francisco and San Jose, California and one-stop between Honolulu and Las Vegas, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Phoenix, Sacramento and Salt Lake City.<ref name=depart/> In 1981, the airline also flew nonstop DC-10s between Vancouver, British Columbia and [[Honolulu]].<ref name=depart/>

One of the smallest jet destinations was [[West Yellowstone, Montana]], near [[Yellowstone National Park]]. Western flew [[Boeing 737-200]]s to [[West Yellowstone Airport]] in the summer, replacing [[Lockheed L-188 Electra]]s. In the 1970s and 1980s, Western served a number of small cities with 737-200s including [[Butte, Montana]], [[Casper, Wyoming]], [[Cheyenne, Wyoming]], [[Helena, Montana]], [[Idaho Falls, Idaho]], [[Pierre, South Dakota]], [[Pocatello, Idaho]], [[Rapid City, South Dakota]] and [[Sheridan, Wyoming]]. The 737 replaced Electras to all of these cities. In 1968 the airline was operating nonstop Boeing 720Bs between the [[Annette Island Airport]] (serving [[Ketchikan, Alaska]]) and Seattle in addition to 720Bs between [[Juneau]] and Seattle, and in 1973 was flying 720B nonstops between [[Kodiak, Alaska]] and Seattle.<ref name=ttimages/><ref name=depart/>

In 1978, Western Airlines and [[Continental Airlines]] agreed to merge. A dispute broke out over what to call the combined airline: Western-Continental or Continental-Western, prompting an infamous coin toss. [[Robert Six|Bob Six]], the colorful founder of CAL, demanded that Continental be "tails" in deference to its marketing slogan "We Really Move Our Tail for You! Continental Airlines: the Proud Bird with the Golden Tail". The coin flip turned up "heads". Six was so disappointed he called the merger off.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://internationalaviationhq.com/2020/07/22/western-airlines-ruled-sky/|title=Western Airlines: How California Ruled The Sky|website=International Aviation HQ|date=22 July 2020 |access-date=2020-07-26}}</ref>

From October 1980 to October 1981, Western flew Honolulu to Anchorage to [[London Gatwick Airport]] with a single [[McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30]];<ref name=depart/> for less than a year starting in April 1981 it flew LGW to Denver, continuing to Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Another international route was Los Angeles to Miami to [[Nassau, Bahamas|Nassau]], in [[the Bahamas]] for a year in 1980–81. Western extended its network to New York City, Washington, D.C. and Boston, as well as to Chicago and St. Louis in the midwest, [[Albuquerque International Sunport|Albuquerque]] and [[El Paso]] in the west, and [[Houston]], [[Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport|New Orleans]], [[Miami]] and [[Fort Lauderdale]]. In 1987 Western had four [[Boeing 737-300]] round trips between Boston and New York [[LaGuardia Airport]], and a major hub at [[Salt Lake City International Airport]] and a small hub at [[Los Angeles International Airport]].<ref name=depart/>

===Western Express===

In 1986, Western entered into a [[code sharing]] agreement with [[SkyWest Airlines]], a commuter airline. SkyWest (Western Express) [[Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia]]s and [[Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner]]s connected to Western mainline flights at Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Phoenix, San Diego, and other Western mainline destinations.<ref name=depart/> In spring 1987 SkyWest/Western Express served 36 cities in Arizona, California, Colorado, Montana, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming. Western entered a similar code-sharing agreement with Alaska-based South Central Air, a small commuter airline that operated as Western Express as well, connecting to Western flights at Anchorage. Several cities in southern Alaska including Homer, Kenai, Soldotna were served by South Central Air operating as Western Express.<ref name=depart/> After the acquisition of Western by [[Delta Air Lines]], SkyWest became a [[Delta Connection]] code sharing airline.<ref name=depart>{{cite web|website=DepartedFlights.com |title=Departed Flights |author= |date= |url=http://www.departedflights.com |publisher= |access-date= |quote=}}</ref>

===Delta Air Lines merger===
[[File:Delta Boeing 737-200 N236WA at PDX (24856232376).jpg|thumb|A Boeing 737 in a hybrid Western/Delta livery]]
In the early 1980s [[Air Florida]] tried to buy Western Airlines, but it was able to purchase only 16 percent of the airline's stock. On September 9, 1986, Western Airlines and [[Delta Air Lines]] entered into an agreement and plan of merger.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Cole |first1=Robert J. |title=Delta and Western Airline Merger Agreed To In A $860 Million Deal |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/09/10/business/delta-and-western-airline-merger-agreed-to-in-a-860-million-deal.html |work=The New York Times |issue=46893|volume=135 |date=10 September 1986}}</ref> The merger agreement was approved by the [[United States Department of Transportation]] on December 11, 1986. On December 16, 1986, shareholder approval was conferred and Western Airlines became a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta. The Western brand was discontinued and the employee workforces were fully merged on April 1, 1987. All of Western's aircraft were repainted in Delta's livery, including twelve [[McDonnell Douglas DC-10]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Aircraft By Type |url=https://www.deltamuseum.org/delta-history/aircraft-by-type/jet/douglas-dc-10 |access-date=2024-02-03 |website=www.deltamuseum.org}}</ref> Delta eventually decided to eliminate the DC-10s from its fleet as it already operated [[Lockheed L-1011 TriStar]]s, a similar type. Delta retained Western's hubs in Los Angeles and Salt Lake City; both remain major gateways and hubs for Delta.

==Destinations in 1987==
[[File:Western Airlines DC-10 1 Tilt Corrected.jpg|thumb|300px|Western DC-10. Like [[American Airlines]] "DC-10 LuxuryLiners", Western Airlines marketed its DC-10s "Spaceships" for its widebody comfort, while [[Eastern Airlines]] promoted its [[L-1011 Tristar]]s as "Whisperliners"]]
This mainline destination list is taken from Western's March 1, 1987, timetable shortly before the merger with Delta Air Lines.<ref name=depart/> The airline's main hub was [[Salt Lake City International Airport]] with a smaller hub at [[Los Angeles International Airport]].

* [[Acapulco|Acapulco, Mexico]]
* [[Albuquerque, New Mexico]]
* [[Anchorage, Alaska]] (ANC): [[Anchorage International Airport]]
* [[Austin, Texas]] (AUS): [[Robert Mueller Municipal Airport]]
* [[Billings, Montana]]
* [[Bismarck, North Dakota]]
* [[Boise, Idaho]]
* [[Boston|Boston, Massachusetts]] (BOS): [[Logan International Airport]]
* [[Bozeman, Montana]]
* [[Burbank, California]] (BUR): [[Hollywood Burbank Airport]], then Burbank/Glendale/Pasadena Airport
* [[Butte, Montana]]
* [[Calgary|Calgary, Alberta, Canada]] (YYC): [[Calgary International Airport]]
* [[Casper, Wyoming]]
* [[Cheyenne, Wyoming]]
* [[Chicago|Chicago, Illinois]] (ORD): [[O'Hare International Airport]]
* [[Colorado Springs, Colorado]]
* [[Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex|Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas]] (DFW): [[Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport]]
* [[Denver|Denver, Colorado]] (DEN): [[Stapleton International Airport]]
* [[Edmonton|Edmonton, Alberta, Canada]] (YEG): [[Edmonton International Airport]]
* [[El Paso, Texas]]
* [[Fairbanks, Alaska]]
* [[Fresno, California]]
* [[Great Falls, Montana]]
* [[Guadalajara|Guadalajara, Mexico]]
* [[Helena, Montana]]
* [[Honolulu|Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii]] (HNL): [[Honolulu International Airport]]
* [[Houston|Houston, Texas]] (IAH): [[George Bush Intercontinental Airport]]
* [[Idaho Falls, Idaho]]
* [[Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo International Airport|Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, Mexico]]
* [[Jackson, Wyoming]]
* [[Juneau, Alaska]]
* [[Kansas City, Missouri]]
* [[Kahului, Hawaii|Kahului, Maui, Hawaii]]
* [[Kalispell, Montana]]
* [[Las Vegas|Las Vegas, Nevada]] (LAS): [[McCarran International Airport]]
* [[Los Angeles|Los Angeles, California]] (LAX): [[Los Angeles International Airport]] - Secondary hub
* [[Mazatlán|Mazatlan, Mexico]]
* [[Mexico City|Mexico City, Mexico]]
* [[Minneapolis–Saint Paul|Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota]] (MSP): [[Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport]]
* [[Missoula, Montana]]
* [[New York City|New York City, New York]] (JFK): [[John F. Kennedy International Airport]]
* [[New York City|New York City, New York]] (LGA): [[LaGuardia Airport]]
* [[Oakland, California]] (OAK): [[Oakland International Airport]]
* [[Oklahoma City|Oklahoma City, Oklahoma]]
* [[Omaha, Nebraska]]
* [[Ontario, California]] (ONT): [[Ontario International Airport]]
* [[Orange County, California]] (SNA): [[John Wayne Airport]]
* [[Palm Springs, California]]
* [[Pasco, Washington]] ([[Tri-Cities, Washington|Tri-Cities area]])
* [[Phoenix, Arizona]] (PHX): [[Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport]]
* [[Portland, Oregon]] (PDX): [[Portland International Airport]]
* [[Puerto Vallarta|Puerto Vallarta, Mexico]]
* [[Rapid City, South Dakota]]
* [[Reno, Nevada]]
* [[Sacramento, California]]
* [[Salt Lake City|Salt Lake City, Utah]] (SLC): [[Salt Lake City International Airport]] - Primary hub
* [[St. Louis|St. Louis, Missouri]] (STL): [[St. Louis Lambert International Airport]]
* [[San Antonio|San Antonio, Texas]]
* [[San Diego|San Diego, California]] (SAN): [[San Diego International Airport]]
* [[San Francisco|San Francisco, California]] (SFO): [[San Francisco International Airport]]
* [[San Jose, California]] (SJC): [[Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport]]
* [[Seattle-Tacoma, WA Combined Statistical Area|Seattle/Tacoma, Washington]] (SEA): [[Seattle–Tacoma International Airport]]
* [[Sioux Falls, South Dakota]]
* [[Spokane, Washington]]
* [[Tucson, Arizona]]
* [[Tulsa, Oklahoma]]
* [[Vancouver|Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada]] (YVR): [[Vancouver International Airport]]
* [[Washington, D.C.]] (IAD): [[Washington Dulles International Airport]]
* [[Washington, D.C.]] (DCA): [[Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport]]
* [[Wichita, Kansas]]

Western had a flight between IAD in Washington, D.C., and DCA at one point in 1985.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Western Detail Map |url=http://www.airtimes.com/cgat/usc/western/detail/mapwa850904.jpg |website=airtimes.com}}</ref> In 1987 the airline had four round trip flights a day between Boston and New York LaGuardia.<ref name=depart/>

==Former destinations==

Western timetables from the 1940s to the 1980s list service to the following at different times:<ref name=ttimages>{{cite web|url=http://www.timetableimages.com|title=Airline Timetable Images|website=TimetableImages.com |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231209002703/http://www.timetableimages.com/ |archive-date= Dec 9, 2023 }}</ref><ref name=depart/>

* [[Alliance, Nebraska]]
* [[Baltimore|Baltimore, Maryland]] (BWI): [[Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport]]
* [[Brookings, South Dakota]]
* [[Cedar City, Utah]]
* [[Cordova, Alaska]]
* [[Cut Bank, Montana]]
* [[El Centro, California]]
* [[Fort Lauderdale, Florida]] (FLL): [[Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport]]
* [[Grand Junction, Colorado]]
* [[Homer, Alaska]]
* [[Hot Springs, South Dakota]]
* [[Huron, South Dakota]]
* [[Juneau, Alaska]]
* [[Kenai, Alaska]]
* [[Ketchikan, Alaska]]
* [[King Salmon, Alaska]]
* [[Kodiak, Alaska]]
* [[Lethbridge|Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada]] (''first international destination'')
* [[Lewistown, Montana]]
* [[Logan, Utah]]
* [[London|London, England]] (LGW): [[London Gatwick Airport]] (''nonstop DC-10 service to Anchorage and Denver, one stop service to'' ''Honolulu via Anchorage and direct to Las Vegas and Los Angeles via Denver'')
* [[Mankato, Minnesota]]
* [[Miami|Miami, Florida]] (MIA): [[Miami International Airport]]
* [[Nassau, Bahamas]] (''one stop DC-10 to Los Angeles via Miami'')
* [[New Orleans|New Orleans, Louisiana]]
* [[Ogden, Utah]]
* [[Prudhoe Bay, Alaska]]
* [[Rochester, Minnesota]]
* [[Scottsbluff, Nebraska]]
* [[Spearfish, South Dakota]]
* [[Twin Falls, Idaho]]
* [[West Yellowstone, Montana]] (''served on a seasonal basis primarily during the summer months'')
* [[Yakutat, Alaska]]
* [[Yuma, Arizona]]

==Revenue passenger miles==

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Revenue Passenger Miles in Millions
|+(Scheduled Flights Only)
|-
! !! Western !! Pacific Northern Airlines !! Inland Air Lines
|- align="right"
! scope="row" | 1951
| 216 || 138 || 41
|- align="right"
! scope="row" | 1955
| 514 || 123 || (merged into Western in 1952)
|- align="right"
! scope="row" | 1960
| 1027 || 116
|- align="right"
! scope="row" | 1965
| 2040 || 198
|- align="right"
! scope="row" | 1970
| 5072 || (merged into Western in 1967)
|- align="right"
! scope="row" | 1975
| 6998
|- align="right"
! scope="row" | 1980
| 8790
|- align="right"
! scope="row" | 1985
| 10422
|}

==Advertising==
{{More citations needed section|date=December 2011}}
Western contributed to popular culture with its 1956 advertising slogan, "It's the oooooonly way to fly!"<ref>https://www.swizzlestickcollectors.com/post/true-confession-my-love-for-wally-bird My Love for Western Airlines Wally Bird</ref> Spoken by Wally Bird, an animated bird hitching a ride atop the fuselage of a Western airliner, and voiced by veteran actor [[Shepard Menken]], the phrase soon found its way into animated cartoons by [[Warner Bros.]] (''[[Crow's Feat]]'') and [[Hanna-Barbera]]. Another famous advertising campaign by the airline centered on ''[[Star Trek]]'' icons [[William Shatner]] and [[Leonard Nimoy]]. Some of the carrier's last television ads, shortly before the merger with Delta, featured actor/comedian [[Rodney Dangerfield]].

In the 1970s Western called itself "the champagne airline" because champagne was offered free of charge to every passenger over age 21. (Actor [[Jim Backus]] uttered the "It's the only way to fly!" phrase while piloting an airplane, somewhat inebriated, in the [[1963 in film|1963]] film ''[[It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World]]''.)

Western Airlines was famous for its "Flying W" corporate identity and [[aircraft livery]]. Introduced in 1970, the scheme featured a large red "W" that fused into a red [[Aircraft livery#Cheatline|cheatline]] running the length of an all-white fuselage.<ref name=fyoffi>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=XHFkAAAAIBAJ&sjid=q30NAAAAIBAJ&pg=2800%2C4154446
|work=Calgary Herald |location=(Alberta) |agency=(advertisement) |title=Fifty years of firsts |date=January 10, 1976 |page=43}}</ref> This new corporate identity was the subject of litigation by [[Winnebago Industries]], which contended the new "Flying W" was too similar to its own stylized "W" logo. In the 1980s Western Airlines slightly modified the scheme by stripping the white fuselage to bare metal, retaining the red "Flying W" (with a dark blue shadow). This color scheme was known as "Bud Lite" due to its resemblance to a popular beer's can design.

Western Airlines was a favorite first class carrier for Hollywood movie stars and frequently featured them in its on board magazine, "Western's World". [[Marilyn Monroe]] and many other silver screen actors were frequent flyers and the airline capitalized on it. Western had a famous flyer out of Seattle: Captain "Red" Dodge. Red worked previously as a helicopter test pilot, and got involved with flying for the [[Central Intelligence Agency]] ([[CIA]]) in his later years when he wasn't flying as captain on the DC-10. The movie ''[[Breakout (1975 film)|Breakout]]'' starring [[Charles Bronson]] was based on his daring airlift of a CIA operative out of the courtyard of a Mexican prison. The Mexican government tried to extradite Dodge back to face charges. Red became wealthy leasing government storage units with unlimited government business but never again flew to Mexico.

The airline was promoted in [[the Carpenters]] promotional video for the track "[[I Need to Be in Love]]", released in 1976. The video shows exterior footage of a DC-10 in takeoff and landing shots, as well as seating promotions for Western's FiftyFair seating product, with shots of a cabin setting depicting what looks like business class of the DC-10.

During the 1980s, destination flights aboard Western Airlines were featured as prizes on televised game shows, including ''[[The Price Is Right (American game show)|The Price Is Right]]'' and ''[[Pyramid (game show)|The $25,000 Pyramid]]''.

==Fleet==
[[File:Western Airlines Boeing 737-200 N4520W Marmet.jpg|thumb|Boeing 737-200 landing in Salt Lake City]]

===Fleet in 1986===

In 1986 Western Airlines' fleet was 78 jets:<ref name=WorldAirlineDirectory1986>{{cite web|title=World Airline Directory 1986|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1986/1986%20-%200796.html|publisher=Flight International|access-date=11 December 2011|date=March 29, 1986}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"

|+ Western Airlines Fleet in 1986
|-
! Aircraft !! In Service !! Orders
|-
| [[Boeing 727#727-200|Boeing 727-200]] || align=center|46 || —
|-
| [[Boeing 737#737-200|Boeing 737-200]] || align=center|19 || align=center|40
|-
| [[Boeing 737 Classic#737-300|Boeing 737-300]] || align=center|3 || align=center|14
|-
| [[McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10]] || align=center|10 || —
|-
| '''Total''' ||align=center| '''78''' || align=center|'''54'''
|}

* Western used a [[McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30]] starting in 1981 to serve London, England, United Kingdom. The DC-10-30 was the largest plane type ever flown by Western.

===Fleet in 1970===
In 1970 Western Airlines operated 75 aircraft:<ref name=WorldAirlineDirectory1970>[http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1970/1970%20-%200559.html World Airline Directory] Flight International. 26 March 1970</ref>

* 5 [[Boeing 707|Boeing 707-320C]] (not included were 5 [[Boeing 707-347C]] ordered (assigned registration N1506W through N1510W) that were cancelled and acquired by the [[RCAF]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Walker |first=R.W.R. |date=14 July 2006 |title=Canadian Military Aircraft, Serial Numbers, Canadian Armed Forces, CC-137 detailed list |url=https://walker.skycabinet.com/CF_CC_137.html |access-date=21 Jan 2023}}</ref>).
* 29 [[Boeing 720]] (720 turbojet and 720B turbofan models; the 720s were ex-Pacific Northern)
* 6 [[Boeing 727|Boeing 727-200]]
* 30 [[Boeing 737|Boeing 737-200]]
* 5 [[Lockheed L-188 Electra]] (included passenger, freighter and passenger/freighter [[combi aircraft]] versions. Only turboprop type operated by the airline)

===Earlier piston fleet===
{{unreferenced section|date=December 2016}}
Western used a variety of piston-powered airliners including [[Boeing 247D]]s, [[Convair 240]]s, [[Douglas DC-3]]s, [[DC-4]]s, [[Douglas DC-6|DC-6]]Bs and [[L-749 Constellation]]s. The Constellations had been operated by Pacific Northern Airlines and served smaller Western Airlines destinations in Alaska such as Cordova, Homer, Kenai, King Salmon, Kodiak and Yakutat from Anchorage or Seattle in the late 1960s.

==Accidents and incidents ==
* December 15, 1936: Seven died when a [[Western Air Express#Western Air Express|Western Air Express]] [[Boeing 247]]<ref name=CrashReport>[http://ntl1.specialcollection.net/scripts/ws.dll?file&fn=8&name=*S%3A\DOT_56GB\airplane%20accidents\websearch\121536.pdf "Aircraft Accident Report."] ''Department of Commerce.''</ref> crashed just below Hardy Ridge on [[Lone Peak (Utah)|Lone Peak]] near Salt Lake City, Utah.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120125033113/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,757991,00.html "Confetti on Lone Peak."] ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', June 21, 1937.</ref> The major parts of the aircraft were hurled over the ridge and fell over a thousand feet into a basin below.<ref name=CrashReport />
* January 12, 1937: [[Western Air Express Flight 7]], a [[Boeing 247]] flying from [[Salt Lake City]] to [[Burbank, California|Burbank]], crashed near [[Newhall, Santa Clarita, California|Newhall, California]], killing five of the 10 persons on board, including adventurer and documentary filmmaker Martin Johnson of [[Martin and Osa Johnson]] fame.
* December 15, 1942: A Western Airlines transport crashed near [[Fairfield, Utah]], approximately 50 miles south of Salt Lake City, Utah, on the way to Los Angeles, California. The plane took off at 1:05 a.m. and was reported missing approximately 15 minutes later. Of the 19 passengers and crew aboard, 17 died.<ref>{{cite news |title=17 Out Of 19 Die in Airliner Crash |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1942/12/16/archives/17-out-of-19-die-in-airliner-crash-one-marine-and-a-civilian.html |work=The New York Times |agency=Associated Press |issue=31007 |volume=92|date=16 December 1942}}</ref>
* November 13, 1946: Western Airlines Flight 23 crashed into the mountains 12 miles south of [[Gorman, California]], while descending towards Burbank Airport. All 11 on board were killed.
* December 24, 1946: [[Western Air Lines Flight 44]] crashed into the [[Laguna Mountains]] while descending towards [[San Diego]]. All 12 on board were killed. The [[Civil Aeronautics Board|CAB]] investigation determined that the pilot misjudged his position relative to the mountains, and flew too low to clear terrain.<ref>{{cite news |title=Plane Lost with 12 Reported A Wreck |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1946/12/26/archives/plane-lost-with-12-reported-a-wreck-search-craft-sends-word-of.html |work=The New York Times |issue=32478|volume=96 |date=26 December 1946}}</ref><ref>{{ASN accident|id=19461224-0|title=Douglas DC-3A, Western Air Lines, NC45395, San Diego|access-date=May 9, 2012}}</ref>
* April 20, 1953: [[Western Air Lines Flight 636]], flying in the night, on the last leg of a Los Angeles-San Francisco-Oakland itinerary, descended below the prescribed minimum altitude of 500 ft and crashed into the waters of [[San Francisco Bay]], killing eight of ten people aboard the [[Douglas DC-6]].<ref>{{cite web | url = https://asn.flightsafety.org/wikibase/335374 | title = Accident Douglas DC-6B N91303, Monday 20 April 1953 | work = Aviation Safety Network | accessdate = 3 October 2024}}</ref>
* February 26, 1954: [[Western Air Lines Flight 34]], a [[Convair CV-240 family|Convair CV-240-1]] crashed near [[Wright, Wyoming]], killing 6 passengers and 3 crew members.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://asn.flightsafety.org/asndb/335156 | title = Loss of control Accident Convair CV-240-1 N8407H, Friday 26 February 1954 | publisher = Aviation Safety Network | accessdate = 27 September 2024}}</ref>
* February 25, 1971 – [[Western Air Lines Flight 329]], a [[Boeing 737]], was hijacked by a passenger, demanding to be taken to Cuba but instead landed in Canada.<ref>{{ASN accident|id=19710225-1|type=Hijacking}}</ref>
* March 31, 1971 – [[Western Air Lines Flight 366]], a [[Boeing 720-047B]] flying from Los Angeles to [[Ontario International Airport|Ontario]], California, on a pilot proficiency check flight, yawed and rolled out of control, and crashed while in the process of executing a 3-engine missed-approach from a simulated engine-out instrument approach. The five crew members and only occupants died in the crash.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAR7218.pdf|title=Aircraft Accident Report Western Air Lines, Inc. Boeing 720-047B, N3166 Ontario International Airport Ontario, California March 31, 1971|date=June 7, 1972|publisher=National Transportation Safety Board|id=NTSB-AAR-72-18|access-date=September 19, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{ASN accident|id=19710331-1|title=Boeing 720-047B N3166 Ontario International Airport, CA}}</ref>
* May 5, 1972 – [[Western Airlines Flight 407]], a [[Boeing 737]], was hijacked by a man demanding to be taken to [[North Vietnam]]. After refueling in [[Tampa, Florida]], the plane went to Cuba.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Unlawful Interference Boeing 737-200 , Thursday 25 February 1971 |url=https://asn.flightsafety.org/asndb/330860 |access-date=2024-08-23 |website=asn.flightsafety.org}}</ref>
* June 2, 1972: Western Airlines Flight 701 from [[Los Angeles]] to [[Seattle]] was hijacked by Willie Roger Holder, a [[Vietnam veteran|Vietnam War veteran]], and his girlfriend Catherine Marie Kerkow.<ref>{{cite web|title=Interpol: Kerkow, Catherine Marie|url=https://www.interpol.int/notice/search/wanted/2010-11142|website=www.interpol.int|access-date=22 October 2017|quote=Wanted by the Judicial Authorities of United States}}</ref> The hijackers claimed they had a bomb in an [[attaché case]] and demanded $500,000 and that [[Angela Davis]], who was then on trial, be freed.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Saxon|first1=Wolfgang|title=Ex-Black Panther Extradited to U.S.|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/07/27/nyregion/ex-black-panther-extradited-to-us.html|work=The New York Times|date=27 July 1986|issue=46848|volume=135}}</ref> After allowing half the passengers to get off in San Francisco and the other half to get off in New York on a re-fueling stop, they flew on to [[Algeria]], where they were granted political asylum, joining the International Section of the [[Black Panther Party]]. It was and still remains the longest-distance hijacking in American history.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2013/07/17/brendan-i-koerner-the-golden-age-of-skyjacking/ |title=Brendan I. Koerner: The golden age of skyjacking |work=National Post |author=Brendan I. Koerner |author-link=Brendan I. Koerner |date=July 13, 2013 |access-date=July 17, 2013}}</ref> Later, $488,000 of the ransom money was returned to American officials.<ref>{{ASN accident|id=19720602-0|title=Boeing 727 registration unknown Algiers}}</ref>
* March 31, 1975: Western Flight 470 was landing at [[Casper–Natrona County International Airport|Casper Airport]] when it overshot the runway, and struck a shallow irrigation ditch before stopping about 800 feet beyond the departure end of the runway. Weather conditions at the time were at minimum visibility with light snow. The Boeing 737-200 was written off beyond repair. Four passengers suffered various injuries.<ref>{{ASN accident|id=19750331-0|title = Boeing 737-247 N4527W Casper Airport, WY (CPR)}}</ref>
* July 31, 1979: [[Ferguson v. NTSB|Western Airlines Flight 44]] departed [[Los Angeles International Airport]] en route to [[Denver, Colorado|Denver]], [[Colorado]], and [[Billings, Montana|Billings]], [[Montana]], via several other intermediate stops and then mistakenly landed at [[Buffalo, Wyoming]], instead of [[Sheridan, Wyoming]], which was the intended destination. No injuries occurred and the only damage was to the ramp at the airport, which was not designed to support the weight of the [[Boeing 737-200]] jetliner. The incident prompted a legal battle and subsequent landmark aviation ruling of ''[[Ferguson v. NTSB]]''.<ref>[http://openjurist.org/678/f2d/821/ferguson-v-national-transportation-safety-board-m "678 F2d 821 Ferguson v. National Transportation Safety Board."] ''Openjurist,'' 2012. Retrieved: May 9, 2012.</ref>
* October 31, 1979: [[Western Airlines Flight 2605]] crashed while landing at [[Mexico City International Airport]] in [[Mexico City]], killing 72. The crew landed the DC-10 on a closed runway and it collided with construction vehicles during the attempted [[go-around]].<ref>{{ASN accident|id=19791031-0|title=McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 N903WA Mexico City-Juarez International Airport}}</ref>

==References==
;Notes
{{reflist}}
;Bibliography
{{Refbegin}}
* Pearcy, Arthur. ''Douglas Propliners: DC-1 – DC-7''. London: Airlife, 1995, p. 14. {{ISBN|1-85310-261-X}}.
{{Refend}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |author=Brendan I. Koerner |title=The Skies Belong to Us: Love and Terror in the Golden Age of Hijacking |year=2013 |publisher=Crown Publishers |isbn=978-0-307-88610-1 }} - about the Flight 701 hijacking

==External links==
{{Commons category|Western Airlines}}
* [http://www.airtimes.com/cgat/usc/western.htm Historical timetable covers]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070206015030/http://www.slcairport.com/28.asp Salt Lake City International Airport]
* [http://www.earlyaviators.com/ejames.htm Early Aviators]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060106204049/http://airlines.afriqonline.com/airlines/724.htm History of Western Airlines and the planes it operated] - archive.org copy of now-defunct page

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[[Category:Western Airlines| ]]
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[[Category:American companies established in 1925]]
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[[Category:Airlines based in California]]

Local service carrier

2025-06-29T10:34:52Z

182.232.34.176: /* Context */

{{short description|Airline type created/regulated by US govt 1943–1978}}
[[File:Feeder Carrier Routes 1953.jpg|thumb|right|400px|1953 US local service airline network. Map key in lower left-hand corner. 1953 was after the [[Civil Aeronautics Board|CAB]] withdrew certificates of [[Florida Airways (1947–1949)|Florida Airways]], [[E.W. Wiggins Airways|E.W. Wiggins]] and [[Mid-West Airlines|Mid-West]], resulting no routes on map in [[Florida]], most of [[New England]] and [[Nebraska]]/[[South Dakota|S. Dakota]] respectively. [[Trunk carrier]] [[Braniff Airways|Braniff]] appears in map because in 1952 it bought fellow trunk carrier [[Mid-Continent Airlines|Mid-Continent]], which received feeder routes in 1950. Braniff also had trunk routes: see similar 1953 map in [[trunk carrier]] article. Feeder certificates became permanent in 1955. See article.]]

'''Local service carriers''', or '''local service airlines''', originally known as '''feeder carriers''' or '''feeder airlines''', were a category of domestic airlines in the [[United States]], as regulated by the [[Civil Aeronautics Board]] (CAB), the federal agency that tightly regulated the airline industry from 1938 to 1978.

Initially 23 such airlines were certified from 1943 to 1949 to serve smaller US domestic markets unserved/poorly served by existing domestic carriers, the [[trunk carrier]]s, which flew the main, or trunk, routes. However, not all of these started operation and some that did later had their certificates withdrawn. One other carrier was certificated in 1950 as a replacement. "Feeder airline" alludes to another purpose, that such airlines would feed passengers to trunk carriers. It was expected that a significant number of passenger itineraries would involve a connection between a local service carrier and a trunk carrier.

Local service carriers ultimately became substantial carriers in their own right, all such carriers flew jet aircraft by the end of the regulated era (1978). Over time, local service carriers began to compete more directly with trunk carriers. But a clear distinction, visible in financial and operating data, continued to exist between the two types of domestic carriers through the end of the regulated era, reflecting a difference in how the CAB regulated the two types of carriers. In particular, in contrast to trunk carriers, local service airlines received government subsidies throughout the regulated era. But after US airline deregulation in 1979, the distinction between trunk and local service carriers vanished.

==History==
===Context===
{{main|Trunk carrier}}
{{main|Civil Aeronautics Board}}
The passage of the Civil Aeronautics Act of 1938 put almost all US commercial air transport under the tight control of a newly formed federal agency, the [[Civil Aeronautics Authority]] (CAA). In 1940, those regulatory functions passed to another federal agency, the [[Civil Aeronautics Board]] (CAB). With the exception of [[intrastate airlines]], only airlines certificated by the CAA/CAB could engage in scheduled air transport. Airlines that could show they were flying scheduled service before the passage of the 1938 Act were entitled to certification by [[grandfather clause|grandfathering]]. 19 domestic passenger airlines were certificated in this way. The 16 of these that continued to operate after World War II were called the trunk carriers or trunk airlines. In many respects, the CAB regulated the industry in the interests of the trunk carriers.
{{sticky header}}{{table alignment}}
{|class="wikitable sticky-header col1left col2left col3left col4center col5left"
|+ Table 1: Feeder/local service carriers certificated 1943–1950
! style="max-width:4em" |Final name
! style="max-width:4em" |Name at first operation
! style="max-width:4em" |Name at initial certification
!style=max-width:4em |Date of initial certification
!style=max-width:4em |Disposition
|-
|[[Pioneer Air Lines]]
|Essair
|Essair
|5 November 1943<ref name=Texas>{{cite journal|journal=Civil Aeronautics Board Reports|title=Continental Air Lines, Inc. et al., Texas Air Service|publisher=Civil Aeronautics Board|hdl=2027/osu.32437011657885|url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/osu.32437011657885?urlappend=%3Bseq=492%3Bownerid=107473351-496|pages=478–493|volume=4|date=December 1942 – June 1944|hdl-access=free}}</ref>
|Merged into [[Continental Airlines|Continental]] 1955
|-
|[[Florida Airways (1947–1949)|Florida Airways]]
|Florida Airways
|Orlando Airlines
|28 March 1946<ref name=Florida>{{cite journal|journal=Civil Aeronautics Board Reports|publisher=Civil Aeronautics Board|title=The Florida Case|volume=6|pages=765–797|date=July 1944 – May 1946|url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/osu.32437011657786?urlappend=%3Bseq=779%3Bownerid=107472192-783|hdl=2027/osu.32437011657786|hdl-access=free}}</ref>
|Certificate withdrawn 1949
|-
|[[Monarch Air Lines]]
|Monarch Air Lines
|Ray Wilson, Inc.
|28 March 1946<ref name=Rocky>{{cite journal|journal=Civil Aeronautics Board Reports|publisher=Civil Aeronautics Board|volume=6|title=Service in the Rocky Mountain States Area|pages=695–763|date=July 1944 – May 1946|url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/osu.32437011657786?urlappend=%3Bseq=709%3Bownerid=107472192-713|hdl=2027/osu.32437011657786|hdl-access=free}}.</ref>
|Merged into [[Frontier Airlines (1950–1986)|Frontier]] 1950
|-
|[[Challenger Airlines]]
|Challenger Airlines
|Summit Airways
|28 March 1946<ref name=Rocky/>
|Merged into [[Frontier Airlines (1950–1986)|Frontier]] 1950
|-
|[[Empire Airlines (1944–1952)|Empire Airlines]]
|Empire Airlines
|Empire Airlines
|22 May 1946<ref name=West>{{cite journal|journal=Civil Aeronautics Board Reports|title=West Coast Case|publisher=Civil Aeronautics Board|hdl=2027/osu.32437011657786|url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/osu.32437011657786?urlappend=%3Bseq=975%3Bownerid=107472192-979|pages=961–1039|volume=6|date=July 1944 – May 1946|hdl-access=free}}</ref>
|Merged into West Coast 1952
|-
|[[West Coast Airlines]]
|West Coast Airlines
|West Coast Airlines
|22 May 1946<ref name=West/>
|Merged into [[Hughes Airwest|Air West]] 1968
|-
|[[Pacific Air Lines]]
|Southwest Airways
|Southwest Airways
|22 May 1946<ref name=West/>
|Merged into [[Hughes Airwest|Air West]] 1968
|-
|[[E.W. Wiggins Airways]]
|E.W. Wiggins Airways
|E.W. Wiggins Airways
|13 June 1946<ref name=NewE>{{cite journal|journal=Civil Aeronautics Board Reports|publisher=Civil Aeronautics Board|volume=7|title=New England Case|pages=27–82 |date=June 1946 – March 1947 |url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/osu.32437011657737?urlappend=%3Bseq=43%3Bownerid=107196676-47|hdl=2027/osu.32437011657737|hdl-access=free}}</ref>
|Certificate withdrawn 1953
|-
|[[Central Air Lines]]
|Central Air Lines
|Central Air Lines
|14 November 1946<ref name=TXOK>{{cite journal|journal=Civil Aeronautics Board Reports |publisher=Civil Aeronautics Board|volume=7|pages=481–597|title=Texas-Oklahoma Case|date=June 1946 – March 1947|url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/osu.32437011657737?urlappend=%3Bseq=497%3Bownerid=107196676-515|hdl=2027/osu.32437011657737|hdl-access=free}}</ref>
|Merged into [[Frontier Airlines (1950–1986)|Frontier]] 1967
|-
|[[Texas International Airlines]]
|Trans-Texas Airways
|Aviation Enterprises
|14 November 1946<ref name=TXOK/>
|Merged into [[Continental Airlines|Continental]] 1982
|-
|[[North Central Airlines]]
|Wisconsin Central Airlines
|Wisconsin Central Airlines
|19 December 1946<ref name=NC>{{cite journal|journal=Civil Aeronautics Board Reports |publisher=Civil Aeronautics Board|volume=7|pages=639–713|title=North Central Case|date=June 1946 – March 1947|url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/osu.32437011657737?urlappend=%3Bseq=655%3Bownerid=107196676-673|hdl=2027/osu.32437011657737|hdl-access=free}}</ref>
|Merged into [[Republic Airlines|Republic]] 1979
|-
|[[Parks Air Lines]]
|Parks Air Lines
|Parks Air Transport
|19 December 1946<ref name=NC/>
|Merged into Ozark 1950
|-
|[[Mid-West Airlines]]
|Mid-West Airlines
|Iowa Airplane Company
|19 December 1946<ref name=NC/>
|Certificate withdrawn 1952
|-
|[[Piedmont Airlines (1948–1989)|Piedmont Airlines]]
|Piedmont Airlines
|Piedmont Aviation
|4 April 1947<ref name=SES>{{cite journal|journal=Civil Aeronautics Board Reports |publisher=Civil Aeronautics Board|volume=7|pages=863–941|title=Southeastern States Case|date=June 1946 – March 1947|url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/osu.32437011657737?urlappend=%3Bseq=885%3Bownerid=107196676-905|hdl=2027/osu.32437011657737|hdl-access=free}}</ref>
|Merged into [[USAir]] 1989
|-
|[[Southern Airways]]
|Southern Airways
|Southern Airways
|4 April 1947<ref name=SES/>
|Merged into [[Republic Airlines|Republic]] 1979
|-
|
|
|[[Air Commuting]]
|7 May 1947<ref name=NYC>{{cite journal|journal=Civil Aeronautics Board Reports |publisher=Civil Aeronautics Board|volume=8|pages=1–9|title=Air Commuting, Inc., New York City Area Service|date=April–December 1947|url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/osu.32437011657687?urlappend=%3Bseq=19%3Bownerid=107469291-23| hdl=2027/osu.32437011657687 |hdl-access=free}}</ref>
|Never operated: certificate expired
|-
|[[Lake Central Airlines]]
|Turner Airlines
|[[Roscoe Turner]] Aeronautical Corporation
|3 September 1947<ref name=GLA>{{cite journal|journal=Civil Aeronautics Board Reports |publisher=Civil Aeronautics Board|volume=8|pages=360–456|title=Great Lakes Area Case|date=April–December 1947|url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/osu.32437011657687?urlappend=%3Bseq=378%3Bownerid=107469291-382| hdl=2027/osu.32437011657687 |hdl-access=free}}</ref>
|Merged into Allegheny 1968
|-
|
|
|[[Yellow Cab Company of Cleveland|Yellow Cab Company of Cleveland]]
|3 September 1947<ref name=GLA/>
|Never operated: certificate expired
|-
|[[Arizona Airways]]
|(1)
|Arizona Airways
|13 February 1948<ref name=AZNM>{{cite journal|journal=Civil Aeronautics Board Reports|title=Arizona-New Mexico Case|publisher=Civil Aeronautics Board|hdl=2027/osu.32437011657638|url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/osu.32437011657638?urlappend=%3Bseq=101%3Bownerid=107198462-105|pages=85–130|volume=9|date=January–December 1948|hdl-access=free}}</ref>
|Merged into [[Frontier Airlines (1950–1986)|Frontier]] 1950
|-
|[[Allegheny Airlines]]
|All American Airways
|All-American Aviation
|19 February 1948<ref name=MAA>{{cite journal|journal=Civil Aeronautics Board Reports|title=Middle Atlantic Area Case|publisher=Civil Aeronautics Board|hdl=2027/osu.32437011657638|url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/osu.32437011657638?urlappend=%3Bseq=147%3Bownerid=107198462-151|pages=131–220|volume=9|date=January–December 1948|hdl-access=free}}</ref>
|Sold to [[America West Airlines|America West]] 2005
|-
|[[Mohawk Airlines]]
|Robinson Airlines
|Robinson Aviation
|19 February 1948<ref name=MAA/>
|Merged into Allegheny 1972
|-
|
|
|[[Island Air Ferries]]
|19 February 1948<ref name=MAA/>
|Never operated: certificate expired
|-
|[[Bonanza Airlines]]
|Bonanza Airlines
|Bonanza Airlines
|15 June 1949<ref name=CANV>{{cite journal|journal=Civil Aeronautics Board Reports|publisher=Civil Aeronautics Board|title=Additional California-Nevada Service|volume=10|pages=405–454|date=January–November 1949|url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/osu.32437011657588?urlappend=%3Bseq=421%3Bownerid=107199248-425|hdl=2027/osu.32437011657588|hdl-access=free}}</ref>
|Merged into [[Hughes Airwest|Air West]] 1968
|-
|[[Purdue Aeronautics Corporation|Purdue Aeronautics Corporation]]
|Purdue Aeronautics Corporation
|Purdue Aeronautics Corporation
|28 July 1949<ref name=PAC>{{cite journal|journal=Civil Aeronautics Board Reports|publisher=Civil Aeronautics Board|title=Purdue Aeronautics Corporation, Lafayette-Chicago Operation|volume=10|pages=552–563|date=January–November 1949|url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/osu.32437011657588?urlappend=%3Bseq=568%3Bownerid=107199248-572|hdl=2027/osu.32437011657588|hdl-access=free}}</ref>
|Stopgap service only
|-
|[[Ozark Air Lines]]
|Ozark Air Lines
|Ozark Air Lines
|28 July 1950<ref name=PIC>{{cite journal|journal=Civil Aeronautics Board Reports|publisher=Civil Aeronautics Board|title=Parks Investigation Case|pages=779–851 |volume=11|date=December 1949 – August 1950|url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/osu.32437011657539?urlappend=%3Bseq=797%3Bownerid=108041638-801|hdl=2027/osu.32437011657539|hdl-access=free}}</ref>
|Merged into [[Trans World Airlines|TWA]] 1986
|+ align="bottom" style="caption-side: bottom; text-align: left;" | (1) Arizona Airways failed to operate certificated service
|}

===Essair and the Local Service case===
[[File:Douglas C-47-DL NC47968 Pioneer Als 1948 edited-2.jpg|thumb|upright=1.14|Pioneer Air Lines [[Douglas DC-3]] in 1948]]
{{main|Pioneer Air Lines}}
In November 1943, the CAB certificated [[Houston]]-based Essair (later called [[Pioneer Air Lines]]) to fly feeder routes in Texas, the first airline to be certificated to fly domestic passengers since the grandfathering of the trunk carriers. Essair started feeder service on 1 August 1945 on a route from [[Houston]] to [[Amarillo, Texas]] via many intermediate points. The CAB regarded this as an experiment so Essair's certification was temporary. The airline would need to renew its certificate in three years.<ref name=Texas/><ref>{{cite journal|journal=Civil Aeronautics Board Reports|publisher=Civil Aeronautics Board|title=Essair, Inc., Temporary Mail Rate|volume=6|pages=687–694|date=July 1944 – May 1946|url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/osu.32437011657786?urlappend=%3Bseq=701%3Bownerid=107472192-705|hdl=2027/osu.32437011657786|hdl-access=free}}</ref>

In the meantime, prompted by the Essair certification, the CAB initiated a case, published July 1944, to consider local air service nationally. Politicians, business groups, would-be airlines and others pushed for such airlines, although the CAB and the [[United States Post Office Department|post office]] (which at the time subsidized air transport through airmail contracts) were "not enthusiastic."<ref>{{cite book|last=Eads|first=George C.|title=The Local Service Airline Experiment|year=1972|page=75|publisher=Brookings Institution|isbn=9780815720225|url=https://archive.org/details/localserviceairl0000eads}}</ref> By January 1944, the CAB had received 435 applications by would-be feeder airlines. The Board saw itself obligated by the 1938 Act to expand air service to smaller markets.<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Civil Aeronautics Board Reports|publisher=Civil Aeronautics Board|title=Investigation of Local, Feeder and Pick-Up Air Service |volume=6|pages=1–57|date=July 1944 – May 1946|url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/osu.32437011657786?urlappend=%3Bseq=15%3Bownerid=107472192-19|hdl=2027/osu.32437011657786|hdl-access=free}}</ref> The Board was not confident feeder service could be provided on a cost-efficient basis by the trunks, therefore the CAB decided to certificate new carriers, with the idea they would become specialists in serving small routes efficiently. By giving them temporary certificates, the increased subsidies for providing local service was also theoretically temporary. The CAB may also not have wanted to risk the progress trunk carriers made in evolving towards subsidy-free operation.{{sfn|Eads|1972|p=75–78}}

===Certificating new feeder airlines===
Even before it published its local service findings, the CAB launched a series of cases to certificate new feeder carriers across the [[contiguous United States]].<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Aviation Week|date=5 June 1944 |title=Examiners Assigned Four Feeder Cases |url=https://archive.aviationweek.com/issue/19440605|page=41|volume=45|number=1|issn=0005-2175}}</ref> The CAB separately certificated "territorial" airlines for Hawaii and Alaska which, at the time, were territories not states. 14 feeder cases completed during the timeframe 1946–1949, awarding an additional 22 new entities (beyond Pioneer) feeder service certificates covering most of the [[contiguous United States]]. These certificates were temporary and conditional. Successful local service applicants had to demonstrate access to the funding they claimed to have, and that a sufficient number of airports had necessary infrastructure (e.g. sufficiently long runways, radios, etc) to handle commercial service.<ref name=Texas/><ref name=Florida/><ref name=Rocky/><ref name=West/><ref name=NewE/><ref name=TXOK/><ref name=NC/><ref name=SES/><ref name=NYC/><ref name=GLA/><ref name=MV/><ref name=AZNM/><ref name=MAA/><ref name=CANV/>

Cases could take well over a year, sometimes longer, to decide (note the gap between when the CAB launched the cases in 1944 and the publishing of the first case in spring 1946) typically had over a dozen applicants and other participants, public hearings, an initial finding by an examiner, followed by the decision of the full five-member Board. Each case usually certificated one or more new local service carriers and might also allocate longer routes in the same region to trunks. For instance, the March 1946 decision in the ''Service in the Rocky Mountain States Area'' case (which launched in the summer of 1944) certificated two new feeder lines (soon to adopt the names Monarch Air Lines and Challenger Airlines) splitting local routes across Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico, while awarding additional routes in the same region to [[Western Air Lines]] and [[Inland Air Lines]], two trunk carriers.<ref name=Rocky/> Some airlines won routes in multiple cases. [[Parks Air Lines]], for instance, won routes in three.<ref name=NC/><ref name=GLA/><ref name=MV>{{cite journal|journal=Civil Aeronautics Board Reports |publisher=Civil Aeronautics Board|volume=8|pages=726–804|title=Mississippi Valley Case|date=April–December 1947|url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/osu.32437011657687?urlappend=%3Bseq=744%3Bownerid=107469291-748| hdl=2027/osu.32437011657687|hdl-access=free }}</ref> One later case allocated routes only to feeders previously certificated in earlier cases.<ref name=MV/> A cleanup case re-awarded routes to Southern Airways that the CAB was not confident had been properly awarded previously.<ref name=MVSES>{{cite journal|journal=Civil Aeronautics Board Reports|publisher=Civil Aeronautics Board|title=Reopened Mississippi Valley and Southeastern States Cases|pages=979–998 |volume=11|date=December 1949 – August 1950|url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/osu.32437011657539?urlappend=%3Bseq=997%3Bownerid=107189394-1001|hdl=2027/osu.32437011657539|hdl-access=free}}</ref> CAB decisions could be challenged in Federal courts and some feeder certifications were (such as the original case certificating Essair).<ref>{{cite court|litigants=Braniff Airways v. Civil Aeronautics Board|vol=147|reporter=F.2d|opinion=152|court=D.C. Cir.|year=1945|url=https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/147/152/1472318/}}</ref> The CAB did not distribute route authorities to feeders equally. The size of the Parks Air Lines network was over eight times the size of the Florida Airways network, for instance.<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Aviation Week|date=5 April 1948 |title=Feeder Mileage|url=https://archive.aviationweek.com/issue/19480405|page=36|volume=48|number=14|issn=0005-2175}}</ref>

Among successful applicants, All-American Aviation (later Allegheny Airlines, the predecessor to [[US Airways]]) was unique because it already had CAB-certification. The CAB certificated All American for “pick-up” service in 1940 – All American picked up mail without landing through use of a device to hook mailbags in flight. This certification was de-novo, rather than grandfathered, but valid only for mail and freight.<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Civil Aeronautics Board Reports|volume=2|title=All American Aviation, Inc.—Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity |date=July 1940 – August 1941 |publisher=Civil Aeronautics Board|pages=133–158|hdl-access =free |hdl=2027/osu.32435022360663|url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/osu.32435022360663?urlappend=%3Bseq=149%3Bownerid=113100059-153}}</ref>

===Failure to launch===
Some applicants failed to launch service at all. In the case of three applicants with unusual business plans, certification eventually expired or was revoked due to failure to operate:
* Air Commuting won a certificate for seaplane service from [[New York City]] but never launched, with its certification lapsing. Later it unsuccessfully applied for New York City helicopter service certification in the case that was won by [[New York Airways]].<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Civil Aeronautics Board Reports|volume=15|title=New York City Area Helicopter Service Case|date=January–June 1952|publisher=Civil Aeronautics Board|pages=259–278|hdl-access =free |hdl=2027/osu.32435022360598|url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/osu.32435022360598?urlappend=%3Bseq=5%3Bownerid=112924793-9}}</ref>
* Island Air Ferries won a certificate to provide low-frills service across [[Long Island Sound]] from [[Long Island]] to [[Connecticut]], as a substitute for ferry service. The CAB declined to extend certification past its original term.<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Civil Aeronautics Board Reports|volume=16|title=Island Air Ferries Renewal Case|date=July 1952 – February 1953|publisher=Civil Aeronautics Board|pages=546–554|hdl-access =free |hdl=2027/osu.32435022360580|url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/osu.32435022360580?urlappend=%3Bseq=570%3Bownerid=102792408-594}}</ref>
* Yellow Cab Company of Cleveland won a certificate to provide helicopter service in Cleveland. This never launched and the certificate expired.<ref>{{cite report|title=Civil Aeronautics Board Reports to Congress 1968|date=9 December 1968|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office|location=Washington, DC|page=160|hdl-access =free |hdl=2027/pst.000067708055|url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/pst.000067708055?urlappend=%3Bseq=802%3Bownerid=13510798900153966-780|ref={{sfnref|Annual|1968}}}}</ref>

Arizona Airways failed to launch as a feeder carrier but avoided certificate revocation.
{{main|Arizona Airways}}
The airline flew (1946–1948) as an Arizona [[intrastate airline]] before winning a feeder certificate for routes in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. But intrastate service exhausted its capital. The airline ceased operating while preparing for feeder service, was unable to raise funding, and the CAB threatened to revoke its certificate. At the last minute, the carrier, still grounded, agreed to a takeover by Monarch Air Lines. This turned into a three-way merger with the addition of [[Challenger Airlines]], resulting in the creation of the original [[Frontier Airlines (1950–1986)|Frontier Airlines]] in 1950 as one of the largest local service carriers, flying small routes from the Mexican to Canadian borders in the mountain states.

===Parks, Ozark and Mid-Continent===
[[File:Parks Air Lines 1950 Certificated Routes.png|thumb|[[Parks Air Lines]] routes certificated by the [[Civil Aeronautics Board]]]]
{{main|Parks Air Lines}}
Parks Air Lines received routes in three CAB cases, leaving it with a feeder network deemed one of the richest. But it was unable to raise funds. The airline proposed a series of launch alternatives the CAB found unacceptable, leading to the CAB revoking the company’s certification in 1950. The CAB awarded most of Parks's routes to a new feeder carrier, Ozark Air Lines, making Ozark the last feeder to be certificated. The CAB awarded the remaining Parks routes to [[Mid-Continent Airlines]], a trunk carrier, a controversial decision since feeder and trunk airlines were supposed to be separate.

Shortly before the CAB's revocation, Parks started service on a single route. After litigation failed to stop the CAB from moving forward, Parks sold itself to Ozark. Since Ozark had no airline operation at the time, Parks essentially became Ozark.

===Purdue stopgap===
{{main|Purdue Aeronautics Corporation}}
In 1949, Purdue Aeronautics Corporation (PAC), a [[Purdue University]] subsidiary, was awarded stopgap certification for a single route, [[Chicago]]-[[Lafayette, Indiana]]. The route authority was held by feeder airline [[Turner Airlines]], shortly to become [[Lake Central Airlines]], which was slow starting service. PAC flew the route for just over two months in late 1949 and early 1950 until Turner was ready to go. That was the end of Purdue University's brief time operating a Federally-certificated scheduled airline, but two years later, Purdue played a role in the fate of [[Mid-West Airlines]], as detailed below.

===Failure to renew===
{{main|Florida Airways (1947–1949)}}
{{main|Mid-West Airlines}}
{{main|E.W. Wiggins Airways}}

Feeder certificates were initially temporary, subject to renewal every three years. This was not just for show; the CAB declined to renew the certificates of three feeders, Florida Airways in 1949, Mid-West in 1952 and E.W. Wiggins Airways in 1953. The issue was economics; the CAB deemed unacceptable the amount of government subsidy required to keep the airlines operating.

In the case of Mid-West, another subsidiary of Purdue University bought the carrier in 1951, with a plan to substantially upgrade the airline (e.g. moving from single-engined aircraft to [[Douglas DC-3]]s). The CAB allowed Purdue to buy the airline, but then refused to renew its certificate the next year.

Florida Airways and Mid-West went out of business as a result of losing their certificates. The scheduled passenger operations of E.W. Wiggins were part of a larger business and the company is still a going concern as of 2024, operating as a feeder cargo carrier for [[UPS Airlines]] and [[Fedex Express]] since the 1980s.

===Advent of commuter airlines===
[[Image:Douglas DC-3A N18141 Air New Engl MIA 17.04.72 edited-3.jpg|thumb|right|[[Air New England (1970–1981)|Air New England]] [[Douglas DC-3|DC-3]] at [[Miami International Airport|Miami]] in 1974]]
In 1952, early in the development of feeder airlines, the CAB chose to deregulate airlines flying "small aircraft". This was formalized in Part 298 of the Board's economic regulations, which gave blanket authorization for airlines operating an aircraft with a maximum gross takeoff weight of 12,500 lbs or less. Such airlines were originally known as scheduled air taxis, later as commuter airlines or Part 298 carriers. This effectively created a new category of airline underneath the local service carriers. In 1972 the CAB expanded the aircraft size limit to include those of 30 passengers or fewer, with a payload of less than 7,500 lbs.<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Civil Aeronautics Board Reports|volume=60|title=Part 298 Weight Limit Investigation|pages=142–194|date=August–December 1972|url= https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015007658480?urlappend=%3Bseq=170%3Bownerid=944337-208|hdl=2027/mdp.39015007658480|hdl-access=free}}</ref> Such carriers did have to obtain [[Federal Aviation Administration]] operational/safety certification but were otherwise able to fly wherever they pleased. The CAB would, on occasion, also exempt commuter operators to operate aircraft larger than the limits. For instance, in 1971, it exempted Executive Airlines and [[Air New England (1970–1981)|Air New England]] (at that time a commuter carrier) to fly propeller aircraft up to 44 seats to expand service in New England.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/45367116 ''CAB Authorizes Prop Aircraft for N.E. Line'', Fitchburg Sentinel, April 23, 1971]</ref>

===Permanent certificates===
[[File:Southern Airways McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31 N89S.jpg|thumb|[[Southern Airways|Southern]] [[DC-9]] [[Birmingham–Shuttlesworth International Airport|Birmingham]] 1973]]

In 1955, the US Congress forced the CAB to make the certificates of these carriers permanent (Public Law 38, enacted May 19, 1955 amending the Civil Aeronautics Act of 1938).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.congress.gov/84/statute/STATUTE-69/STATUTE-69-Pg49-2.pdf|title=Public Law 38, Chapter 41, May 19, 1955|website=www.congress.gov|publisher=United States Congress|language=en|access-date=16 July 2024}}</ref> This was done against the wishes of the CAB; it had made "elaborate promises" to the trunks that local service carriers would never be able to "come into full competitive status".<ref>{{cite book|last=Caves|author-link=Richard E. Caves|first=Richard E.|title=Air Transport and its Regulators|location=Cambridge, Massachusetts|publisher=Harvard University Press|page=294|lccn=62017216|date=1962|url=https://archive.org/details/airtransportitsr0120unse}}</ref> (see "Trunks, the protected class" below). Prior to permanent certificates, the uncertainty of their regulatory status made it impossible for local service carriers to borrow on a long-term basis. Consequently, the carriers were largely equity funded prior to permanent certificates.{{sfn|Eads|1972|p=42}}

===Role===
CAB-regulated airlines interlined with every other carrier (which was done with CAB approval through a subsidiary of the [[Airlines for America|Air Transport Association]], at the time the club for all the CAB air carriers). It was normal for passenger itineraries to involve a ticket on more than one airline. No airline offered comprehensive service because the CAB intentionally limited competition. This can be seen in statistics for the local service carrier connections. In 1964, over 40% of passengers on local service carriers were on a ticket connecting to another airline.{{sfn|Eads|1972|p=162}}

===Trunks, the protected class===
The CAB saw the trunks as a special category of airline to be particularly protected:
* Until shortly before deregulation, the CAB did not authorize a single airline to compete with trunklines on an equal basis.<ref>{{cite report|ref={{sfnref|Report|1975}}|title=Civil Aeronautics Board Practices and Procedures: Report of the Subcommittee on Administrative Practice and Procedure of the Committee of the Judiciary of the United States Senate, 94th Congress, 1st Session|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office|date=1975|location=Washington, DC|page=217|url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/pur1.32754076881451|hdl=2027/pur1.32754076881451|hdl-access=free}}</ref>
* Once the trunk airlines were certificated, the CAB's view was their number comprised a sufficient number of airlines, no others were needed.{{sfn|Report|1975|p=218}}
* The CAB took particular care to ensure local service carriers did not compete with the trunk carriers, seeing itself as having an obligation to the trunks to protect them from competition.{{sfn|Report|1975|p=220}}

Over time, local service carriers did come to compete with trunk carriers to a degree. In permitting local service carriers to enter some trunk routes, the CAB was motivated in significant part by a desire reduce government subsidy paid to local service carriers, a process known as “route strengthening.”{{sfn|Eads|1972|p=105–176}} The first time a local service carrier went head-to-head with a trunk was in 1957, when the CAB allowed Mohawk to compete with [[American Airlines]] on the Syracuse-New York City route.{{sfn|Eads|1972|p=156}}

Further, some local service carrier routes were assigned to trunks. As previously noted, in 1950, some of the routes originally awarded to Parks Air Lines, a local service carrier, were handed to Mid-Continent Airlines, a trunk, after Parks failed to start operation in a timely manner.<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Civil Aeronautics Board Reports|title=Parks Investigation Case|pages=779–851 |volume=11|date=December 1949 – August 1950|url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/osu.32437011657539|hdl=2027/osu.32437011657539|hdl-access=free}}</ref> And in 1955, the CAB permitted a trunk airline to buy a local service carrier, when [[Continental Air Lines]] bought Pioneer.<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Civil Aeronautics Board Reports|volume=20|title=Continental-Pioneer Acquisition Case|pages=323–401 |date=February–May 1955|url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/osu.32437011658321?urlappend=%3Bseq=339%3Bownerid=107202065-343|hdl=2027/osu.32437011658321|hdl-access=free}}</ref> So the division between local service carriers and trunks was far from absolute.

===Air New England: not a local service carrier===
{{main|Air New England (1970–1981)}}

In 1974, the CAB certificated a new domestic carrier, Air New England (ANE), to placate New England politicians, business groups and citizens who felt they deserved to have a certificated carrier fly small routes in New England (as opposed to relying on unregulated commuter operators). These routes were previously flown by [[Northeast Airlines]], a small trunk carrier that [[Delta Air Lines]] bought in 1972. ANE was initially nationally reported as the first new local service carrier since Ozark in 1950.<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Aviation Week & Space Technology|date=22 July 1974 |title=Air New England Named Local |url=https://archive.aviationweek.com/issue/19740722|page=19|volume=101|number=3|issn=0005-2175}}</ref><ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1974/07/18/archives/air-new-england-service-upgraded-a-regular-carrier-unanimous.html ''Air New England Service Upgraded'', New York Times, July 18, 1974]</ref> Initially the CAB regulated ANE as such, but in 1976 ANE was relabeled as something new in the CAB taxonomy, a "regional carrier". The clear intent of the CAB when it certificated ANE was to keep it focused on small New England routes. Oddly, when the CAB came to create a specific regional certificate for ANE, it found the existing form of ANE's certificate was that of a trunk, not a local service carrier.<ref>{{cite journal|journal=[[Federal Register]]|volume=42|number=88|date=6 May 1977|pages=23184–23185|title=Civil Aeronautics Board [Docket 29648; Order 77-5-12] Air New England, Inc. Order to Show Cause|url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc1.31158002894953?urlappend=%3Bseq=74%3Bownerid=13510798902483401-106|hdl=2027/uc1.31158002894953|hdl-access=free|issn=0097-6326}}</ref>

===Aspiring to be big===
[[File:Allegheny Airlines BAC 1-11 N1549.jpg|thumb|[[Allegheny Airlines]] [[BAC 1-11]] in 1975, part of one of the "largest jet fleets in the world"]]
Local service carriers aspired to be seen as “big” airlines. For instance, in the mid-1970s, Allegheny, the largest of the local service carriers, ran an advertising campaign “It takes a big airline”, comparing itself to the trunks, and it adopted a tag-line “did you know Allegheny is that big?” Ads noted Allegheny:
* Flew more annual flights than [[Trans World Airlines|TWA]]
* Flew more annual passengers than [[Pan Am]]
* Flew to more cities than American Airlines
* Had one of the largest jet fleets in the world<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/255611673 ''Big Airlines Better'', Binghamton (NY) Press and Sun-Bulletin, 18 May 1976]</ref><ref>{{cite journal|journal=Black Enterprise|title=Allegheny Airlines advertisement|volume=7|number=6|page=16|date=January 1977|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ekJrFziM4CcC|issn=0006-4165}}</ref>
However, as Table 2 shows, the distinction between trunk airline and local service airline remained obvious all the way to 1978, the last year of the regulated era. Relative to local service carriers, even the smallest trunk airlines flew substantially greater seat-miles and distances and with substantially larger aircraft.

===Local service carrier events during regulated era===
{{col div}}
*1943–1949: CAB certificates 23 feeder/local service airlines
*Air Commuter, Island Air Ferries and Yellow Cab of Cleveland certificates never used and either expire or are revoked.
*The CAB withdraws certifications of Florida Airways (1949), Mid-West (1952) and E.W. Wiggins (1953).
*1950: Monarch, Challenger and Arizona Airways merge to create Frontier.
*1950: Parks Air Lines merges into Ozark Air Lines.
*1952: Empire merges into West Coast.{{sfn|Annual|1968|p=159}}
*1952: Robinson Airlines changes its name to [[Mohawk Airlines]]<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/257278836 ''Mohawk: Robinson Airlines' Name To Change Friday'', Ithaca (NY) Journal, 14 August 1952]</ref>
*1952: Wisconsin Central changes name to [[North Central Airlines]].<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/271734159 ''Wisconsin Central Now North Central'', Wausau (WI) Daily Herald, 16 December 1952]</ref>
*1953: All American Airways changes name to [[Allegheny Airlines]].<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Civil Aeronautics Board Reports|title=Docket No. 5880, Allegheny Airlines, Inc. (formerly All American Airways, Inc.), Certificate Reissued—order No. E-7144, adopted February 6, 1953|pages=1005–1006 |volume=16|date=July 1952 – February 1953 |url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc1.b2938507?urlappend=%3Bseq=1029%3Bownerid=9007199273685214-1075|hdl=2027/uc1.b2938507|hdl-access=free}}</ref>
*1955: Pioneer merges into trunk airline [[Continental Air Lines]]{{sfn|Annual|1968|p=159}}
*1958: Southwest Airways changes name to [[Pacific Air Lines]]<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/458224634 ''Debut of Pacific Air Lines'', San Francisco Examiner, 19 March 1958]</ref>
*1967: Central merges into Frontier{{sfn|Annual|1968|p=159}}
*1968: Three-way merger of Bonanza, Pacific and West Coast creates [[Air West]]{{sfn|Annual|1968|p=159}}
*1968: Lake Central merges into Allegheny{{sfn|Annual|1968|p=159}}
*1969: Trans-Texas Airways changes name to [[Texas International Airlines]]<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Civil Aeronautics Board Reports|title=Docket No. 20875, Texas International Airlines, Use of Initials "TIA"—order 69-10-162 adopted October 31, 1969|pages=971–972 |volume=52|date=August–November 1969|url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/osu.32437011657869?urlappend=%3Bseq=987%3Bownerid=107308813-991|hdl=2027/osu.32437011657869|hdl-access=free}}</ref>
*1970: Air West becomes Hughes Air Corporation [[trade name|dba]] [[Hughes Airwest]]<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1970/12/08/archives/hughess-properties-are-reported-worth-2billion-holdings-make-him.html ''Hughes's Properties Are Reported Worth $2-Billion'', New York Times, 8 December 1970]</ref>
*1972: Mohawk merges into Allegheny<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/435223735 ''Allegheny and Mohawk - - - now they are one'', Boston Globe, 13 April 1972]</ref>
{{col div end}}
These events left eight local service carriers in 1978 as shown in Table 2.

===Former local service carrier events after 1979 US airline deregulation===
{{col div}}
*1979: Allegheny changes its name to [[USAir]]<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/168177902 ''Allegheny is dead; long live USAir'', Philadelphia Inquirer, 28 October 1979]</ref>
*1979: North Central buys Southern, creating [[Republic Airlines]]<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1979/08/30/archives/corporate-sales-and-earnings-reports.html ''Corporate Sales and Earnings Reports'', New York Times, 30 August 1979]</ref>
*1980: [[Texas Air Corporation|Texas Air]] formed as Texas International holding company.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/246060140 ''Week in review: Corporate Name Changes'', Tallahassee Democrat, 15 June 1980]</ref> Texas Air came to control about 20% of the US airline industry during the 1980s<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/191504260/ ''Changes win Texas Air approval to buy Eastern'']</ref>
*1980: Republic Airlines buys Hughes Airwest<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/399381117 ''Republic Airlines Takes Over Hughes Line Today'', Atlanta Constitution, 1 October 1980]</ref>
*1982: Texas Air merges Texas International into former trunk carrier [[Continental Airlines]].<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/192510215 ''Airlines' merger takes effect'', Green Bay (WI) Press-Gazette, 31 October 1982]</ref>
*1985: New entrant [[People Express Airlines (1980s)|People Express]] buys Frontier, operates it as a separate subsidiary<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1985/10/09/business/people-express-acquiring-frontier.html ''People Express Acquiring Frontier'', New York Times, 9 October 1985]</ref>
*1985: Piedmont agrees to buy new entrant [[Empire Airlines (1974–1986)|Empire Airlines]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=1985-10-03 |title=Piedmont Buying Empire Airlines - The Buffalo News at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/875688757 |url-access=subscription |access-date=2024-05-02 |website=Newspapers.com |publisher=The Buffalo News |page=8 |language=en}}</ref>
*1986: Frontier shuts down.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1986/08/25/business/frontier-airlines-pressed-for-cash-halts-all-service.html ''Frontier Airlines, Pressed For Cash, Halts All Service'', New York Times, 25 August 1986]</ref> It merged into Continental in 1987.<ref>{{cite book |last=Petzinger|first=Thomas|title=Hard Landing: The Epic Contest For Power and Profits That Plunged the Airlines into Chaos|publisher=[[Random House]]|year= 1996|isbn=9780307774491|pages=321–322}}</ref>
*1986: USAir agrees to buy former [[intrastate airline]] [[Pacific Southwest Airlines]] (PSA)<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/404660452/ ''USAir Plans to Buy PSA, Become 6th Largest Line'', Los Angeles Times, December 8, 1986]</ref>
*1986: [[Northwest Airlines]] agrees to buy Republic<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=TJ8oAAAAIBAJ&pg=7034,3475617|newspaper=Deseret News|agency=UPI|title=Northwest Orient will buy Republic to become third largest airline|date=January 24, 1986|page=4A}}</ref>
*1986: [[Trans World Airlines]] agrees to buy Ozark.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/461230853 ''Ozark Air and TWA merge'', San Francisco Examiner, 2 March 1986]</ref>
*1987: USAir agrees to buy Piedmont. On completion of this merger in 1989, USAir becomes the sole remaining former local service carrier. Piedmont and USAir were considered two of the most successful airlines in the decade following deregulation, but USAir subsequently lost $3bn in six years of losses from 1989 to 1994.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Salpukas |first=Agis |date=1987-03-10 |title=PIEDMONT ACCEPTS USAIR BID |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/03/10/business/piedmont-accepts-usair-bid.html |url-access=subscription |access-date= |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Bryant |first=Adam |date=1995-09-07 |title=USAir Chief, In a Surprise, Plans to Retire |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/09/07/business/usair-chief-in-a-surprise-plans-to-retire.html |url-access=subscription |work=New York Times}}</ref>
*1997: USAir changes its name to [[US Airways]]<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/998581636 ''Congress passes bill which restores 10% ticket tax'', Taylorville (IL) Daily Breeze Courier, 28 February 1997]</ref>
*2005: [[America West Airlines]] buys bankrupt US Airways, assuming the name of the larger carrier.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/20/business/us-airways-and-america-west-plan-to-merge.html ''US Airways and America West Plan to Merge'', New York Times, 20 May 2005]</ref>
*2013: US Airways agrees to buy bankrupt [[American Airlines]], assuming the name of the larger carrier.<ref>[https://archive.nytimes.com/dealbook.nytimes.com/2013/02/13/american-and-us-airways-said-to-vote-for-merger/ ''American and US Airways Announce Deal for $11 Billion Merger'', New York Times, 13 February 2013]</ref>
{{col div end}}
{{sticky header}}{{table alignment}}
{|class="wikitable sticky-header defaultright"
|+ Table 2: 1978 CAB-regulated trunk and local service carriers, including revenues and select statistics
!Airline<ref name=fin>{{cite report|publisher=Civil Aeronautics Board|title=Annual Report: Fiscal Year 1977 and Transitional Quarter|date=May 1978|hdl=2027/pst.000067708109 |url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/pst.000067708109|pages=154–155|hdl-access=free}}</ref>
!Airline type<ref name=fin/>
!Op rev(1)<ref>{{cite report|title=Air Carrier Financial Statistics|publisher=Civil Aeronautics Board|date=December 1979|pages=1–58 |hdl=2027/osu.32435022510978 |url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/osu.32435022510978|ref={{sfnref|Financials|1979}}|hdl-access=free}}</ref><ref>[https://airlines.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/1979.pdf Air Transport Association 1979 Annual Report]</ref>
!Sched ASMs (bn)(2)<ref name="79income">{{cite report|publisher=Civil Aeronautics Board|title=Supplement to the Handbook of Airline Statistics: Calendar Years 1977 and 1978|date=November 1979|chapter=Part III. Traffic Statistics of the Certificated Route Air Carriers |pages=12–27|url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/osu.32435025695669|hdl=2027/osu.32435025695669|ref={{sfnref|Supp|1979}}|hdl-access=free}}</ref>
!Avg Seats/ Mile(3)<ref name="79income" />
!Stage length (mi)(4)<ref name="79income" />
|-
| scope="row" style=text-align:left |[[American Airlines]]
| style="text-align: center;" |trunk
| style="text-align: right;"|2,736.4
| style="text-align: right;"| 45.49
| style="text-align: right;"| 154.2
| style="text-align: right;"|799.8
|-
| scope="row" style=text-align:left |[[Braniff Airways]]
| style="text-align: center;" |trunk
| style="text-align: right;"|966.5
| style="text-align: right;"| 17.84
| style="text-align: right;"| 138.5
| style="text-align: right;"|583.1
|-
| scope="row" style=text-align:left |[[Continental Air Lines]]
| style="text-align: center;" |trunk
| style="text-align: right;"|772.0
| style="text-align: right;"| 14.53
| style="text-align: right;"|155.2
| style="text-align: right;"|618.5
|-
| scope="row" style=text-align:left |[[Delta Air Lines]]
| style="text-align: center;" |trunk
| style="text-align: right;"|2,241.6
| style="text-align: right;"| 37.55
| style="text-align: right;"| 151.5
| style="text-align: right;"| 457.9
|-
| scope="row" style=text-align:left |[[Eastern Air Lines]]
| style="text-align: center;" |trunk
| style="text-align: right;"|2,379.6
| style="text-align: right;"| 39.06
| style="text-align: right;"| 135.5
| style="text-align: right;"| 509.1
|-
| scope="row" style=text-align:left |[[National Airlines (1934-1980)|National Airlines]]
| style="text-align: center;" |trunk
| style="text-align: right;"|636.4
| style="text-align: right;"| 13.83
| style="text-align: right;"| 174.1
| style="text-align: right;"|694.5
|-
| scope="row" style=text-align:left |[[Northwest Airlines]]
| style="text-align: center;" |trunk
| style="text-align: right;"|794.4
| style="text-align: right;"| 14.30
| style="text-align: right;"| 226.2
| style="text-align: right;"| 667.2
|-
| scope="row" style="text-align:left" |[[Trans World Airlines]]
| style="text-align: center;" |trunk
| style="text-align: right;" |2,474.7
| style="text-align: right;" | 42.65
| style="text-align: right;" | 165.0
| style="text-align: right;" |897.1
|-
| scope="row" style="text-align:left" |[[United Air Lines]]
| style="text-align: center;" |trunk
| style="text-align: right;" |3,523.4
| style="text-align: right;" | 61.94
| style="text-align: right;" | 161.2
| style="text-align: right;" |694.8
|-
| scope="row" style="text-align:left" |[[Western Air Lines]]
| style="text-align: center;" |trunk
| style="text-align: right;" |834.5
| style="text-align: right;" | 15.76
| style="text-align: right;" | 147.9
| style="text-align: right;" | 645.6
|-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| scope="row" style="text-align:left" |[[Allegheny Airlines]]
| style="text-align: center;" |local svc
| style="text-align: right;" |566.8
| style="text-align: right;" | 6.72
| style="text-align: right;" | 90.4
| style="text-align: right;" | 242.5
|-
| scope="row" style="text-align:left" |[[Frontier Airlines (1950-1986)|Frontier Airlines]]
| style="text-align: center;" |local svc
| style="text-align: right;" |287.2
| style="text-align: right;" | 3.77
| style="text-align: right;" | 81.6
| style="text-align: right;" | 230.2
|-
| scope="row" style="text-align:left" |Hughes Air Corp [[Trade name|dba]] [[Hughes Airwest]]
| style="text-align: center;" |local svc
| style="text-align: right;" |313.2
| style="text-align: right;" | 4.18
| style="text-align: right;" | 94.6
| style="text-align: right;" | 282.0
|-
| scope="row" style="text-align:left" |[[North Central Airlines]]
| style="text-align: center;" |local svc
| style="text-align: right;" |298.5
| style="text-align: right;" | 3.09
| style="text-align: right;" | 90.0
| style="text-align: right;" | 147.6
|-
| scope="row" style="text-align:left" |[[Ozark Air Lines]]
| style="text-align: center;" |local svc
| style="text-align: right;" |229.7
| style="text-align: right;" | 2.70
| style="text-align: right;" | 87.3
| style="text-align: right;" | 195.9
|-
| scope="row" style="text-align:left" |[[Piedmont Airlines]]
| style="text-align: center;" |local svc
| style="text-align: right;" |205.6
| style="text-align: right;" | 2.62
| style="text-align: right;" | 85.7
| style="text-align: right;" | 180.7
|-
| scope="row" style="text-align:left" |[[Southern Airways]]
| style="text-align: center;" |local svc
| style="text-align: right;" |188.5
| style="text-align: right;" | 2.45
| style="text-align: right;" | 76.0
| style="text-align: right;" | 206.5
|-
| scope="row" style="text-align:left" |[[Texas International Airlines]]
| style="text-align: center;" |local svc
| style="text-align: right;" |181.7
| style="text-align: right;" | 2.60
| style="text-align: right;" | 90.8
| style="text-align: right;" | 304.5
|+ align="bottom" style="caption-side: bottom; text-align: left;" | (1) USD mm
|+ align="bottom" style="caption-side: bottom; text-align: left;" | (2) Available Seat Miles: an ASM is one seat available for sale flown one mile
|+ align="bottom" style="caption-side: bottom; text-align: left;" | (3) Average seats per flight weighted by miles flown
|+ align="bottom" style="caption-side: bottom; text-align: left;" | (4) Average flight distance
|}

==Legacy==
As of 2024, [[American Airlines]] is the corporate successor to the following original local service certificates:
{{col div}}
* [[Allegheny Airlines|Allegheny]]
* [[Lake Central Airlines|Lake Central]]
* [[Mohawk Airlines|Mohawk]]
* [[Ozark Air Lines|Ozark]]
* [[Parks Air Lines|Parks]]
* [[Piedmont Airlines (1948–1989)|Piedmont]]
{{col div end}}
As of 2024, [[Delta Air Lines]] is the corporate successor to the following original local service certificates:
{{col div}}
* [[Bonanza Airlines|Bonanza]]
* [[Empire Air Lines|Empire]]
* [[Southern Airways|Southern]]
* [[Southwest Airways]]
* [[West Coast Airlines|West Coast]]
* [[Wisconsin Central Airlines|Wisconsin Central]]
{{col div end}}
As of 2024, [[United Airlines]] is the corporate successor to the following original local service certificates:
{{col div}}
* [[Arizona Airways]]
* [[Central Airlines|Central]]
* [[Challenger Airlines|Challenger]]
* [[Monarch Air Lines|Monarch]]
* [[Pioneer Air Lines|Pioneer]]
* [[Trans-Texas Airways|Trans-Texas]]
{{col div end}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Airlines of the United States]]
[[Category:Airline types]]

Frontier Airlines (1950–1986)

2025-06-29T10:27:41Z

182.232.34.176:

{{Short description|Defunct airline of the United States (1950–1986)}}
{{About|the defunct airline|the active airline|Frontier Airlines|the similarly-named defunct airline|Frontier Flying Service}}
{{Infobox airline
| airline = Frontier Airlines
| logo = Frontier_Airlines_Logo,_February_1980.svg
| logo_size = 275px
| caption = Frontier's final logo designed in 1978, the "F" logo was later incorporated into the modern [[Frontier Airlines]].
| alt =
| IATA = FL
| ICAO =
| callsign = FRONTIER
| founded = {{start date|1950|06|01}} {{small|(amalgamation)}}
| ceased = {{end date|1986|08|24}}
| aoc =
| bases =
| hubs = {{nowrap|ATW [[Stapleton International Airport|Denver–Stapleton]]}}
| secondary_hubs =
| focus_cities = {{ubl|class=nowrap
| [[Dallas Fort Worth International Airport|Dallas/Fort Worth]]
| [[Kansas City International Airport|Kansas City]]
| [[Salt Lake City International Airport|Salt Lake City]]
| [[St. Louis Lambert International Airport|St. Louis]]}}
| frequent_flyer =
| alliance =
| subsidiaries =
| fleet_size =
| destinations =
| company_slogan =
| parent = {{ubl|class=nowrap
| Goldfield Corp. {{small|(1962–1965)}}
| [[RKO General]] {{small|(1965–1985)}}
| [[People Express Airlines (1980s)|People Express Airlines]] {{small|(1985–1986)}}}}
| num_employees =
| headquarters = [[Denver]], [[Colorado]], [[United States|U.S.]]
| key_people = {{ubl|class=nowrap
| Ray Wilson
| Hal Darr
| Bud Maytag
| Lew Dymond
| Al Feldman
| Glen Ryland }}
| website =
}}

'''Frontier Airlines''' was a [[local service carrier]], a scheduled airline in the United States that was formed by the merger of [[Arizona Airways]], [[Challenger Airlines]], and [[Monarch Air Lines]] on June 1, 1950. Headquartered at the now-closed [[Stapleton International Airport]] in [[Denver]], [[Colorado]], the airline ceased operations on August 24, 1986.<ref name=slcgrd>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=P-JYAAAAIBAJ&pg=4985%2C4655101 |work=Deseret News |agency=Associated Press |title=Frontier still grounded as bankruptcy looms |date=August 26, 1986 |page=A1}}</ref><ref name=dfmrafs>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=d0JYAAAAIBAJ&pg=6843%2C167815 |work=Spokane Chronicle |agency=(New York Times) |last=Hicks |first=Jonathan P. |title=Denver fares may rise as Frontier shuts down |date=September 2, 1986 |page=A13}}</ref> A [[Frontier Airlines|new airline using the same name]] was founded eight years later in 1994.

==History==
The original Frontier Airlines dates to November 27, 1946, when '''Monarch Air Lines''' began service in the [[Four Corners]] states of Colorado, [[Utah]], [[New Mexico]], and [[Arizona]]. Frontier served cities in the [[Rocky Mountains]] bounded by [[Salt Lake City]] to the west, [[Billings, Montana|Billings]] to the north, Denver to the east, and [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]] and [[El Paso, Texas|El Paso]] to the south.

In 1950, it flew to 40 cities in the Rocky Mountain region with twelve [[Douglas DC-3]]s and 400 employees. Before ceasing operations in 1986, it flew to more than 170 airports at various times over the years, with service to both the U.S. east coast and west coast as well as to Canada and Mexico with an all-jet fleet.<ref name="OFA">{{Cite web|url=http://www.oldfrontierairlines.com/|title=Old Frontier Airlines|website=www.oldfrontierairlines.com|accessdate=7 April 2023}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|+ {{nowrap|Revenue Passenger-Miles<ref>Handbook of Airline Statistics (biannual CAB publication)</ref> (Millions);}} scheduled flights only
|-
! !! Frontier !! Central
|- style="text-align:right;"
! scope="row" | 1951
| 27 || 5
|- style="text-align:right;"
! scope="row" | 1955
| 46 || 15
|- style="text-align:right;"
! scope="row" | 1960
| 88 || 32
|- style="text-align:right;"
! scope="row" | 1965
| 217 || 91
|- style="text-align:right;"
! scope="row" | 1970
| 1022 || rowspan=2|''merged 1967''
|- style="text-align:right;"
! scope="row" | 1975
| 1455
|}
[[File:Frontier Airlines Boeing 737-200 N7382F Marmet.jpg|thumb|240px|Frontier Airlines livery in 1983; Boeing 737-200 N7382F]]

Frontier continued to operate Douglas DC-3s and added [[Convair CV-340]]s beginning in 1959; the company introduced a new logo on the new aircraft. On June 1, 1964, it was the first airline to fly the [[Convair 580]], a CV-340/440 retrofitted with [[GM Allison]] turboprops. It had 50 seats, was flown by two pilots and carried one flight attendant. (The aircraft could have carried 53 passengers, but that would have required a second flight attendant.) The CV-580 was the workhorse of the Frontier fleet until the introduction of the [[Boeing 737-200]]s in the early 1970s. In later years [[de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter]]s and [[Beech 99]]s were added to serve cities too small for the Convair 580.<ref name="OFA"/>

In May 1958, Frontier flew to 40 airports; two years later it flew to 69. Half the additions had never seen an airline and several never would again, after Frontier pulled out. In May 1968, after merging with [[Central Airlines]], Frontier flew to 100 airports, second among U.S. airlines ([[Pan American World Airways|Pan Am]] was first with 122).

In April 1958, Lewis Bergman "Bud" Maytag, Jr. (grandson of [[Frederick Louis Maytag I]], founder of the [[Maytag]] Corporation), acquired controlling interest in Frontier. After all governmental approvals, he took control in January 1959 as chairman of the board and president. Three years later, Maytag sold his stock in March 1962 to the Goldfield Corp., whereupon he bought a controlling interest in [[National Airlines (1934–1980)|National Airlines]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1990-09-26-9002160111-story.html|title=LEWIS MAYTAG JR., HEIR AND NATIONAL AIRLINES CHIEF|website=Sun Sentinel|date=26 September 1990 |accessdate=7 April 2023}}</ref><ref name=gftsi>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7MhOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=kEkDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7344%2C2219713 |work=Deseret News |location=(Salt Lake City, Utah) |title=Goldfield to sell interest in Frontier |date=November 11, 1964 |page=B12}}</ref> Lewis W. Dymond then became president of Frontier and, under his guidance, the airline entered the jet age with new [[Boeing 727-100]]s on September 30, 1966. The Boeing trijet was called the "Arrow-Jet" by the airline. The [[Boeing 727-200]] became part of the fleet in February 1968.<ref name="OFA"/><ref name=jhfronad>{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HFJvPTKttHEC&pg=PA197 |magazine=Skiing |agency=(advertisement) |title=Skiing Jackson Hole is a Frontier sport |date=October 1970 |page=197}}</ref>

On October 1, 1967, Frontier purchased '''[[Central Airlines]]''', headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. The addition of Central added eleven [[Convair 600]]s and sixteen DC-3s to the fleet and many new cities. Convair 600s were [[Convair 240]]s that had been retrofitted with [[Rolls-Royce Dart]] turboprop engines; Frontier phased out the Convair 600s in 1969–70 and DC-3 flights ended in 1968. The Convair 580s lasted until May 31, 1982, when they were parked and eventually sold.<ref name="OFA"/>

[[Alvin Feldman]] became president in March 1971 and converted the jet fleet to Boeing 737-200s, eliminating the 727s. The 737-200 was Frontier's only jet type until [[McDonnell Douglas MD-80]]s were added beginning May 20, 1982.<ref name="OFA"/>

On January 29, 1973, Frontier Airlines hired its first black pilot, [[Robert Ashby (Tuskegee Airman)|Bob Ashby]], the only [[Tuskegee Airmen|Tuskegee Airman]] to become a commercial passenger airline pilot. It also hired the first female pilot for any modern day U.S. commercial airline the same day, [[Emily Howell Warner]]. Both were awarded their captain's wings several years later.<ref name="OFA"/>

According to the 1977 Frontier Airlines annual report, the airline was serving both Burbank (BUR) and Orange County (SNA) via an [[Transport hub|interchange]] flight agreement with [[Hughes Airwest]] with service between these southern California destinations and the Frontier hub in Denver (DEN) and had also begun serving Sacramento (SMF), its first directly served destination in California, that same year.<ref name="departedflights.com">http://www.departedflights.com, 1977 Frontier Airlines Annual Report, route map</ref> Frontier would later introduce its own Orange County service as well as flights to a number of other destinations in California. This same annual report states the airline transported over 80 percent of its passenger traffic on board its growing fleet of Boeing 737-200 jets in 1977.

The final Frontier logo, a stylized "F", was created by [[Saul Bass]] and introduced April 30, 1978. By 1979, the airline had 5,100 employees and operated 35 Boeing 737-200 and 25 Convair 580 aircraft serving 94 cities in 26 states, Canada and Mexico.<ref name="OFA"/>

===Decline===

On February 1, 1980, Frontier president Al Feldman left to become the CEO of [[Continental Airlines]]. He was succeeded by Glen Ryland, and the airline started to decline. By 1982, employees began accepting lower wages and benefits in an effort to keep the business viable. Ryland resigned November 6, 1984, and was replaced by M.C. "Hank" Lund, the well-known vice president. Joe O'Gorman, from [[United Airlines]], took over in May 1985, giving rise to speculation that United would buy Frontier.<ref name="OFA"/>

Once the last of the Convair 580 turboprops were retired, Frontier became an all-jet airline on June 1, 1982. The airline operated Boeing 737-200s to smaller cities such as [[Casper, Wyoming]]; [[Durango, Colorado]]; [[Farmington, New Mexico]]; [[Fort Smith, Arkansas]]; [[Grand Forks, North Dakota]]; [[Lawton, Oklahoma]]; [[Manhattan, Kansas]]; [[Montrose, Colorado]]; [[Rock Springs, Wyoming]]; [[Salina, Kansas]]; [[Scottsbluff, Nebraska]]; [[Stockton, California]]; [[Topeka, Kansas]]; and [[West Yellowstone, Montana]]. By the fall of 1983 some Convair 580's were revived when an agreement was made with Combs Airways to operate a [[code sharing]] feeder service for Frontier called '''Frontier Commuter'''. This carrier began service on October 17, 1983, to some of the Frontier cities that were too small to support 737s plus new service to several cities such as Idaho Falls and [[Pocatello, Idaho]], Gillette and Sheridan, Wyoming, and Pierre and Aberdeen, South Dakota. Frontier Commuter was short lived and shut down on January 14, 1985.<ref>{{cite news |title=Frontier Commuter Begins Liquidation |url=https://apnews.com/article/1025ac831d77296d0d46af3ed83b9824 |access-date=May 26, 2023 |work=AP NEWS |date=Jan 17, 1985 |language=en}}</ref>
[[File:Boeing 727-23, Frontier Horizon Airlines JP5947112.jpg|thumb|Frontier Horizon 727-100 at [[LaGuardia Airport|New York LaGuardia]] April 1984]]
In January 1984 Boeing 727-100s made a short-lived reappearance when Frontier created a wholly owned "airline within an airline" low cost subsidiary: '''Frontier Horizon'''.<ref name=SALE>{{cite news|title=Frontier okays Horizon sale to Skybus|first=Carol|last=Jouzaitis|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=19 December 1984|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/388505338/?match=1&terms=%22Frontier%20Horizon%22%20skybus|page=3-2}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1984/09/13/Frontier-Horizon-has-offered-lifetime-passes-to-any-city/1397463896000/|title=Frontier Horizon has offered lifetime passes to any city... - UPI Archives|date=September 13, 1984|website=UPI}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://departedwings.com/The%20Airlines/Frontier%20Horizon/Frontier%20Horizon.htm|title=Frontier Horizon Airlines|website=departedwings.com}}</ref> It was founded as a low-cost, non-union subsidiary of the original Frontier Airlines.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/388016003/?terms=%22Frontier%20Horizon%22|title=Frontier's new sister airline taking off into turbulence|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=14 September 1983|page=3-1|first=Carol|last=Jouzaitis}}</ref> Its formation was bitterly opposed by Frontier Airlines employees. During its brief existence, Boeing 727s formerly operated by [[American Airlines]] flew nonstop between Denver and New York [[LaGuardia Airport]] (LGA), [[Washington Dulles International Airport]] (IAD), [[Chicago O'Hare International Airport]] (ORD), [[San Francisco International Airport]] (SFO), [[Orlando, Florida|Orlando]] (MCO) and [[Tampa]] (TPA). Frontier Horizon ceased operations in April 1985<ref name="OFA"/> after it was acquired by a new start up air carrier, Skybus Airlines, that same year.<ref>"Airlines Remembered" by B.I. Hengi, 1999 Midland Press</ref>

The Frontier employees' union coalition struggled to save Frontier Airlines, but failed. '''[[People Express Airlines (1980s)|People Express Airlines]]''' acquired Frontier on October 5, 1985, and put Larry Martin in charge after Joe O'Gorman resigned on January 29, 1986. People Express continued operating Frontier as an independent entity. On August 24, 1986, Frontier shut down due to continued losses and four days later filed for bankruptcy.<ref name="OFA"/>

On October 24, 1986 [[Continental Airlines]], a [[Texas Air Corp.]] unit, acquired People Express Airlines which had acquired Frontier Airlines the year before. Both merged into Continental on February 1, 1987, along with [[New York Air]] and several commuter airline subsidiaries including [[Britt Airways]] and [[Provincetown-Boston Airlines]] (PBA). Frontier's failure doomed People Express, New York Air, and several commuter air carriers. It would take years to settle the pension disputes and lawsuits. Efforts were still being made in 2013 to settle ESOP accounts. Continental continued to operate the Frontier jet fleet with the aircraft being repainted in Continental's livery.<ref name="OFA"/> On March 3, 2012, Continental merged into United Airlines.

Frontier's last timetable was dated September 3, 1986; the airline had halted operations and filed bankruptcy the week before. Some bankruptcy proceedings ended on May 31, 1990, forty years after Frontier was formed, but the Chapter 11 case was closed July 22, 1998, by Charles E. Matheson, Chief Judge.<ref name="OFA"/>

M. C. "Hank" Lund and other former Frontier executives went on to start a new airline, also named [[Frontier Airlines]], which began Boeing 737 flights on July 5, 1994.<ref name="OFA"/><ref>{{Cite news |title=Airline Has New Frontier 8 Years After Mourning |url=https://www.deseret.com/1994/7/4/19118084/airline-has-new-frontier-8-years-after-mourning |work=[[Deseret News]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |location=(Salt Lake City, Utah) |date=July 4, 1994 |access-date=January 26, 2020}}</ref>

During its 36 years, Frontier Airlines flew to over 170 airports; however, not all were served at the same time and many no longer have airline service.{{citation needed|date = July 2017}}

== Fleet ==
[[File:Convair CV-340, Frontier Airlines JP7357940.jpg|thumb|Frontier Airlines Convair 340]]
* [[Beech 99]]
* [[Boeing 727-100]]
* [[Boeing 727-200]]
* [[Boeing 737-200]]
* [[Convair 340]]
* [[Convair 440]]
* [[Convair 580]]
* [[Convair 600]] (formerly operated by [[Central Airlines]])
* [[de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter]]
* [[Douglas DC-3]]
* [[McDonnell Douglas MD-80]]

According to the July 1, 1968 Frontier Airlines system timetable, [[Aero Commander 500]] twin engine prop aircraft were being operated via contract by Combs Aviation on behalf of Frontier on scheduled passenger flights serving smaller communities in Montana and Wyoming at this time.<ref>[https://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/fl/fl6807/fl6807-1.jpg Time tables] timetableimages.com</ref><ref>[https://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/fl/fl6807/fl6807-4.jpg Time tables] timetableimages.com</ref>

==Destinations==
Frontier served the following destinations between 1950 and 1986 with not all of these destinations being served at the same time. Destinations in '''bold''' received jet service.<ref>http://www.departedflights.com, Frontier Airlines jet routes maps, March 2, 1977 through Sept. 3, 1986</ref>
{{div col}}

===Arizona===
* [[Clifton, Arizona|Clifton]]
* Douglas/Bisbee, Arizona
* [[Flagstaff, Arizona|Flagstaff]]
* Nogales, Arizona
* '''[[Phoenix, Arizona]]''' — [[Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport]]
* [[Prescott, Arizona|Prescott]]
* [[Safford, Arizona|Safford]]
* '''[[Tucson, Arizona]]''' — [[Tucson International Airport]]
* [[Winslow, Arizona|Winslow]]

===Arkansas===
* '''[[Fayetteville, Arkansas|Fayetteville]]'''
* '''[[Fort Smith, Arkansas|Fort Smith]]'''
* [[Harrison, Arkansas|Harrison]]
* [[Hot Springs, Arkansas|Hot Springs]]
* '''[[Little Rock, Arkansas|Little Rock]]''' — [[Clinton National Airport]]

===California===
* '''[[Burbank, California|Burbank]]''' — [[Hollywood Burbank Airport]] ''(served via an [[Transport hub|interchange]] flight agreement with [[Hughes Airwest]])'' <ref name="departedflights.com"/>
* '''[[Fresno, California|Fresno]]''' — [[Fresno Yosemite International Airport]]
* '''[[Los Angeles]]''' — [[Los Angeles International Airport]]
* '''[[Oakland, California|Oakland]]''' — [[Oakland International Airport]]
* '''[[Orange County, California|Orange County]]/[[Santa Ana, California|Santa Ana]]''' — [[John Wayne Airport]]
* '''[[Palm Springs, California|Palm Springs]]''' – [[Palm Springs International Airport]]
* '''[[Redding, California|Redding]]'''
* '''[[Sacramento, California|Sacramento]]'''
* '''[[San Diego]]''' — [[San Diego International Airport]]
* '''[[San Francisco]]''' — [[San Francisco International Airport]]
* '''[[Stockton, California|Stockton]]'''

===Colorado===
* [[Alamosa, Colorado|Alamosa]]
* [[Canon City, Colorado|Canon City]]
* '''[[Colorado Springs, Colorado]]''' — [[City of Colorado Springs Municipal Airport]]
* [[Cortez, Colorado|Cortez]]
* '''[[Denver]]''' — [[Stapleton International Airport]] - '''''Primary Hub'''''
* '''[[Durango, Colorado|Durango]]'''
* '''[[Grand Junction, Colorado|Grand Junction]]'''
* [[Greeley, Colorado|Greeley]]
* [[Gunnison, Colorado|Gunnison]]
* [[Hayden, Colorado|Hayden]]/[[Steamboat Springs, Colorado|Steamboat Springs]] – [[Yampa Valley Regional Airport]]
* [[Lamar, Colorado|Lamar]]
* [[Monte Vista, Colorado|Monte Vista]]
* '''[[Montrose, Colorado|Montrose]]'''
* '''[[Pueblo, Colorado]]''' — [[Pueblo Memorial Airport]]

===District of Columbia===
* '''[[Washington, D.C.]]''' — [[Washington Dulles International Airport]]

===Florida===
* '''[[Orlando, Florida|Orlando]]''' — [[Orlando International Airport]]
* '''[[Tampa, Florida|Tampa]]''' — [[Tampa International Airport]]

===Georgia===
* '''[[Atlanta]]''' — [[Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport]]

===Idaho===
* '''[[Boise, Idaho|Boise]]'''
* [[Idaho Falls, Idaho|Idaho Falls]]

===Illinois===
* '''[[Chicago]]'''
** [[Chicago Midway International Airport]]
** [[Chicago O'Hare International Airport]]
* '''[[Rockford, Illinois|Rockford]]''' — [[Chicago Rockford International Airport]]

===Indiana===
* '''[[Indianapolis]]''' — [[Indianapolis International Airport]]

===Iowa===
* '''[[Des Moines, Iowa|Des Moines]]'''
* '''[[Sioux City, Iowa|Sioux City]]'''

===Kansas===
* [[Dodge City, Kansas|Dodge City]]
* [[Goodland, Kansas|Goodland]]
* [[Great Bend, Kansas|Great Bend]]
* [[Hays, Kansas|Hays]]
* [[Hutchinson, Kansas|Hutchinson]]
* [[Liberal, Kansas|Liberal]]
* '''[[Manhattan, Kansas|Manhattan]]''' — [[Manhattan Regional Airport]]
* [[Parsons, Kansas|Parsons]]
* '''[[Salina, Kansas|Salina]]''' — [[Salina Municipal Airport]]
* '''[[Topeka, Kansas|Topeka]]''' — [[Philip Billard Municipal Airport]]
* '''[[Wichita, Kansas|Wichita]]''' — [[Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport]]

===Kentucky===
* '''[[Lexington, Kentucky|Lexington]]'''

===Louisiana===
* '''[[Shreveport, Louisiana|Shreveport]]'''

===Michigan===
* '''[[Detroit]]''' — [[Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport]]

===Minnesota===
* '''[[Minneapolis]]/[[Saint Paul, Minnesota|Saint Paul]]''' — [[Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport]]

===Mississippi===
* '''[[Jackson, Mississippi|Jackson]]''' — [[Jackson–Evers International Airport]]

===Missouri===
* [[Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri|Fort Leonard Wood]]
* '''[[Joplin, Missouri|Joplin]]'''
* '''[[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]]'''
** [[Kansas City International Airport]]
** [[Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport]]
* [[St. Joseph, Missouri|St. Joseph]]
* '''[[St. Louis]]''' — [[St. Louis Lambert International Airport]]
* '''[[Springfield, Missouri|Springfield]]'''

===Montana===
* '''[[Billings, Montana|Billings]]'''
* '''[[Bozeman, Montana|Bozeman]]'''
* [[Glasgow, Montana|Glasgow]]
* [[Glendive, Montana|Glendive]]
* '''[[Great Falls, Montana|Great Falls]]'''
* [[Havre, Montana|Havre]]
* '''[[Helena, Montana|Helena]]'''
* '''[[Kalispell, Montana|Kalispell]]'''
* [[Lewistown, Montana|Lewiston]]
* [[Miles City, Montana|Miles City]]
* '''[[Missoula, Montana|Missoula]]'''
* [[Sidney, Montana|Sidney]]
* '''[[West Yellowstone, Montana|West Yellowstone]]'''
* [[Wolf Point, Montana|Wolf Point]]

===Nebraska===
* [[Ainsworth, Nebraska|Ainsworth]]
* [[Alliance, Nebraska|Alliance]]
* '''[[Beatrice, Nebraska|Beatrice]]''' — [[Beatrice Municipal Airport]]
* [[Chadron, Nebraska|Chadron]]
* [[Columbus, Nebraska|Columbus]]
* '''[[Grand Island, Nebraska|Grand Island]]'''
* [[Hastings, Nebraska|Hastings]]
* [[Imperial, Nebraska|Imperial]]
* [[Kearney, Nebraska|Kearney]]
* '''[[Lincoln, Nebraska|Lincoln]]'''
* [[McCook, Nebraska|McCook]]
* [[Norfolk, Nebraska|Norfolk]]
* '''[[North Platte, Nebraska|North Platte]]'''
* '''[[Omaha, Nebraska|Omaha]]'''
* '''[[Scottsbluff, Nebraska|Scottsbluff]]'''
* [[Sidney, Nebraska|Sidney]]
* [[Valentine, Nebraska|Valentine]]

===Nevada===
* '''[[Las Vegas]]''' — [[Harry Reid International Airport]]
* '''[[Reno, Nevada|Reno]]''' — [[Reno–Tahoe International Airport]]

===New Mexico===
* [[Alamogordo, New Mexico|Alamogordo]] — [[Alamogordo Municipal Airport]]
* '''[[Albuquerque, New Mexico|Albuquerque]]''' — [[Albuquerque International Sunport]]
* [[Deming, New Mexico|Deming]]
* '''[[Farmington, New Mexico|Farmington]]''' — [[Four Corners Regional Airport]]
* [[Gallup, New Mexico|Gallup]] — [[Gallup Municipal Airport]]
* [[Las Cruces, New Mexico|Las Cruces]] — [[Las Cruces International Airport]]
* [[Lordsburg, New Mexico|Lordsburg]]
* [[Santa Fe, New Mexico|Santa Fe]] — [[Santa Fe Municipal Airport]]
* [[Silver City, New Mexico|Silver City]] — [[Grant County Airport (New Mexico)|Grant County Airport]]

===New York===
* '''[[New York City]]''' — [[LaGuardia Airport]]

===North Dakota===
* '''[[Bismarck, North Dakota|Bismarck]]'''
* [[Dickinson, North Dakota|Dickinson]]
* '''[[Fargo, North Dakota|Fargo]]''' – [[Hector International Airport]]
* '''[[Grand Forks, North Dakota|Grand Forks]]'''
* '''[[Minot, North Dakota|Minot]]'''
* [[Williston, North Dakota|Williston]]

===Ohio===
* '''[[Columbus, Ohio|Columbus]]''' — [[John Glenn Columbus International Airport]]
* '''[[Toledo, Ohio|Toledo]]''' — [[Toledo Express Airport]]

===Oklahoma===
* [[Bartlesville, Oklahoma|Bartlesville]]
* [[Duncan, Oklahoma|Duncan]]
* [[Enid, Oklahoma|Enid]]
* [[Guymon, Oklahoma|Guymon]]
* '''[[Lawton, Oklahoma|Lawton]]'''
* [[Muskogee, Oklahoma|Muskogee]]
* '''[[Oklahoma City]]'''
* [[Ponca City, Oklahoma|Ponca City]]
* [[Stillwater, Oklahoma|Stillwater]]
* '''[[Tulsa, Oklahoma|Tulsa]]'''

===Oregon===
* '''[[Eugene, Oregon|Eugene]]'''
* '''[[Portland, Oregon|Portland]]''' — [[Portland International Airport]]

===South Dakota===
* [[Lemmon, South Dakota|Lemmon]]
* '''[[Rapid City, South Dakota|Rapid City]]'''
* '''[[Sioux Falls, South Dakota|Sioux Falls]]'''

===Tennessee===
* '''[[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]]''' — [[Memphis International Airport]]

===Texas===
* '''[[Abilene, Texas|Abilene]]'''
* [[Amarillo, Texas|Amarillo]]
* [[Borger, Texas|Borger]]
* '''[[Dallas]]/[[Fort Worth, Texas|Fort Worth]]'''
** [[Dallas Love Field]]
** [[Dallas Fort Worth International Airport]]
** [[Greater Southwest International Airport]] (before 1974)
* '''[[El Paso, Texas|El Paso]]''' — [[El Paso International Airport]]
* '''[[Houston]]''' — [[William P. Hobby Airport]]
* '''Midland/Odessa, Texas'''
* [[Paris, Texas|Paris]]

===Utah===
* [[Moab, Utah|Moab]]
* [[Price, Utah|Price]]
* [[Provo, Utah|Provo]]
* '''[[Salt Lake City]]''' — [[Salt Lake City International Airport]] ('''''Focus City''''')
* [[Vernal, Utah|Vernal]]

===Washington state===
* '''[[Pasco, Washington|Pasco]]'''
* '''[[Seattle]]''' — [[Seattle–Tacoma International Airport]]
* '''[[Spokane, Washington|Spokane]]'''

===Wisconsin===
* '''[[Green Bay, Wisconsin|Green Bay]]'''
* '''[[Madison, Wisconsin|Madison]]'''
* '''[[Milwaukee]]''' — [[Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport]]

===Wyoming===
* '''[[Casper, Wyoming|Casper]]'''
* '''[[Cheyenne, Wyoming|Cheyenne]]'''
* [[Cody, Wyoming|Cody]]
* [[Douglas, Wyoming|Douglas]]
* [[Greybull, Wyoming|Greybull]]
* '''[[Jackson, Wyoming|Jackson]]'''
* '''[[Laramie, Wyoming|Laramie]]'''
* [[Lusk, Wyoming|Lusk]]
* [[Newcastle, Wyoming|Newcastle]]
* [[Powell, Wyoming|Powell]]
* [[Rawlins, Wyoming|Rawlins]]
* '''[[Riverton, Wyoming|Riverton]]'''
* '''[[Rock Springs, Wyoming|Rock Springs]]'''
* [[Worland, Wyoming|Worland]]

===International===
* '''Guadalajara, Mexico'''
* '''Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, Mexico'''
* '''Manzanillo, Mexico'''
* '''Mazatlan, Mexico'''
* '''Puerto Vallarta, Mexico'''
* '''Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada''' — [[Regina International Airport]]
* '''Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada''' — [[Saskatoon John G. Diefenbaker International Airport]]
* '''Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada''' — [[Vancouver International Airport]]
* '''Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada''' — [[Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport]]

{{div col end}}

The above are taken from Frontier timetables.

==Accidents and incidents==
[[File:Bomb squad member standing behind fence as hijacked Frontier Airlines Flight 91, 1972.jpg|thumb|Frontier Airlines Flight 91 sitting on the runway in 1972.]]
*On April 21, 1957, Frontier Airlines Flight 7, a [[Douglas DC-3]] on a flight from [[Prescott Regional Airport]] to [[Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport]] descended and the left wing impacted the side of a mountain ridge at 6400 feet 64 km (40 miles) north of PHX. A portion of the left wing was torn off, but a safe landing was made at PHX. There were no fatalities among the 4 crew and 22 passengers on board. The aircraft was repaired and put back into service.<ref>{{ASN accident|id=19570421-0|access-date=August 5, 2021|title=N65276}}</ref>
*On December 21, 1962, Frontier Airlines Flight 363, a [[Convair CV-340]] touched down 4061 feet short of Runway 17 in fog at [[Central Nebraska Regional Airport]]. The aircraft caught fire but all 3 crew and 39 passengers survived.<ref>{{ASN accident|id=19621221-0|access-date=August 5, 2021|title=N73130}}</ref>
*On March 12, 1964, Frontier Airlines Flight 32, a [[Douglas C-47]], struck the crest of a 2615 foot high upslope (a few feet below airfield elevation) during a VOR approach to Runway 30 at [[Miles City Municipal Airport]]. There was a minimal ceiling, low visibility, icing, and high gusty winds. All 3 crew and 2 passengers were killed.<ref>{{ASN accident|id=19640312-0|access-date=August 5, 2021|title=N61442}}</ref>
*On July 27, 1966, Frontier Airlines Flight 188, a Douglas C-47 bound for [[Albuquerque, New Mexico]], swerved off the runway and ended up in a ditch at [[Gallup Municipal Airport]]. All 3 crew and 13 passengers survived, but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair and written off.<ref>{{ASN accident|id=19660727-0|access-date=August 6, 2021|title=N4994E}}</ref>
*On December 21, 1967, Frontier Airlines Flight 2610, a Douglas C-47 converted to carry cargo, crashed after takeoff from [[Stapleton International Airport]] due to the failure of the crew to perform a pre-takeoff control check resulting in takeoff with the elevators immobilized by a control batten. Both occupants were killed.<ref>{{ASN accident|id=19671221-0|access-date=August 5, 2021|title=N65276}}</ref>
[[File:Airplane hijacker and Mexican American activist Ricardo Chavez-Ortiz talking with reporters, 1972.jpg|thumb|Ricardo Chavez Ortiz talking with reporters in May 1972.]]
*On April 13, 1972, 36-year-old Mexican immigrant [[Ricardo Chavez-Ortiz]], armed with an unloaded .22-caliber pistol, hijacked Frontier Airlines Flight 91, a [[Boeing 737-200]] flying from [[Albuquerque, New Mexico]], to [[Phoenix, Arizona]], to [[Los Angeles, California]]. At [[Los Angeles International Airport]], he released the plane's 31 passengers and made a rambling 34-minute speech while wearing a pilot's hat, complaining about police brutality, racism, and education policy. He ultimately surrendered peacefully.<ref name = givesup>{{cite web|url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SBS19720414.1.1&srpos=9&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------|title=Hijacker Tells Story, Gives Up|date=April 14, 1972|website= San Bernardino Sun}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/156928429/|title=Hijacked Jet to Save America and World, Chavez-Ortiz Says: Mexican National Thought Act Was Right and Justified; He Blames Racial Discrimination, War and Pollution|date=July 20, 1972|author=Del Olmo, Frank|website=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=DS19720720.2.14&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------|title=‘Doing World Favor’|date=July 20, 1972|website=[[The Desert Sun]]}}</ref>
*On October 20, 1977, ex convict Thomas Michael Hannan pulled a shotgun at a [[Central Nebraska Regional Airport]] screening point and forced a Frontier Airlines [[Boeing 737]] to fly to [[Kansas City]] for refueling and fly again to [[Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport]]. After certain demands were made, the hostages were released in Atlanta, and the hijacker shot and killed himself.<ref>{{ASN accident|id=19771020-0|access-date=August 5, 2021}}</ref>
*On January 18, 1978, a Frontier Airlines [[de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter]] 300 on a training flight crashed after takeoff at [[Pueblo Memorial Airport]], the aircraft attained an extreme nose-high attitude, and at 100–150 feet, nosed over and crashed. The flaps were set at 30 degrees instead of the normal setting of 10 degrees. All 3 occupants (2 crew and 1 passenger) were killed.<ref>{{ASN accident|id=19780118-1|access-date=August 5, 2021|title=N982FL}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[List of defunct airlines of the United States]]

==References==
* Jake Lamkins, "Old Frontier Airlines website". [http://OldFrontierAirlines.com Old Frontier Airlines]
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Frontier Airlines (1950–86)}}
* [http://FAL-1.tripod.com Old Frontier Airlines]
* [http://aviationphotographs.net/FrontierAirlines/frontierairlines.html A Photo Website of the "original" Frontier Airlines]
* [http://timetableimages.com/ttimages/fl.htm Frontier Airlines] Airline timetables from 1947 to 1962

{{Portal bar|United States|Colorado|Companies|Aviation}}
{{Airlines of the United States|state=collapsed}}
{{Legacy carrier}}
{{United Airlines Holdings}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Frontier Airlines (1950-1986)}}
[[Category:Airlines established in 1950]]
[[Category:Airlines disestablished in 1986]]
[[Category:Companies that have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy]]
[[Category:Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1986]]
[[Category:Companies based in Denver]]
[[Category:Defunct companies based in Colorado]]
[[Category:RKO General]]
[[Category:1950 establishments in Colorado]]
[[Category:1986 disestablishments in Colorado]]
[[Category:Defunct regional airlines of the United States]]
[[Category:Airlines based in Colorado]]

Continental Lite

2025-06-29T10:17:31Z

182.232.34.176: /* History */

{{Short description|Defunct low-cost airline of the United States (1993–1995)}}
{{Infobox airline
| airline = Continental Lite
| logo =
| logo_size =
| image = McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32, Continental Airlines Lite AN0207929.jpg
| caption = A [[McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30|DC-9-32]] in Continental Lite livery
| alt =
| IATA = CO
| ICAO = COA
| callsign = CONTINENTAL
| founded = {{start date|1993||}}
| commenced =
| ceased = {{end date|1995||}} {{small|(re-integrated into [[Continental Airlines]])}}
| aoc =
| bases =
| hubs = {{ubl|class=nowrap
| [[Cleveland Hopkins International Airport|Cleveland]]
| [[Piedmont Triad International Airport|Greensboro]]}}
| secondary_hubs =
| focus_cities =
| frequent_flyer = [[OnePass]]
| lounge =
| alliance = {{nowrap|[[Wings Alliance]] {{small|(affiliate)}}}}
| subsidiaries =
| fleet_size =
| destinations =
| company_slogan =
| parent = {{nowrap|[[Continental Airlines]]}}
| headquarters =
| key_people = [[Gordon Bethune]]
| website =
}}

'''Continental Lite''' was a short-lived subsidiary [[brand name|brand]] of [[Continental Airlines]] established in 1993. The airline folded in 1995 after losing what has been reported in the press as between $140 million<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/04/14/business/company-reports-continental-is-dropping-lite-service.html|title=COMPANY REPORTS; Continental Is Dropping 'Lite' Service|first=Adam|last=Bryant|date=14 April 1995|publisher=|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref> and $300 million.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,985949-4,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100903124726/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,985949-4,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 3, 2010|title=FLYING INTO TROUBLE|first=S. C.|last=Gwynne|date=24 February 1997|publisher=|via=www.time.com}}</ref>

== History ==
Continental Lite was developed by Continental Airlines to counter the rise of low-cost start up carriers. This despite the fact that Continental had some of the lowest costs in the [[airline industry]] due to many of the trade [[labor union]]s agreements being tossed out during [[Frank Lorenzo]]'s reign with Continental through [[Chapter 11 bankruptcy]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1153/is_n10_v118/ai_17949202/|title=FindArticles.com - CBSi|website=findarticles.com}}</ref>

The airline was originally informally known as '''CALite''' within Continental; the "Continental Lite" name was formally adopted in 1994.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Jackson|first=Jerry|date=|title=CONTINENTAL EXPANDS IN ORLANDO|url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1994-07-26-9407250441-story.html|access-date=2020-10-28|website=OrlandoSentinel.com|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>Cooney, Peter. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20121023021339/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4239947.html Low Fares, No-Frills At Continental Lite]." ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]''. July 26, 1994. Retrieved on February 22, 2009.</ref> It expanded to serve 45 cities in 1994, primarily on the East Coast, and came to account for a third of Continental's total capacity.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Scism|first=Jack|date=|title=CONTINENTAL LITE / AIRLINE'S FATE IS UP IN THE AIR|url=https://greensboro.com/continental-lite-airlines-fate-is-up-in-the-air/article_470eb3eb-cde0-56fa-bf94-a02092f1c4dd.html|access-date=2020-10-28|website=Greensboro News and Record|language=en}}</ref> After [[Gordon Bethune]] took over as the CEO of Continental in 1994, Continental began to distance itself from the service.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Continental Admits Flub, Turns Off Lite Struggling Airline Decides To Halt Ill-Conceived No-Frills Operation {{!}} The Spokesman-Review|url=https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1995/apr/16/continental-admits-flub-turns-off-lite-struggling/|access-date=2020-10-28|website=www.spokesman.com}}</ref>

Continental Lite operated with a dedicated fleet of [[McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30]], [[Boeing 737-200]], [[Boeing 737-300]], and [[Boeing 737-500]] aircraft, each repainted with the 'Lite' livery and stripped of its first class cabin. This service was based primarily at Continental's existing hub in [[Cleveland Hopkins International Airport|Cleveland]] as well as a new hub established in [[Piedmont Triad International Airport|Greensboro]], partly replacing the service of [[Eastern Air Lines#Sale to Texas Air|Eastern Air Lines]] in North Carolina.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.greensboro.com/continental-lite-airline-s-fate-is-up-in-the-air/article_470eb3eb-cde0-56fa-bf94-a02092f1c4dd.html|title=CONTINENTAL LITE / AIRLINE'S FATE IS UP IN THE AIR|first=JACK SCISM Staff|last=Writer|publisher=}}</ref> The Greensboro hub had 83 daily flights at its peak in late 1994, and Continental had planned a gate expansion at the airport.<ref name=":0" />

== See also ==
* [[List of defunct airlines of the United States]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Portal bar|Companies|Aviation}}
{{United Continental Holdings}}

[[Category:Continental Airlines]]
[[Category:Defunct airlines of the United States]]
[[Category:Airlines established in 1993]]
[[Category:Airlines disestablished in 1995]]

Trans World Connection

2025-06-29T10:14:55Z

182.232.34.176:

{{Short description|Defunct regional airline of the United States (1999–2001)}}
[[File:Trans World Connection logo.png|thumb|right|Trans World Connection logo]]

'''Trans World Connection''' ('''TWC''') was an affiliated brand name with [[Trans World Airlines]] (TWA) beginning in September 1999. Other regional and commuter airlines operated [[code sharing]] service for TWA as [[Trans World Express]].

The brand ended in December 2001, after [[American Airlines]] acquired the assets of TWA.

The brand name was used for [[Envoy Air|American Eagle Airlines]] service from [[Los Angeles International Airport]] in [[Los Angeles]], [[California]] and with [[Trans States Airlines]] at [[John F. Kennedy International Airport]] in [[New York City]], [[New York (state)|New York]].

[[Gulfstream International Airlines]] operated flights under the Trans World Connection name beginning in October, 1999.<ref name="Gulf">[http://www.earthian.info/earthian/aviation/RouteMaps/images/maps/NorthAmerica/TWA.2000.Caribbean.gif Caribbean in 2000]," ''[[Trans World Airlines]]''</ref>

==Destinations==

===Destinations at closure===
All were operated by [[AmericanConnection]].<ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20011107043247/http://www.twa.com/travel/route_maps/twc_lax.pdf TWConnection West Coast Routes]," ''[[Trans World Airlines]]''</ref><ref>"[http://www.earthian.info/earthian/aviation/RouteMaps/images/maps/NorthAmerica/TWC.2001.NewYork.gif TWConnection East Coast Routes] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090227194941/http://www.earthian.info/earthian/aviation/RouteMaps/images/maps/NorthAmerica/TWC.2001.NewYork.gif |date=2009-02-27 }}," ''[[Trans World Airlines]]''</ref>
;Canada
* [[Quebec]]
** [[Montreal]] ([[Dorval International Airport]])
;United States
* [[California]]
** [[Bakersfield, California|Bakersfield]] ([[Meadows Field Airport]])
** [[Fresno, California|Fresno]] ([[Fresno Yosemite International Airport]])
** [[Los Angeles]] ([[Los Angeles International Airport]]) '''Hub'''
** [[Monterey, California|Monterey]] ([[Monterey Peninsula Airport]])
** [[Palm Springs, California|Palm Springs]] ([[Palm Springs International Airport]])
** [[San Diego]] ([[San Diego International Airport]])
** [[San Luis Obispo, California|San Luis Obispo]] ([[San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport]])
** [[Santa Barbara, California|Santa Barbara]] ([[Santa Barbara Airport]])
* [[Connecticut]]
** [[Hartford, Connecticut|Hartford]] ([[Bradley International Airport]])
* [[Maryland]]
** [[Baltimore]] ([[Baltimore-Washington International Airport]])
* [[Massachusetts]]
** [[Boston]] ([[Logan International Airport]])
** [[Worcester, Massachusetts|Worcester]] ([[Worcester Regional Airport]])
* [[New York (state)|New York]]
** [[Albany, New York|Albany]] ([[Albany International Airport]])
** [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]] ([[Buffalo Niagara International Airport]])
** [[New York City]] ([[John F. Kennedy International Airport]] '''Hub'''
** [[Rochester, New York|Rochester]] ([[Greater Rochester International Airport]])
** [[Syracuse, New York|Syracuse]] ([[Syracuse Hancock International Airport]])
* [[North Carolina]]
** [[Raleigh, North Carolina|Raleigh]]-[[Durham, North Carolina|Durham]] ([[Raleigh-Durham International Airport]])
* [[Pennsylvania]]
** [[Pittsburgh]] ([[Pittsburgh International Airport]])
* [[Rhode Island]]
** [[Providence, Rhode Island|Providence]] ([[T. F. Green Airport]])
* [[Virginia]]
** [[Washington, D.C.]] area ([[Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport]])

===Destinations before closure===
All routes below were operated by Gulfstream.<ref name="Gulf"/>
;United States territories
* [[Puerto Rico]]
** [[San Juan, Puerto Rico|San Juan]] ([[Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport]]) ('''Hub''')
* [[U.S. Virgin Islands]]
** [[Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands|St. Thomas]] ([[Cyril E. King Airport]])
** [[Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands|Saint Croix]] ([[Henry E. Rohlsen International Airport]])
;Netherlands Antilles
* [[Saint Martin (island)|Saint Martin]] ([[Princess Juliana International Airport]])
;Saint Kitts and Nevis
* [[Saint Kitts]] ([[Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport]])
;British Virgin Islands
* [[Tortola]] ([[Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport]])
* [[Virgin Gorda]] ([[Virgin Gorda Airport]])

== See also ==
* [[Trans World Express]]
* [[List of defunct airlines of the United States]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

{{Portal bar|Companies|Aviation}}
{{Trans World Airlines}}
{{Airlines of the United States}}

[[Category:Defunct airlines of the United States]]
[[Category:Defunct regional airline brands]]
[[Category:Trans World Airlines]]

Trans World Express

2025-06-29T10:13:48Z

182.232.34.176:

{{Short description|Defunct regional airline of the United States (1993–1995)}}
{{Refimprove|date=May 2009}}

'''Trans World Express''' ('''TWE''') was the fully owned and certified [[regional airline|regional carrier]] for [[Trans World Airlines]] (TWA) and an airline [[trademark]] name for TWA's corporation.

* Trans World Express - The formerly independent [[regional airline]] known as [[Ransome Airlines]] previously owned by [[Pan Am|Pan Am (PA)]] before its purchase by the [[Trans World Corporation]] for TWA.
* TWE - the [[Outsourcing|outsourced]] carriers flying as Trans World Express:
**[[Air Midwest]]
** [[Alpha Air]]<ref>http://www.departedflights.com, Dec. 15, 1993 Alpha Air/Trans World Express route map</ref>
**[[Trans States Airlines]]
**[[Brockway Air|Metro Air Northeast]]

When [[American Airlines]] bought TWA, the [[regional airline]]s functioning under the Trans World Express "banner" became affiliated with American Airlines under the name and new banner air carrier branding [[AmericanConnection]]. Trans World Express service at that time was being provided by [[Trans States Airlines]], [[Chautauqua Airlines]], and [[Corporate Airlines]] (later [[RegionsAir]]).

==History==
Until November 6, 1995, TWE, Inc., a wholly owned [[subsidiary]] of TWA, operated flights under the Trans World Express banner. This fully [[operating certificate|certificated]] airline, previously named and certificated as [[Ransome Airlines]] - [[Pan Am Express]], was headquartered at [[Philadelphia Northeast Airport]] far from TWA's ([[John F. Kennedy International Airport]] and ([[Lambert–St. Louis International Airport|STL]]) St Louis [[airline hub|hubs]].

After that date, November 6, 1995, TWA [[outsource]]d all TWE operations to third-party "banner" airlines. Other airlines previously operating under the name and TWE "banner" included Resort Air and Metro Air Northeast.

Most flights were from the Eastern Seaboard to New York's [[John F. Kennedy International Airport]] or from the [[Southern United States|South]] and [[Midwestern United States|Midwest]] to [[Lambert-Saint Louis International Airport]].

In 1993, Alpha Air was operating Trans World Express service with [[Beechcraft 1900C]] turboprops from a hub at [[Los Angeles International Airport]] (LAX) with service to [[Burbank, California|Burbank]] (BUR), [[Grand Canyon]] (GCN), [[Lake Tahoe]] (TVL), [[Mammoth Lakes]] (MMH), [[Palm Springs]] (PSP), [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]] (PHX) and [[Santa Ana, California|Santa Ana]]/[[Orange County Airport]] (SNA, now [[John Wayne Airport]]).<ref>http://www.departedflights.com, Dec. 15, 1993 Alpha Air/Trans World Express route map</ref>

==Fleet==
[[File:Embraer EMB-145LR (ERJ-145LR), Trans World Express (Chautauqua Airlines) AN0641431.jpg|thumb|right|Trans World Express [[Embraer ERJ-145]]]]
The following aircraft were contracted and operating in the TWExpress system at the time of TWA's merger with American Airlines and the TWExpress brand was discontinued:
*[[Embraer ERJ-145]]
*[[ATR-72]]
*[[ATR-42]]
*[[Jetstream 41]]
*[[Handley Page Jetstream|Jetstream 31/32]]
[[File:Saab-Fairchild SF-340A, Trans World Express (Chautauqua Airlines) AN0963612.jpg|thumb|right|Trans World Express [[Saab 340]]]]
Other aircraft that appeared in TWE colors included:
*[[Beechcraft 1900C]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.airliners.net/photo/Trans-World-Express/Beech-1900C-1/0282284/&sid=9b9a4efbc27431db558a5ceb1163b9e9 |title=Photos: Beech 1900C-1 Aircraft Pictures |publisher=Airliners.net |date=2002-10-10 |accessdate=2012-08-12}}</ref>
*[[Saab 340]]
*[[de Havilland Canada DHC-7 Dash 7]]
*[[de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter]]
*[[Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner|Fairchild Metro II/III]]
*[[CASA C-212 Aviocar]]
*[[EMB-120 Brasilia]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.airliners.net/photo/Trans-World-Express/Embraer-EMB-120RT-Brasilia/1451819/&sid=2f3c4783a478743ae3844b97675c688f |title=Photos: Embraer EMB-120RT Brasilia Aircraft Pictures |publisher=Airliners.net |date=2008-12-21 |accessdate=2012-08-12}}</ref>

==Destinations at closure==
Trans World Express, via flights operated by [[Trans States Airlines]], [[Corporate Airlines]] and [[Chautauqua Airlines]], was serving the following destinations when the Trans World Express [[code share]] service was halted:<ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20011125013443/http://www.twa.com/travel/route_maps/north_america.pdf TWA North America Destinations]</ref><ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20011107145043/http://www.twa.com/travel/route_maps/twe.pdf TWExpress]," ''Trans World Airlines''</ref>

===Canada===
[[Ontario]]
* Toronto ([[Lester B. Pearson International Airport]])

===United States===
[[Arkansas]]
* [[Bentonville, Arkansas|Bentonville]]/[[Fayetteville, Arkansas|Fayetteville]] ([[Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport]])
[[Illinois]]
* [[Bloomington, Illinois|Bloomington]]/[[Normal, Illinois|Normal]] ([[Central Illinois Regional Airport]])
* [[Champaign, Illinois|Champaign]]/[[Urbana, Illinois|Urbana]] ([[University of Illinois Willard Airport]])
* [[Decatur, Illinois|Decatur]] ([[Decatur Airport]])
* [[Marion, Illinois|Marion]] ([[Williamson County Regional Airport]])
* [[Moline, Illinois|Moline]] ([[Quad City International Airport]])
* [[Peoria, Illinois|Peoria]] ([[Greater Peoria Regional Airport]])
* [[Quincy, Illinois|Quincy]] ([[Quincy Regional Airport]])
* [[Springfield, Illinois|Springfield]] ([[Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport]])
[[Indiana]]
* [[Evansville, Indiana|Evansville]] ([[Evansville Regional Airport]])
* [[Fort Wayne, Indiana|Fort Wayne]] ([[Fort Wayne International Airport]])
* [[Indianapolis]] ([[Indianapolis International Airport]])
* [[South Bend, Indiana|South Bend]] ([[South Bend Regional Airport]])
[[Iowa]]
* [[Burlington, Iowa|Burlington]] ([[Southeast Iowa Regional Airport]])
* [[Cedar Rapids, Iowa|Cedar Rapids]] ([[The Eastern Iowa Airport]])
* [[Sioux City, Iowa|Sioux City]] ([[Sioux Gateway Airport]])
* [[Waterloo, Iowa|Waterloo]] ([[Waterloo Regional Airport]])
[[Kentucky]]
* [[Cincinnati, Ohio]] area ([[Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport]])
* [[Lexington, Kentucky|Lexington]] ([[Blue Grass Regional Airport]])
* [[Owensboro, Kentucky|Owensboro]] ([[Owensboro-Daviess County Regional Airport]])
* [[Paducah, Kentucky|Paducah]] ([[Barkley Regional Airport]])
[[Louisiana]]
* [[Shreveport, Louisiana|Shreveport]] ([[Shreveport Regional Airport]])
[[Michigan]]
* [[Grand Rapids, Michigan|Grand Rapids]] ([[Gerald R. Ford International Airport]])
[[Minnesota]]
* [[Rochester, Minnesota|Rochester]] ([[Rochester International Airport]])
[[Mississippi]]
* [[Jackson, Mississippi|Jackson]] ([[Jackson-Evers International Airport]])
[[Missouri]]
* [[Cape Girardeau, Missouri|Cape Girardeau]] ([[Cape Girardeau Regional Airport]])
* [[Columbia, Missouri|Columbia]] ([[Columbia Regional Airport]])
* [[Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri|Fort Leonard Wood]] ([[Waynesville Regional Airport at Forney Field]])
* [[Joplin, Missouri|Joplin]] ([[Joplin Regional Airport]])
* [[Kirksville, Missouri|Kirksville]] ([[Kirksville Regional Airport]])
* [[Springfield, Missouri|Springfield]]/[[Branson, Missouri|Branson]] ([[Springfield-Branson National Airport]])
* [[St. Louis]] ([[Lambert-St. Louis International Airport]]) '''Hub'''
[[Nebraska]]
* [[Lincoln, Nebraska|Lincoln]] ([[Lincoln Airport (Nebraska)|Lincoln Airport]])
[[Ohio]] (for Cincinnati, see Kentucky)
* [[Dayton, Ohio|Dayton]] ([[Dayton International Airport]])
[[South Carolina]]
* [[Charleston, South Carolina|Charleston]] ([[Charleston International Airport]])
* [[Greenville, South Carolina|Greenville]]-[[Spartanburg, South Carolina|Spartanburg]] ([[Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport]])
[[Tennessee]]
* [[Jackson, Tennessee|Jackson]] ([[McKellar-Sipes Regional Airport]])
* [[Knoxville, Tennessee|Knoxville]] ([[McGhee Tyson Airport]])
* [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]] ([[Memphis International Airport]])
* [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]] ([[Nashville International Airport]])
[[Wisconsin]]
* [[Madison, Wisconsin|Madison]] ([[Dane County Regional Airport]])

==Previous destinations==
<ref>[http://www.earthian.info/earthian/aviation/RouteMaps/images/maps/NorthAmerica/TWA.1998.Midwest.gif Midwest in 1998], ''Trans World Airlines''</ref><ref>"[http://www.airchive.com/Timetables%20and%20Maps/TWA%20Compressed/TWmap9308.jpg Timetable] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080527200123/http://www.airchive.com/Timetables%20and%20Maps/TWA%20Compressed/TWmap9308.jpg |date=2008-05-27 }}" of August 1, 1993</ref><ref>"[http://www.airchive.com/Timetables%20and%20Maps/TWA%20Compressed/TWmap8701.jpg Timetable]" of 1987, ''[[Trans World Airlines]]''</ref><ref>http://www.departedflights.com, Dec. 15, 1993 Alpha Air/Trans World Express route map</ref>
;United States
[[Alabama]]
* [[Birmingham, Alabama|Birmingham]] ([[Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport|Birmingham International Airport]])
[[Arizona]]
* [[Grand Canyon]] ([[Grand Canyon National Park Airport]])
* [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]] ([[Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport]])
[[Arkansas]]
* [[Fort Smith, Arkansas|Fort Smith]] ([[Fort Smith Regional Airport]])
* [[Harrison, Arkansas|Harrison]] ([[Boone County Airport (Arkansas)|Boone County Regional Airport]])
* [[Little Rock, Arkansas|Little Rock]] ([[Clinton National Airport]])
[[California]]
* [[Burbank, California|Burbank]] (now [[Hollywood-Burbank Airport]])
* [[Inyokern, California|Inyokern]] ([[Inyokern Airport]])
* [[Lake Tahoe]] ([[Lake Tahoe Airport]])
* Los Angeles ([[Los Angeles International Airport]]) - '''Hub''' (at the time of the acquisition of Trans World Airlines by American Airlines in 2001, both TWA and [[Trans World Connection]] operated by [[American Eagle (airline brand)|American Eagle]] were serving Los Angeles. <ref name="MainlineNorthAmericaDest">"[https://web.archive.org/web/20011125013443/http://www.twa.com/travel/route_maps/north_america.pdf TWA North America Destinations]," ''Trans World Airlines''</ref><ref name="TWConnectionW">"[https://web.archive.org/web/20011107043247/http://www.twa.com/travel/route_maps/twc_lax.pdf TWConnection West Coast Routes]," ''[[Trans World Airlines]]''</ref> Alpha Air earlier served [[LAX]] as Trans World Express.)<ref>http://www.departedflights.com, Dec. 15, 1993 Alpha Air/Trans World Express route map</ref>
* [[Mammoth Lakes]] ([[Mammoth Yosemite Airport]])
* [[Oxnard, California|Oxnard]] ([[Oxnard Airport]])
* [[Palm Springs, California|Palm Springs]] ([[Palm Springs International Airport]]) (At the time of TWA's end in 2001 [[Trans World Connection]] served Palm Springs <ref name="TWConnectionW"/>)
* [[Palmdale, California|Palmdale]] ([[LA/Palmdale Regional Airport]])
* [[Santa Ana, California|Santa Ana]]/[[Orange County, California|Orange County Airport]] (now [[John Wayne Airport]]) (at the time of TWA's end in 2001 both the mainline airline and [[Trans World Connection]] operated by [[American Eagle (airline brand)|American Eagle]] served Orange County. <ref name="MainlineNorthAmericaDest"/> Alpha Air earlier served Orange County Airport as Trans World Express.)<ref>http://www.departedflights.com, Dec. 15, 1993 Alpha Air/Trans World Express route map</ref>
[[Connecticut]]
* [[Hartford, Connecticut|Hartford]] ([[Bradley International Airport]]) (At the time of TWA's end in 2001 both the mainline airline and [[Trans World Connection]] served Hartford <ref name="MainlineNorthAmericaDest"/><ref name="TWConnectionE">"[http://www.earthian.info/earthian/aviation/RouteMaps/images/maps/NorthAmerica/TWC.2001.NewYork.gif TWConnection East Coast Routes] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090227194941/http://www.earthian.info/earthian/aviation/RouteMaps/images/maps/NorthAmerica/TWC.2001.NewYork.gif |date=2009-02-27 }}," ''[[Trans World Airlines]]''</ref>)
[[Illinois]]
* [[Chicago, Illinois|Chicago]] ([[Midway Airport]]) (At the time of TWA's end in 2001 the mainline airline served nearby [[O'Hare International Airport]] in Chicago <ref name="MainlineNorthAmericaDest"/><ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20010302145731/http://www.ohare.com/ohare/airlines/airlines_term2.shtm Terminal 2 Airlines]" in 2001, ''[[O'Hare International Airport]]''</ref>)
[[Kentucky]]
* [[Louisville, Kentucky|Louisville]] ([[Louisville International Airport|Standiford Field]]) (At the time of TWA's end in 2001 the mainline airline served Louisville <ref name="MainlineNorthAmericaDest"/>)
[[Maine]]
* [[Portland, Maine|Portland]] ([[Portland International Jetport]])
[[Maryland]]
* [[Baltimore]] ([[Baltimore-Washington International Airport]]) (At the time of TWA's end in 2001 both the mainline airline and [[Trans World Connection]] served Baltimore <ref name="MainlineNorthAmericaDest"/><ref name="TWConnectionE"/>)
[[Massachusetts]]
* [[Boston]] ([[Logan International Airport]]) (At the time of TWA's end in 2001 both the mainline airline and [[Trans World Connection]] served Boston <ref name="MainlineNorthAmericaDest"/><ref name="TWConnectionE"/>)
[[Missouri]]
* [[Lake of the Ozarks State Park|Lake of the Ozarks]] ([[Lee C. Fine Memorial Airport]])
[[New Hampshire]]
* [[Manchester, New Hampshire|Manchester]] ([[Manchester-Boston Regional Airport]])
[[New York (state)|New York]]
* [[Albany, New York|Albany]] ([[Albany International Airport]]) (At the time of TWA's end in 2001 [[Trans World Connection]] served Albany <ref name="TWConnectionE"/>)
* [[Binghamton, New York|Binghamton]] ([[Greater Binghamton Airport]])
* [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]] ([[Buffalo Niagara International Airport]]) (At the time of TWA's end in 2001 [[Trans World Connection]] served Buffalo <ref name="TWConnectionE"/>)
* [[Ithaca, New York|Ithaca]] ([[Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport]])
* [[New York City]] (At the time of TWA's end in 2001 both the mainline airline and [[Trans World Connection]] served New York City <ref name="MainlineNorthAmericaDest"/><ref name="TWConnectionE"/>)
** [[John F. Kennedy International Airport]] - '''Hub'''
** [[LaGuardia Airport]] - '''Hub'''
* [[Newburgh (city), New York|Newburgh]] ([[Stewart International Airport]])
* [[Rochester, New York|Rochester]] ([[Greater Rochester International Airport]]) <ref>"[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb5243/is_200101/ai_n20495133 Trans World Express service begins in Rochester; Ribbon cutting ceremony will commemorate launch of new service.]," ''M2 Presswire''</ref> (At the time of TWA's end in 2001 [[Trans World Connection]] served Rochester <ref name="TWConnectionE"/>)
* [[Syracuse, New York|Syracuse]] ([[Syracuse Hancock International Airport]]) (At the time of TWA's end in 2001 [[Trans World Connection]] served Syracuse <ref name="TWConnectionE"/>)
[[Pennsylvania]]
* [[Harrisburg, Pennsylvania|Harrisburg]] ([[Harrisburg International Airport]])
* [[Pittsburgh]] ([[Pittsburgh International Airport]]) (At the time of TWA's end in 2001 both the mainline airline and [[Trans World Connection]] served Pittsburgh <ref name="MainlineNorthAmericaDest"/><ref name="TWConnectionE"/>)
* [[Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania|Wilkes-Barre]]/[[Scranton, Pennsylvania|Scranton]] ([[Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport]])
[[Rhode Island]]
* [[Providence, Rhode Island|Providence]] ([[T. F. Green Airport]]) (At the time of TWA's end in 2001 [[Trans World Connection]] served Providence <ref name="TWConnectionE"/>)
[[Virginia]]
* [[Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk]]/[[Virginia Beach, Virginia|Virginia Beach]]/[[Williamsburg, Virginia|Williamsburg]] ([[Norfolk International Airport]]) (At the time of TWA's end in 2001 the mainline airline served Norfolk <ref name="MainlineNorthAmericaDest"/>)
* [[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]] ([[Richmond International Airport]]) (At the time of TWA's end in 2001 the mainline airline served Richmond <ref name="MainlineNorthAmericaDest"/>)
* [[Washington, DC]] area (At the time of TWA's end in 2001 both the mainline airline and [[Trans World Connection]] served Washington, DC <ref name="MainlineNorthAmericaDest"/><ref name="TWConnectionE"/>)

== See also ==
* [[List of defunct airlines of the United States]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category-inline|Trans World Express}}

{{Portal bar|Companies|Aviation}}
{{American Eagle Carriers}}
{{Trans World Airlines}}
{{Airlines of the United States}}

[[Category:Defunct airlines of the United States]]
[[Category:Defunct regional airline brands]]
[[Category:Trans World Airlines]]

Eastern Air Lines

2025-06-29T10:10:31Z

182.232.34.176:

{{Short description|Defunct airline of the United States (1926–1991)}}
{{About||the 2015 start-up airline that has since ceased operations|Eastern Air Lines (2015)|the airline that assumed that start-up's intellectual property|Eastern Airlines, LLC|other airlines with similar names|Eastern (disambiguation)}}
{{Distinguish|China Eastern Airlines|Eastern Airways}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2025}}
{{Infobox airline
| airline = Eastern Air Lines
| logo = Eastern Airlines logo.svg
| logo_size = 250
| image = Eastern Airlines A300 (6146169982).jpg
| caption = An [[Airbus A300]] of Eastern Air Lines
| alt =
| IATA = EA
| ICAO = EAL
| callsign = EASTERN
| founded = {{start date|1926|04|19}} {{small|(as ''Pitcairn Aviation'')}}
| commenced =
| ceased = {{end date|1991|01|18}}
| aoc =
| hubs = {{nowrap|[[Miami International Airport|Miami]]}}
| secondary_hubs = {{ubl|class=nowrap
| [[Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport|Atlanta]]
| [[Charlotte Douglas International Airport|Charlotte]]
| [[Kansas City International Airport|Kansas City]]
| [[John F. Kennedy International Airport|New York–JFK]]
| [[LaGuardia Airport|New York–LaGuardia]]
| [[Philadelphia International Airport|Philadelphia]]
| [[Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport|San Juan]]
| [[Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport|Washington–National]]}}
| focus_cities = {{ubl|class=nowrap
| [[Chicago O'Hare International Airport|Chicago–O'Hare]]
| [[Orlando International Airport|Orlando]]
| [[Tampa International Airport|Tampa]]}}
| frequent_flyer = [[OnePass]]
| alliance =
| subsidiaries = {{nowrap|[[Eastern Air Lines Shuttle]] {{small|(1961–1989)}}}}
| fleet_size =
| destinations =
| parent = {{nowrap|[[Texas Air Corporation]] {{small|(1986–1990)}}}}
| headquarters = [[Miami-Dade County, Florida|Miami-Dade County]], [[Florida]], United States
| founder = {{nowrap|[[Eddie Rickenbacker]] (First [[Chief executive officer|CEO]])}}
| key_people = {{ubl|class=nowrap
| [[Frank Borman]] ([[President (corporate title)|President]])
| [[Frank Lorenzo]] (Texas Air owner)}}
| website =
}}

'''Eastern Air Lines''' (also colloquially known as '''Eastern''') was a [[trunk carrier]], a scheduled airline in the United States that operated from 1926 to 1991. Before its dissolution, it was headquartered at [[Miami International Airport]] in an [[unincorporated area]] of [[Miami-Dade County, Florida]].<ref>"World Airline Directory". ''Flight International''. March 30, 1985. [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1985/1985%20-%200932.html 72] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20090622003009/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1985/1985%20-%200932.html Archive]). Retrieved on June 17, 2009.</ref>

Eastern was one of the "[[Legacy carrier#Defunct legacy carriers|Big Four]]" domestic airlines created by the [[Air Mail scandal|Spoils Conferences]] of 1930, and was headed in its early years by World War I flying ace [[Eddie Rickenbacker]]. It had a near monopoly in air travel between [[New York (state)|New York]] and [[Florida]] from the 1930s until the 1950s and dominated this market for decades afterward.

During [[airline deregulation]] in the late 1970s and early 1980s, labor disputes and high debt loads strained the company under the leadership of former astronaut [[Frank Borman]].<ref name=mmbgeog>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=cvZLAAAAIBAJ&pg=6762%2C2852911 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=Spokane, Washington|agency=Washington Post |title='Moonman' Borman gets Eastern off the ground |date=May 7, 1978 |page=B16}}</ref> [[Frank Lorenzo]] acquired Eastern in 1985 and moved many of its assets to his other airlines, including [[Continental Airlines]] and [[Texas Air Corporation]]. After continued labor disputes and a crippling strike in 1989, Eastern ran out of money and was liquidated in 1991.<ref>{{cite web|title=Eastern Airlines|url=http://www.centennialofflight.net/essay/Commercial_Aviation/EasternAirlines/Tran13.htm|publisher=US Centennial of Flight Commission|access-date=April 29, 2014}}</ref>

[[American Airlines]] obtained many of Eastern's routes from [[Miami International Airport]] to [[Latin America]] and the [[Caribbean]]. [[Delta Air Lines]], Eastern's main competitor at [[Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport]], acquired many of Eastern's [[Lockheed L-1011 TriStar]] aircraft.<ref>{{cite web|title=1991 - January 1 - Eastern Airlines Timetables, Route Maps, and History|url=http://airchive.com/html/timetable-and-route-maps/eastern-airlines-timetables-route-maps-and-history/1991-january-1-eastern-airlines-timetables-route-maps-and-history/6879|publisher=Airchive|access-date=April 29, 2014|archive-date=April 29, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140429235422/http://airchive.com/html/timetable-and-route-maps/eastern-airlines-timetables-route-maps-and-history/1991-january-1-eastern-airlines-timetables-route-maps-and-history/6879|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[USAir]] acquired 11 of Eastern's 25 [[Boeing 757-200|Boeing 757-225]] aircraft.

Eastern pioneered hourly [[air shuttle]] services between [[New York City]], [[Washington, D.C.]], and [[Boston]] in 1961 as the [[Eastern Air Lines Shuttle]]. It took over [[Braniff International]]'s [[South America]]n routes following Braniff's closure in 1982<ref>{{cite web|title=1982 - August 1 - Eastern Airlines Timetables, Route Maps, and History.|url=http://airchive.com/html/timetable-and-route-maps/eastern-airlines-timetables-route-maps-and-history/1982-august-1-eastern-airlines-timetables-route-maps-and-history/6854|publisher=Airchive|access-date=April 29, 2014|archive-date=April 30, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140430001019/http://airchive.com/html/timetable-and-route-maps/eastern-airlines-timetables-route-maps-and-history/1982-august-1-eastern-airlines-timetables-route-maps-and-history/6854|url-status=dead}}</ref> and served [[London Gatwick]] in 1985 via its [[McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30]] "Golden Wings" service. Although Eastern announced on its March 2, 1986, timetable that it intended to initiate service to [[Madrid]], effective May 1, 1986, it never commenced. The only scheduled transatlantic service Eastern provided was Miami to London Gatwick, commencing on July 15, 1985, and discontinuing the following year, in 1986, replaced with codeshare flights from [[Atlanta]] on [[British Caledonian Airways]].

==History==
===Origins===
[[File:PA7-S mailwing.jpg|thumb|Pitcairn Aviation's PA-7S CAM-19 Route Airmail aircraft]]
[[File:Eastern Air Lines Ticket 1935.jpg|thumb|An Eastern Air Lines passenger coupon in 1935]]
Eastern Air Lines was a composite of assorted air travel corporations, including [[Florida Airways]] and [[Pitcairn Aircraft Company|Pitcairn Aviation]]. In the late 1920s, Pitcairn Aviation won a contract to fly mail between [[New York City]] and [[Atlanta, Georgia]] on [[Mailwing]] single-engine aircraft. In 1929, [[Clement Melville Keys|Clement Keys]], the owner of [[North American Aviation]], purchased Pitcairn. In 1930, Keys changed the company's name to ''Eastern Air Transport''. After being purchased by [[General Motors]] and experiencing a change in leadership after the Airmail Act of 1934, the airline became known as Eastern Air Lines.<ref>Smith, F. (1982). Legacy of Wings: The Story of Harold F. Pitcairn. Jason Aronson / T.D. Associates. (June 1982)</ref>

===Growth under Rickenbacker===
[[File:The Great Silver Fleet 1939.jpg|thumb|The Great Silver Fleet in 1939]]
By 1937, Eastern's route system stretched from New York to Washington, Atlanta, and New Orleans, and from Chicago to Miami.<ref>{{cite web |title=Eastern Airlines timetable, May 17, 1937 (p. 2) |url=https://timetableimages.com/ttimages/complete/ea37/ea3705-2.jpg |website=Airline Timetable Images |access-date=May 9, 2022}}</ref> In the same year, it operated 20 daily flights and returns, every hour on the hour, between New York and Washington; the flight time was one hour, twenty minutes, one-way.<ref>{{cite web |title=Eastern Air Lines timetable, May 17, 1937 (p. 6) |url=https://timetableimages.com/ttimages/complete/ea37/ea3705-6.jpg |website=Airline Timetable Images |access-date=May 9, 2022}}</ref>

In 1938, [[World War I]] flying ace [[Eddie Rickenbacker]] bought Eastern from General Motors. The complex deal was concluded when Rickenbacker together with Sidney Shannon<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://fredericksburg.com/news/local/vintage-airliner-added-to-shannon-air-museum-collection/article_26700020-767b-52df-b6cc-10c75b4971df.html|title = Vintage airliner added to Shannon Air Museum collection| date=January 8, 2021 }}</ref> presented [[Alfred P. Sloan]] with a certified check for {{US$|3500000|1938|round=-4}}.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Daly Bednarek|first1=Janet Rose| last2=Launius|first2=Roger D.|date=2003 |title=Reconsidering a Century of Flight |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TuqG9SgstIoC&pg=PA127 |publisher= [[UNC Press Books]] |page=127 |isbn=9780807854884 |access-date=August 1, 2014 }}</ref>

Rickenbacker pushed Eastern into a period of growth and innovation; for a time Eastern was the most profitable airline in the post-war era, never needing state subsidy. In the late 1950s Eastern's position was eroded by subsidies to rival airlines and the arrival of the jet age. On October 1, 1959, Rickenbacker's position as CEO was taken over by [[Malcolm A. MacIntyre]], a brilliant lawyer but a man inexperienced in airline operations.'<ref name="Rickenbacker, 1967">Rickenbacker, 1967</ref> Rickenbacker's ouster was largely due to his reluctance to acquire expensive jets as he underestimated their appeal to the public. A new management team headed by [[Floyd D. Hall]] took over on December 16, 1963, and Rickenbacker left his position as director and chairman of the board on December 31, 1963, aged 73.<ref name="Rickenbacker, 1967"/>

In 1956, Eastern bought [[Colonial Airlines]], giving the airline its first routes to Canada.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Commercial_Aviation/EasternAirlines/Tran13.htm |title=Eastern Air Lines History |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061207020805/http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Commercial_Aviation/EasternAirlines/Tran13.htm |archive-date=December 7, 2006 }}</ref>

===The Jet Age===
[[File:Eastern Airlines DC-3.JPG|right|thumb|An Eastern Air Lines [[Douglas DC-3|DC-3]] on display at the [[National Air and Space Museum]] in [[Washington, D.C.]]]]
[[File:Eastern Air Lines L-188 Electra N5512.jpg|thumb|An Eastern Air Lines [[Lockheed L-188 Electra|Electra]], at [[Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport|Washington National Airport]] in 1975]]
[[File:Boeing 747-121 N735PA EAL lsd MIA 07.02.71 edited-2.jpg|thumb|A Boeing 747 showing Eastern Airlines' longtime [[Aircraft livery|livery]] of a cheatline extended up the tail in 1971]]
In November 1959, Eastern Air Lines opened its Chester L. Churchill-designed Terminal 1 at New York City's [[Idlewild International Airport]], later renamed [[John F. Kennedy International Airport]]. In 1960, Eastern's first [[jet aircraft|jets]], Douglas [[Douglas DC-8|DC-8-21]]s, started to take over the longer flights, like the non-stops from [[Chicago]] and [[New York City]] to [[Miami]]. The DC-8s were joined in 1962 by the [[Boeing 720]] and in 1964 by the [[Boeing 727-100]], which Eastern (along with [[American Airlines]] and [[United Airlines]]) had helped Boeing to develop. On February 1, 1964, Eastern was the first airline to fly the 727. Shortly after that, "Captain Eddie" Rickenbacker retired and a new image was adopted, which included the now famous ''hockey stick'' design, officially Caribbean Blue over Ionosphere Blue. Eastern was also the first US carrier to fly the [[Airbus A300]]<ref>{{cite news|title=Eastern to study Airbus buy|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1144&dat=19770511&id=yIAqAAAAIBAJ&pg=3287,4831250|access-date=July 7, 2012|newspaper=The Pittsburgh Press|date=May 11, 1977}}</ref> and the launch customer for the [[Boeing 757]].<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Boeing Company|url=http://www.boeing.com/commercial/757family/pf/pf_200back.html|title=Commercial Airplanes|access-date=June 26, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629030022/http://www.boeing.com/commercial/757family/pf/pf_200back.html|archive-date=June 29, 2011}}</ref>

On April 30, 1961, Eastern inaugurated [[Eastern Air Lines Shuttle]]. Initially 95-seat [[Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation|Lockheed Constellation 1049s and 1049Cs]] left [[LaGuardia Airport|New York-LaGuardia]] every two hours, 8 am to 10 pm, to [[Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport|Washington National]] and to [[Logan International Airport|Boston]].<ref>Thomas Petzinger, ''Hard landing: The Epic Contest for Power and Profits that Plunged the Airlines into Chaos'' (Random House, 1996)</ref> Flights soon became hourly, 7 am to 10 pm out of each city. No reservations or tickets were required; passengers could pay their fare in cash on board the flight. If a plane filled up at departure time, another plane was rolled out to carry any extra passengers.

Internationalization began as Eastern opened routes to markets such as [[Santo Domingo]] and [[Nassau, Bahamas]]. Services from [[San Juan, Puerto Rico]]'s [[Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport]] were expanded. In 1967, Eastern purchased [[Mackey Airlines]], a small air carrier primarily operating in Florida and the Bahamas as part of this expansion. In 1973, Eastern purchased [[Caribair (Puerto Rico)]], a small airline based in Puerto Rico which operated [[McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30]] jets in the Caribbean.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://airlinegeeks.com/2016/03/31/tbt-throwback-thursday-in-aviation-history-caribair/|title=TBT (Throwback Thursday) in Aviation History: Caribair | AirlineGeeks.com|first1=AirlineGeeks com StaffAirlineGeeks com was founded in February 2013 as a one-person blog in Washington D. C. Since|last1=then|first2=we’ve grown to have 25+ active team members scattered across the globe We are all here for the same reason: we love deep-diving into the fascinating realm of the airline|last2=industry|date=March 31, 2016|website=AirlineGeeks.com }}</ref>

Eastern bought the [[Lockheed L-1011 TriStar]] and [[Airbus A300]] widebody jets; the former would become known in the [[Caribbean]] as ''El Grandote'' (the huge one). Although Eastern had purchased four 747s, the delivery slots were sold to [[Trans World Airlines]] ([[TWA]]) when Eastern decided to purchase the L-1011.

Due to massive delays in the L-1011 program, mainly due to problems with the [[Rolls-Royce RB211]] engines, Eastern leased two [[Boeing 747-100]]s from [[Pan Am]] between 1970 and 1972 and operated the aircraft between Chicago and San Juan as well as from New York to Miami and San Juan.

{{Blockquote|The RB211 programme might easily have foundered in 1971 if it had not been for the steadfast support of Eastern Airlines, one of the major launch customers for the Lockheed TriStars. The President of Eastern was [[Samuel L. Higginbottom|Sam Higginbottom]], who never wavered and thereby acquired some criticism.|[[Stanley Hooker]]<ref>"Not much of an Engineer" by Stanley Hooker,</ref><ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HZ18AwAAQBAJ&q=rb211+nimonic&pg=PT228 | title=Not Much of an Engineer| isbn=9781847973252| last1=Hooker| first1=Sir Stanley| last2=Gunston| first2=Bill| date=2011-09-20| publisher=Crowood}}</ref>}}

Just before [[Walt Disney World Resort|Walt Disney World]] opened in 1971, Eastern became its "official airline". It remained the official airline of Walt Disney World and sponsored a ride at the [[Magic Kingdom]] park ([[If You Had Wings]] in [[Tomorrowland (Disney Parks)|Tomorrowland]] where [[Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin]] is currently located) until its contracting route network forced Disney to switch to Delta shortly before Eastern's 1989 bankruptcy filing.

The famous "Wings of Man" campaign in the late 1960s was created by advertising agency [[Young & Rubicam]], and restored Eastern's tarnished image until the late 1970s, when former [[astronaut]] [[Frank Borman]] became president and it was replaced by a new campaign, "We Have To Earn Our Wings Every Day". The new campaign, which featured Borman as a spokesperson, was used until the mid-to-late 1980s.

===Turmoil===
[[File:Boeing 727-25 N8125N EAL JFK 17.09.70 edited-3.jpg|thumb|An Eastern [[Boeing 727|Boeing 727-25]] outside the terminal at [[John F Kennedy Airport]] in 1970]]
[[File:Douglas DC-8-21 N8608 EAL MIA 19.10.70 edited-3.jpg|thumb|An Eastern [[Douglas DC-8|Douglas DC-8-21]] at [[Miami International Airport]] in 1970]]
[[File:Lockheed L-1011-1 N328EA EAL MIA 18.07.76 edited-3.jpg|thumb|Eastern's [[Lockheed L-1011 TriStar|Lockheed TriStar]] ''Whisperliner'' landing at [[Miami International Airport|Miami]] in 1976]]
[[File:Douglas DC-9-51 N406EA EAL DCA 26.06.82 edited-2.jpg|thumb|A 1982 photo of a [[McDonnell Douglas DC-9]], a stretched DC-9-51 model, which served Eastern from 1965 until the airline's closure]]
[[File:Eastern Air Lines Airbus A300 at St Maarten December 1986.jpg|thumb|A Eastern [[Airbus A300]] at [[Princess Juliana International Airport|Saint Maarten]] in 1986]]
In 1975, Eastern was headquartered at [[Rockefeller Plaza|10 Rockefeller Plaza]] in [[Manhattan]].<ref>''World Airline Directory''. Flight International. March 20, 1975. "[http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1975/1975%20-%200548.html 484]. Retrieved on October 3, 2009.</ref> After Frank Borman became president of Eastern Air Lines in late 1975, he moved Eastern's headquarters from [[Rockefeller Center]] to [[Miami-Dade County, Florida]].<ref name=mmbgeog/><ref>Bernstein, Aaron. ''Grounded: Frank Lorenzo and the Destruction of Eastern Airlines''. Beard Books, 1999. p. 22. [https://books.google.com/books?id=k4Y94lYVuqkC&dq=Eastern+Airlines+headquarters+%22Rockefeller+Center%22&pg=PA22 22]. Retrieved on August 28, 2009.</ref>

Eastern's massive [[Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport|Atlanta]] hub was in direct competition with [[Delta Air Lines]], where the two carriers competed heavily to neither's benefit. Delta's less-unionized work force and slowly expanding international route network helped lead it through the turbulent period following [[Airline Deregulation Act|deregulation]] in 1978.

In 1980, a Caribbean hub was started at [[Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport]] (known at the time as "Isla Verde International Airport") near [[San Juan, Puerto Rico]]. In 1982, Eastern acquired [[Braniff International Airways|Braniff]]'s South American route network. By 1985, Eastern was the largest ATA airline in terms of passengers<ref>[https://airlines.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/1986.pdf ''1986 Annual Report of the U.S. Scheduled Airline Industry'' (PDF)]. Air Transport Association. June 1986. p. 11.</ref> and operated in 26 countries on three continents.

During this era, Eastern's fleet was split between their "silver-colored hockey stick" livery (the lack of paint reduced weight by 100 pounds) and their "white-colored hockey stick" livery (on its [[Airbus]]-manufactured planes, which required paint to cover the aircraft's composite skin panels).

In 1983, Eastern became the launch customer of [[Boeing]]'s [[Boeing 757|757]], which was ordered in 1978. Borman felt that its low cost of operation would make it an invaluable asset to the airline in the years to come. Lower oil prices failed to materialize and the debt created by this purchase coupled with the Airbus A300 purchases in 1977 contributed to the February 1986 sale to [[Frank Lorenzo]]'s [[Texas Air]]. At that time, Eastern was paying over $700,000 in interest each day before they sold a ticket, fueled, or boarded a single aircraft.

Starting about 1985, Eastern offered "Moonlight Specials", with passenger seats on overnight flights scheduled for cargo from thirty freight companies. The flights, which operated between midnight and 7 am, served 18 cities in the United States connecting mainly to Houston (IAH). Eric Schmitt of ''[[The New York Times]]'' said that the services were "a hybrid of late-night, red-eye flights and the barebones [[People Express Airlines (1980s)|People Express]] approach to service". The holds of the aircraft were reserved for cargo such as express mail, machine tool parts, and textiles. Because of this, the airline allowed each passenger to take up to two carry-on bags. The airline charged $10 for each checked bag, which was shipped standby. The airline charged between 50 cents and $3 for beverages and snacks. An Eastern flight attendant quoted in ''The New York Times'' said that the passengers on the special flights were "a cross section of families, college kids, illegal aliens and weirdos from L.A."<ref>Schmitt, Eric. "[https://www.nytimes.com/1987/03/09/nyregion/overnight-flight-bargain-for-spontaneous-travelers.html?pagewanted=1 Overnight Flight – Bargain for Spontaneous Flyers]". ''[[The New York Times]]'', March 9, 1987. Retrieved on April 30, 2010.</ref>

Eastern began losing money as it faced competition from [[low cost airline|no-frills]] airlines, such as [[People Express Airlines (1980s)|People Express]], which offered lower fares. In an attempt to differentiate itself from its bargain competitors, Eastern began a marketing campaign stressing its quality of service and its rank of highly experienced pilots.

==== Sale to Texas Air ====
Unable to keep up, Borman agreed to the sale of the airline in 1986 to [[Texas Air]], led by [[Frank Lorenzo]], which had already purchased [[Continental Airlines]] and lost a bidding war for TWA to [[Carl Icahn]].

In February 1987, the [[Federal Aviation Administration]] imposed a $9.5 million fine against Eastern Air Lines for safety violations,<ref>"[http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1P2-7998449.html EASTERN WILL PAY $9.5M FINE]". ''[[Associated Press]]'', Washington D.C., February 11, 1987. Retrieved on March 16, 2010</ref> which was the largest fine assessed against an airline until [[American Airlines]] was fined $24.2 million in 2010.<ref>"[https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE67P3TU20100826 Record $24.2 million fine proposed for American Airlines]". ''[[Reuters]]'', Washington D.C., August 26, 2010. Retrieved on August 26, 2010</ref> Eastern's FAA violations all occurred prior to the acquisition by Texas Air.

In 1988, Phil Bakes, the president of Eastern Air Lines, announced plans to lay off 4,000 employees and eliminate and reduce service to airports in the [[Western United States]]; he said that the airline was going "back to our roots" in the East. At the time, Eastern was the largest corporate employer in the Miami area and remained so after the cuts. John Nordheimer wrote in ''The New York Times'' that Eastern's prominence in the Miami area decreased as the city became a finance and trade center with a diversified local economy, instead of one based largely on [[tourism]].<ref>Nordheimer, John. "[https://www.nytimes.com/1988/07/24/us/cuts-by-eastern-shaking-miami-in-many-ways.html Cuts by Eastern Shaking Miami In Many Ways]". ''[[The New York Times]]''. Sunday July 24, 1988. New York Edition Section 1, Page 14. Retrieved on August 28, 2009.</ref>

====Liquidation====
During Lorenzo's tenure, Eastern was crippled by severe labor unrest that began long before the acquisition. Asked to accept deep cuts in pay and benefits, on March 4, 1989, Lorenzo [[Lockout (industry)|locked out]] Eastern's mechanics and ramp service employees, represented by the [[International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers]] (IAM). Concerned that Lorenzo's successful breaking of the IAM would do the same to the pilots' and flight attendants' unions, the pilots represented by [[Air Line Pilots Association, International|Air Line Pilots Association]] (ALPA) and [[flight attendant]]s represented by the [[Transport Workers Union of America|Transport Workers Union]] (TWU) called a sympathy strike, which effectively shut down the airline's domestic operations. Non-contract employees, including airport gate and ticket counter agents and reservation sales agents, could not honor the strike. Due to the lockout and sympathy strike, cancelled flights resulted in the loss of millions of dollars in revenue.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Company Turbulence - Page 4 |url=https://airlinesalary.com/eastern-airlines-files?start=3 |access-date=November 4, 2024 |website=airlinesalary.com}}</ref>{{Citation needed|date=August 2009}}

As a result of the strike, a weakened airline structure, high fuel prices, an inability to compete after deregulation and other financial problems, Eastern filed for [[bankruptcy]] protection on March 9,<ref>{{cite book| last=Bernstein| first=Aaron| title=Grounded: Frank Lorenzo and the Destruction of Eastern Airlines| publisher=Simon and Schuster| year=1990| location=New York| page=166| isbn=0-671-69538-X}}</ref> which allowed Eastern to continue operating on a smaller scale. Lorenzo initially sought a sale of the entire airline, and on April 6, Eastern agreed to be acquired by former Major League Baseball commissioner [[Peter Uberroth]] for $464 million. However, the transaction was terminated on April 12 after Lorenzo refused to give temporary control to a trustee. The sale process was then terminated on April 18, and Lorenzo proposed a sale of $1.8 million in assets that would allow the airline to continue operating independently.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Weiss |first1=Lawrence A. |last2=Wruck |first2=Karen H. |date=September 23, 1996 |title=Information Problems, Conflicts of Interest and Asset Stripping: Chapter 11's Failure in the Case of Eastern Airlines |url=https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=60064 |journal=Harvard Business School Working Paper No. 97-013, And/Or INSEAD Working Paper 96/48/AC|ssrn=60064 }}</ref>

In May 1989, Eastern sold its East Coast shuttle service to real estate mogul [[Donald Trump]] for $365 million. Trump continued operating the service as the [[Trump Shuttle]]. In August, Eastern signed a deal to sell sixteen DC-9 aircraft and gates in Philadelphia, Washington, and New York to [[Midway Airlines (1976–1991)|Midway Airlines]] for $210 million.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=August 3, 1989 |title=Eastern, Midway Deal Signed: Eastern Airlines signed... |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-08-03-fi-1012-story.html |access-date=October 15, 2023 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> In May 1990, [[American Airlines]] acquired Eastern's Latin American routes and related assets for $471 million.<ref name=":0" />

After several failed attempts at obtaining creditor approval for restructuring plans, Lorenzo lost control of Eastern in April 1990, when former Continental president Martin Shugrue was appointed as trustee to manage Eastern's reorganization. A report prepared by David Shapiro, an examiner appointed by the bankruptcy court overseeing Eastern's bankruptcy filing, concluded that Eastern was shortchanged by Texas Air in numerous transactions between the two. For example, Texas Air bought assets like System One, a computer reservation operation, from Eastern at a price far below market value.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Salpukas |first1=Agis |title=Continental Takes Offer By Investor |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/07/10/business/company-news-continental-takes-offer-by-investor.html |access-date=March 19, 2021 |work=The New York Times |date=July 10, 1992}}</ref> Eastern tried to remain in business in an attempt to correct its cash flow, but to no avail.<ref>{{cite news |title=Eastern looks better with Lorenzo gone |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1291&dat=19900420&id=eRdUAAAAIBAJ&pg=5814,1592666 |access-date=September 3, 2012|newspaper=Boca Raton News |date=April 20, 1990}}</ref>

Under bankruptcy, Eastern launched a "100 Days" advertising campaign, in which it promised to "become a little bit better every day". The ads were conceived by advertising agency [[Ogilvy (agency)|Ogilvy & Mather]] in New York, and started being broadcast on June 17, 1990, during the prime-time hours in 33 markets around the United States. The ads featured Martin Shugrue, the airline's court-appointed trustee.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Eastern's unusual ads are getting noticed |url=https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1990/07/15/eastern-s-unusual-ads-are-getting-noticed/ |access-date=October 23, 2024 |website=Tampa Bay Times |language=en}}</ref> While the campaign helped the company increase by 73% the number of bookings, it did not stop the company from going bankrupt.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Foltz |first=Kim |date=October 8, 1990 |title=New Eastern Commercials Drop Executive's Star Role |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/10/08/business/media-business-advertising-new-eastern-commercials-drop-executive-s-star-role.html |access-date=October 23, 2024 |work=[[The New York times]] |page=D8}}</ref>

Ultimately, Eastern Airlines stopped flying at midnight on Saturday, January 19, 1991. The previous evening, company agents, unaware of the decision, continued to take reservations and told callers that the airline was not closing. Following the announcement, 5,000 of the 18,000 employees immediately lost their jobs. Of the remaining employees, reservation agents were told to report to work at their regular times, while other employees were told not to report to work unless asked to do so.<ref name=nyt-shutting>{{cite news |last1=Salpukas |first1=Agis |title=Eastern Airlines Is Shutting Down And Plans to Liquidate Its Assets |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=January 19, 1991 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/01/19/business/eastern-airlines-is-shutting-down-and-plans-to-liquidate-its-assets.html |access-date=August 28, 2009}}</ref> The Eastern shutdown eliminated many airline industry jobs in the [[Miami]] and [[New York City]] areas.<ref name="PanAmdead">{{cite news |last1=Salpukas |first1=Agis |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/12/05/business/its-cash-depleted-pan-am-shuts.html |title=Its Cash Depleted, Pan Am Shuts |work=The New York Times |date=December 5, 1991 |access-date=August 28, 2009}}</ref>

Later that month, [[Delta Air Lines]] acquired Eastern's gates at Atlanta, and [[Northwest Airlines]] acquired Eastern's gates at Washington National.<ref name=":0" />

==Company slogans==
{{unreferenced section|date=March 2021}}
[[File:Eastern Air Lines pin.jpg|thumb|A lapel pin of Eastern Air Lines.]]
* First in on-time dependability (1963)
* See How Much Better An Airline Can Be (1963-late 1960s)
* We want everyone to fly (1967-late 1960s)
* Number one to the sun (late 1960s)
* We earn our wings every day (early 1970s-mid-1980s)
* The wings of man (1970s-mid-1980s)
* Official Airline of [[Walt Disney World]] (1971–1987)<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 25, 2018 |title=Eastern, The Official Airline of Walt Disney World (+VIDEOS) - Vintage Airliners |url=https://vintageairliners.com/eastern-the-official-airline-of-walt-disney-world/ |access-date=December 14, 2023 |website=vintageairliners.com |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=May 24, 2018 |title="The Wings of Man" at Walt Disney World |url=https://www.nycaviation.com/2018/05/the-wings-of-man-at-walt-disney-world/43546 |access-date=December 14, 2023 |website=NYCAviation |language=en-US}}</ref>
* We Have To Earn Our Wings Every Day (1980-mid-1980s)
* We've got your sunshine (mid-1980s)
* America's Favorite way to Fly (Spanish variant: "Su forma favorita de volar") <ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HC_qZ385Dt4 Commercial Eastern Air Lines 1983]. YouTube (November 11, 2010). Retrieved on 2013-08-16.</ref> (late 1980s)
* Official Airline of the [[Tampa Bay Bucs]] (late 1980s)
* 100 Days (Early 1990–1991)
* The second largest airline in the free world
* Las Alas de America (Spanish 1980–1991)

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Revenue Passenger-Miles (Millions)<ref>1951-75 from CAB's Handbook of Airline Statistics, 1981-89 from IATA's World Air Transport Statistics</ref>
|+(Scheduled Service Only)
|-
! !! Eastern !! [[Caribair (Puerto Rico)|Caribair]] !! [[Mackey Airlines|Mackey]] !! Midet !! [[Colonial Airlines|Colonial]]
|- style="text-align:right;"
! scope="row" | 1951
| 1630 || 8 || - || - || 94
|- style="text-align:right;"
! scope="row" | 1955
| 3583 || 11 || 8 || 1 || 129
|- style="text-align:right;"
! scope="row" | 1960
| 4764 || 27 || 22 || (merged Mackey) || (merged EA)
|- style="text-align:right;"
! scope="row" | 1965
| 7956 || 74 || 41
|- style="text-align:right;"
! scope="row" | 1970
| 14671 || 107 || (merged EA)
|- style="text-align:right;"
! scope="row" | 1975
| 18169 || (merged)
|- style="text-align:right;"
! scope="row" | 1981
| 26501
|- style="text-align:right;"
! scope="row" | 1985
| 33086
|- style="text-align:right;"
! scope="row" | 1989
| 11592
|}

==Fleet==
[[File:Eastern Air Lines L-1011-1 N319EA MIA 1989-7-4.png|thumb|An Eastern Air Lines [[Lockheed L-1011#L-1011-1|Lockheed L-1011-1]] at Miami International Airport in 1989]]
[[File:Eastern Air Lines A300B4-100 N201EA MIA 1990-5-31.png|thumb|An Eastern Air Lines [[Airbus A300#A300B4|Airbus A300B4-100]] at [[Miami International Airport]] in 1990]]
[[File:Eastern Air Lines Boeing 727-200 Adv N812EA MIA 1990-5-12.png|thumb|An Eastern Air Lines [[Boeing 727-200 Advanced#727-200|Boeing 727-200 Advanced]] at Miami International Airport in 1990]]

Eastern Air Lines flew many different types of aircraft throughout its history.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aerobernie.bplaced.net/Eastern%20Airlines.html|title=Eastern Air Lines fleet|website=aerobernie.bplaced.net|access-date=February 20, 2021}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="border-collapse:collapse;text-align:center"
|+ Eastern Air Lines Historical Fleet
|-
!Aircraft
!Total
!Introduced
!Retired
!Notes
|-
|[[Airbus A300B2]]
|2
|1980
|1988
|
|-
|[[Airbus A300B4]]
|32
|1977
|1991
|First U.S. airline operator of this type
|-
|[[Aero Commander 500B]]
|2
|1965
|1975
|
|-
|[[Boeing 720]]
|15
|1961
|1970
|All returned to [[Boeing]]
|-
|[[Boeing 727-100]]
|75
|1964
|1991
|Launch customer
|-
|[[Boeing 727-200|Boeing 727-200/Adv]]
|99
|1968
|1991
|
|-
|[[Boeing 747-100]]
|3
|1971
|1972
|Leased from [[Pan Am]] before the L-1011 arrived
|-
|[[Boeing 747-200B]]
|{{Unknown}}
|colspan=2|Cancelled
|For planned services to Europe, bought from [[Qantas]] One aircraft painted but never delivered
|-
|[[Boeing 757-200]]
|25
|1983
|1991
|Launch customer along with [[British Airways]]
|-
|[[Breguet 941]]
|1
|1968
|1968
|Demonstration use only
|-
|[[Convair 340]]
|2
|1973
|1974
|
|-
|[[Convair 440]]
|20
|1957
|1970
|
|-
|[[Convair 640]]
|6
|1973
|1974
|
|-
|[[Curtiss C-46 Commando]]
|2
|1942
|1943
|
|-
|[[Curtiss T-32 Condor II|Curtiss Condor]]
|6
|1930
|1936
|
|-
|[[Curtiss Kingbird]]
|14
|1930
|1934
|
|-
|[[Douglas DC-2]]
|14
|1934
|1941
|
|-
|[[Douglas DC-3]]
|76
|1936
|1957
|
|-
|[[Douglas DC-4]]
|38
|1946
|1960
|
|-
|[[Douglas DC-6]]
|6
|1967
|1967
|
|-
|[[Douglas DC-6B]]
|10
|1955
|1962
|
|-
|[[Douglas DC-7B]]
|54
|1953
|1966
|
|-
|[[Douglas DC-8|Douglas DC-8-21]]
|16
|1960
|1979
|
|-
|[[Douglas DC-8|Douglas DC-8-51]]
|3
|1964
|1972
|
|-
|[[Douglas DC-8|Douglas DC-8-54CF]]
|2
|1965
|1968
|Leased from [[Capitol Air]]
|-
|[[Douglas DC-8|Douglas DC-8-61]]
|17
|1967
|1976
|
|-
|[[Douglas DC-8|Douglas DC-8-63PF]]
|6
|1969
|1974
|
|-
|[[Fokker F-10]]
|2
|1931
|1931
|Leased from [[General Air Lines]]
|-
|[[Ford Tri-Motor]]
|4
|1929
|1933
|
|-
|[[Kellett KD-1]]
|1
|1939
|1940
|
|-
|[[Lockheed Model 10 Electra]]
|6
|1935
|1937
|
|-
|[[Lockheed L-049 Constellation]]
|10
|1956
|1958
|
|-
|[[Lockheed L-749 Constellation]]
|21
|1947
|1961
|
|-
|[[Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation]]
|76
|1951
|1968
|
|-
|[[Lockheed L-188 Electra]]
|40
|1959
|1978
|First and only turboprop aircraft flown by Eastern in mainline operation
|-
|[[Lockheed L-1011|Lockheed L-1011-1 TriStar]]
|66
|1972
|1991
|Launch customer along with [[Trans World Airlines]]. One written off as [[Eastern Air Lines Flight 401]]
|-
|[[Lockheed JetStar]]
|2
|1970
|1973
|For corporate use only
|-
|[[Martin 4-0-4]]
|60
|1951
|1962
|Largest operator of the type in operation
|-
|[[Douglas DC-9|McDonnell Douglas DC-9-14]]
|15
|1965
|1980
|
|-
|[[Douglas DC-9|McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31]]
|75
|1967
|1991
|
|-
|[[Douglas DC-9|McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32]]
|7
|1987
|1991
|
|-
|[[Douglas DC-9|McDonnell Douglas DC-9-51]]
|26
|1978
|1991
|
|-
|[[McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30]]
|3
|1985
|1990
|Formerly from [[Alitalia]]. Used for long range services to Europe and South America
|-
|[[Pitcairn Mailwing]]
|54
|1927
|1937
|First aircraft to begin operations as Eastern Air Transport Inc.
|-
|[[Rockwell Sabreliner]]
|1
|1969
|1970
|
|-
|[[Travel Air 2000]]
|1
|{{Unknown}}
|{{Unknown}}
|
|-
|}

==Eastern Express, Eastern Metro Express, Eastern Partner and Caribair==
Several regional and commuter airlines provided passenger feed for Eastern via [[code sharing]] agreements with their aircraft liveries reflecting the Eastern mainline paint scheme. There were a number of brandings including: Eastern Express, Eastern Atlantis Express, and Eastern Metro Express. [[LIAT]], a Caribbean-based airline, also operated Eastern Partner service.

'''Eastern Express''' air carriers and their aircraft included:<ref>http://www.departedflights.com, July 2, 1983, Eastern Air Lines route map</ref><ref>http://www.airliners.net, photos of Eastern Express aircraft</ref>

*[[Air Midwest]] operating [[Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner]] (Metro II model) turboprops
*[[Atlantis Airlines (United States)|Atlantis Airlines]] operating [[British Aerospace]] [[BAe Jetstream 31]], [[de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter]], and [[Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner]] turboprops
*[[Bar Harbor Airlines]] operating [[ATR-42]], [[Beechcraft 1900C]], [[Beechcraft 99]], and [[Saab 340A]] turboprops
*[[Metro Airlines]] operating [[de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter]] turboprops
*Precision Airlines operating [[Dornier 228]] turboprops
*[[Provincetown-Boston Airlines]] (PBA) operating [[Douglas DC-3]] prop aircraft
*Sunaire (Aviation Associates), a division of [[Metro Airlines]] operating [[de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter]] turboprops

'''Eastern Atlantis Express''' was operated by [[Atlantis Airlines (United States)|Atlantis Airlines]] with [[BAe Jetstream 31]] aircraft.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.airteamimages.com/british-aerospace-jetstream-31_N992AX_eastern-atlanis-express_115761_large.html|title=British Aerospace Jetstream 31 - Large Preview - AirTeamImages.com|website=www.airteamimages.com}}</ref>

'''Eastern Metro Express''' was operated by [[Metro Airlines]] and was based at Eastern's Atlanta (ATL) hub operating [[British Aerospace]] [[BAe Jetstream 31]] and [[Bombardier Dash 8|de Havilland Canada DHC-8-100 Dash 8]] turboprops.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sunshineskies.com/eametro.html|title=Eastern Metro Express|website=Sunshine Skies}}</ref>

'''Eastern Partner''' was operated by a Caribbean-based airline, [[LIAT|Leeward Islands Air Transport]], with turboprop service between Eastern's [[Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport|San Juan hub]] and [[Antigua]], [[St. Kitts]] and [[St. Maarten]].<ref>http://www.airtimes.com/cgat/ag/liat/2a/easternpartner January 31, 1968, Eastern Partner route map</ref>

Eastern also worked closely with another Caribbean-based airline, '''[[Caribair (Puerto Rico)]]'''. The June 13, 1967, Eastern system timetable lists connecting flights operated by Caribair [[Convair 640]] turboprops with service between Eastern's San Juan hub and St. Croix and St. Thomas.<ref>http://www.timetableimages.com, June 13, 1967, Eastern Airlines system timetable</ref> By 1970, San Juan-based Caribair had become an all-jet airline operating [[McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30]] aircraft serving fourteen Caribbean islands as well as Miami with the air carrier subsequently being acquired by Eastern in 1973.<ref>http://www.airwaysnews.com/html/timetables-and-route-maps/caribbean-airlines-timetables-route-maps-and-history{{Dead link|date=August 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} April 1, 1970, Caribair system timetable</ref>

==Accidents and incidents==
===Fatal accidents===
* August 10, 1937, Trip 7, a [[Douglas DC-2]] (NC13739), crashed on takeoff at [[Daytona Beach International Airport|Daytona Beach Municipal Airport]] after it struck a utility pylon during a nighttime take off, killing four of nine on board.<ref>{{ASN accident|title=NC13739|id=19370810-0|access-date=May 26, 2016}}</ref>
* February 26, 1941, [[Eastern Air Lines Flight 21|Flight 21]], a [[Douglas DC-3|Douglas DST]], crashed near Atlanta in fog due to a misread altimeter, almost killing [[Eddie Rickenbacker]], who was traveling on airline business. His recovery in the hospital received broad press coverage; during his initial recovery, several incorrect news reports claimed that he had died. Of 16 on board, 8 died, including Congressman [[William D. Byron]]. [[Clara Littledale|Clara Savage Littledale]], editor of [[Parents (magazine)|''Parents'']] magazine, survived.<ref name="NAW">Littledale, Clara Savage. Edited by Barbara Sicherman, 1934- and Carol Hurd Green, 1935-; in Notable American Women: The Modern Period (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1980), 458-459</ref> Littledale recounted her experience of the crash for ''Parents''.<ref name="NICELY">Hecht, G. J., & Clara, S. L. (1941, 05). Mrs. Littledale is doing nicely, thanks! Parents' Magazine, 16, 40.</ref> Her husband, [[Pulitzer Prize]]–winning journalist [[Harold A. Littledale]], was paralyzed as a result of the crash.<ref name=news>{{cite news |title=H. A. Littledale, Writer Who Started NJ Prison Reforms |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/530565852/ |work=The News (Paterson, New Jersey, page 31) |agency=Newspapers.com |date=August 12, 1957 |language=en}}</ref>
* July 12, 1945: [[Eastern Airlines Flight 45|Flight 45]], a [[Douglas DC-3|Douglas DC-3-201C]] (NC25647) flying from Washington, DC to [[Columbia, South Carolina|Columbia, SC]], collided in mid-air with [[USAAF]] [[A-26 Invader|A-26C Invader]] near Florence, South Carolina. The A-26 lost control and crashed; two crew parachuted but only one survived. The DC-3 executed a [[forced landing]] in a cornfield, killing one passenger, a two-year-old boy.<ref>[http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19450712-0 ASN Aircraft accident Douglas DC-3-201C NC25647 Florence, SC] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022002426/http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19450712-0 |date=October 22, 2012 }}. Aviation-safety.net (July 12, 1945). Retrieved on 2013-08-16.</ref>
* September 7, 1945: Flight 42, a Douglas DC-3-201G (NC33631), crashed near Florence, South Carolina following an unexplained fire in the rear of the aircraft. Control was lost after the right elevator also caught fire and the aircraft crashed in a swampy, wooded area, killing all 22 on board.<ref>{{ASN accident|title=NC33631|id=19450907-0|access-date=May 26, 2016}}</ref>
* December 30, 1945: Flight 14, a Douglas DC-3-201 (NC18123), overran the runway while landing at LaGuardia Airport after approaching too high and too fast, killing one of 14 of board.<ref>{{ASN accident|title=NC18123|id=19451230-0|access-date=May 26, 2016}}</ref>
* January 18, 1946: Flight 105, a Douglas DC-3-201E (NC19970), crashed at Cheshire, Connecticut after a loss of control caused by wing separation, killing all 17 on board. A fire, caused by a fuel leak, started in the left engine and spread to the wing, causing it to collapse and fail.<ref>{{ASN accident|title=NC19970|id=19460118-0|access-date=May 26, 2016}}</ref>
* January 12, 1947: Flight 665, a [[Douglas C-49]] (NC88872), crashed at Galax, Virginia after the pilot deviated from the flight route, killing 18 of 19 on board.<ref>{{ASN accident|title=NC88872|id=19470112-0|access-date=May 26, 2016}}</ref>
* May 30, 1947: [[Eastern Air Lines Flight 605|Flight 605]], a [[Douglas DC-4]] en route from Newark to Miami, crashed near Bainbridge, Maryland, killing all 53 aboard. At the time, Flight 605 was the deadliest crash in United States aviation history. "Loss of control" was cited as the reason for the crash.
* January 13, 1948: Flight 572, a Douglas DC-3-201F (NC28384), crashed at Oxon Hill, Maryland after striking trees while on approach to Washington National Airport, killing five of nine on board; the aircraft was flying too low.<ref>{{ASN accident|title=NC28384|id=19480113-2|access-date=May 26, 2016}}</ref>
* February 7, 1948: Flight 611, a [[Lockheed L-649 Constellation]] (NC112A), suffered a propeller blade separation over the Atlantic Ocean 156 mi off Brunswick, Georgia. Three hours after takeoff, the number three propeller failed and a portion of a blade penetrated the fuselage, cutting control cables, electrical wires and engine controls and killing a crew member before exiting the fuselage on the opposite side. After this the front portion of the number three engine broke free and fell off. A rapid descent was initiated. At 12,000 feet the descent was stopped. Due to instrument failure the aircraft descended visually to 1,000 feet. On landing the number four engine was shut down and the brakes applied hard, which blew out a tire. Fires started in the landing gear and number four engine but were quickly extinguished. Despite the damage, the aircraft was repaired and returned to service.<ref>{{ASN accident|title=NC112A|id=19480207-0|access-date=May 26, 2016}}</ref>
* November 1, 1949: [[Eastern Air Lines Flight 537|Flight 537]], a [[Douglas DC-4]] (N88727) on approach to [[Reagan National Airport|Washington National Airport]], collided in mid-air with a [[Lockheed P-38 Lightning]] being test-flown for acceptance by the Government of Bolivia, killing all 55 aboard the DC-4 and seriously injuring the pilot of the P-38. At the time it was the deadliest airliner crash in United States history.
* October 19, 1953: A [[Lockheed L-749A Constellation]] (N119A) from [[Idlewild International Airport]] to [[San Juan, Puerto Rico|San Juan]], [[Puerto Rico]], crashed shortly after takeoff, killing two of 27 on board.<ref name=ASN191053>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19531019-0|title=Accident description|publisher=Aviation Safety Network|access-date=March 11, 2010}}</ref>
* December 21, 1955: A Lockheed L-749A Constellation (N112A) crashed on approach to Jacksonville's Imeson Airport arriving from Miami, with further scheduled stops at Washington, DC, New York and Boston. Twelve passengers and a crew of five were killed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/122105/met_20621930.shtml|title=The crash of Eastern Flight 642: 50 years later - Jacksonville.com|first=JESSIE-LYNNE|last=KERR}}</ref>
* October 4, 1960: [[Eastern Air Lines Flight 375|Flight 375]] (a [[Lockheed L-188 Electra]]) departing Boston's [[Logan International Airport]] for [[Philadelphia]] crashed on takeoff after [[bird strike|striking]] a flock of birds. Sixty-two of the 72 passengers and crew were killed.
* November 30, 1962: [[Eastern Air Lines Flight 512|Flight 512]] (a [[Douglas DC-7]]) crashed during a [[go around]] after failing to land due to fog at [[Idlewild Airport]] (now JFK) in [[New York City]]. Of the 51 passengers and crew on board, 25 were killed.
* February 25, 1964: [[Eastern Air Lines Flight 304|Flight 304]] (a [[Douglas DC-8]]) flying from New Orleans International Airport to [[Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport|Washington-National Airport]] crashed into [[Lake Pontchartrain]] en route due to "degradation of aircraft stability characteristics in [[Clear-air turbulence|turbulence]], because of abnormal longitudinal trim component positions". All 51 passengers and seven crew aboard were killed.
* February 8, 1965: [[Eastern Air Lines Flight 663|Flight 663]], a Douglas DC-7 departing from [[New York City]] to [[Richmond, Virginia]], crashed at [[Jones Beach State Park]] after takeoff from [[John F. Kennedy International Airport|JFK]] when it was forced to evade inbound [[Pan American World Airways|Pan Am]] Flight 212. All 84 on board died. The evasive action was blamed for causing the plane to lose control.
* December 4, 1965: Flight 853, a Lockheed L-1049C Super Constellation, [[1965 Carmel mid-air collision|collided]] with TWA Flight 42, a [[Boeing 707]], over Carmel, New York. The Constellation crashed on Hunt Mountain in North Salem, New York, killing four of 53 on board while the 707 landed safely with no casualties.
* December 29, 1972: [[Eastern Air Lines Flight 401|Flight 401]] (a brand new [[Lockheed L-1011]]) was preparing to land in [[Miami]], when the flight crew became distracted by a non-functioning gear light. The flight crashed in the [[Everglades]], killing 101 of 176 on board. This was the first major crash of a widebody jet aircraft.
* September 11, 1974: [[Eastern Air Lines Flight 212|Flight 212]], a [[McDonnell Douglas DC-9|Douglas DC-9-31]] carrying 78 passengers and four crew, crashed while conducting an [[instrument approach]] in dense ground fog at [[Charlotte/Douglas International Airport|Douglas Municipal Airport]]. The aircraft crashed just short of the runway, killing 72; three survivors subsequently died from their injuries. Killed on this flight were [[James William Colbert Jr.|James]], Peter, and Paul Colbert, the father and older brothers (respectively) of comedian [[Stephen Colbert]].<ref>[https://www.cbsnews.com/news/stephen-colbert-on-insincerity/ "Stephen Colbert On Insincerity"], ''[[60 Minutes]]'', April 27, 2006</ref>
* June 24, 1975: [[Eastern Air Lines Flight 66|Flight 66]], a [[Boeing 727]], crashed into runway approach lights as it penetrated a thunderstorm near the ILS localizer course line at [[John F. Kennedy International Airport|JFK]] in New York City, killing 113 passengers and crew. The official cause of the accident was a sudden high rate of descent, caused by severe downdrafts from the thunderstorm, and the continued use of the runway despite the hazardous weather. [[American Basketball Association|ABA]] basketball star [[Wendell Ladner]] was one of the passengers killed in the crash.
* January 1, 1985: [[Eastern Air Lines Flight 980|Flight 980]], a [[Boeing 727]] struck Mount [[Illimani]] on a flight from [[Silvio Pettirossi International Airport]] in [[Asunción, Paraguay]], to [[El Alto International Airport]] in [[La Paz, Bolivia]]. All 19 passengers and 10 crew were killed on impact.

===Non-fatal accidents and incidents===
[[File:Eastern Air Lines Lockheed L-749A crash Curles Neck Farm.jpg|thumb|Flight 601, the subject of a July 19, 1951, incident]]
* December 19, 1936: A Douglas DC-2-112 (NC13732) struck trees and crashed near Milford, Connecticut due to pilot error and radio problems; all 11 on board survived. The aircraft was leased from North American Aviation.<ref>{{ASN accident|title=NC13732|id=19361219-0|access-date=June 2, 2016}}</ref>
* October 18, 1938: A Douglas DC-2-112 (NC13735) had engine failure while taking off from Montgomery, Alabama. The engine caught fire and fell from the plane. The plane struck a tree upon landing in a field just a few miles from the airport. All 13 on board, including the crew of 3, survived with only the Captain, [[John David Hissong]], sustaining minor burns.
* April 3, 1941: A Douglas DC-3-201B (NC21727) crashed into water off Vero Beach, Florida during a storm; although all 16 on board were injured, none were killed. The aircraft was written off.<ref>{{ASN accident|title=NC21727|id=19410403-0|access-date=June 2, 2016}}</ref>
* November 19, 1943: Trip 12, a Douglas DC-3-201E (NC19968), made an emergency landing at New Orleans en route from Houston after the pilot allowed the aircraft to descend too low during the second attempt to land. The number one propeller hit the water, causing portions of the engine and cowling to break off. All 15 on board survived. The aircraft was repaired and returned to service.<ref>{{ASN accident|title=NC19968|id=19431119-0|access-date=June 2, 2016}}</ref>
* October 11, 1946: Flight 546, a [[Douglas C-54B]] (NC88729), struck a ridge near Alexandria, Virginia while on approach to Washington National Airport; all 26 on board survived. During the approach, the aircraft had descended too low.<ref>{{ASN accident|title=NC88729|id=19461011-0|access-date=June 2, 2016}}</ref>
* December 19, 1946: Flight 605, a Douglas C-54B (NC88813) collided in mid-air with Universal Air Lines Flight 7, a Douglas C-47 (NC54374), near Aberdeen, Maryland. The C-47 departed Newark for Raleigh, while the C-54 departed Newark 15 minutes later for a non-stop flight to Miami. Near Aberdeen the C-54 flew past the C-47. The C-54 co-pilot saw the lights of an aircraft close and to the left of the C-54, which turned out to be the C-47. The C-54 pilot rolled into a right bank and forcefully pulled up the nose, causing the rear of the C-54 to strike the forward top portion of the C-47. The C-47 landed safely at Philips Army Air Field while the C-54 diverted to Washington. There were no casualties on either aircraft and both aircraft were repaired and returned to service.<ref>{{ASN accident|title=NC54374|id=19461219-1|access-date=June 2, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{ASN accident|title=NC88813|id=19461219-2|access-date=June 2, 2016}}</ref>
* January 21, 1948: Flight 604, a Lockheed L-649 Constellation (NC111A), crashed into a snow bank while landing at Logan International Airport following a loss of control due to a snow-covered runway; all 25 on board survived.<ref>{{ASN accident|title=NC111A|id=19480121-0|access-date=June 2, 2016}}</ref>
* July 19, 1951: Flight 601, a Lockheed L-749A Constellation (N119A), suffered severe buffeting after an access door opened in flight. A flapless wheels-up landing was made at [[Curles Neck Farm]], Virginia. The aircraft was later repaired and returned to service.<ref name=ASN190751>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19510719-0|title=Accident description|publisher=Aviation Safety Network|access-date=March 11, 2010}}</ref>
* November 27, 1951: Flight 167, a Douglas DC-3-201C (N25646) collided in mid-air with [[Civil Air Patrol]] [[Piper L-4|Piper L-4J]] ''45-5151'' near Ocala, Florida. The Piper was climbing after a left turn when it struck the DC-3. The DC-3's number one propeller made several cuts in the Piper's left wing, causing a loss of control and the Piper crashed, killing the pilot. The DC-3 circled the airport for a few minutes before landing safely with no casualties.<ref>{{ASN accident|title=N25646|id=19511127-1|access-date=June 2, 2016}}</ref>
* September 6, 1953: An L-1049 Super Constellation (N6214C) crashed on landing at McChord Air Force Base due to a hydraulic failure caused by engine problems; all 32 on board survived.<ref>{{ASN accident|title=N6214C|id=19530906-1|access-date=June 3, 2016}}</ref>
* May 8, 1954: Eastern Air Lines Flight 2634W made an emergency landing at Naval Auxiliary Air Station Edenton (now [[Northeastern Regional Airport]])in [[Edenton, NC]]. All crew and passengers survived. This is according to a letter written by chairman of the board, Eddie Rickenbacker to Marine Air Base Squadron 14.
* February 17, 1956: [[Eastern Air Lines Flight 156]] crashed near [[Owensboro, Kentucky]], due to pilot error; all 23 on board survived. The aircraft stalled and crashed following an improperly executed final approach.<ref>{{ASN accident|title=N445A|id=19560217-1|access-date=June 3, 2016}}</ref>
* March 10, 1957: A Martin 4-0-4 (N453A) crashed on landing at [[Standiford Field]] due to pilot error; all 34 on board survived. A portion of the left wing separated inboard of the number one engine due to excessive sink rate caused by the pilot's landing approach technique.<ref>{{ASN accident|title=N453A|id=19570310-1|access-date=June 3, 2016}}</ref>
* June 28, 1957: A [[Douglas DC-7B]] (N808D) had just returned from a training flight and was taxiing to the maintenance hangar at [[Miami International Airport]] when it collided with a parked Eastern Air Lines L-1049 Super Constellation (N6212C) near the hangar. Fuel leaked and both aircraft caught fire and burned out.<ref>{{ASN accident|title=N6212C|id=19570628-0|access-date=May 26, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{ASN accident|title=N808D|id=19570628-1|access-date=May 26, 2016}}</ref>
* March 17, 1958: A [[Martin 4-0-4]] (N496A) (Flight # unknown) on final approach to [[Melbourne Orlando International Airport|Melbourne Municipal Airport]] in [[Melbourne, Florida]], struck an unmarked pile of gravel at the approach end of the runway. During the landing roll the landing gear collapsed, and the aircraft caught fire and burned. All 10 occupants (3 crew, 7 passengers) evacuated safely.<ref>{{ASN accident|id=19580317-0|access-date=May 4, 2021|title=N496A}}</ref>
* October 18, 1966: A Lockheed L-1049C Super Constellation (N6219C) caught fire during refueling at Miami after a fuel line ruptured, causing substantial damage to the wing. The aircraft was written off, and broken up in June 1967.<ref>{{ASN accident|title=N6219C|id=19661018-1|access-date=May 31, 2016}}</ref>
* May 18, 1972: Flight 346, a Douglas DC-9-31 (N8961E) landed hard at Fort Lauderdale International Airport, collapsing the landing gear and breaking off the tail; all ten on board survived.<ref>{{ASN accident|title=N8961E|id=19720518-1|access-date=August 30, 2018}}</ref>
* November 27, 1973: Flight 300, a [[McDonnell Douglas DC-9]]-31 inbound from [[Pittsburgh International Airport]] to [[Akron-Canton Airport]] landed too far down the runway, hydroplaned and went off the end of the runway and over an embankment in fog, low ceilings, light rain and 1.5 mile visibility. The aircraft was severely damaged and written off. All 26 on board (5 crew, 21 passengers) survived with various injuries.<ref>{{ASN accident|id=19731127-2|access-date=October 28, 2020|title=N8967E}}</ref>
* July 2, 1976: A Lockheed L-188 Electra (N5531) was blown up on the ground by a bomb at Logan International Airport.<ref>{{ASN accident|title=N5531|id=19760702-0|type=Criminal|access-date=May 31, 2016}}</ref>
* September 26, 1978: Eastern Air Lines Flight 75, an L-1011, overtook [[Air Caribbean Flight 309]], a Beech 18, on approach to [[Luis Munoz Marin International Airport|Isla Verde International Airport]] in [[San Juan, Puerto Rico]]. There were no injuries on the Eastern airplane, but all six occupants on the Air Caribbean plane were killed when it plummeted and crashed on to a local bar. Eastern Airlines and the FAA later settled with family members of the six dead people as well as injured bar clients, paying them almost $5,700,000 for damages.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.leagle.com/decision/19811342517fsupp82511228|title=IN RE N-500L CASES | 517 F.Supp. 825 (1981) | upp82511228 | Leagle.com|website=Leagle}}</ref>
* May 5, 1983: [[Eastern Air Lines Flight 855|Flight 855]], a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar, had all three engines shut down in flight. The pilot restarted one of the engines before returning to [[Miami International Airport]]. All 172 on board survived.
* April 21, 1984: Eastern Air Lines Flight 494, a DC-9, suffered an uncommanded deployment of [[Thrust reversal|reverse thrust]] during a flight from [[Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport|Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)]] to [[Piedmont Triad International Airport|Piedmont Triad International Airport (GSO)]] in Greensboro, North Carolina, causing the aircraft to roll quickly to the right. The flight crew disabled the affected engine and returned safely to Atlanta. The pilots received the Air Line Pilots Association's Superior Airmanship Award for their handling of the incident.<ref name="alpa1984">{{cite web | url = https://www.alpa.org/news-and-events/air-line-pilot-magazine/the-landing-superior-airmanship | title = ALPA's Superior Airmanship Award | work = Air Line Pilots Association, Int'l | accessdate = September 19, 2023 | date = August 2019}}</ref>
* September 15, 1987: Flight 216, a Boeing 727 (N8857E), was seriously damaged in a [[hard landing]] in severe winds at [[Tulsa International Airport]]; the 55 passengers and 7 crew were not injured. The aircraft was inspected by mechanics at the [[American Airlines]] Tulsa maintenance base and cleared to fly; it was then flown to Kansas City and Chicago with passengers, only to be removed from service after skin wrinkles in the [[fuselage]] were noticed. A senior American Airlines official later conceded that the Tulsa mechanics "erred" in their inspection.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://app.ntsb.gov/pdfgenerator/ReportGeneratorFile.ashx?EventID=20001213X32134&AKey=1&RType=Final&IType=FA |title=NTSB Aviation Accident Final Report MIA87FA248 |publisher=[[National Transportation Safety Board]]|access-date= November 7, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Broyles |first=Gil |title=WRINKLES IN JET'S SKIN OVERLOOKED |url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=AMNEWS&req_dat=1000BC63AFF86032&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F0ED3CF5D4AAD9FDF |work=[[The Dallas Morning News]] |location=Dallas, Texas |date=September 19, 1987 |access-date=November 7, 2019 |quote="Our current thinking is that we erred,' said David Kruse, vice president of American's Maintenance and Engineering Center at Tulsa International Airport. }}</ref>
* December 27, 1987: Flight 573, a Douglas DC-9-31 (N8948E), landed hard at [[Pensacola Regional Airport]]. The nose gear touched down first, and the aircraft bounced and touched down again, breaking the passenger cabin aft of the wings. The plane stopped with its tail resting on the runway but all 103 passengers and 4 crew survived.<ref>{{ASN accident|id=19871227-1|access-date=October 6, 2018|title=N8948E}}</ref>
* January 18, 1990: Eastern Air Lines Flight 111, a Boeing 727 (N8867E), collided with an Epps Air Service [[Beechcraft King Air]] upon landing at Atlanta-William B. Hartsfield International Airport, Georgia. The plane received substantial damage, but all 149 passengers and 8 crew members survived unharmed. The plane was later repaired. The King Air was destroyed, with the pilot killed and the first officer seriously injured.<ref>{{ASN accident|id=19900118-2|access-date=August 19, 2020|title=N88867E}}</ref>

===Hijackings===
* July 24, 1961: Flight 202, a Lockheed L-188 Electra, was hijacked to Cuba. A fighter plane from Homestead AFB followed the airliner until it reached Cuban airspace.<ref>{{ASN accident|title=|id=19610724-0|type=Hijacking|access-date=May 26, 2016}}</ref>
* September 20, 1968: Flight 950, a [[Boeing 720]], was hijacked to [[Cuba]].<ref>{{ASN accident|title=|id=19680920-2|type=Hijacking|access-date=May 31, 2016}}</ref>
* February 3, 1969: Flight 7 was hijacked to Cuba. The presence of [[Candid Camera]] host [[Allen Funt]] on the flight led many of the passengers to conclude that the hijacking was actually a prank.<ref>{{cite web|title=Smile My Ass|url=http://www.radiolab.org/story/smile-my-ass/|website=RadioLab|publisher=[[WNYC]]|access-date=October 8, 2015|ref=RadioLab}}</ref> Funt and others were later released after 11 hours of captivity.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dangerousminds.net/comments/youre_not_on_candid_camera_allen_funt_was_on_hijacked_flight|title=You're NOT on 'Candid Camera': Allen Funt was on hijacked flight, passengers took it for a prank|date=October 1, 2013|website=DangerousMinds}}</ref>
* March 17, 1970: Both pilots of [[Eastern Air Lines Shuttle Flight 1320]], a DC-9-31 carrying 68 passengers and 5 crew, were shot by a deranged hijacker. The first officer was able to take the hijacker's gun and shoot him three times before succumbing to his own wounds. Despite gunshot wounds in both arms, the captain was able to fight off the wounded hijacker and land the aircraft safely.

==New Eastern Air Lines==
{{Main|Eastern Air Lines (2015)|Eastern Airlines, LLC}}
In 2011, a group purchased the intellectual property, including trademarks, of Eastern Air Lines and formed the Eastern Air Lines Group. The group announced in early 2014 that it had filed an application with the United States Department of Transportation for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity, which will be followed by certification with the Federal Aviation Administration. The new airline began service through charter and wet-lease flights out of Miami International in late 2014 with [[Boeing 737-800]] jetliners painted in the classic Eastern "hockey stick" livery. The IATA and ICAO codes of the original airline, as well as its callsign, were used by the new iteration of Eastern Air Lines.<ref name="HeraldRelaunch">{{cite news | url=http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/01/29/3899717/group-plans-to-bring-eastern-air.html | title=Group plans to bring Eastern Air Lines back to Miami | work=[[Miami Herald]] | date=January 29, 2014 | access-date=January 29, 2014 | author=Sampson, Hannah}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release | url=http://easternairlines.aero/news/eastern-air-lines-group-inc-files-with-the-us-dept-of-transportation-as-the-first-step-in-launching-the-new-eastern-air-lines-1390992281787.html#sthash.Hh9kxicK.dpbs | title=Eastern Air Lines Group, Inc. files with the U.S. Dept. of Transportation as the first step in launching the new Eastern Air Lines | publisher=Eastern Air Lines Group, Inc. | date=January 28, 2014 | access-date=January 29, 2014 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141015143548/http://easternairlines.aero/news/eastern-air-lines-group-inc-files-with-the-us-dept-of-transportation-as-the-first-step-in-launching-the-new-eastern-air-lines-1390992281787.html#sthash.Hh9kxicK.dpbs | archive-date=October 15, 2014 }}</ref> After a sale to [[Swift Air]], the trademarks were passed on to [[Eastern Airlines, LLC]] in 2018. On January 12, 2020, after nearly two decades of being officially defunct, the first flight of the renewed Eastern Airlines landed at JFK airport, heralding a new era for the brand name.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lastoe |first=Stacey |date=January 21, 2020 |title=The return of the legendary US airline you've probably never heard of |url=https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/eastern-airlines-returns/index.html |access-date=June 23, 2023 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref>

==See also==

* [[Charles Townsend Ludington]], base source of airlines
* [[List of defunct airlines of the United States]]
* [[John McGraw (brigadier general)|John McGraw]], medical director<ref>{{cite web |url=http://amda.aero/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/AMDA-PAST-PRESIDENTS-.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160710191519/http://amda.aero/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/AMDA-PAST-PRESIDENTS-.pdf |archive-date=July 10, 2016 |url-status=live |publisher=Airlines Medical Directors Association |title=AMDA PRESIDENTS |access-date=September 14, 2016}}</ref>

==References==
===Notes===
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
{{Refbegin}}

* Rickenbacker, Edward V. ''Rickenbacker: An Autobiography.'' New York: Prentice Hall, 1967.
* Robinson, Jack E. ''Freefall: The Needless Destruction Of Eastern Air Lines.'' New York: HarperBusiness, 1992. {{ISBN|0-88730-556-3}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Eastern Air Lines}}

* [http://timetableimages.com/ttimages/ea.htm Airline Timetable Images] provides many Eastern timetables from 1928 to 1988, including route maps, schedules, and fares.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150509041732/http://routemapsonline.com/ Route Maps Online] has timetables from the 1960s to 1990s, showing actual route maps, schedules, and pricing information.
* [http://aviation-safety.net/database/dblist.php?sorteer=datekey_desc&kind=%&cat=%&page=1&field=Operatorkey&var=6299 Aviation Safety Network list of Eastern Air Lines accidents from 1943 to 1990] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031111258/https://aviation-safety.net/database/dblist.php?sorteer=datekey_desc&kind=%25&cat=%25&page=1&field=Operatorkey&var=6299 |date=October 31, 2020 }}
* [https://www.nytimes.com/1990/07/26/business/eastern-airlines-indicted-in-scheme-over-maintenance.html Eastern Airlines Indicted in Scheme Over Maintenance] - ''[[The New York Times]]''
* [http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=MH&s_site=miami&p_multi=MH&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB342FB4462ECB8&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM SHUGRUE RECOUNTS EASTERN'S FINAL DAYS SAYS FINAL NAIL WAS DECEMBER'S DISMAL SHOWING] - ''[[Miami Herald]]''
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110903131405/http://www.airlinecolors.com/gateway/ws-eastern.html Airlinecolors.com] Images, historical overview, and promotional materials
* [http://digitalcollections.library.gsu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/eastern Eastern Air Lines Collections] from [[Georgia State University]]

{{Portal bar|United States|Florida|Companies|Aviation}}
{{Eastern Airlines}}
{{Defunct airlines of the United States}}
{{Legacy carrier}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Eastern Air Lines| ]]
[[Category:Airlines established in 1926]]
[[Category:Airlines disestablished in 1991]]
[[Category:Companies based in Miami-Dade County, Florida]]
[[Category:Defunct companies based in Florida]]
[[Category:Airlines based in Florida]]
[[Category:Companies that have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy]]
[[Category:Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1989]]
[[Category:1926 establishments in Florida]]
[[Category:1991 disestablishments in Florida]]
[[Category:Defunct airlines of the United States]]
[[Category:American companies established in 1926]]
[[Category:American companies disestablished in 1991]]

Braniff International Airways

2025-06-29T10:05:11Z

182.232.34.176:

{{Short description|Defunct airline of the United States (1928–1982)}}
{{About|the original Braniff|later airlines using the name|Braniff (1983–1990)|and|Braniff (1991–1992)}}
{{Redirect|Braniff}}
{{Use mdy dates|date = February 2025}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox airline
| airline = Braniff International
| logo = Braniff International Airways logo.png
| logo_size = 150
| image = Boeing 727-227(Adv), Braniff International Airways JP5938773.jpg
| IATA = BN
| ICAO = BNF
| callsign = BRANIFF
| founded = {{ubl|
| {{start date|1928|05|29}}
| {{start date|1930|11|03}}}}
| commenced = {{ubl|
| {{start date|1928|06|20}}
| {{start date|1930|11|13}}}}
| ceased = {{end date|1982|05|12}} {{small|(Only airline operations ceased; all subsidiaries continued in operation. Company is still in operation.)}}
| aoc =
| hubs = {{ubl|class=nowrap
| [[Boston Logan International Airport|Boston]]
| [[Dallas Fort Worth International Airport|Dallas/Fort Worth]] {{small|(1974–1982)}}
| [[Dallas Love Field|Dallas–Love]] {{small|(1935–1975)}}
| [[George Bush Intercontinental Airport|Houston–Intercontinental]]
| [[Kansas City International Airport|Kansas City]]
| [[Jorge Chávez International Airport|Lima]]
| [[Los Angeles International Airport|Los Angeles]]
| [[Miami International Airport|Miami]]}}
| secondary_hubs = {{ubl|class=nowrap
| [[Stapleton International Airport|Denver–Stapleton]]
| [[Memphis International Airport|Memphis]]
| [[Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport|Minneapolis/St. Paul]]
| [[John F. Kennedy International Airport|New York–JFK]]
| [[LaGuardia Airport|New York–LaGuardia]]
| [[Washington Dulles International Airport|Washington–Dulles]]}}
| focus_cities = {{ubl|class=nowrap
| [[Chicago O'Hare International Airport|Chicago–O'Hare]]
| [[Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport|Guam]]
| [[Kai Tak Airport|Hong Kong–Kai Tak]]
| [[Daniel K. Inouye International Airport|Honolulu]]
| [[Newark Liberty International Airport|Newark]]}}
| frequent_flyer = Braniff Travel Bonus Bonanza and Friends of the Orange 747s
| alliance =
| subsidiaries = {{ubl|class=nowrap
| Braniff Education Systems, Inc.
| Braniff Realty, Inc.
| Braniff International Hotels, Inc.
| Braniff Guardian Services, Inc.
| Driskill Operating Company
| Hoteles Internacional, SA de CV
| Braniff Airways Mexico, SA
| Braniff Airways Peru, SA }}
| fleet_size = 115 (as of December 1979)
| destinations = 81 (as of November 1, 1979)
| parent = {{ubl|class=nowrap
| Braniff Airways, Incorporated {{small|(until 1964)}}
| Greatamerica Corporation {{small|(until 1967)}}
| Ling Temco Vought, Inc. {{small|(until 1971)}}
| Braniff International Corporation {{small|(1973–1983)}}
| Dalfort Corporation {{small|(1983–1988)}}
| The Texas Trust/Braniff Trust {{small|(1983–present)}}}}
| headquarters = Braniff Place World Headquarters, P.O. Box 610646 2200 W. Braniff Boulevard (West Airfield Drive), [[Dallas Fort Worth International Airport|DFW Airport]], [[Texas]], U.S., current company address Braniff International Operations and Maintenance Base 7701 Lemmon Avenue [[Dallas, Texas]], U.S. Braniff Administration and Legal Braniff Building 324 North Robinson Avenue, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73102 Braniff Airways Foundation and Braniff Boutique 9850 Plano Road, Dallas, Texas 75238
| founders = {{ubl|class=nowrap
| [[Paul Revere Braniff]] (First [[Chief executive officer|CEO]])
| [[Thomas Elmer Braniff]]}}
| key_people = {{ubl|class=nowrap
| [[Charles Edmund Beard]]
| [[Harding Lawrence]]
| John J. Casey
| [[Howard Putnam]]
| Dale R. States
| Richard B. Cass
| Collin L. Ice }}
| website = {{URL|www.braniffinternational.com}}
}}

'''Braniff Airways, Inc.''', operated as '''Braniff International Airways''' from 1948 until 1965, and then '''Braniff International''' from 1965 until the cessation of air operations, was a [[trunk carrier]], a scheduled airline in the United States that operated from 1928 until 1982 and continues today as a retailer, hotelier, travel service and branding and licensing company, administering the former airline's employee pass program and other airline administrative duties. Braniff's routes were primarily in the midwestern and southwestern United States, Mexico, [[Central America]], and South America. In the late 1970s it expanded to Asia and Europe. The airline ceased air carrier operations in May 1982 because of high fuel prices, credit card interest rates and extreme competition from the large trunk carriers and the new airline startups created by the [[Airline Deregulation Act]] of December 1978.<ref name=Nance>{{cite book |last=Nance |first=John J. |title=Splash of Colors: The Self Destruction of Braniff International |year=1984 |publisher=William Morrow and Company |location=New York|isbn=0-688-03586-8|url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/splashofcolorsse00nanc}}</ref> Two later airlines used the Braniff name: the [[Hyatt Hotels]]-backed [[Braniff (1983–1990)|Braniff, Inc. in 1983–89]], and [[Braniff (1991–1992)|Braniff International Airlines, Inc. in 1991–92]].

In early 2015, the private Irrevocable Trust that owned and administered Braniff's intellectual property and certain other company assets since 1983, released the assets to a private entity associated with the Trust, which founded a series of new Braniff companies that were incorporated in the State of Oklahoma, for historical purposes and for administration of the Braniff trademarks, copyrights and other [[intellectual property]]. These companies included Braniff Air Lines, Inc., Paul R. Braniff, Inc., Braniff Airways, Inc., Braniff International Hotels, Inc., and Braniff International Corporation. During 2017 and 2018, some of the original Braniff companies were reinstated for historical purposes and administration of Braniff's intellectual property assets including those of Mid-Continent Airlines, Pan American Grace Airways and Long and Harman Airlines, Inc. However, in early 2022, the private Trust that originally owned Braniff's intellectual property since 1983, reacquired these assets along with the original Braniff companies and corresponding assets.<ref name="Braniff Airways">{{cite web|title=Braniff Airways, Inc.|url=https://www.sos.ok.gov/corp/corpInformation.aspx?id=1912495362|website=Oklahoma Secretary of State|publisher=State of Oklahoma|access-date=12 November 2016}}</ref>

== The corporate evolution of Braniff International ==

In 1926, the first Braniff airline entity, Braniff Air Lines, Inc., was incorporated in the State of Oklahoma; in 1928, the company was reincorporated as Paul R. Braniff, Inc., again in the State of Oklahoma; in 1930, the company was reincorporated as Braniff Airways, Incorporated in the State of Oklahoma; in 1946, the company became publicly known under the trade name Braniff International Airways. In 1966, the company was reincorporated as Braniff Airways, Incorporated, in the State of Nevada; in 1973, the company was reincorporated as Braniff International Corporation and Braniff Airways, Incorporated, became the wholly owned subsidiary of Braniff International; in 1983, the company was reincorporated in Delaware as Dalfort Corporation, which included Braniff, Inc., as the wholly-owned airline subsidiary of Dalfort Corporation; in 1990, the company was reincorporated in Delaware as Braniff International Airlines, Inc.; and in 2015, the company was reincorporated as Braniff Airways, Incorporated, in the State of Oklahoma, which included its operating subsidiaries and original parent company.<ref name="Corporate Evolution">{{cite journal |last1=McQuigg |first1=Tynia |title=The Corporate Evolution of Braniff International |journal=Official Legal Document of the Corporation |date=2015 |page=2}}</ref>

==History==

{{Main|History of Braniff International Airways}}

===Braniff Air Lines, Inc.===

In April 1926, [[Paul Revere Braniff]] incorporated Braniff Air Lines, Inc., which was a planned flight school and aircraft maintenance entity that never came to fruition. However, the name and company were retained by him and his brother, Thomas Elmer Braniff, until 1932.<ref name="Flying Colors">{{cite book|last1=Richard B.|first1=Cass|title=Braniff Airways: Flying Colors|date=December 2015|publisher=Arcadia Publishing, Inc.|isbn=9781467134408|page=31}}</ref>

===Oklahoma Aero Club===

In 1927, Paul R. Braniff, his brother Thomas, and several investors formed Oklahoma Aero Club to fly the founding executives using a [[Stinson Detroiter]], purchased by Paul Braniff, registered as NC1929, on hunting, fishing, and business trips. Paul Braniff was the sole pilot, and flew the investors to their meetings. These included Frank Phillips, founder of Phillips Petroleum; E. E. Westervelt, Manager of Southwest Bell Telephone; Fred Jones, Ford dealership owner; Virgil Browne of Coca-Cola Company; and Walter A. Lybrand, an Oklahoma City attorney.

Scheduling conflicts between the executives caused the new venture to be disbanded. Eventually, the Braniff brothers, Mr. Lybrand, and Mr. Westervelt bought out the interests of the other investors.<ref name="Flying Colors"/>

===Paul R. Braniff, Inc.===
[[File:Braniff Logo.png|frame|Second Braniff Airlines logo, ca. 1928–30, after company was sold to Universal Aviation of St. Louis, Missouri, in April 1929]]

In the spring of 1928, insurance magnate [[Thomas Elmer Braniff]] founded an air carrier, maintenance, aircraft dealer and flight school organization with his brother Paul, called Paul R. Braniff, Inc., which did business as Tulsa-Oklahoma City Airline. The new company, founded in May 1928, began regularly scheduled service from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and Tulsa, Oklahoma, using 6-passenger [[Lockheed Vega]] single-engine aircraft on June 20, 1928.<ref name="Flying Colors"/>

The first flight was flown by Paul Braniff along with the company mechanic. The flight from Oklahoma City SW 29th Street Airport to Tulsa McIntire Airport was uneventful. However, the return flight was delayed several hours for thunderstorms in the area. The one-way fare between the two cities was $12.50 or $20.00 round trip with a baggage allowance of 25 pounds and a charge of 10 cents for each pound over the maximum allowable amount. The fare included ground transportation from both airports to the downtown areas of each city, which was provided by Yellow Cab Company. The new airline was solely dependent on passenger carrying fares for its revenue since it had not entered into any mail or express contracts with the United States Post Office.<ref name="Flying Colors"/>

===Universal Airlines and Braniff Air Lines, Inc.===

The new Braniff venture was profitable within a month of service inauguration but with the weakening economic conditions the company found itself in need of a merger partner. In 1929, the Braniff brothers sold the assets of the company (the Paul R. Braniff, Inc., company organization was retained by the Braniff brothers) to Universal Aviation Corporation of St. Louis, Missouri, at which time, the organization started operating as Braniff Air Lines, Inc. In 1930, the company was bought by the Aviation Corporation ([[AVCO]]) which was the predecessor of American Airlines.<ref>{{cite book|title=Airlines and air mail: the post office and the birth of the commercial|author=F. Robert Van der Linden|page=112}}</ref>

Braniff Airlines, Inc., and the carrier grew by adding service from Oklahoma City to San Angelo, Texas, with intermediate stops at Wichita Falls, Breckenridge and Abilene, Texas, by the Summer of 1929 and service at Denison, Texas, was added on July 5, 1929. An additional route was operated between Oklahoma City and Ft Worth with intermediate stops at Wewoka, Oklahoma, and Dallas Love Field and a third route operated between Oklahoma City and Tulsa with intermediates stops at Wewoka and Seminole, Oklahoma, with all beginning on July 15, 1929 (this is most likely when the first Braniff service began at Dallas Love Field). The new airline performed as one of the best in the Universal System with a 99-percent completion rate reported during the month of July 1929 and the Airline also led the other divisions in number of passengers carried.

Service was added between Oklahoma City and Amarillo during the Summer of 1929. Package express and air freight service was added to the list of Braniff services on September 1, 1929, and included Dallas Love Field.<ref name="Flying Colors"/>

===Braniff Airways, Incorporated===
[[File:Braniff Airline Pilots Watching a Lockheed 12A Electra Junior.jpg|thumb|Braniff pilots outside a "B-Liner" [[Lockheed Model 10 Electra]], [[Houston Hobby Airport|Houston Municipal Airport]], 1940. In the background is a [[Lockheed Model 12 Electra Junior]].]]

In the fall of 1930, Tom and Paul Braniff once again founded a new airline called Braniff Airways, Incorporated, which was organized on November 3, 1930, and began service on November 13, 1930, between Oklahoma City and Tulsa and Oklahoma City and Wichita Falls Texas. Braniff Airways purchased two six-passenger 450 horsepower Lockheed L-5 Vega single-engine aircraft capable of cruising at speeds of 150 miles-per-hour. Braniff's advertising touted the new carrier as The World's Fastest Airline.

Braniff quickly expanded its route system to include Kansas City Fairfax Airport on December 5, 1930. The new service operated nonstop between Kansas City and Tulsa and additional new cities were added in early 1931. By the end of 1930, the airline had added new service to its route map and employed six people and the new service between Tulsa and Kansas City had increased system route mileage to 241 miles. On February 25, 1931, Braniff welcomed in the new year by adding Chicago Midway Airport to its route map. The new service operated nonstop between Kansas City and the Windy City, once each day. The flight originated at Wichita Falls and continued to Midway Airport with intermediate stops at Oklahoma City, Tulsa and Kansas City.

The summer of 1931 welcomed St Louis to the Braniff system on June 15, with nonstop service offered between St Louis and both Chicago and Tulsa. Additional Lockheed Vegas were added to the fleet during 1931 and 1932.<ref name="Flying Colors"/>

===Braniff's First Airmail Route===

The fledgling airline shut down to reorganize in March 1933, with the company airborne again in less than a year.<ref name="TE Braniff">{{cite web|last=Perez|first=Joan Jenkins|title=Thomas Elmer Braniff|url=http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fbr22|work=Texas State Historical Association|access-date=8 July 2013}}</ref> Paul Braniff, travelled to [[Washington, D.C.]], to petition for a Chicago-Dallas airmail route. The [[United States Postal Service]] granted Braniff their first airmail route soon after and the new route was inaugurated in May 1934, which effectively saved the company from failure. In early 1935, Braniff became the first airline to fly from [[Chicago]] to the [[U.S.–Mexico border]]. In August 1935, Paul Braniff left to pursue other opportunities and Charles Edmund Beard placed in charge of daily operations. In 1954, Beard was appointed president and CEO of Braniff with Fred Jones of Oklahoma City becoming chairman of the board.<ref name=Nance />

===Midwestern expansion===

On December 28, 1934, Braniff purchased Dallas-based Long and Harman Air Lines, that operated passenger and mail routes from Amarillo to Brownsville and Galveston. Braniff Airways, merged with the company on December 28, 1934, and began operating Long and Harman's routes on January 1, 1935, which took the airline from Chicago to Brownsville, Texas, and as far west as Amarillo, Texas.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bleakley |first1=Bruce A. |title=Dallas Aviation |date=2011 |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |location=Charleston, S.C. |isbn=978-1439624883 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sgZs_RcMkQIC&q=%22long+and+harman+airlines%22&pg=PT75 |access-date=24 May 2020}}</ref><ref name=Cearley>{{cite journal|last=Cearley Jr.|first=George W.|title=The Building of a Major International Airline|journal=Braniff International Airways 1928–1965|year=1986}}</ref>

===Wartime service===

During the war, Braniff remanded all of its Douglas DC-2 fleet and a substantial number of its new 21-passenger Douglas DC-3 fleet to the [[United States Army Air Forces]]. The DC-3 had just entered the fleet in December 1939. All of the Airline's DC-2s were given to the military for wartime service and none were accepted back into the fleet at the end of the war. Besides offering its aircraft to the United States military, it also leased its facilities at [[Dallas Love Field]] to the military, which became a training site for pilots and mechanics.<ref name=Cearley />

Braniff was given a contract to operate a military cargo flight between Brownsville, Texas, and Panama City/Balboa City, in the Canal Zone. The route was called the Banana Run because Braniff's pilots made agreements with the banana producers in Panama to move their bananas to the United States to sell. Because of the war, they could not fly their produce out of the country but Braniff devised at least a small way to assist the growers. Because of Braniff's superb service during the war and over the Banana Run, the Airline would be rewarded with a significant international route award just a year after the war ended.<ref name="Flying Colors"/>

===Aerovias Braniff formed===

[[Thomas Elmer Braniff]] created a Mexican-based airline, Aerovias Braniff, in 1943. Service was inaugurated in March 1945, after the carrier received its operating permits from the Mexican government. Aerovias Braniff operated domestic flights in [[Mexico]] between [[Nuevo Laredo]], [[Monterrey]] and [[Mexico City]], and also between Mexico City, [[Puebla]], [[Veracruz (city)]] and [[Merida, Mexico]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/abn/abn4601/abn46-2.jpg|title=Exclusivamente Aviones Douglas DC-3 de 21 pasajeros|publisher=Braniff International Airways|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231230191038/https://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/abn/abn4601/abn46-2.jpg|archive-date=30 December 2023|url-status=dead}}</ref> The August 1946 Braniff Airways system timetable indicates that Braniff was operating scheduled passenger flights at this time on a roundtrip routing of Chicago - Kansas City - Dallas - San Antonio - Laredo - Nuevo Laredo which connected with the Aerovias Braniff service.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/bn/bn46/bn46-1.jpg|title=New and Improved Braniff Services|publisher=Braniff International Airways|date=10 August 1946|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250510203258/https://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/bn/bn46/bn46-1.jpg|archive-date=10 May 2025|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/bn/bn46/bn46-2.jpg|title=Daily Southbound - Northbound Schedules|publisher=Braniff International Airways|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250510203259/https://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/bn/bn46/bn46-2.jpg|archive-date=10 May 2025|url-status=live}}</ref> The new company, owned by Mr. Braniff, operated three 21 passenger [[Douglas DC-3]]s that had been allocated to the carrier from the United States War Surplus Administration in February, 1945.

Mr. Braniff had applied to the federal [[Civil Aeronautics Board]] (CAB) for authority to merge Aerovias Braniff with Braniff Airways, Inc. However, the Mexican government suspended Aerovias Braniff's operating permits in October 1946, under pressure from [[Pan American World Airways|Pan American Airways, Inc.]], and merger of the two carriers was not approved by the CAB. Braniff was allowed to operate a charter service in Mexico for a brief period in 1947 but that was also discontinued and service was not commenced again until 1960<ref name=Cearley />

===Latin America route award===

After World War II, on May 19, 1946, the [[Civil Aeronautics Board]] (CAB) awarded Braniff routes to the [[Caribbean]], Mexico, [[Central America|Central]] and South America, competing with [[Pan American-Grace Airways]] with this airline also being known as '''Panagra''' which Braniff would eventually acquire and merge with during the late 1960s.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.departedflights.com/BNbraniffpanagramerger67.html | title=BNbraniffpanagramerger67 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/pg/pg4808/pg4808-1.jpg|title=Panagra: Pan American Grace Airways Inc.|date=6 August 1948|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250510203258/https://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/pg/pg4808/pg4808-1.jpg|archive-date=10 May 2025|url-status=live}}</ref> The Civil Aeronautics Board awarded Braniff a 7719 [[statute mile]] route from Dallas to Houston to Havana, Balboa, C.Z., Panama, [[Guayaquil]], [[Lima]], [[La Paz]], [[Asuncion]], and then to Buenos Aires, Argentina, and also a route from Asuncion to São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. At that time, the airline changed its trade name to '''Braniff International Airways''' (the official corporate name remained Braniff Airways, Incorporated) and flights to South America via Cuba and Panama began on June 4, 1948, with a routing of Chicago – Kansas City – Dallas – Houston – Havana – Balboa, C.Z. – Guayaquil – Lima (Lima service did not begin until June 18, 1948).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/bn/bn4806/bn4806-1.jpg|title=Fly Braniff to South America|publisher=Braniff International Airways|date=4 June 1948|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240306023158/http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/bn/bn4806/bn4806-1.jpg|archive-date=6 March 2024|url-status=live}}</ref> The route was then extended in February 1949 to La Paz and in March 1949, to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. [[Douglas DC-4]]s and [[Douglas DC-6]]s flew to Rio; initially [[DC-3]]s flew Lima to La Paz. Braniff was the first airline authorized by the CAB to operate [[JATO]] or Jet Assisted Take-Off aircraft (DC-4) at La Paz.

Braniff inaugurated new service from Lima, Peru, to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with a stop at São Paulo, added in October 1950. Service was extended in March 1950 from La Paz to Asuncion, Paraguay, and in May 1950 to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Argentine President [[Juan Perón]] and his famed wife [[Evita Perón]] participated in the festivities at the [[Palacio Casa Rosada]] in Buenos Aires. In October 1951 departures from Dallas became daily: three a week to Buenos Aires and four to Rio de Janeiro. Beginning in 1951, flights to South America stopped at Miami, but Braniff did not carry domestic passengers between Dallas and Houston and Miami.<ref name="Flying Colors"/>

===Mid-Continent Airlines merger===

By October 1951, Braniff flew to 29 airports in the US, from Chicago and Denver south to Brownsville, Texas, to Central America, Cuba and South America.

After months of negotiations Braniff acquired [[Mid-Continent Airlines]], a small Kansas City-based trunk line, on August 16, 1952. The merger added numerous cities, including Minneapolis/St. Paul, Sioux City, and Sioux Falls in the North; Des Moines, Omaha, and St. Louis in the Midwest; and Tulsa, Shreveport, and New Orleans in the South. The acquisition of the Minneapolis/St. Paul to Kansas City route (with stops in Des Moines and Rochester, Minnesota) was of particular interest to Braniff, as Mid-Continent had been awarded this route instead of Braniff in 1939.<ref name=Cearley />

After the merger Braniff operated 75 aircraft and over 4000 employees, including 400 pilots. In 1955 Braniff was the tenth largest US airline by passenger-miles and ninth largest by domestic passenger miles.

With the addition of the South America route system, merger with Mid-Continent Airlines, and reduction in mail subsidy on the Mid-Continent system, Braniff International Airways recorded a US$1.8 million operating loss during 1953. Aircraft that were scheduled to be disposed of offset the loss and the company recorded a meager US$11,000 net income. An increase in mail subsidy, requested by Mr. Braniff before his death, was granted in 1954, and the company returned to profitability.<ref name=Annual>{{cite journal|title=1953 Results|journal=1953 Braniff International Annual Report|year=1953|page=2}}</ref>

===Deaths of the Braniff brothers===

On January 10, 1954, Braniff's founder [[Thomas Elmer Braniff]] died when a Grumman [[flying boat]] owned by United Gas crash-landed on the shore of Wallace Lake, 15 miles outside of [[Shreveport, Louisiana]], due to icing. According to information from Captain George A. Stevens: "Mr Braniff was on a hunting expedition with a group of important citizens of Louisiana. They were returning to Shreveport from a small duck hunting lake near Lake Charles, Louisiana, in a [[Grumman Mallard]] aircraft with no deicing system. The wings iced up on approach to landing in Shreveport, and the plane lost altitude. One of the wings hit cypress stumps and the plane crashed against the shore. It caught fire and all 12 lives aboard were lost."<ref name=Nance />

Braniff Executive Vice President [[Charles Edmund Beard]] became the first non-Braniff family member to assume the role of president of the airline after Tom Braniff's death. Mr. Beard gathered Braniff employees together at the Braniff hangar at [[Dallas Love Field]] on January 18, 1954, to announce that the airline would move forward and assured the public that the airline would continue. In February 1954, Mrs. Bess Thurman Braniff was appointed a vice president of the company. She was instrumental in calming the fears of Braniff's creditors, which became concerned especially after the losses incurred in 1953, quickly followed by the loss of Mr. Braniff.

Paul R. Braniff died in June 1954 from complications from pneumonia and from throat cancer.<ref name="Paul and Tom Braniff">{{cite web|title=Paul and Tom Braniff |url=http://www.dallashistory.org/history/dallas/braniff_family.htm |work=Dallas Historical Society |access-date=8 July 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120192304/http://www.dallashistory.org/history/dallas/braniff_family.htm |archive-date=20 January 2013 }}</ref> Tom Braniff's wife, Bess Thurman Braniff, also died in August 1954, of cancer. Tom's son, Thurman Braniff, was killed in a training plane crash at Oklahoma City in 1937, and his daughter Jeanne Braniff Terrell died in 1948 from complications of childbirth. Jeanne Braniff's child died two days after birth and her husband Alexander Terrell died a year later in 1949.<ref name=Nance />

===New equipment and facilities===

Charles Edmund Beard led Braniff into the jet age. The first jets were four [[Boeing 707]]-227s; a fifth crashed on a test flight when still owned by Boeing. Braniff was the only airline to order the 707-227 because their low density and powerful engines were perfectly suited to Braniff's thin and high routes from the US Mainland to South America. In 1971, Braniff sold the jets to [[British West Indies Airways]] ([[BWIA]]), an airline based in the Caribbean. [[Boeing 720]]s were added in the early 1960s. In 1965 Braniff's fleet was about half jet, comprising 707s, 720s and [[British Aircraft Corporation]] [[BAC One-Eleven]] jetliners. The long range [[Boeing 707-320C]] intercontinental model was then introduced. However, the 707, 720 and One-Eleven would all subsequently be removed from the fleet in favor of the ideally suited Boeing 727 Trijet. Braniff's last piston schedule was operated with a [[Convair 340]] aircraft in September 1967 and the last [[Lockheed L-188 Electra]] turboprop service was flown in April 1969.

In February 1957, Braniff moved into a new headquarters located temporarily in the new Exchange Bank Building at Exchange Park, a high-rise office development within sight of Dallas Love Field. The airline was required to move into the temporary building until its new 10-story Braniff Tower also in Exchange Park was ready for move in on Valentine's Day 1958. Braniff remained in this building until December 1978, when it moved into
its spacious new Braniff Place World Headquarters on the west side of DFW Airport. The airline opened a Maintenance and Operations Base with over 433,000 square feet on the east side of Dallas Love Field at 7701 Lemmon Avenue in October 1958. The airline would occupy the facility until the late 1980s, with the Braniff, Inc. (Braniff II) holding company, Dalfort, remaining there until 2001.

===Boeing Super Sonic Transport (SST)===

In April 1964, Braniff made deposits on two [[Boeing 2707|Boeing 2707 Supersonic Transports]], $100,000 per aircraft. This would give Braniff slots number 38 and 44 when the SST began production.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite journal|title=BNF Puts Money Down On Supersonic Jets|journal=Braniff B Liner Employee Newsletter|date=May 1964|page=1}}</ref> President Beard said the two aircraft would be used on the carrier's US to Latin America flights, where the Boeing 707 was performing satisfactorily.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

When this deposit was made, the SST program was being financed by the US government. In 1971, Congress cancelled the program, against the Nixon Administration's wishes.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

===Greatamerica===

In 1964, [[Troy Victor Post|Troy Post]], chairman of Greatamerica Corporation, an insurance [[holding company]] based in Dallas, purchased Braniff and [[National Car Rental]] as part of an expansion of holdings and growth outside the insurance business. Braniff and National were chosen after Greatamerica [[CFO]] [[Ed Acker|Charles Edward Acker]] identified them as under-utilized and under-managed companies. Acker had stated in a 1964 study that Braniff's conservative management was hampering the growth that the "jet age" required, in part by cash purchase of new planes instead of financing them, diverting working capital from growth initiatives. As part of the acquisition, Acker became executive vice president and CFO of Braniff.<ref name=Nance />

Troy Post hired [[Harding Lawrence]], executive vice president of [[Continental Airlines]], who was responsible for a 500 percent increase in sales at the Los Angeles-based carrier during his tenure, as the new president of Braniff International.<ref name=Nance /> Lawrence was determined to give Braniff a glossy, modern, and attention-getting image. Over the next 15 years, his expansion into new markets – combined with ideas unorthodox for the airline industry – led Braniff to record financial and operating performance, expanding its earnings tenfold despite typical [[passenger load factor]]s around 50 percent.<ref name=Nance />

===Mary Wells and "The End of the Plain Plane"===

[[File:Boeing 707-327C N7097 BN HNL 21.04.71 edited-3.jpg|thumb|right|[[Boeing 707]]-327C of Braniff International at [[Honolulu International Airport|Honolulu Airport]] in 1971]] [[File:Douglas DC-8-62 N1804 BN MIA 07.02.71 edited-3.jpg|thumb|right|Braniff International [[Douglas DC-8]]-62 landing at [[Miami International Airport]] in 1971]]

To begin the overhaul of Braniff's image, Lawrence hired Jack Tinker and Partners, who assigned advertising executive Mary Wells – later [[Mary Wells Lawrence]] after her November 1967 marriage to Harding Lawrence in Paris – as account leader. First on the agenda was to overhaul Braniff's public image — including the 1959 Red and Blue El Dorado Super Jet [[aircraft livery|livery]] which Wells saw as "staid". New Mexico architect [[Alexander Girard]], [[Italian people|Italian]] fashion designer [[Emilio Pucci]], and shoe designer [[Beth Levine (Fashion designer)|Beth Levine]] were hired, and with this new talent Braniff began the "End of the Plain Plane" campaign.<ref name=Nance />

At Girard's recommendation the old livery was dropped in favor of a single color on each plane, selected from a palette of rich and iridescent hues like "Chocolate Brown" and "Metallic Purple." He favored a small "BI" logo and small titles. Braniff engineering and Braniff's advertising department modified Girard's colors, enlarged the "BI" logo, and added white wings and tails. This, ironically, was based on the 1930s Braniff Lockheed Vega color schemes, which also carried colorful paint with white wings and tails. The new fleet carried such colors as beige, ochre, orange, turquoise, baby blue, medium blue, lemon yellow, and lavender/periwinkle blue. [[Lavender (color)|Lavender]] was dropped after a month, due to the similarity in coloration to the Witch Moth ([[Ascalapha odorata]]), a sign of bad luck in Mexican mythology.

Fifteen colors were used during the 1960s (Harper & George modified Girard's original seven colors in 1967), in combination with 57 variations of [[Herman Miller (office equipment)|Herman Miller]] fabrics. Many of the color schemes were applied to aircraft interiors, gate lounges, ticket offices, and even the corporate headquarters. Art to complement the color schemes was flown in from Mexico, [[Latin America]], and South America. Girard designed an extensive line of furniture for Braniff's ticket offices and customer lounges. This furniture was made available to the public by Herman Miller, for a year in 1967.<ref name=Nance />

Pucci used a series of nautical themes for crew uniforms for flight attendants, pilots, ground and terminal personnel. For the hostesses, Pucci used "space age" themes, including plastic Bolas (first edition zippered version) Space Helmets (second edition with snaps) as they were dubbed by Pucci. These clear plastic bubbles, which resembled [[Captain Video and His Video Rangers|Captain Video]] helmets and which Braniff termed "RainDome", were to be worn between the terminal and the plane to prevent bouffant hairstyles from being disturbed by outside elements. "RainDomes" were dropped the following year because the helmets cracked easily, there was no place to store them on the aircraft, and new [[jetway]] installation at many airports made them unnecessary. However, the helmets were still approved for use through 1967. For the footwear, [[Beth Levine (Fashion designer)|Beth Levine]] created plastic boots and designed two-tone [[calfskin]] boots and shoes. Later uniforms and accessories were composed of interchangeable parts, which could be removed and added as needed.

Emilio Pucci designed additional new uniforms for Braniff through 1975. This included the updated 1966 Supersonic Derby Collection; 1968 Pucci Classic Collection; 1971 747 Braniff Place Pant Dress Collection; 1972 727 Braniff Place Pant Dress Collection; 1973 Pucci Blue Pilot Uniform; 1974 Pucci The Classic Collection and finally in 1975 the Flying Colors Collection, which only included impressive white coveralls with red and blue Flying Colors logo for maintenance personnel.<ref name=Nance />

===MAC Charters===

In 1966, Braniff obtained a government contract to transport military personnel from the US Mainland to Vietnam and other military outposts in the Pacific region. Braniff also operated flights to and from Hawaii for R&R furloughs for military personnel during the [[Vietnam War]]. The Military Airlift Command routes were expanded in the Pacific and added to the Atlantic side in 1966.<ref name=Nance /> The last Braniff MAC charter associated with the Vietnam War was flown in 1975.

===Merger with Panagra===

In February 1967 Braniff, purchased [[Pan American-Grace Airways]] which was also known as '''Panagra''' from shareholders of [[Pan American World Airways]] and [[W. R. Grace and Company|W. R. Grace]], increasing its presence making it the leading US airline in South America. The merger was effective on February 1, 1967, and Panagra's remaining piston airliners were retired. Panagra operated early model [[Douglas DC-8]] jets at this time, which were a new addition to the Braniff fleet; a Panagra order for five long-range [[Douglas DC-8-62]] jetliners was then taken up by Braniff, and deliveries began in late 1967, replacing the older Series 30 Panagra DC-8s by the end of 1967.

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Revenue passenger miles (millions)
|+(Scheduled services only)
|-
! !! Braniff !! Panagra || Mid-Continent
|- align="right"
! scope="row" | 1951
| 332 || 126 || 9
|- align="right"
! scope="row" | 1955
| 680 || 161 || (merged 1952)
|- align="right"
! scope="row" | 1960
| 1181 || 198 ||
|- align="right"
! scope="row" | 1965
| 1804 || 278 ||
|- align="right"
! scope="row" | 1970
| 4262 || (merged 1967) ||
|- align="right"
! scope="row" | 1975
| 6290 || ||
|}

==="When You Got It — Flaunt It"===

Under the leadership of George Lois and his advertising firm Lois, Holland Calloway, Braniff started a campaign that presented stars such as [[Andy Warhol]], [[Sonny Liston]], [[Salvador Dalí]], [[Whitey Ford]], the [[Playboy Bunny]], and other celebrities of the time flying Braniff. After the End of the Plain Plane Campaign, it became one of the most celebrated marketing efforts [[Madison Avenue]] had ever produced, blending style and arrogance. The key advertising slogan was "When you got it — flaunt it."<ref name=Lois>{{cite book|last=Lois|first=George|title=The Art of Advertising|year=1977|publisher=Harry N. Abrams|location=New York|isbn=9780810903739|pages=Introduction by Bill Pitts}}</ref>

Management considered the campaign a success. Braniff reported an 80 percent increase in business during the life of the campaign in spite of an economic downturn the following year.<ref name=Heller>{{cite web|last=Heller|first=Steven|title=Reputation: George Lois|url=http://www.eyemagazine.com/feature/article/reputations-george-lois|work=Eye Magazine|publisher=www.eyemagazine.com|access-date=17 July 2013}}</ref>

==="Terminal of the Future" and JetRail===

Braniff opened the "Terminal of the Future" at Dallas Love Field in late December 1968 and the [[Jetrail]] Car Park people mover monorail system in April 1970. Both operated until January 1974. Jetrail was the world's first fully automated monorail system, taking passengers from remote parking lots at Love Field to the Braniff terminal. Braniff was a leading partner in the planning of [[Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport]] and contributed many innovations to the airline industry during this time.<ref name=Nance />

===Remaking the jet fleet===

Braniff had been one of the first U.S. operators of the [[BAC One-Eleven]] (and the first U.S. airline to order the twin jet), but in 1965 Lawrence ordered twelve new [[Boeing 727-100]]s and cancelled most of the remaining One-Eleven orders. The 727s had been selected before Lawrence's arrival, but no orders had been placed. These planes were the "quick change" (B727-100C) model, with a large freight loading door on the left side just aft of the flight deck. This allowed Braniff to begin late-night cargo service, while the aircraft carried passengers during the day, in August 1966. This doubled the 727 utilization rate and allowed Braniff to open the new cargo business, dubbed AirGo. The new 727s could also be outfitted in a mixed cargo/passenger [[combi aircraft]] configuration and Braniff did operate "red eye" overnight services carrying cargo in the forward section with seating for 51 passengers in the rear coach compartment.<ref>[http://www.timetableimages.com July 1, 1968 Braniff timetable, page 30]</ref>

[[File:Braniff International Boeing 747-100 Rees.jpg|thumb|[[Boeing 747-100]] at [[London Gatwick Airport]] in 1981]]
In 1970 Braniff accepted delivery of the 100th [[Boeing 747]] built – a 747-127, N601BN – and began flights from Dallas to [[Honolulu, Hawaii]], on January 15, 1971. This plane, dubbed "747 Braniff Place" and "The Most Exclusive Address In The Sky", was Braniff's flagship, and it flew an unprecedented 15 hours per day with a 99 percent dispatch reliability rate over the Transpacific long route.<ref name=Nance /> In 1978 N601BN flew the first flight from Dallas/Fort Worth to [[London]].<ref name=Nance />

The Braniff 747 livery of bright orange led to the aircraft being nicknamed "[[The Great Pumpkin]]".<ref>The [http://www.jet-age.net/2010/06/braniff-international-airways-boeing.html Jet Age] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014150734/http://www.jet-age.net/2010/06/braniff-international-airways-boeing.html |date=2013-10-14 }} website is one of many examples of this reference.</ref><ref>See also the [http://airchive.com/html/museums/1940-air-terminal-museum-at-houston-hobby-airport-houston-tx-2012/braniff-international-airlines-big-orange-boeing-747-100-cutaway-model-at-1940-air-terminal-museum/24282 Airchive] reference to "The Great Pumpkin", later known as "Fat Albert" and "Big Orange".</ref> The popularity of "The Great Pumpkin" led to extensive publicity, and even the licensing of a scale model by the [[Airfix]] model company.<ref>The Airfix model is cited and illustrated at the [http://www.vintage-airfix.com/airfix/sky-king-1144-scale/boeing-747-braniffs-big-orange-p-292.html Airfix archive] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014040923/http://www.vintage-airfix.com/airfix/sky-king-1144-scale/boeing-747-braniffs-big-orange-p-292.html |date=2013-10-14 }}.</ref>

The [[Boeing 727]] became the backbone of the Braniff fleet. The trijet was the key aircraft in the 1971 Fleet Standardization Plan that called for three aircraft types: the Boeing 727 primarily operated on domestic services, the Boeing 747 for Hawaii, and the Douglas DC-8 for South America. This plan would lower operating costs. When Lawrence took office in May 1965, Braniff operated 13 different aircraft types. Braniff eventually ordered several variants of the [[Boeing 727|727]] including the "quick change" cargo/passenger [[combi aircraft]] variant, the stretched [[727-200]], and later the 727-200 Advanced. Lawrence also increased utilization of the fleet.

In 1969 the [[Lockheed L-188 Electra]]s were retired, making Braniff an all pure jet airline. By the mid-1970s Braniff's fleet of 727s showed the efficiencies that a single type of aircraft could produce. The company's maintenance costs on the 727s were lower than the dual pilot DC-9. In 1975 Braniff had one 747, 11 DC-8s, and 70 727s.<ref name=Nance /> The [[Douglas DC-8]]s were aging, and there was speculation whether new [[Boeing 757]]s, [[Boeing 767]]s or [[Airbus A300]]s would replace the long range [[DC-8-62]]s (which flew Braniff's South American routes including nonstops from Los Angeles and New York City to Bogotá, Colombia and Lima, Peru as well as nonstops from Miami and New York City to Buenos Aires)<ref>[http://www.departedflights.com October 27, 1974 Braniff route map]</ref> with [[McDonnell Douglas MD-80]]s possibly being introduced on shorter routes.<ref name=Nance /> In 1978 Braniff announced it had chosen the Boeing 757 and 767 to replace the DC-8s over its Latin America Division routes, but the airline never operated the 757, 767, A300 or MD-80.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Cass|first1=Richard|title=Braniff Airways: Flying Colors|date=December 2015|publisher=Arcadia Publishing, Inc.|location=North Carolina|isbn=9781467134408|page=81}}</ref>

===Alexander Calder===

[[File:Douglas DC-8-62 N1805 BN MIA 02.08.75 edited-2.jpg|thumb|right|Braniff [[Douglas DC-8|Douglas DC-8-62]] wearing Alexander Calder's ''Flying Colors of South America'' design at [[Miami International Airport|Miami Airport]] in August 1975]]
In December 1972, American Modern Master [[Alexander Calder]] was commissioned by Braniff to paint an aircraft. Calder was introduced to [[Harding Lawrence]] by veteran advertising executive [[George Stanley Gordon]], who would eventually take over Braniff's advertising account.<ref name=Goodman>{{cite web|last=Goodman|first=Lawrence|title=My Pal, Alexander Calder|url=http://www.brownalumnimagazine.com/content/view/240/40/|work=Brown Alumni Magazine|access-date=8 July 2013}}</ref> Calder's contribution was a [[Douglas DC-8]] known simply as "Flying Colors of South America." In 1975 it was showcased at the [[Paris Air Show]] in [[Paris]]. Its designs reflected the bright colors and simple designs of South America and Latin America, and was used mainly on South American flights.

Later in 1975, he debuted "Flying Colors of the United States" to commemorate the [[United States Bicentennial|Bicentennial of the United States]]. This time, the aircraft was a [[Boeing 727-200]]. First Lady [[Betty Ford]] dedicated "Flying Colors of the United States" in [[Washington, D.C.]], on November 17, 1975. Calder died in November 1976 as he was finalizing a third livery, termed "Flying Colors of Mexico" or "Salute To Mexico". Consequently, this livery was not used on any Braniff aircraft.<ref name="Goodman"/>

===Halston and the Elegance Campaign===

In the fall of 1976, Braniff commissioned American couturier [[Halston]] to bring an elegant and sophisticated feel to Braniff. The new [[Ultrasuede]] uniforms and Ultra Space leather aircraft interiors were dubbed the Ultra Look by Halston, who had used the term to describe his elegant fashions. The Ultra Look was applied to all uniforms and the entire Braniff fleet (including the two Calder aircraft). The Ultra Look was an integral part of Braniff's new Elegance Campaign, which was designed to herald the maturing of Braniff, as well as the look and feel of opulence throughout the airline's operation. Halston's uniforms and simple designs were praised by critics and passengers. A sleek new paint scheme, dubbed Ultra, was designed by Braniff's industrial design firm, Harper and George along with Detroit auto company Cars and Concepts in conjunction with Halston. Iridescent colors of Chocolate Brown, Perseus Green, Mercury Blue and Terra Cotta along with two metallic colors were matched with striking racing stripes called Power Paint Stripes, which served to enhance the elegant scheme with a sleek racy feel.<ref name="Halston">{{cite web|title=Halston|url=http://www.dallashistory.org/history/dallas/halston.htm|work=Braniff History|publisher=Dallas Historical Society|access-date=8 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120121032739/http://www.dallashistory.org/history/dallas/halston.htm|archive-date=21 January 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Concorde SST===
[[File:Concorde in Dallas (2).jpg|thumb|An [[Air France]] Concorde at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport in February 1980. During its time operating with Braniff, the aircraft wore an American [[aircraft registration|registration]] only used on domestic flights.]]
In 1978, Braniff Chairman Harding L. Lawrence negotiated a unique [[Transport hub|interchange]] agreement to operate the [[Concorde]] over American soil, making it first time that Concorde was used for domestic—and fully overland—flights. Concorde service began on 12 January 1979 between [[Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport|Dallas–Fort Worth]] and [[Washington Dulles|Washington, D.C.]], with service to [[Paris]] and [[London]] on interchange flights with [[Air France]] and [[British Airways]] respectively.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://s1.nyt.com/timesmachine/pages/1/1980/06/01/114114763_360W.png?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale |work=New York Times |date=1 June 1980 |title=Concorde Flights Between Texas and Europe End; Big Dreams at the Start $1,447 for Flight to Paris}}</ref>

Domestic flights between Dallas-Fort Worth and Washington Dulles airports were operated by Braniff with its own cockpit and cabin crews. During the domestic flights, the Braniff's registration numbers were affixed to the fuselage with temporary adhesive vinyl stickers. At Washington Dulles, the cockpit and cabin crews were replaced by ones from Air France and British Airways for the continued flight to Europe, and the temporary Braniff registration stickers were removed. This process was reversed after alighting in Washington Dulles from Europe for the domestic flights to Dallas-Fort Worth. Due to the American noise regulations, Concorde was limited to [[Mach number|Mach]] 0.95 yet flew at slightly above Mach 1.<ref name=Nance />

Concorde service proved a [[loss leader]] but it was good publicity for Braniff. Concorde flights cost about 10 percent more than standard first-class fare; Braniff later removed the surcharge. The domestic flights often had 15 passengers or less while Braniff's [[Boeing 727]] flights were near full despite being ten minutes slower than Concorde. Braniff ended Concorde flights on June 1, 1980.

In spite of the service's less than stellar performance, the cost to Braniff was negligible thanks mainly to the agreements that Braniff negotiated with both British Airways and Air France. Braniff was fully reimbursed for any losses incurred as a result of the interchange agreement. All three carriers entered into the agreement for the purpose of promotion of Concorde in the United States and around the world. This key premise was highly successful. British Airways became concerned at the unprofitable stance that Concorde had taken and as a result of the Braniff interchange critical studies were begun to determine how to make Concorde profitable. The results of these studies found that Concorde must be marketed as an ultra luxury travel experience. Implementation of this program turned the Concorde program into a profitable as well as prestigious venture.<ref name=Nance /><ref name="Braniff Concorde Interchange Agreement">{{cite report |last1=Braniff |first1=Airways, Incorporated |title=Agreement of Interchange Service |date=January 14, 1977 |issue=1 |pages=1–28 }}</ref>

Braniff issued select promotional materials and postcards that presented a Concorde with orange cheat line that began at the tip of nose and continued to the end of tail, white BI logo (designed by Alexander Girard as part of "End of the Plain Plane" campaign in 1965) against orange vertical stabilizer, and 1978 Braniff Ultra Font for "Braniff" below the cheat line. The font was part of Braniff's updated 1978 Ultra livery that removed "INTERNATIONAL" from the name only on Boeing 727 and McDonnell Douglas DC-8-62 aircraft. Braniff's Boeing 747 aircraft continued to carry the "Braniff International" titles in the 1969 Harper and George International Font. However, unlike Singapore Airline's Concorde, none of the Braniff Interchange Concordes were impressed with Braniff livery.

{{Table alignment}}
{| class="wikitable defaultright"
|+ Braniff International Corp. Financial Results, 1972 thru 1981{{sfn|Nance|1984|p=399}}
!
! colspan="7" |Pre-deregulation
! colspan="3" |Post-deregulation
|-
!USD mm
!1972
!1973
!1974
!1975
!1976
!1977
!1978
!1979
!1980
!1981
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
!Op revenue
| 383.9 || 445.6 || 552.4 || 598.9 || 679.7 || 791.2 || 972.1 || 1,346.3 || 1,452.1 || 1,189.0
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
!Op profit(loss)
| 29.3 || 42.6 || 55.8 || 47.4 || 52.1 || 69.0 || 80.2 || (38.4)|| (107.5)|| (94.8)
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
!Net profit(loss)
| 17.2 || 23.2 || 26.1 || 16.0 || 26.4 || 36.6 || 45.2 || (44.3)|| (128.5)|| (156.5)
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
!Operating margin
| 7.6%|| 9.6%|| 10.1%|| 7.9%|| 7.7%|| 8.7%|| 8.2%|| -2.9%|| -7.4%|| -8.0%
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
!Net margin
| 4.5%|| 5.2%|| 4.7%|| 2.7%|| 3.9%|| 4.6%|| 4.7%|| -3.3%|| -8.8%|| -13.2%
|}

===Deregulation and global expansion===

Until 1980, Braniff was one of the fastest-growing and most-profitable airlines in the United States. However, deregulation of the airline industry was introduced in October 1978, and Braniff – as well as many of the United States' major air carriers, especially the smaller National carrier such as Braniff – were caught in a peculiar predicament as a result of the unprecedented change in how airline business was conducted.<ref name=Nance />

Lawrence accurately believed that the answer to deregulation was to expand Braniff's route system dramatically or face an immediate erosion of Braniff's highly profitable routes as a result of unbridled competition from especially the large trunk carriers along with the new low-cost startup carriers. Braniff was surrounded on all sides at Dallas/Ft. Worth, Kansas City, Chicago, Denver, Atlanta and Miami, by the larger carriers, which were poised to immediately begin invading Braniff's long held territory. These large carriers had in abundance what Braniff termed "City Power" which was the ability to use its massive assets to dominate a particular destination. Braniff therefore in response enlarged the domestic network by 50% on December 15, 1978, adding 16 new cities and 32 new routes, which Braniff stated was the "largest single-day increase by any airline in history". The expansion was successful operationally and financially.<ref name=Nance /><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.dmagazine.com/Home/1981/02/01/BAD_TIMES_AT_BRANIFF.aspx |title=Archived copy |access-date=2012-12-12 |archive-date=2013-01-21 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130121191015/http://www.dmagazine.com/Home/1981/02/01/BAD_TIMES_AT_BRANIFF.aspx |url-status=bot: unknown }} ''[[D Magazine]]'', February 1981.</ref><ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Tp0qAAAAIBAJ&sjid=VFsEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4770,5586363&dq=braniff+west-palm+orlando+philadelphia&hl=en "Airline expanding"], [[Associated Press]] in ''[[The Victoria Advocate]]'', November 19, 1978.</ref> Although the expansion of 1978 was successful (by late 1979, Braniff's market share moved significantly for the first time since the 1940s from an average of 4.5 percent to an unprecedented 6.5 percent market share all directly related to the expansion program) it did not stop losses from beginning in late 1979 as a result of unprecedented rises in fuel costs and credit card interest rates of 20 percent and higher, coupled with general economic unrest and an unprecedented drop in load factor of 5 points in the Fourth Quarter due do the significant use of American Airlines and United Airlines discount fare coupons during the holiday travel season. As a result, Braniff reported its first operating loss since the recession of 1970.<ref name=Nance /> The operating loss was $39 million in 1979, then $120M in 1980 and $107M in 1981. The losses in 1980 were directly attributed to Braniff's slip in market share due to the erosion of its bread and butter routes and corresponding feed to the larger carriers such as American Airlines, Delta Airlines and United Airlines.<ref>''World Air Transport Statistics'' (annual IATA report)</ref>

In 1979, international hubs were created in [[Boston]] and [[Los Angeles]] to handle expected increases in travel outside North America while international service was increased from [[Dallas/Fort Worth]]. From Boston and Dallas/Fort Worth, new transatlantic Boeing 747 service to Europe was operated to [[Amsterdam]], [[Brussels]], [[Frankfurt]] and [[Paris]].<ref name="departedflights.com">[http://www.departedflights.com July 1, 1979 Braniff International route map]</ref> From Los Angeles, new nonstop transpacific Boeing 747 service was flown to [[Guam]] and [[Seoul]] with direct, no change of plane 747 flights being operated to [[Hong Kong]] and [[Singapore]]. Load factors on these routes were considerable but with the at times unfair competition Braniff faced from Asian carriers, it pushed Braniff's breakeven point even higher making the routes unsuccessful once coupled with exorbitant fuel costs across the globe and the loss of significant feed from its domestic system due to severe competition from the new startup carriers and the larger mega airlines.<ref>[http://www.departedflights.com October 28, 1979 Braniff International system timetable & June 1, 1980 Braniff International route map]</ref> This international expansion was also planned to have included flights to [[Tokyo]], as well as an "oil run" between Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, and [[Bahrain]]; however, these routes never commenced although service to Bahrain was approved by the US Government in 1979.<ref name=Nance /> Besides standard model 747s, long range [[Boeing 747SP|747SP]]s were acquired as well for these new international flights with the 747 also being operated to South America.<ref>[http://www.departedflights.com October 28, 1979 Braniff International system timetable]</ref> Also in 1979, Braniff began operating nonstop flights between [[Honolulu]] and Guam and Los Angeles as well as one stop service between Honolulu and Hong Kong via Guam in addition to its long running nonstop service between Honolulu and Dallas/Fort Worth.<ref name="departedflights.com"/>

The main impediment to success after Braniff's expansion was fuel cost, which increased 94 percent during 1979, coupled with strong competition from larger carriers in both the Domestic and Asia/Pacific Systems. For the first time in airline history, fuel costs, which doubled in 1979, exceeded labor as the largest operating cost for airlines. Braniff's fuel bill increased from $200 million in 1978 to more than $400 million in 1979, with 25 percent of this increase a result of increased flying but 75 percent was solely due to the rise in fuel costs around the globe.<ref name=Nance />

The expense of the new equipment and the costs associated with the new service and hubs increased Braniff's debt substantially although it was still manageable. However, the driving force behind Braniff's problems were the unprecedented rise in fuel costs, which topped 104-percent increase during 1980 and the erosion the company experienced as large carriers such as United, Delta and American along with new low-cost startups began taking Braniffs key routes that were protected prior to deregulation. This was the fear that Braniff and other small trunk carriers, such as National Airlines, Western Airlines and Continental Airlines had expressed concern about prior to deregulation. It was now coming true for all of these smaller carriers. As an example, Braniff's revenue for 1979 was three times less than American's, which had moved its headquarters to Braniff's hometown, DFW Airport in 1979.

For the first time in history beginning in 1979, the cost of fuel exceeded the cost of labor, which had been the airline industry's largest expense. Braniff's fuel costs rose from nearly US$200 million to US$400 million during 1979 and in spite of this huge increase in costs, the company still managed to implement service to multiple domestic destinations and expand across the Atlantic and Pacific and endure the airline coupon sales gimmicks used by passengers during the fourth quarter of 1979, which caused Braniff to lose 5 percentage points of load factor during the fourth quarter, and still only report a moderate loss of US$39 million. Had Braniff's fuel increased in 1977 by 94-percent the company would have reported a loss of nearly US$100 million, which would have been catastrophic for any airline.<ref name="Braniff Airways"/>

In late 1978 Braniff moved to a sprawling new headquarters, Braniff Place, just inside the western grounds of the airport. The beautiful employee playground/administration/training facility was the first of its kind and was later used as the model for Google and Apple headquarters design.<ref name="GTE">Miller, Robert. "[http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=DM&p_theme=dm&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0ED3CDBC6B1071FF&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM THEIR INSPIRATION OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP WINS HONORS]." ''[[The Dallas Morning News]]''. November 8, 1985. Retrieved on August 17, 2009.</ref> Braniff's decreasing load factors combined with record-breaking fuel cost escalations, unfair and unbridled competition, unprecedented interest rates, and a national recession (the worst since the Great Depression of 1929), produced massive financial shortfalls especially in 1980, which was caused by the severe recession that was affecting travel globally.

Harding Lawrence elected to retire in December 1980, effective January 7, 1981, after nearly 16 years (1965–1981) of service to the company. Dubbed, the last airline maverick, Lawrence oversaw the carrier's rise from a $100 million a year in revenue company to more than $1.4 billion a year in revenue at his retirement.<ref>{{cite news|author=New York Times|title=Harding Lawrence, 81, Airline Chief, Dies|date=January 12, 2002}}</ref>

By 1981, all 747 service to Asia and Europe with the exception of nonstop flights between Dallas/Fort Worth and London had been discontinued although Braniff continued to operate 747s on international service to [[Bogotá]], [[Buenos Aires]] and [[Santiago]] in South America as well as on domestic flights between Dallas/Fort Worth and Honolulu.<ref>[http://www.departedflights.com May 1, 1981 Braniff International route map & 1981 Braniff International advertisement, "Daily 747s Nonstop to Bogota"]</ref>

===John J. Casey becomes president===

On January 7, 1981, the board of directors elected John J. Casey as president, chief executive officer and chairman of Braniff Airways, Inc. and Braniff International Corporation as a replacement to the outgoing and retiring Harding Lawrence. Former Braniff president Russel Thayer was elected as vice chairman of the board, William Huskins as executive vice president, Neal J. Robinson as executive vice president of marketing, and Edson "Ted" Beckwith as executive vice president of finance. Mr. Thayer had been extremely vocal about Braniff's critical position if deregulation were to take effect.<ref name=Cearley />

John Casey expanded Braniff's capacity during the summer of 1981 and traffic increased with a promise of the beginnings of a turnaround. However, an unforeseen strike by the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization ([[Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (1968)|PATCO]]) caused delays and a decrease in traffic that actually enabled the carrier to regroup during the decrease in service. Casey then implemented the Braniff Strikes Back Campaign in the fall of 1981, streamlining the carrier's air fare structure into a simplified two-tier fare system. As part of this campaign, some Boeing 727s were divided into Braniff Premier Service (traditional First Class service) and Coach Class. The remainder of the 727s were all-Coach Class with reduced fares. The campaign was not successful, pushing Braniff's bread-and-butter business travelers over to traditional airlines with First Class on all flights. Braniff had two options prior to deregulation: grow into a larger carrier to possess "city power" at its key hubs or become a low cost carrier. Although, Braniff was considered a low-cost carrier it still possessed a seasoned and unionized work force with medical and pension plans, which were the same overhead costs as the larger trunk carriers. This was the same for Western, National and Continental Airlines.<ref name=Nance />

===Howard Putnam becomes president===

In fall 1981, Braniff Chairman John Casey was told by the Braniff board that a new president needed to be found to try to curb Braniff's mounting losses. Casey met with [[Southwest Airlines]] President Howard A. Putnam and offered him the Braniff executive position. Putnam accepted the offer, but he required that his own financial manager from Southwest Airlines, Philip Guthrie, be allowed to follow him to Braniff.

Howard Putnam implemented a one-fare-structure plan called the Texas Class Campaign. Texas Class created a one-fare, one-service airline domestically and removed First Class from all Braniff aircraft. Only flights to South America, London and Hawaii offered full First Class services. In the program's first month in operation, December 1981, Braniff's revenues dropped from slightly over US$100 million per month to US$80 million. Braniff no longer had the revenue structure to maintain its cash requirements. In January 1982, Braniff recorded its first negative cash flow. Competition throughout the Braniff system, and increased service at [[Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport]] by [[American Airlines]] and [[Delta Air Lines]], both of which operated hubs at [[Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport|DFW]], caused further erosion in revenue.<ref name=Nance />

===Eastern buys South America routes===

In early 1982, Braniff Chairman Howard Putnam decided to sell the Latin American Division. Negotiations had been underway with Pan American World Airways since early 1982, but the Civil Aeronautics Board would not approve sale to Pan Am because it felt that Pan Am would have a monopoly over other American carriers in the region. Pan American responded by offering to jointly lease the routes with Air Florida for three years at a price of US$30 million. Pan American Chairman, and former Braniff International President, [[C. Edward Acker|Ed Acker]] had previously served as Chairman of Air Florida before taking the leadership position at Pan American. The CAB decided that it would not change its position in spite of the joint service application.

Braniff International maintained that it was hemorrhaging cash and that it could not continue to operate the money losing South American system. The normally profitable South America system began losing money when fuel prices expanded in 1979 combined with a significant loss of critical feed at Braniff's US gateway cities, which made the legendary Douglas DC-8-62 four-engine long-range jets uneconomical. Braniff entered into negotiations with [[Eastern Airlines]] to lease the routes to the Miami-based carrier for US$18 million effective June 1, 1982, for one year. On April 26, 1982, the Civil Aeronautics Board approved the Eastern/Braniff lease agreement in a 5–0 unanimous decision. Eastern Chairman Frank Borman reported that Eastern had paid Braniff an initial payment of US$11 million with the remaining seven million USD to be paid at the end of 1982. Eastern initially offered to lease the routes for US$30 million for six years but the CAB denied the request stating that it was too long. Eastern had been trying unsuccessfully to obtain authority to fly to South America since 1938, and would operate 24 weekly flights from Miami, two from New York, and one from New Orleans to west coast South American cities that Braniff mainly served.<ref name=Nance />

Under the agreement Braniff International would retain service to Venezuela and American Airlines would serve Braniff's Brazilian services as required by a bilateral treaty between the United States and Brazil. Approval from South American governments for Eastern's one-year lease of Braniff's routes would not be required according to United States officials. Braniff International lauded the CAB's quick decision as the carrier had stated that because of its tenuous cash position that it might have to shut the routes down if an agreement was not approved. Braniff ceased operations on May 12–13, 1982, and Eastern took over the routes earlier than the planned June 1, 1982, commencement of service date.

Eastern Air Lines had reported losses for 1981 and felt that the purchase of Braniff's South America routes would help, but Eastern's financial condition worsened through the 1980s. Eastern never made a profit with their South American routes, due to the region's [[Latin American debt crisis|delicate financial situation]] at the time. On April 26, 1990, the United States Department of Transportation approved the sale of Eastern Airlines' Latin American routes to American Airlines for US$349 million. Eastern had recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and planned to use the money from the route sale to repay creditors and regain its financial footing. The funds were placed into a special fund controlled by Eastern's creditors who had recently ousted controversial Chairman [[Frank Lorenzo]], who had taken over the 60-year-old aviation legend in 1986.<ref name=Stieghorst>{{cite web|last=Stieghorst|first=Tom|title=U.S. Oks Eastern's Route Sale American Airlines To Pay $349 Million|url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1990-04-27/business/9001050236_1_latin-routes-american-airlines-route-network|work=Sun-Sentinel.com|publisher=Sun Sentinel|access-date=9 May 2014|archive-date=2014-05-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140512214625/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1990-04-27/business/9001050236_1_latin-routes-american-airlines-route-network|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Cessation of air carrier operations in 1982===

On May 11, 1982, Howard Putnam left a courtroom at the Federal Courthouse in Brooklyn, New York City after failing to gain a court injunction to stop a threatened pilot strike (Braniff's pilot union maintains that they were not threatening a strike at this time). However, Putnam was successful in obtaining an extension of time from Braniff's principal creditors until October 1982. The next day, on May 12, Braniff Airways ceased air operations, ending 54 years of air service. Braniff flights at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport that morning were suddenly grounded, and passengers were forced to disembark, being told that Braniff was no longer flying. A thunderstorm provided an excuse to cancel many afternoon flights that day, although Braniff's legendary [[Boeing 747]] Flight 501 to Honolulu departed as scheduled, with the crew later refusing to divert the flight to [[Los Angeles International Airport]]. The flight returned to DFW the following morning, the last scheduled Braniff flight.<ref name="Nance"/>

In the following days Braniff jets at Dallas-Fort Worth sat idle on the apron by Terminal 2W. The [[Douglas DC-8-62]] fleet was flown from Miami to Dallas Love Field and stored until new owners could be found.<ref name=Nance />

However, even though all of Braniff's scheduled and non-scheduled airline operations ceased, all of the company's subsidiaries continued in operation, some for many years. Braniff's maintenance activities at Dallas Love Field continued to serve its non-Braniff customers and oversaw the maintenance of Braniff's grounded fleet at DFW Airport and Love Field. Braniff also continued to operate its Council Rooms, which were VIP passenger lounges, at certain airports including DFW Airport, which were contracted for use by other airlines that operated in Braniff's terminal facilities. Braniff Realty, Inc., continued to operate the Airline's airport facilities including Braniff's Terminal of the Future at Love Field, until it was sold to American Airlines in 1996. Braniff Realty also owned several of Braniff's Boeing 727-200 Trijet airliners, which were later sold as a result of the reorganization of the company in 1983.

Braniff Educations Systems, Inc., met for classes as scheduled on the morning of May 13, 1982, and during the reorganization was sold to [[Frontier Airlines]], Inc., and operated as Braniff Education Systems, Inc., d/b/a as Frontier Services, Inc. In 1985, the company was sold to a private individual in Texas, who operated the entity as Braniff Education Systems, Inc., d/b/a as IATA or International Aviation and Travel Academy, which provided initial pilot training, airline simulator training, maintenance technician training and airline ticket and travel agent training. IATA survived until 2007.

Braniff International Hotels, Inc., also continued in operation, which primarily operated the world famous [[Driskill Hotel]] in Austin, Texas. At one time, Braniff Hotels operated properties throughout the United States and Latin America. Braniff had saved the historic Driskill from demolition in 1973 and purchased the entity outright in February 1975.<ref name="Braniff Driskill Purchase">{{cite journal |last1=Upshaw |first1=Larry |title=Braniff Purchase Driskill Hotel |journal=Braniff Press Release Book |date=February 1975 |issue=2 |page=2}}</ref> The assets of Braniff Hotels were transferred to the new Dalfort Corporation, which was the reorganized company created from Braniff Airways, Incorporated, and Braniff International Corporation, which was financed by the Hyatt Corporation. Eventually, the Driskill was sold to the Lincoln Hotel Corporation in 1985.

With an approved bankruptcy reorganization agreement with Hyatt Corporation a new Braniff, Inc., would be created from the assets of Braniff Airways, Inc. and Braniff International Corporation and would begin operations on March 1, 1984. Howard Putnam stepped down as president of the company with the announcement of the agreement and longtime Braniff International Senior Vice President of Flight Operations Dale R. States, became president of the company until the reorganization into Dalfort Corporation was completed on December 15, 1983.<ref name="Putnam Resigns from Braniff">{{cite news |last1=Agis |first1=Salpukas |title=Reporter |work=The New York Times |date=7 June 1983 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/06/07/business/braniff-chief-to-resign.html }}</ref><ref name="Dale R. States President of Braniff Airways">{{cite web |last1=Douglas B. |first1=Feaver |title=Reporter |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/1983/12/04/focus-will-be-on-service-when-braniff-flies-again/e04da5f6-cd55-49b0-815d-f870d8d3a429/ |website=www.washingtonpost.com |publisher=Washington Post Newspaper}}</ref>

The original airline company continues today as a retail, licensing and branding and hotelier firm. Braniff is one of only two heritage airlines that continues to control its own intellectual property and other assets with Pan Am being the other. Braniff Place World Headquarters, which the carrier occupied until December 15, 1983, on the west side of DFW Airport eventually became [[GTE]] Place, and then [[Verizon]] Place.<ref name="GTE"/><ref>"[http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-12693970_ITM Resorts for rent: Once mainly for top executives, some private conference and training centers with high amenities now welcome outside business as their owners seek ways to break even.]" ''[[Fort Worth Star-Telegram]]''. February 13, 2006. Retrieved on August 17, 2009.</ref>

===Successor organizations===

Former Braniff employees founded Minnesota-based [[Sun Country Airlines]] in 1983. It operated a fleet of [[Boeing 727-200]]s and [[McDonnell Douglas DC-10]]s until 2001 when it filed for bankruptcy. Sun Country then reorganized and currently flies a modern fleet of [[Boeing 737-800]]s.

[[Fort Worth Airlines]] was founded in 1984 by Thomas B. King, a former Braniff vice president; two-thirds of the airline's executives came from Braniff, and even its office furniture was Braniff surplus bought at the airline's bankruptcy liquidation sale. Fort Worth Airlines used 56-seat [[NAMC YS-11]] aircraft and flew to destinations in Oklahoma and Texas, but was unable to operate profitably, ceasing flights and filing for bankruptcy in 1985.<ref name=DejaVu>{{cite news|author=|date=10 March 1985|title=Airline's start-up evokes sense of deja vu |url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F0ED3CD43AAFFFF67&rft_id=info%3Asid%2Finfoweb.newsbank.com&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&svc_dat=AMNEWS&req_dat=1000BC63AFF86032|work=[[The Dallas Morning News]]|location=Dallas, Texas}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Fulton|first=Terry|date=23 September 1985|title=Fort Worth Airlines halts flights, files for Chapter 11|url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F0ED3CD769DF6E3A2&rft_id=info%3Asid%2Finfoweb.newsbank.com&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&svc_dat=AMNEWS&req_dat=1000BC63AFF86032|work=[[The Dallas Morning News]]|location=Dallas, Texas}}</ref>

Two airlines were formed from the assets of Braniff:
*'''[[Braniff (1983–1990)|Braniff, Inc]]''', founded in 1983 by the [[Hyatt]] Corporation under the umbrella corporation Dalfort. The airline adopted a [[Low-cost carrier|low-fare business model]] in 1984, only to collapse in late 1989, a victim of intense fare competition and mounting debts amid a general industry downturn.
*'''[[Braniff (1991–1992)|Braniff International Airlines, Inc.]]''', founded in 1991 by financier [[Jeffrey Chodorow]], whose company BNAir, Inc. purchased the assets of the moribund Braniff, Inc. Plagued by intense competition and by turmoil and malfeasance in its own upper management, the reborn airline dissolved in 1992.

==Braniff today==

In early 2015, the private irrevocable Trust that owned and administered Braniff's intellectual property and certain other company assets since 1983, released the assets to a private entity connected to the private Trust, which founded a series of new Braniff companies that were incorporated in the State of Oklahoma, for historical purposes and for administration of the Braniff trademarks, copyrights and other intellectual property. These companies included Braniff Air Lines, Inc., Paul R. Braniff, Inc., Braniff Airways, Inc., Braniff International Hotels, Inc., and Braniff International Corporation. During 2017 and 2018, some of the original Braniff companies were reinstated for historical purposes and administration of Braniff's intellectual property assets including those of Mid-Continent Airlines, Pan American Grace Airways and Long and Harman Airlines. However, in early 2022, the private Trust that originally owned Braniff's intellectual property since 1983, reacquired these assets along with the original Braniff company and corresponding assets that it had previously owned.<ref name="Braniff Airways"/>

The trademarks, copyrights and other intellectual property of Braniff Airways, Inc., Braniff International Corporation and Braniff, Inc., Mid-Continent Airlines, Inc., and Panagra Pan American Grace Airways and Long and Harman Airlines, Inc., are currently owned by Braniff Airways, Incorporated, of The Braniff Building, 324 North Robinson Avenue, Suite 100, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.<ref name="Braniff Airways"/>

Braniff's mid-century themed travel posters, produced from 1946 to 1964, that depict travel scenes from destinations in Latin America and the U.S. mainland were produced in Lima, Peru, by Braniff's advertising agency. These posters are therefore not placed in the public domain but have instead undergone copyright restoration in the United States. In addition, all of these posters have been marked as official common law trademarks of Braniff Airways, Inc., and they continue as a company trademark infinitely. Richard B. Cass serves as current chairman and CEO of the Braniff companies and the private irrevocable Trust that owns those companies.<ref name="Braniff Airways"/><ref name="Braniff hangar agreement">{{cite web |last1=AP News |title=Dallas-Based Braniff Airways Signs Historic Agreement With the Dallas Cowboys, TAC Air and Reed Enterprises for Braniff Headquarters |url=https://apnews.com/5792e5b41e034a0f9e81cda56d8507b0 |website=www.apnews.com |date=18 December 2021 |publisher=AP News}}</ref>

==Fleet==

Braniff featured one of the youngest and most modern fleets in the industry. A planned retirement of older aircraft in tandem with the addition of approximately eight to ten new jets per year was followed throughout the 1970s. However, at the same time, the company retired four to six older jets each year.

Braniff International operated the following aircraft types during its existence:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aerobernie.bplaced.net/Braniff.html|title=Braniff International fleet|website=aerobernie.bplaced.net|access-date=February 20, 2021}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:0.5em auto; text-align:center"
|+ Braniff International fleet
|-
!Aircraft
!Total
!Introduced
!Retired
! style="width:575px;"|Notes
|-
|[[Aerospatiale-BAC Concorde]]
|10
|1979
|1980
|These aircraft were actually owned by [[Air France]] and [[British Airways]]. Leased and operated by Braniff crews subsonically between Dallas and Washington-Dulles as part of an [[Transport hub|interchange]] agreement for service between Texas and Europe.
|-
|[[BAC One-Eleven|BAC One-Eleven Series 200]]
|14
|1965
|1972
|Fleet was retired in 1972 but one aircraft was converted for executive charter work until 1977
|-
|[[Boeing 707|Boeing 707-138B]]
|4
|1969
|1973
|Purchased, then sold and leased back
|-
|[[Boeing 707|Boeing 707-227]]
|5
|1959
|1971
|Only four were delivered. N7071 crashed during pre-delivery flight at Oso, Washington, October 1959
|-
|[[Boeing 707|Boeing 707-327C]]
|9
|1966
|1973
|
|-
|[[Boeing 720]]
|9
|1961
|1973
|Includes Series -027, 2 Series -048 and 1 Series -022
|-
|[[Boeing 727-100]]
|46
|1966
|1982
|Original order included "Quick Change" (QC) [[combi aircraft]] for transporting both passengers and freight on main deck
|-
|[[Boeing 727-200]]
|79
|1970
|1982
|
|-
|[[Boeing 747-100]]
|4
|1971
|1982
|
|-
|[[Boeing 747-200B]]
|4
|1978
|1982
|
|-
|[[Boeing 747-200C]]
|1
|1979
|1981
|Leased from [[World Airways]]
|-
|[[Boeing 747SP]]
|3
|1979
|1982
|
|-
|[[Convair CV-240]]
|4
|1952
|1953
|
|-
|[[Convair CV-340]]
|26
|1952
|1967
|Some orders were later taken up by [[Ansett Australia|Ansett Airways]]. Two aircraft were retained for maintenance parts runners until 1969.
|-
|[[Convair CV-440]]
|6
|1956
|1966
|
|-
|[[Curtiss C-46 Commando]]
|2
|1955
|1963
|
|-
|[[Douglas C-54 Skymaster]] [[Douglas DC-4]]
|10
|1945
|1954
|Five Model A and five Model B
|-
|[[Douglas DC-2]]
|7
|1937
|1942
|
|-
|[[Douglas DC-3]]
|46
|1939
|1960
|
|-
|[[Douglas DC-6]]
|11
|1947
|1965
|Nine DC-6, 1 DC-6A and 1 DC-6B
|-
|[[Douglas DC-7C]]
|7
|1956
|1966
|
|-
|[[Douglas DC-8|Douglas DC-8-31]]
|4
|1967
|1967
|
|-
|[[Douglas DC-8|Douglas DC-8-51]]
|6
|1973
|1980
|
|-
|[[Douglas DC-8|Douglas DC-8-55CF]]
|1
|1967
|1967
|Leased from [[Douglas Aircraft Company]]
|-
|[[Douglas DC-8|Douglas DC-8-62]]
|10
|1967
|1982
|
|-
|[[Fairchild 71]]
|5
|1929
|1930
|
|-
|[[Fokker F-10|Fokker F-10A]]
|1
|1929
|1930
|
|-
|[[Hamilton H-47]]
|4
|1929
|1930
|
|-
|[[Lockheed Model 10 Electra]]
|7
|1935
|1940
|Used in war service 1940
|-
|[[Lockheed L-049 Constellation]]
|2
|1955
|1959
|Sold in 1960 and 1961
|-
|[[Lockheed L-188A Electra]]
|11
|1959
|1969
|Includes 1 Model C. Only mainline turboprop aircraft type operated by the airline. Fleet sold March 1968 but leased back until April 1969.
|-
|[[Lockheed Vega]]
|12
|1930
|1937
|
|-
|[[Mohawk Pinto]]
|1
|1929
|1930
|
|-
|[[Stinson Detroiter]]
|2
|1928
|1929
|-
|[[Alexander Eagle Rock Longwing]]
|1
|1928
|1929
|
|-
|[[Ryan B-1 Brougham]]
|1
|1928
|1929
|
|-
|[[Travel Air 2000]]
|2
|1928
|1929
|
|-
|[[Travel Air 2000|Travel Air 4000D]]
|1
|1928
|1929
|
|-
|[[Travel Air 2000|Travel Air A6000-A]]
|1
|1928
|1929
|
|-
|[[Travel Air 6000|Travel Air S6000-B]]
|1
|1929
|1930
|Formerly with Paul R. Braniff, Inc., as A6000-A model
|-
|}

==Incidents and accidents==
* '''July 12, 1931''' – A Braniff [[Lockheed Vega|Lockheed DL-1B Vega]] (NC8497) crashed shortly after takeoff from Chicago Airport, killing both pilots.
* '''December 8, 1934''' – A Braniff [[Lockheed Vega]] 5C aircraft, registration NC106W crashed into a road embankment at approximately 5:20am near [[Columbia, Missouri]], killing the pilot and destroying the aircraft. The service was a mail flight between Kansas City and Columbia. The [[Bureau of Air Commerce]] investigation report stated the likely cause was "unexpected icing conditions which made the proper handling of the aircraft impossible".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Aviation_Accident_Report:_1934_Braniff_Airways_crash|title=Aviation Accident Report: 1934 Braniff Airways crash|last=Vidal|first=Eugene|date=April 15, 1935|website=Wikisource|access-date=9 April 2017}}</ref>
* '''December 23, 1936''' – A Braniff [[Lockheed Model 10 Electra]] airliner, registration NC14905, suffered an engine failure during a [[go-around]] while conducting a non-scheduled test flight at [[Dallas Love Field]], [[Dallas, Texas]]; the pilot tried to turn back towards the airfield but lost control, causing the craft to [[spin (flight)|spin]] into the northern shore of [[Bachman Lake]]. The six occupants of the Electra, all Braniff employees, died in the crash and ensuing fire.<ref name="dmn_12-23-36">{{cite news |author=Staff writers |title=Braniff Airways Plane Crashes, Burning Six to Death; Ship Falls on Shore of Bachman's Lake as Motors Fail|work=[[The Dallas Morning News]] |date=1942-10-17}}</ref>
* '''March 26, 1939''' – Braniff Flight 1, operating from Chicago to Brownsville, Texas, crashed on takeoff from Oklahoma City Municipal Air Terminal, today known as [[Will Rogers World Airport]]. Early that March morning, the aircraft, a [[Douglas DC-2]], registration NC13727, suffered an explosion in the left engine that, in turn, caused the engine's cowling to open up, creating serious drag on the left wing. The flight's captain, Claude Seaton, struggled to keep the aircraft stable while turning back for an emergency landing at Oklahoma City. The aircraft's compromised wing hit an embankment on the section line road forming the airport's western boundary and cartwheeled across the ground. Seaton ordered the aircraft's fuel to be cut off, but in vain, as, when the plane came to rest on the ground, fuel came in contact with the still-hot engines and caught fire. Seaton and First Officer Malcolm Wallace were thrown free on impact and survived with serious injuries, which ended the flying career of the captain. Flight attendant Louise Zarr and seven passengers died in the post-crash fire.
* '''March 26, 1952''' – Braniff Flight 65, a Douglas C-54A (N65143), ran off the runway at HAP Airport in Hugoton, Kansas, during an emergency landing following an unexplained fire in the number three engine. All 49 on board survived.
* '''May 15, 1953''' – A Braniff Douglas DC-4 carrying 48 passengers and five crew slid off the end of Runway 36 at Dallas Love Field, crossed Lemmon Avenue, and plowed into an embankment. Despite reportedly heavy automobile traffic on the busy street, no vehicles were struck, and nobody aboard the airliner was seriously injured. The crash was attributed to poor braking action on the rain-slicked runway.
* '''August 22, 1954''' – Braniff Flight 152 crashed 16 mi south of [[Mason City, Iowa]], after encountering windshear in a thunderstorm, killing 12 of 19 on board. The aircraft was a [[Douglas C-47]], registration N61451.
* '''July 17, 1955''' – Braniff Flight 560 crashed at [[Midway International Airport|Chicago–Midway Airport]] after the pilot became disoriented during the approach, killing 22 of 43 on board. The aircraft was a Convair CV-340-22, registration N3422.
* '''March 25, 1958''' – Braniff Flight 971 crashed near [[Miami International Airport]] while attempting to return to the airport after the number three engine caught fire, killing nine of 15 passengers; all five crew survived. The pilot had become preoccupied with the engine fire and failed to maintain altitude. The aircraft was a [[Douglas DC-7|Douglas DC-7C]], registration N5904.
* '''September 29, 1959''' – [[Braniff International Airways Flight 542|Braniff Flight 542]] crashed in [[Buffalo, Texas]], while en route from [[Houston]] to [[Dallas]], and the crash resulted in the deaths of twenty-nine passengers and five crew members. The plane, registration number N9705C, was an 11-day-old [[Lockheed L-188 Electra]]. The Civil Aeronautics Board blamed the crash on [[metal fatigue]] due to the "whirl-mode" prop theory.
* '''October 19, 1959''' – A Braniff [[Boeing 707]] [[1959 Washington Boeing 707 crash|crashed]] in [[Arlington, Washington]]. Although the aircraft was not officially a Braniff aircraft, it was due for delivery the very next day and was already wearing the Braniff logo and colors. The aircraft, a [[Boeing 707-227]], registration number N7071, was on an orientation flight with two Boeing [[test pilot]]s, and two Braniff Captains on board. The Braniff pilot performed a series of [[Dutch roll]]s; however, one of the rolls was executed beyond the maximum bank angle restrictions, resulting in a loss of control. The aircraft recovered from the maneuver, but, during the recovery, three of the engines (number 1, 2 and 4) were torn off. The aircraft crashed along the [[Stillaguamish River]] northeast of Arlington. The two pilots in the cockpit did not survive the emergency landing, the other two pilots who were sitting in the tail section did. A bare patch in the trees along the north bank of the river still exists today.
* '''September 14, 1960''' – An airline maintenance inspector lost control of a Braniff International Airways Douglas DC-7C during a taxi test and crashed into the Braniff Operations and Maintenance Base hangar at high speed. The inspector died and five of the six mechanics aboard were injured. The aircraft brakes were set to bypass mode and braking action was not available when it was needed.
* '''November 14, 1961''' – A Braniff DC-7C (N5905) was written off following a ground fire at Dallas Love Field.
* '''August 6, 1966''' – [[Braniff International Airways Flight 250|Braniff Flight 250]] crashed near [[Falls City, Nebraska]], en route from [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]] to [[Omaha, Nebraska|Omaha]] after encountering severe thunderstorms in flight. Thirty-eight passengers and four crew members were killed in the crash. The plane was a [[BAC One-Eleven|BAC One-Eleven 203]], registration N1553.
* '''May 3, 1968''' – [[Braniff International Airways Flight 352|Braniff Flight 352]] crashed in [[Dawson, Texas]] while en route to [[Dallas]] from [[Houston]], killing eighty passengers and five crew members. The plane was a [[Lockheed L-188 Electra|Lockheed Electra II]], registration N9707C. The crash was caused by the pilot's decision to enter an area of severe thunderstorms, and the aircraft suffered stresses beyond its design limits and broke apart.
* '''July 2, 1971''' – Braniff Flight 14, a Boeing 707 flying from Acapulco to New York with 102 passengers and a crew of eight was hijacked on approach to a refueling stop in San Antonio, Texas. After a refueling stop in Monterrey, the hijackers released flight attendants Jeanette Eatman Crepps, Iris Kay Williams, and Anita Bankert Mayer and all of the passengers. The remaining crew of Captain Dale Bessant, Bill Wallace, Phillip Wray, and flight attendants Ernestina Garcia and Margaret Susan Harris flew on to Lima. The hijackers, a U.S. Navy deserter named Robert Jackson and his female Guatemalan companion, demanded and received ransom of $100,000 and wanted to go to Algeria. The Bessant crew was released, one by one, and replaced by a volunteer crew of Captain Al Schroeder, Bill Mizell, Bob Williams and Navigator Ken McWhorter. Two Lima-based employees, Delia Arizola and Clorinda Ortoneda, volunteered to board the flight. Arizola had been retired 6 months but still offered her services. The 707 left for Rio and planned to refuel but the hijackers forced them on to Buenos Aires. The long flight and fatigue took its toll and the hijackers gave up. The incident was a record for long-distance hijacking, over 7,500 miles, and lasted 43 hours.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Polgar |first1=Thomas |title=Assignment: Skyjacker |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/kent-csi/vol16no3/html/v16i3a02p_0001.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100327044614/https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/kent-csi/vol16no3/html/v16i3a02p_0001.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 27, 2010 |website=Central Intelligence Agency |publisher=United States Government |access-date=26 September 2019 |date=2011}}</ref>
* '''January 12, 1972''' – Braniff Flight 38, a Boeing 727, was hijacked as it departed Houston bound for Dallas. The lone armed hijacker, Billy Gene Hurst Jr., allowed all 94 passengers to deplane after landing at Dallas Love Field but continued to hold the seven crew members hostage, demanding to fly to South America and asking for US$2 million, parachutes, and jungle survival gear, among other items. After a six-hour standoff, the entire crew secretly fled while Hurst was distracted examining the contents of a package delivered by Dallas police. Police officers stormed the craft shortly afterwards and arrested Hurst without serious incident.

== See also ==

* [[List of defunct airlines of the United States]]

==References==

{{reflist}}

==External links==

{{Commons category|Braniff}}
* [https://www.braniffInternational.com/ braniffinternational.com] Official Company Website
* [https://www.braniffboutique.com/ Braniff Boutique] Official Company Store
* [http://www.braniffairwaysfoundation.org/ Braniff Airways Foundation]
* [https://www.facebook.com/pages/Braniff-Flying-Colors/405906479478663 Braniff Flying Colors Historical Page]
* [http://www.bethlevineshoes.com/ Beth Levine Shoes Historical Website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100905045606/http://www.bethlevineshoes.com/ |date=2010-09-05 }}
* [http://www.braniffinternational.com/calder.html] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200115140449/http://www.braniffinternational.com/calder.html |date=2020-01-15 }} Alexander Calder 'flying colors' paint schemes
* [http://airtimes.com/cgat/usa/braniff/gal/bngal30.htm Airtimes.com] Extensive Braniff Timetable Archive
* [http://timetableimages.com/ttimages/bn.htm] has many Braniff timetables from 1931 to 1968, showing where they flew, how often, how long it took and how much it cost.

{{Portal bar|United States|Companies|Aviation|1980s}}
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{{Legacy carrier}}
{{Airlines of the United States}}
{{Defunct airlines of the United States}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Braniff]]
[[Category:Airlines established in 1928]]
[[Category:Airlines established in 1929]]
[[Category:Airlines established in 1930]]
[[Category:Airlines established in 2015]]
[[Category:Airlines disestablished in 1982]]
[[Category:Companies based in Dallas]]
[[Category:Companies based in Oklahoma City]]
[[Category:American companies established in 1928]]
[[Category:American companies established in 1929]]
[[Category:American companies established in 1930]]
[[Category:1982 disestablishments in the United States]]
[[Category:1928 establishments in Oklahoma]]
[[Category:1929 establishments in Oklahoma]]
[[Category:1930 establishments in Oklahoma]]
[[Category:2015 establishments in Oklahoma]]
[[Category:American companies disestablished in 1982]]
[[Category:Airlines based in Texas]]

Continental Airlines

2025-06-29T09:59:28Z

182.232.34.176:

{{Short description|Defunct airline of the United States (1934–2012)}}
{{distinguish|text=[[Continental Airways]] of Russia}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2013}}
{{Infobox airline
| airline = Continental Airlines
| logo = Continental Airlines Logo.svg
| logo_size =
| image = Boeing 777-224(ER), Continental Airlines JP6449637.jpg
| IATA = CO
| ICAO = COA
| callsign = CONTINENTAL
| founded = {{start date|1934|05|}} {{small|(as ''[[Varney Speed Lines]]'')}}
| commenced = {{start date|1937|07|08}} {{small|(as ''[[Varney Speed Lines]]'')}}<ref name="NAAH">{{Cite book|last=Norwood|first=Tom|author2=Wegg, John|title=North American Airlines Handbook|publisher=Airways International|location=Sandpoint, Idaho|year=2002|edition=3rd|isbn=0-9653993-8-9|url=http://www.airwaysnews.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161128070750/http://airwaysnews.com/|archive-date=November 28, 2016|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
| ceased = {{end date|2012|03|03}} {{small|(merged into [[United Airlines]])}}<ref name="Peterson"/>
| traded_as = {{NYSE was|CAL}}
| aoc = CALA014A<ref>{{cite web|url=http://av-info.faa.gov/detail.asp?DSGN_CODE=CALA&OPER_FAR=121&OPER_NAME=CONTINENTAL+AIRLINES+INC|title=Federal Aviation Administration – Airline Certificate Information – Detail View|publisher=Av-info.faa.gov|access-date=May 3, 2010|archive-date=June 23, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170623074427/http://av-info.faa.gov/detail.asp?DSGN_CODE=CALA&OPER_FAR=121&OPER_NAME=CONTINENTAL+AIRLINES+INC|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| bases =
| hubs = {{ubl|class=nowrap
| [[Cleveland Hopkins International Airport|Cleveland]] {{small|(1987–2012)}}
| [[Stapleton International Airport|Denver–Stapleton]] {{small|(1957–1995)}}
| [[El Paso International Airport|El Paso]] {{small|(1934–1982)}}
| [[Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport|Guam]] {{small|(1968–2010)}}
| [[George Bush Intercontinental Airport|Houston–Intercontinental]] {{small|(1982–2012)}}
| [[Los Angeles International Airport|Los Angeles]] {{small|(1962–1983)}}
| [[Newark Liberty International Airport|Newark]] {{small|(1987–2012)}}
| [[Washington Dulles International Airport|Washington–Dulles]] {{small|(1987–1989)}}}}
| frequent_flyer = [[OnePass]]
| alliance = {{ubl|class=nowrap
| [[SkyTeam]] {{small|(2004–2009)}}
| [[Star Alliance]] {{small|(2009–2012)}}
| [[Wings Alliance]]}}
| destinations = 262
| parent = {{ubl|class=nowrap
| [[Texas Air Corporation]] {{small|(1981–1991)}}
| [[United Continental Holdings]] {{small|(2010–2012)}}}}
| subsidiaries = {{ubl|class=nowrap
| [[Chelsea Food Services]]
| [[Continental Air Services, Inc]] {{small|(1965–1975)}}
| [[Continental Connection]] {{small|(1986–2012)}}
| [[Continental Express]] {{small|(1986–2012)}}
| [[Continental Lite]] {{small|(1993–1995)}}
| [[Continental Micronesia]] {{small|(1968–2010)}}}}
| fleet_size = 350
| headquarters = {{ubl|class=nowrap
| [[El Paso, Texas]] {{small|(1934–1937)}}
| [[Denver, Colorado]] {{small|(1937–1963)}}
| [[Los Angeles, California]] {{small|(1963–1982)}}
| [[Houston, Texas]] {{small|(1982–2012)}}}}
| founders = {{ubl|class=nowrap
| [[Walter Varney]]
| Louis Mueller }}
| key_people = {{ubl|class=nowrap
| [[Robert Six]] {{small|([[Chief executive officer|CEO]]; 1936–1981)}}
| [[Frank Lorenzo]] {{small|(Texas Air owner)}}
| [[Jeff Smisek]]
| [[Gordon Bethune]]
| [[Larry Kellner]]}}
}}

'''Continental Airlines''' (simply known as '''Continental''') was a [[trunk carrier]], a scheduled airline in the United States that operated from 1934 until it merged with [[United Airlines]] in 2012. It had ownership interests and brand partnerships with several carriers.

Continental started out as one of the smaller carriers in the United States, known for its limited operations under the regulated era that provided very fine, almost fancy, service against the larger majors in important point-to-point markets, the largest of which was Chicago/Los Angeles. However, deregulation in 1978 changed the competitive landscape and realities, as noted by Smithsonian Airline Historian [[R. E. G. Davies]], "Unfortunately, the policies that had been successful for more than forty years under [Robert] Six's cavalier style of management were suddenly laid bare as the cold winds of airline deregulation changed all the rules—specifically, the balance between revenues and expenditures."<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Davies|first=R. E. G.|title=Rebels and Reformers of the Airways|publisher=Smithsonian|year=1987|isbn=0874743540|pages=143}}</ref>

In 1981, [[Texas International Airlines]] acquired a controlling interest in Continental. The companies were merged in 1982, moved to Houston, and grew into one of the country's largest carriers despite facing financial and labor issues, eventually becoming one of the more successful airlines in the United States.

Continental and [[United Airlines]] merged in an $8.5 billion all-stock merger of equals on October 1, 2010. Continental's shareholders received 1.05 per share in United stock for each Continental share they owned. Upon completion of the acquisition, UAL Corporation changed its name to United Continental Holdings.<ref name="Peterson">{{cite news|last=Peterson|first=Kyle|title=United gets FAA single operating certificate|url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/us-unitedcontinental-idUKTRE7AT1JP20111130|agency=Reuters UK|date=November 30, 2011|access-date=July 5, 2021|archive-date=March 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200307135338/https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-unitedcontinental-idUKTRE7AT1JP20111130|url-status=dead}}</ref> During the integration period, each airline ran a separate operation under the direction of a combined leadership team, based in [[Chicago]].<ref>[http://www.unitedcontinentalholdings.com/index.php?section=about United Continental Holdings, Inc] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150220132344/http://www.unitedcontinentalholdings.com/index.php?section=about |date=February 20, 2015}}. Unitedcontinentalholdings.com. Retrieved on December 16, 2010.</ref> The integration was completed on March 3, 2012. Although the merged airline retained the United name, it uses Continental's operating certificate and livery. On June 27, 2019, United changed its parent company name from United Continental Holdings to [[United Airlines Holdings]].<ref name="bloomberg.com">{{cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-06-27/united-airlines-strips-continental-from-parent-company-s-name|title=United Airlines Strips 'Continental' from parent company's name|agency=[[Bloomberg News]]|date=June 27, 2019|access-date=29 June 2019|archive-date=June 29, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190629160326/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-06-27/united-airlines-strips-continental-from-parent-company-s-name|url-status=live}}</ref>

==History==
===Early history===
[[File:Walter T. Varney, founder of United and Continental Airlines, 1921.jpg|thumb|Walter T. Varney, founder of predecessors of [[United Airlines]] and Continental Airlines, 1921]]
[[File:Continental-Pioneer Route Network 1955.png|thumb|right|1955 Continental and [[Pioneer Air Lines|Pioneer]] networks per the [[Civil Aeronautics Board]] case approving the merger]]
[[Varney Speed Lines]] (named after one of its initial owners, [[Walter T. Varney]], who was also a founder of [[United Airlines]]) was formed in 1934, operating [[airmail]] and passenger services in the [[American Southwest]] over a route originating from [[El Paso, Texas|El Paso]] and extending through [[Albuquerque, New Mexico|Albuquerque]], [[Santa Fe, New Mexico|Santa Fe]], and [[Las Vegas, New Mexico]], to [[Pueblo, Colorado]]. The airline commenced operations with the [[Lockheed Vega]], a single-engine plane that carried four passengers.<ref name="Serling">Serling, Robert J., ''Maverick: The story of Robert Six and Continental Airlines'' ({{ISBN|0-385-04057-1}}), Doubleday & Company, 1974.</ref>{{Page needed|date=August 2010}} Varney was awarded a 17-cent-rate airmail contract between Pueblo and El Paso; it carried passengers as a sideline. Following [[Air Mail scandal|cancellation of all domestic airmail contracts]] by the [[Franklin D. Roosevelt|Roosevelt]] administration in 1934, [[Robert F. Six]] learned of an opportunity to buy into the Southwest Division of Varney Speed Lines which needed money to handle its newly won Pueblo-El Paso route. Six was introduced to Louis Mueller (who would serve as chairman of the board of Continental until February 28, 1966). Mueller had helped found the Southwest Division of Varney in 1934 with Walter T. Varney. As an upshot of all this, Six bought into the airline with US$90,000 and became general manager on July 5, 1936. The carrier was renamed Continental Air Lines (later changed to "Airlines") on July 8, 1937. Six relocated the airline's headquarters to Denver Union (later Stapleton) Airport in [[Denver]] in October 1937.<ref name="Serling"/><ref name="Davies">Davies, R.E.G., Continental Airlines: the first fifty years, 1934–1984, Pioneer Publications, 1984.</ref>{{Page needed|date=August 2010}} Six changed the name to "Continental" because he wanted the airline name to reflect his desire to have the airline fly all directions throughout the United States.<ref name="COFacts">"[http://magazine.continental.com/200907-continental-facts Continental Facts] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100719164330/http://magazine.continental.com/200907-continental-facts |date=July 19, 2010}}." [[Continental (magazine)|''Continental'' magazine]]. July 2009. Retrieved on February 8, 2010.</ref>

During World War II, Continental's Denver maintenance base converted [[Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress]]es, [[Boeing B-29 Superfortress]]es and [[North American P-51 Mustang]]s for the [[United States Army Air Forces]]. Profits from military transportation and aircraft conversion enabled Continental to contemplate expansion and acquisition of new airliners after the war.<ref name="Serling" /> Among those were the [[Douglas DC-3]], the [[Convair 240]] and the [[Convair 340]]. The Convairs were Continental's first [[Cabin pressurization|pressurized]] airliners.<ref name="Serling" /><ref name="Davies" /> The airline's early route was [[El Paso]] to Albuquerque and Denver, with routes being added during the war from Denver, Albuquerque, and El Paso eastward across Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas. In 1946 Continental flew Denver to Kansas City, Wichita, Tulsa, and to Oklahoma City, and from El Paso and Albuquerque to San Antonio. Each route included stops in several of 22 smaller cities.

In the early 1950s, Continental began several interchange routes with American, Braniff, and United Airlines. Routes were operated on American from Los Angeles and San Francisco to El Paso continuing onto Continental's route to San Antonio and Houston. Continental's Denver to Kansas City route would interchange onto St. Louis with Braniff Airways and United's routes from Seattle and Portland to Denver would interchange with Continental's routes onto Wichita and Tulsa. These interchange routes continued for many years until Continental was able to secure routes of its own between each city.

In 1955, Continental merged with [[Pioneer Air Lines]], gaining access to 16 more cities in Texas and New Mexico. In August 1953, Continental flew to 35 airports and Pioneer flew to 19, but Continental's network didn't reach beyond Denver, El Paso, Houston and Kansas City until April 1957 when it started Chicago-Denver-Los Angeles, two [[Douglas DC-7]]Bs a day each way. Pioneer's Executive Vice President [[Harding Lawrence|Harding Luther Lawrence]] arrived at Continental as a result of the merger. Bob Six commented on more than one occasion that, "the reason we bought Pioneer was to get Harding." Harding Lawrence implemented several innovative changes at Continental as well as a flamboyant advertising campaign during his ten years as Six's protege. During Lawrence's tenure Continental grew by 500 percent. Lawrence left Continental in April 1965 to head [[Braniff Airways]].<ref name=UPI>{{cite web|work=United Press International|title=Airline Pioneer Harding Lawrence Dies|url=http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2002/01/17/Airline-pioneer-Harding-Lawrence-dies/UPI-69351011319865/|date=17 January 2002|access-date=27 June 2013|archive-date=December 13, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141213190242/http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2002/01/17/Airline-pioneer-Harding-Lawrence-dies/UPI-69351011319865/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Six petitioned the [[Civil Aeronautics Board]] (CAB) for longer routes to larger cities, hoping to transform the regional into a trunkline like [[United Airlines]], [[TWA]], and [[American Airlines]]. He was discussing with [[Boeing]] for Continental to become one of the first to operate the soon-to-be-launched [[Boeing 707|707]]. The timing was crucial, since new routes would justify the 707s, and vice versa.<ref name="Serling" /><ref name="Davies" />

===1960s===
[[File:Robert F. Six, Chairman-CEO, Continental Airlines, 1978.jpg|thumb|[[Robert F. Six]], chairman-CEO, Continental Airlines, 1936–1981]]

Continental Airlines had seen a broad expansion of its routes, thanks to a responsive CAB and persistent efforts by Six and Executive Vice President [[Harding Lawrence]] (who came to Continental in the Pioneer merger), who both frequently referred to his company as "the Airline that needs to grow."<ref name="Serling"/><ref name="Scott">Christian, J. Scott, former Continental employee and manager, Bring Songs to the Sky: Recollections of Continental Airlines, 1970–1986, Quadran Press, 1998.</ref>{{Page needed|date=August 2010}} In 1958 Continental began turboprop flights with the [[Vickers Viscount]] on the new medium-haul routes. The British-manufactured Viscount four engine turboprop, which Continental referred to as the "Jet Power Viscount II", was the first turbine powered aircraft operated by the airline with Continental claiming it was "First in the west with jet-power flights".<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Jet Power Viscount II |url=https://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/co/co58/co58-1.jpg |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230309222827/https://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/co/co58/co58-1.jpg |archive-date=2023-03-09}}</ref><ref>''Maverick: The Story of Robert Six and Continental Airlines'' by Robert J. Serling, page 128, published in 1974 by Doubleday & Company, Inc.</ref> The CAB permitted Continental to drop service at many smaller cities, enabling the carrier's new aircraft to operate more economically on longer flights. In 1960 Continental flew more than three times the passenger-miles it had in 1956. (''Aviation Week'' June 22, 1959: "Continental's current re-equipment program—involving a total cost of $64 million for the Boeings, Viscounts and DC-7Bs—was launched in 1955 when the carrier's net worth amounted to $5.5 million.")

During the late 1950s and early 1960s, Six was the airline industry's leading lower-fare advocate. He predicted that increased traffic, not higher fares, was the answer to the airline industry's problems. To amazement from the industry, he introduced the [[Economy class#Airlines|economy fare]] on the Chicago-Los Angeles route in 1962. He later pioneered a number of other low or discount fares which made air travel available to many who could not previously afford it. One of Continental's early innovations was a system-wide economy excursion fare which cut the standard coach fares by more than 25%.<ref name="Serling"/>{{Page needed|date=August 2010}} Continental took delivery of the first of five 707-124s in spring 1959, and started Chicago-Los Angeles nonstop on June 8.<ref name="Scott" /> Having so few jets, Continental needed radical innovations to the 707 maintenance program. It developed the "progressive maintenance" program, which enabled Continental to fly its 707 fleet seven days a week, achieving greater aircraft utilization than any other jet operator in the industry.<ref name="Serling"/>{{Page needed|date=August 2010}} Six, not being satisfied with 707 service, introduced innovations and luxe cuisine on Continental's 707 flights which were described as, "... nothing short of luxurious" by the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', and, "... clearly, the finest in the airline industry" by the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''.<ref name="Scott" />

[[File:Boeing 707-124 (Continental Airlines) LAX.jpg|thumb|[[Boeing 707]] at Los Angeles, 1967]]
In the early 1960s, Continental added flights from Los Angeles to Houston, nonstop as well as via Phoenix, Tucson, El Paso, Midland-Odessa, Austin, and/or San Antonio. In 1963, the company headquarters moved from Denver to Los Angeles.<ref name="Serling"/><ref name="Davies"/>{{Page needed|date=August 2010}} By late 1963, Continental had discontinued service to most of its smaller cities in Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas with the exception of Lawton, OK and Wichita Falls, TX which continued operating with DC-9 and 727 jets until 1977. Total passenger-miles in 1967 were more than five times greater than in 1960, but 61% of the 1967 total was on unscheduled flights (mostly transpacific charters). During the late 1960s the company disposed of the last of its turboprop and piston-powered aircraft—one of the first U.S. airlines to do so.<ref name="Davies" /> Continental replaced the Viscount fleet with [[Douglas DC-9-10]]s and then added [[Boeing 727-100]]s and [[727-200]]s. The DC-9 and 727 were to become the workhorses of the fleet from the late 1960s.<ref name="Davies" /> The DC-9s were phased out by the late 1970s (although the type reappeared after mergers in the 1980s with an example being [[Texas International Airlines]] DC-9s which were added to the CO fleet); the 727-200 was the mainstay of its narrow-body fleet until the late 1980s. In 1968 a new [[livery]] was launched: orange and gold cheatlines on a white fuselage; and a black "jetstream" logo (by Six's friend, the noted graphic designer [[Saul Bass]]) on the iconic "Golden Tails" of the airline's aircraft. The slogans adopted in 1968 and used for more than a decade were, "The Airline That Pride Built" and, "The Proud Bird with the Golden Tail".<ref name="Serling" /><ref name="Scott" /> 1960s saw international routes awarded to Continental (to New Zealand and Australia) in the Transpacific Case, but they were cancelled by the Nixon Administration.

[[File:Continental Airlines B737-200 N7381F.jpg|thumb|right|Boeing 737-200 with 1968–1991 "meatball" logo and livery designed by [[Saul Bass]]]]
During the [[Vietnam War]], Continental provided extensive cargo and troop transportation for [[United States Army]] and [[United States Marine Corps|Marine Corps]] forces to Asian and the Pacific bases. Continental's long range [[Boeing 707-324C]]s were the most common non-military aircraft transiting [[Saigon]] [[Tan Son Nhat]] airport;<ref name="Scott" /> in 1967, 39% of CO's passenger-miles were on scheduled flights. With Continental's experience in Pacific operations, the carrier formed subsidiary [[Air Micronesia]] in May 1968, inaugurating [[island hopping]] routes between [[Yap]]/[[Saipan]]/[[Guam]], [[Majuro]], Rota, [[Chuuk International Airport|Truk]], Ponape ([[Pohnpei]]) and Honolulu.<ref name="Serling" /> "Air Mike", as it was known, initially operated with [[Boeing 727|Boeing 727-100]] aircraft with open-ocean survival gear, doppler radar, and a large complement of spare parts (including tires).<ref name="Serling" /> A senior mechanic flew on every Air Mike flight until the late 1970s. Air Micronesia operated as subsidiary [[Continental Micronesia]] until 2010. In September 1969, Continental began flights from Los Angeles to Honolulu/Hilo and one month later from Albuquerque to Chicago, San Antonio, and San Francisco. In 1970, Continental was awarded routes from Seattle and Portland to San Jose, Hollywood-Burbank Airport, and Ontario, California—all of them growing markets.<ref name="Serling" />

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Revenue passenger-miles (millions) (sched flights only)
|-
! !! Continental !! Pioneer
|- style="text-align:right;"
! scope="row" | 1951
| 106 || 42
|- style="text-align:right;"
! scope="row" | 1955
| 221 || 11
|- style="text-align:right;"
! scope="row" | 1960
| 885 || (Merged April 1, 1955)
|- style="text-align:right;"
! scope="row" | 1965
| 1,386 ||
|- style="text-align:right;"
! scope="row" | 1970
| 4,434 ||
|- style="text-align:right;"
! scope="row" | 1975
| 6,356 ||
|}

In 1963, Continental denied employment to African-American pilot and Air Force veteran, [[Marlon Green|Marlon D. Green]]. A [[United States Supreme Court]] decision allowed a [[Colorado]] anti-discrimination law to be applied to his case against Continental.<ref>[http://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/372/714/case.html U.S. Supreme Court, ''COLORADO COMM'N v. CONTINENTAL, 372 U.S. 714'' (1963)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025224934/http://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/372/714/case.html |date=October 25, 2012 }} ''372 U.S. 714 COLORADO ANTI-DISCRIMINATION COMMISSION ET AL. v. CONTINENTAL AIR LINES, INC.'' CERTIORARI TO THE SUPREME COURT OF COLORADO. No. 146. Argued March 28, 1963. Decided April 22, 1963.</ref> Green flew with Continental for 13 years from 1965 until his retirement in 1978.<ref name="COFacts"/> His employment paved the way for the hiring of ethnic-minority pilots by all U.S. carriers, an industry milestone which was finally realized in 1977 after [[Southern Airways]] hired their first minority pilot.

===1970s===
At Six's insistence, Continental (with [[Pan American World Airways|Pan Am]] and [[Trans World Airlines]]) was one of the three launch airlines for the [[Boeing 747]]. On June 26, 1970, Continental became the second carrier (after TWA) to put the 747 into U.S. domestic service. Its upper-deck first class lounge and main deck "Polynesian Pub" won awards worldwide for the most refined cabin interior among all airlines, as did meal services developed by Continental's Cordon Bleu-trained executive chef, Lucien DeKeyser.<ref name="Scott" /> Continental's 747 services from Chicago and Denver to Los Angeles and Honolulu set the standard for service in the western U.S.<ref name="Serling" /><ref name="Scott" /> On June 1, 1972, Continental's widebody [[McDonnell Douglas DC-10|DC-10]] service began. Six had insisted that Continental place a large order for DC-10s with manufacturer [[McDonnell Douglas]]. This decision again proved prescient, since the publicity associated with Continental's splashy 747 service Chicago-Denver-Los Angeles-Honolulu had stimulated increased market share and increased traffic for all carriers. Denver, Houston and Seattle were growing rapidly in the 1970s; the DC-10s took over most flights between Denver and Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston and Seattle, and between Houston and Los Angeles.<ref name="Serling" /><ref name="Scott" />

[[File:Boeing 727-224 N32718 CO ORD 19.02.78 edited-3.jpg|thumb|right|[[Boeing 727|Boeing 727-224]] at [[Chicago O'Hare Airport]] in 1978]]
During the 1970s, Denver served as the airline's main hub. The 747s were focused on the Chicago-Los Angeles-Honolulu routes, with one daily round trip through Denver. The DC-10s served large markets (Los Angeles to Chicago, Denver, Houston and Honolulu; and from Denver to Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle and Houston). DC-9s and 727s predominated elsewhere and added frequencies on DC-10 routes.<ref name="Scott" /> Next to [[Braniff]], Continental operated fewer aircraft types (four: the 747, DC-10, 727-200, and [[McDonnell Douglas DC-9|DC-9-10]]) during this period than any U.S. trunkline, affording savings in parts, maintenance, and crew training.<ref name="Scott" /> The DC-10 enabled the airline to capitalize on traffic growth in the west. Continental saw market share grow annually in each DC-10 market through the 1970s, until relative market parity was achieved with United, the principal competitor on most of the DC-10 routes. The same innovations introduced on the 747s appeared on Continental's DC-10s, including the "Polynesian Pub", but after the [[1973 oil crisis]] more seats were needed and the DC-10 pubs were removed.<ref name="Scott" /> Continental phased out its 747s in 1978 in favor of the DC-10s (747s would return to Continental during the Lorenzo era, flying Newark to London and Paris). From the mid-1970s until it merged with Texas International, Continental operated only DC-10s, 727-100s, and 727-200s.

From 1961 to 1982, Continental was headquartered at the west end of the [[Los Angeles International Airport]] on World Way West. The facility included the general offices, system operations control, the central maintenance facility, flight kitchen, and Los Angeles crew bases.<ref name="Serling" /><ref name="Scott" />{{Page needed|date=August 2010}}<ref>''World Airline Directory''. Flight International. March 20, 1975.[http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1975/1975%20-%200546.html 482] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120303073909/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1975/1975%20-%200546.html |date=March 3, 2012 }}.</ref>

[[File:Continental 747., Los Angeles, 1987.jpg|thumb|Continental [[Boeing 747]] at Los Angeles in 1987]]
In 1974, after years of delays and legal proceedings, Continental started flights between Houston and Miami, and on May 21, 1976, Continental was authorized to operate long-sought routes between San Diego and Denver. President [[Jimmy Carter]] and Civil Aeronautics Board chairman [[Alfred E. Kahn|Alfred Kahn]] had been promoting deregulation of the airline industry, which would dissolve the CAB and for the first time in industry history allow U.S. carriers to determine without government supervision where they would fly, and how much they could charge. Continental began flights from Denver to Miami/Ft. Lauderdale and Tampa/St. Petersburg in Florida. That year, President Carter authorized Continental to begin daily round trips between [[Air Micronesia]] destination [[Saipan]] and Japan, and approved a route for Continental from Los Angeles to Australia via [[Honolulu]], [[American Samoa]], Fiji, New Zealand and Australia. The South Pacific service began May 1, 1979.<ref name="Davies" /><ref name="Scott" />{{Page needed|date=August 2010}} After the 1978 passage of the [[Airline Deregulation Act]] Continental embarked on a route expansion. October 1978 saw Continental begin flights from the New York area airports to Houston and Denver, and from Denver to [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]].<ref name="Scott" /> That month Continental started DC-10 flights between Los Angeles and [[Taipei]], via Honolulu and [[Guam]]. Service between Houston and Washington, D.C., began in January 1979. In June 1979 Continental linked Denver with Washington, D.C., Las Vegas, San Francisco and San Jose and also began Houston-Tampa service.<ref name="Scott" /> The airline suffered in 1979 when the DC-10 was grounded nationwide following the crash of [[American Airlines Flight 191]]. Continental Airlines only operated the DC-10 and the 727 at the time, so flights to Hawaii were cancelled during the grounding. By the time of the Texas Air Corp. acquisition in 1981, Continental's post-deregulation growth had allowed it to penetrate every major U.S. airline market (and all of the regional markets) from the hubs in Denver and Houston, with the corresponding expansion of facilities at both of these airports. But that growth came at the cost of continuing losses. In Denver, Continental's rapid growth provided the final impetus for the construction of the new [[Denver International Airport]], which would be completed almost fifteen years later.<ref name="Davies" /><ref name="Scott" />{{Page needed|date=August 2010}}

[[File:Continental Airlines DC-10-10 N68042.jpg|thumb|left|Continental DC-10 at Narita Airport, Japan]]
While deregulation allowed Continental to expand into new areas, it hurt the company's existing business as consumers were for the first time able to choose lower fares over Continental's better service. In 1978 Continental and [[Western Airlines]], which held a nearby headquarters and similar fleet, began a nearly three-year attempt to merge.<ref name="Scott" /> [[File:Continental DC-10 model from Western merger.jpg|thumb|DC-10 model used in announcement of planned Continental–Western merger]] The route systems would have been complementary, with little overlap; although they both served the Western states, Continental had strength in Hawaii, southern-tier and the [[Great Plains]] states; Western's strengths were in the California intrastate market, Alaska, Mexico, and the [[Intermountain West]]. Both airlines served the [[Pacific Northwest]] and [[Rocky Mountain]] states, but along different routes from Los Angeles, Denver, San Francisco, Seattle and Phoenix. The merger attempt failed when Texas Air Corporation interceded with its acquisition of Continental.<ref name="Davies" /><ref name="Scott" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite news|last=Barrett|first=William|date=March 1987|title=Top Gun: Frank Lorenzo Aced the Competition, But Can His Airline Stay Number One?|work=Texas Monthly|url=https://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/top-gun/|access-date=August 19, 2020|archive-date=August 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200812154747/https://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/top-gun/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=March 4, 1981|title=Texas International asks Continental shareholders for proxie.|work=United Press International|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1981/03/04/Texas-International-asks-Continental-shareholders-for-proxie/6991352530000/|access-date=August 19, 2020|archive-date=September 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916155418/https://www.upi.com/Archives/1981/03/04/Texas-International-asks-Continental-shareholders-for-proxie/6991352530000/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Whitkin|first=Richard|date=March 4, 1981|title=Texas Air Bids to Get Continental|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/02/10/business/texas-air-bids-to-get-continental.html|access-date=August 23, 2020|archive-date=April 21, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220421205916/https://www.nytimes.com/1981/02/10/business/texas-air-bids-to-get-continental.html|url-status=live}}</ref> With the Airline Deregulation Act the world changed for Continental as noted by Smithsonian historian R.E.G. Davies: "Unfortunately, the policies that had been successful for more than forty years under (Robert) Six's cavalier style of management were suddenly laid bare as the cold winds of airline deregulation changed all the rules -- specifically, the balance between revenues and expenditures."<ref name=":1" />

===1980s===
In 1981, [[Texas Air Corporation]], an airline holding company controlled by U.S. aviation entrepreneur [[Frank Lorenzo]], acquired Continental after a contentious battle with Continental's management who were determined to resist Lorenzo. Management teamed with unions to create a planned Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) that would have doubled the number of outstanding shares without shareholder approval, thus diluting Texas Air's ownership stake and maintaining control of the airline. But management lost the legal battle to enact the ESOP without shareholder approval and with its 48.5 percent ownership stake, Texas Air could win any shareholder vote.<ref name=":2" /> During this struggle, in August 1981, Continental Airlines CEO [[Alvin Feldman]] died from suicide in his office and was succeeded by George Warde.<ref>{{Cite news|date=August 10, 1981|title=Continental Air Chief Dies, Apparent Suicide|work=[[The New York Times]]|agency=Associated Press|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/08/10/us/continental-air-chief-dies-apparent-suicide.html?&pagewanted=print|access-date=July 16, 2008|archive-date=September 20, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110920091747/http://www.nytimes.com/1981/08/10/us/continental-air-chief-dies-apparent-suicide.html?&pagewanted=print|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Hollie|first=Pamela|date=August 12, 1981|title=Continental Names New Chief|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/08/12/business/continental-names-new-chief.html|access-date=September 13, 2020|archive-date=April 21, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220421205912/https://www.nytimes.com/1981/08/12/business/continental-names-new-chief.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In three letters left to his children, Feldman said he had been depressed since the death of his wife the previous year.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Hollie|first=Pamela|date=August 11, 1981|title=Continental Without Its Chief|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/08/11/business/continental-without-its-chief.html|access-date=September 13, 2020|archive-date=August 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200813213121/https://www.nytimes.com/1981/08/11/business/continental-without-its-chief.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Lorenzo became Continental Chairman and CEO in March 1982. He and his team viewed the company as stuck in the pre-deregulation era and in need of serious changes to be competitive. Continental was experiencing significant financial challenges both before and after Texas Air's takeover, and management showed how Continental could not compete and survive with its cost structure.<ref name="Bamber, G.J., Gittell, J.H., Kochan, T.A. & von Nordenflytch, A. 2009">{{cite book |author=Bamber, G.J. |author2=Gittell, J.H. |author3=Kochan, T.A. |author4=von Nordenflytch, A. |year=2009 |title=Up in the Air: How Airlines Can Improve Performance by Engaging their Employees |publisher=Cornell University Press |location=Ithaca |chapter=Alternative Strategies for New Entrants: Southwest vs. Ryanair |isbn=978-0-8014-4747-1 |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780801447471}}</ref> The pilots union agreed to some cost reductions in mid-1982, primarily through modest productivity improvements, but there was no progress with the other unions. On October 31, 1982, following approval by shareholders of both companies, Continental merged operations with [[Texas International]], retaining the Continental identity and offering service to four continents (North and South America, Asia and Australia) with a fleet of 112 aircraft. Continental launched its frequent flyer program, initially called Travel Bank, in September 1982, following that of Texas International Airlines in 1979,<ref>{{Cite web|last=Rowell|first=David|date=August 13, 2010|title=A History of US Airline Deregulation Part 4: 1970-2010: The Effects of Deregulation - Lower Fares, More Travel, Frequent Flier Programs|url=https://old.thetravelinsider.info/airlinemismanagement/airlinederegulation2.htm|access-date=September 13, 2020|website=The Travel Insider|archive-date=April 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190419013519/https://thetravelinsider.info/airlinemismanagement/airlinederegulation2.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> which was the industry's first frequent flyer program, and American Airlines [[AAdvantage]] program in 1981. In mid-1983, Continental relocated its headquarters to Texas International's base in Houston, Texas, which resulted in a large expansion of its hub at [[George Bush Intercontinental Airport|Houston Intercontinental Airport]] and extensive new routes to Mexico and the south central U.S.<ref name="Scott" />

[[File:AmericaTowerHoustonTX.JPG|thumb|The [[American General Center|America Tower]] in [[Neartown, Houston|Neartown Houston]], Continental's headquarters from 1983 to 1998]]
Even with the cost reductions from the pilots in 1982, Continental faced a major competitive threat in 1983 when American Airlines was able to implement two-tier wage structures with its unions.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Salpukas|first=Agis|date=October 30, 1985|title=The Two-Tier Wage Impact|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/10/30/business/the-two-tier-wage-impact.html|access-date=September 13, 2020|archive-date=April 21, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220421205912/https://www.nytimes.com/1985/10/30/business/the-two-tier-wage-impact.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Jansonius|first=John|date=1984|title=Coping with Deregulation: Reduction of Labor Costs in the Airline Industry|url=https://scholar.smu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2409&context=jalc|journal=Journal of Air Law and Commerce|volume=49|access-date=September 13, 2020|archive-date=September 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210924093801/https://scholar.smu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2409&context=jalc|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Feaver|first=Douglas|date=December 4, 1983|title=Crandall 'Plays for Keeps'|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/1983/12/04/crandall-plays-for-keeps/d985ba1f-e1ed-4b43-81be-4c3f9fcd95be/|access-date=September 13, 2020|archive-date=August 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828094933/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/1983/12/04/crandall-plays-for-keeps/d985ba1f-e1ed-4b43-81be-4c3f9fcd95be/|url-status=live}}</ref> American planned massive, rapid growth through new hires at starting pay 50 percent lower than existing contracts and equitable with low-cost, startup carriers and well below Continental's pay rates. American was already one of Continental's main competitors, operating a larger hub 250 miles north of Continental's southern hub in Houston and the growth that was funded by the lower pay rates was larger than all of Continental at the time.

In 1983, Continental went to its unions to restructure labor costs to compete with the startup carriers and American's Plan B labor costs. After 19 months of negotiations, the International Association of Mechanics and Aerospace Workers went on strike in August 1983, even though the company was offering 20 percent pay raises in return for substantial productivity improvements.<ref>{{Cite news|date=August 14, 1983|title=Continental Pilots Refuse to Back Strike By Airline Mechanics|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1983/08/15/continental-pilots-refuse-to-back-strike-by-airline-mechanics/4dbc0edd-948b-4bd4-b2b8-ab1cf499a953/|access-date=September 15, 2020|archive-date=September 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200917100813/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1983/08/15/continental-pilots-refuse-to-back-strike-by-airline-mechanics/4dbc0edd-948b-4bd4-b2b8-ab1cf499a953/|url-status=live}}</ref> Continental was able to operate through the strike because many mechanics crossed picket lines and Continental hired new mechanics.<ref>{{Cite news|date=1983-08-13|title=Machinists Union Strikes Continental Airlines; Carrier to Keep Operating|work=Los Angeles Times |agency=Associated Press}}</ref> The company continued to negotiate with the pilots and flight attendants and management gave a final proposal to its pilots in mid-September, which would have provided ownership by the pilots and other employees of 35 percent of the company's stock in return for meaningful wage and productivity changes.<ref>{{Cite news|date=September 15, 1983|title=Continental Offers a Stock Plan|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/15/business/continental-offers-a-stock-plan.html|access-date=September 13, 2020|archive-date=April 21, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220421205912/https://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/15/business/continental-offers-a-stock-plan.html|url-status=live}}</ref> With no agreement, Continental filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy on September 24, 1983, and shut down for three days.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Feaver|first=Douglas|date=September 25, 1983|title=Continental Airlines Files for Bankruptcy|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1983/09/25/continental-airlines-files-for-bankruptcy/f5feff3b-7eab-498c-9cdb-f8aaf9689c61/|access-date=September 13, 2020|archive-date=August 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828083258/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1983/09/25/continental-airlines-files-for-bankruptcy/f5feff3b-7eab-498c-9cdb-f8aaf9689c61/|url-status=live}}</ref> Continental was the first airline to file for bankruptcy with a plan to continue operating as it did continuously starting September 27, 1983.

Airline unions fought Continental at every step. On October 1, 1983, the pilots and flight attendants joined the IAM, which was still on strike. When Continental resumed service three days after filing Chapter 11, it initially served 25 cities versus the more than 70 cities previously. In the initial stages of bankruptcy, with no legal agreement that would allow travel agents to book flights, passengers could only book directly with the airline. And, with no credit card agreements, Continental could only accept cash for travel. Continental began offering flights for only $49 for each nonstop segment, raising it later to $75 on any segment. In the federal courts, the unions unsuccessfully sued to stop the company's reorganization. They were later successful in working to persuade Congress to pass a new bankruptcy law preventing bankrupt companies from terminating contracts as Continental had successfully done, but the law was too late to affect Continental.<ref name="Buckley">{{Cite journal|last1=Buckley|first1=William F. Jr.|last2=Lorenzo|first2=Frank|date=September 17, 1990|journal=National Review|volume=5}}</ref><ref name="Delaney">{{Cite book|last=Delaney|first=Kevin J.|title=Strategic Bankruptcy: How Corporations and Creditors Use Chapter 11 to Their Advantage|isbn=0-520-07359-2|publisher=University of California Press|year=1999|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/strategicbankrup00kevi_0}}</ref> Chapter 11 saved the company from liquidation, but required substantial reorganization, which began immediately. Following bankruptcy, Continental was freed of its contractual obligations and imposed a series of new labor agreements on its union workers, sharply reducing the airline's labor costs.<ref>Moss Kanter, Rosabeth, ''Confidence – How Winning Streaks and Losing Streaks Begin and End'' ({{ISBN|1-4000-5290-4}}), Crown Business, 2004</ref> Continental's senior management also reduced their salaries to those of the pilots.<ref>{{Cite news|date=September 30, 1983|title=Continental vows to stay in air despite strike|work=Houston Post}}</ref> The pilot strike was ultimately unsuccessful due to Continental pilots and new hires who crossed the picket line, and customers who voted with their pocketbook.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1985/09/27/us/continental-s-pilots-suspend-picketing-but-continue-strike.html Continental's Pilots Suspend Picketing but Continue Strike] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161229005206/http://www.nytimes.com/1985/09/27/us/continental-s-pilots-suspend-picketing-but-continue-strike.html |date=December 29, 2016 }}, ''The New York Times''. September 27, 1985.</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Nichols|first=Bruce|date=October 1, 1983|title=Continental Pilots defied a union strike order today|work=United Press International|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1983/10/01/Continental-Airlines-pilots-defied-a-union-strike-order-today/3594433828800/|access-date=September 13, 2020|archive-date=September 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916170559/https://www.upi.com/Archives/1983/10/01/Continental-Airlines-pilots-defied-a-union-strike-order-today/3594433828800/|url-status=live}}</ref> Continental became vastly more competitive with the new airline startups then emerging and thriving in the southwestern U.S. By the end of 1984, Continental had grown back to be a larger airline than pre-bankruptcy and that year recorded a $50 million profit.<ref>{{Cite news|date=February 5, 1985|title=Continental Earns $50.3 Million|work=Los Angeles Times|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-02-05-fi-5080-story.html|access-date=September 13, 2020|archive-date=April 21, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220421205912/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-02-05-fi-5080-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Salpukas|first=Agis|date=December 30, 1984|title=Continental's Chief: Frank Lorenzo; a Turnaround Artist for an Ailing Airline|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/12/30/business/continental-s-chief-frank-lorenzo-a-turnaround-artist-for-an-ailing-airline.html|access-date=September 13, 2020|archive-date=September 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210910000209/https://www.nytimes.com/1984/12/30/business/continental-s-chief-frank-lorenzo-a-turnaround-artist-for-an-ailing-airline.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Continental was the first airline to largely gradually replace a pilot workforce and the working pilots ultimately voted the union out.

On April 28, 1985, Continental inaugurated its first scheduled service to Europe with flights from Houston to London/Gatwick. Additional service from Newark to London and Paris started after the airline's merger with PeopleExpress Airlines in 1987. With that merger came significant customer service issues, especially in the Northeast, for a period of time. In October 1985, Texas Air Corp. made an offer for a Denver-based regional carrier, [[Frontier Airlines (1950–1986)|Frontier Airlines]], opening a bidding war with [[People Express|PeopleExpress]], which was headed by Lorenzo's former Texas International associate [[Don Burr]]. PeopleExpress paid a substantial premium for Frontier's high-cost operation. The acquisition, funded by debt, did not seem rational to industry observers from either the route integration or the operating philosophy points of view.<ref name="Scott" /><ref name="Delaney" /> On August 24, 1986, Frontier filed for bankruptcy and ceased operations. With PeopleExpress losing money, Texas Air announced the acquisition of PeopleExpress on September 15, 1986, at the same time gaining Frontier, whose strong network in the Great Plains and intermountain West reinforced Continental's already formidable Denver hub. The PeopleExpress acquisition also provided the option to acquire Terminal C at Newark Liberty International Airport and allow Continental to build a formidable hub in the New York market.

With a reorganization plan that repaid creditors 100 percent, Continental emerged from bankruptcy on June 30, 1986,<ref>{{Cite news|last=Rendon|first=Ruth|date=June 30, 1986|title=Judge Approves Plan Bringing Continental Out of Bankruptcy|work=Associated Press News|url=https://apnews.com/4fc300a943df4554aed441d52887754d#:~:text=HOUSTON%20(AP)%20_%20A%20federal,bankruptcy%20protection%20in%2060%20days.&text=Continental%20filed%20for%20reorganization%20under,U.S.%20Bankruptcy%20Code%20on%20Sept.|access-date=September 14, 2020|archive-date=September 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210928024731/https://apnews.com/4fc300a943df4554aed441d52887754d#:~:text=HOUSTON%20(AP)%20_%20A%20federal,bankruptcy%20protection%20in%2060%20days.&text=Continental%20filed%20for%20reorganization%20under,U.S.%20Bankruptcy%20Code%20on%20Sept.|url-status=live}}</ref> with improved asset and cash flow positions and a more competitive route structure with routes radiating to every large U.S. city from major hubs at Denver and Houston.<ref name="Scott" /><ref name="Delaney" /> Continental also began developing its Midwest hub at [[Cleveland Hopkins International Airport]] in 1986, just as United Airlines began to transfer its Cleveland hub operations to [[Washington Dulles International Airport]] in Fairfax County, Virginia. In October 1986, [[American Airlines]] senior vice president [[Thomas G. Plaskett]] became the president and CEO of Continental Airlines.<ref>{{cite news|title=AMR's American Air Names 2 Executives To Succeed Plaskett|work=The Wall Street Journal|date=November 12, 1986}}</ref> On February 1, 1987, [[People Express]], [[Frontier Airlines (1950–1986)|Frontier]], [[New York Air]], and several commuter carriers were merged into Continental Airlines to create the sixth largest airline in the world and became the largest low-fare airline by introducing the industry's first non-refundable airfares, initially called MaxSavers. The mergers and the aggressive marketing led to Continental becoming an even larger player in the northeastern markets.<ref name="Scott" /> In July 1987, Plaskett resigned and Lorenzo returned to the position of CEO.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/07/22/business/chief-at-continental-yields-to-lorenzo.html |last=Hayes |first=Thomas C |date=July 22, 1987 |title=Chief at Continental Yields to Lorenzo |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=September 14, 2020 |archive-date=April 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220421205912/https://www.nytimes.com/1987/07/22/business/chief-at-continental-yields-to-lorenzo.html |url-status=live }}</ref> 1987 saw the creation of Continental's OnePass frequent flier program (jointly with [[Eastern Airlines]]); and, in 1988, Continental formed its first strategic partnership (and the first international [[airline alliance]] of its kind) with [[Scandinavian Airlines|Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS)]].<ref name="Scott" /> Continental also made a major image change with a blue and gray livery and the "globe" logo that was adopted by the post-merger United Airlines.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news|date=April 1, 1991|title=Article: Strategy, not failure. (Continental Airlines' bankruptcy) (editorial) | AccessMyLibrary – Promoting library advocacy|publisher=AccessMyLibrary|url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-5469475_ITM|access-date=May 4, 2010|archive-date=March 7, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120307204810/http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-5469475_ITM|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{cite news|last=Cohen|first=Aubrey|date=August 11, 2010|title=Continental and United update post-merger logo, livery|newspaper=Seattle Post-Intelligencer|url=http://blog.seattlepi.com/aerospace/2010/08/11/continental-and-united-update-post-merger-logo-livery/|access-date=July 2, 2011|archive-date=December 16, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131216190552/http://blog.seattlepi.com/aerospace/2010/08/11/continental-and-united-update-post-merger-logo-livery/|url-status=live}}</ref> The airline also eliminated first class service—and only the second global carrier to take that action—giving business class passengers the same first class seats, a service change later to be marketed as Business First.

===1990s===
[[File:Continentalarena002.jpg|thumb|Continental's reemergence from its second bankruptcy was signaled by its taking on the naming rights to the [[Meadowlands Arena|arena]] in the [[Meadowlands Sports Complex]], which is located near its New Jersey hub, in 1996. It held these rights until 2007.]]
[[File:Continental Airlines DC-10.jpg|thumb|A Continental [[Douglas DC-10]]. The type was retired in 2001. ]]

On August 3, 1990, [[Scandinavian Airlines System|Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS)]] and Texas Air announced that Jet Capital Corporation, which owned controlling interest in Texas Air, was selling its interest to SAS. Under the agreements, Lorenzo would be leaving the active management of the airline as CEO for the first time in 18 years and would remain on the board of directors for two further years. At the same time, [[Hollis L. Harris|Hollis Harris]], formerly President of Delta Air Lines, was named chairman and chief executive officer.

On December 3, 1990, due to the 1990 [[Iraqi invasion of Kuwait]] and the resultant [[Gulf War]], which had prompted a dramatic increase in the price of jet fuel, Continental filed for bankruptcy. In mid-1991 Harris was replaced as CEO by Robert Ferguson, who had been a Texas Air executive.<ref>{{Cite news|date=October 27, 1994|title=Ferguson Leaves Helm of Revamped Continental Airlines|work=Los Angeles Times|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-10-27-fi-55068-story.html|access-date=September 15, 2020|archive-date=September 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210918034304/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-10-27-fi-55068-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In November 1992, Continental accepted a $450 million buyout offer from an investor group composed of Air Partners, an investor from Texas led by Texas Pacific Group, and Air Canada. Under the arrangements, Air Canada would have 24 percent of the voting stock, while Air Partners would hold 41 percent of voting interest in the reorganized Continental.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Sanchez|first=Jesus|date=November 10, 1992|title=Continental Accepts $450-Million Buyout Bid : Airlines: The offer by Air Canada and Texas-based Air Partners is expected to allow the beleaguered carrier to emerge from bankruptcy court early next year.|work=Los Angeles Times|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-11-10-fi-96-story.html|access-date=September 15, 2020|archive-date=September 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210923054948/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-11-10-fi-96-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Continental emerged from bankruptcy in April 1993.<ref>{{Cite news|date=April 27, 1993|title=Continental Airlines to emerge Wednesday from Chapter 11|work=United Press International|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1993/04/27/Continental-Airlines-to-emerge-Wednesday-from-Chapter-11/3460735883200/#:~:text=HOUSTON%2C%20Texas%20%2D%2D%20Continental%20Airlines,Chapter%2011%20after%2029%20months.&text=A%20%24450%20million%20cash%20investment,cornerstone%20of%20Continental's%20reorganization%20plan.|access-date=September 15, 2020|archive-date=December 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191219233159/https://www.upi.com/Archives/1993/04/27/Continental-Airlines-to-emerge-Wednesday-from-Chapter-11/3460735883200/#:~:text=HOUSTON%2C%20Texas%20%2D%2D%20Continental%20Airlines,Chapter%2011%20after%2029%20months.&text=A%20%24450%20million%20cash%20investment,cornerstone%20of%20Continental's%20reorganization%20plan.|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:continental b757-200 n18119 landing arp.jpg|thumb|left|[[Boeing 757|Boeing 757-200]] in 1991–2010 livery]]
In March 1993, the airline cancelled its services to nine U.S. destinations and six non-U.S. destinations, including all 24 weekly services between the United States and Australia and New Zealand in addition to its flights between Guam and Australia, effective October 31 of that year.<ref>Warwick, Graham. "[http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1993/1993%20-%202069.html?search=Continental Continental cuts its costs after losses] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131216190508/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1993/1993%20-%202069.html?search=Continental |date=December 16, 2013}}." ''[[Flight International]]''. August 25–31, 1993. p 12.</ref> In 1994, Continental substantially reduced its jet services in Denver and terminated all turboprop operations, which had been unprofitable, reducing Denver from being a hub to a spoke city.<ref>Annual Report 1994</ref>

[[File:Continental b777-200 n69020 arp.jpg|thumb|[[Boeing 777|Boeing 777-200ER]] ]]
Between 1993 and 1995, Continental experimented with an "airline within an airline" by launching ''CALite'', later renamed ''[[Continental Lite]]'', which provided all-economy, low-fare, no-frills service between primarily leisure destinations.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Bryant|first=Adam|date=June 2, 1994|title=Now, Come Fly the Frenzied Skies|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/06/12/business/now-come-fly-the-frenzied-skies.html|access-date=September 15, 2020|archive-date=April 21, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220421205912/https://www.nytimes.com/1994/06/12/business/now-come-fly-the-frenzied-skies.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Continental Lite operated with a dedicated fleet of 100 [[McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30]], [[Boeing 737|Boeing 737-300]], and [[Boeing 737|Boeing 737-500]] aircraft, each repainted with the 'Lite' livery and stripped of its first class cabin. The service was based primarily at Continental's existing hub in [[Cleveland Hopkins International Airport|Cleveland]] as well as a new hub established in [[Piedmont Triad International Airport|Greensboro, North Carolina]]. The experiment proved unsuccessful and was dissolved in 1995. Continental's short-lived [[Piedmont Triad International Airport|Greensboro]] hub was dismantled in the process.<ref>"Continental Airlines Flies onto the Internet" PR Newswire. March 26, 1996.</ref> During this time period Continental was the subject of hostile takeover bids submitted by Delta Air Lines and [[Northwest Airlines]].

Former Boeing executive [[Gordon Bethune]] became president and CEO in October 1994 and was elected chairman of the board of directors in 1996.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-22519369.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104023934/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-22519369.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 4, 2012|title=Continental CEO is Now Chairman, too |work=The Record (Bergen County, New Jersey)|date=October 2, 1996|access-date=}}</ref> Continental went from being ranked last in most performance categories to winning more J.D. Power and Associates awards for Customer Satisfaction than any other airline. ''BusinessWeek'' magazine named Bethune one of the top 25 Global Managers in 1996 and 1997. Under his leadership Continental's stock price rose from $2 to over $50 per share. ''[[Fortune (magazine)|Fortune]]'' named Continental among the 100 Best Companies to Work for in America for six consecutive years. In his final year piloting the airline ''Fortune'' magazine ranked Continental 2004's No. 1 Most Admired Global Airline, a title it earned again in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008. While at Continental, Bethune created the Go-Forward plan, to fix problems with the airline, which included employee morale, the quality of the product, and the route structure, among others. Bethune began by ordering new aircraft in an effort to convert to an all-Boeing fleet.

Beginning in 1998, Continental again embarked on a program to expand its international operations. It inaugurated services to Ireland and Scotland, and in October 1998 the airline received its first [[Boeing 777-200ER]] aircraft, allowing [[nonstop flight]]s from Newark and Houston to [[Narita International Airport|Tokyo–Narita]], and from Newark to [[Ben Gurion International Airport|Tel Aviv, Israel]]. Continental in the same year launched partnerships with [[Northwest Airlines]], [[Copa Airlines]], [[Avant Airlines]], [[Transbrasil]], and [[Cape Air]], and Continental and [[America West Airlines]] became the first two US airlines to launch interline electronic ticketing.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/content/company/history/1991-2000.aspx|title=Continental Airlines Expands|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301215711/http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/content/company/history/1991-2000.aspx |archive-date=March 1, 2012}}</ref> In 1999, Continental Airlines started service between Newark and Zurich, Switzerland, and from Cleveland to London.<ref>"[http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/apps/vendors/default.aspx?i=%2Fweb%2Fen-US%2Fcontent%2Fcompany%2Fnews%2Frelease%2F1998-10-13-02.html Continental Airlines Expands Flycontinental.com Service]{{Dead link|date=December 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}." Continental Airlines. October 13, 1998. Retrieved on October 1, 2010.</ref>

===2000s===
[[File:Peter Max - IAH.jpg|thumb|left|[[Boeing 777|Boeing 777-200ER]] "[[Peter Max]]" (the colorful aircraft) at [[George Bush Intercontinental Airport]] in [[Houston]], Texas (December 2006). [[Downtown Houston]] is visible in the background. The livery was removed in the winter of 2007–2008]]
On March 1, 2001, Continental launched a nonstop service from Newark to [[Hong Kong International Airport|Hong Kong]], operating over the North circumpolar route. It was the first nonstop long-haul route for any airline with flying duration exceeding 16 hours. The service initiated a brief dispute between Continental, United Airlines and [[Cathay Pacific]] over rights to nonstop flights between Hong Kong and New York.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/30/opinion/from-newark-over-the-north-pole.html|work=The New York Times|title=From Newark Over the North Pole|date=March 30, 2001|access-date=April 30, 2010|archive-date=April 14, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160414081928/http://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/30/opinion/from-newark-over-the-north-pole.html|url-status=live}}</ref> On September 13, 2004, Continental entered the [[SkyTeam]] alliance along with Northwest/KLM and CSA.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2004/09/13/daily3.html|title=Continental joins SkyTeam Alliance – Houston Business Journal|publisher=Houston.bizjournals.com|date=September 13, 2004|access-date=May 4, 2010|archive-date=December 22, 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041222144342/http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2004/09/13/daily3.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2005, Continental expanded service from Newark to Beijing after being awarded the China route. Among U.S. airlines, only Delta (with its extensive network of legacy routes dating from Delta's acquisition of Pan American's European network) served more European destinations than Continental.

In 2005, service to Asia was expanded as Continental introduced daily nonstop service between Newark and [[Indira Gandhi International Airport|New Delhi]], India. The success of this Newark-New Delhi route presaged establishment of a second gateway in India with the announcement of daily nonstop service to [[Mumbai]]. With the establishment of Mumbai service, Continental offered the most nonstop flights by any carrier from the United States to India.<ref>{{cite web|author=smh|url=http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news05/64-Delhi.shtml|title=Continental Airlines to launch non-stop Flights between New York and New Delhi|publisher=Asiatraveltips.com|date=October 31, 2005|access-date=May 4, 2010|archive-date=March 5, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120305042209/http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news05/64-Delhi.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> By May 2006, the carrier's passenger traffic surpassed that of [[Northwest Airlines]], and Continental became the fourth-largest U.S. carrier.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2006-05-30-nwa-no5_x.htm|work=USA Today|agency=Detroit Free Press|title=Trimmer Northwest now flies as No. 5|first=Jewel|last=Gopwani|date=May 30, 2006|access-date=April 30, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060628021705/https://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2006-05-30-nwa-no5_x.htm|archive-date=June 28, 2006}}</ref> ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' reported on December 12, 2007, that Continental was in merger discussions with United Airlines. Of issue would be Continental's [[golden share]] held by Northwest Airlines and the divestiture of Continental's Guamanian hub. A deal was not "certain or imminent", with the talks being of a preliminary nature.<ref name="wsj_20061213_co_ua_fl_yx">{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB116597376254248407|title=UAL, Continental Discuss Merger As AirTran Presses Bid for Midwest|last1=Carey|first1= S.|last2= Trottman|first2= M.|last3= Berman|first3= D. K.|work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|date=December 13, 2006|access-date=August 3, 2017|archive-date=December 2, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201202042341/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB116597376254248407|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author1=Andrew Ross Sorkin |author2=Jeff Bailey |title=United and Continental Discussing Possible Merger |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/12/business/12cnd-air.html?hp&ex=1165986000&en=ac06dd7e47ab6102&ei=5094&partner=homepage |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=December 12, 2006 |access-date=February 6, 2017 |archive-date=August 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180814091332/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/12/business/12cnd-air.html?hp&ex=1165986000&en=ac06dd7e47ab6102&ei=5094&partner=homepage |url-status=live }}</ref> In April 2008, at the height of oil prices, Northwest announced a merger with Delta Air Lines. This allowed Continental to buy back the golden share from Northwest Airlines, which it did.<ref name="nyt_20080417">{{cite news|url=http://dealbook.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/17/continental-buys-back-golden-share-from-northwest/|title=Continental Buys Back Golden Share From Northwest|author=Maynard, Micheline|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=April 17, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080422032459/http://dealbook.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/17/continental-buys-back-golden-share-from-northwest/|archive-date=April 22, 2008}}</ref> Continental then renewed merger talks with United Airlines, but broke them off again that same month.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/28/business/28air.html|work=The New York Times|title=Continental Abandons Merger Talks With United|date=April 28, 2008|access-date=April 30, 2010|archive-date=May 1, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501015657/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/28/business/28air.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:NewarkC.jpg|thumb|Continental operated from Terminal C at [[Newark Liberty International Airport]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/apps/vendors/default.aspx?i=/web/en-US/content/company/news/release/1999-07-06-01.html|title=Continental Airlines Unveils And Prepares To Break Ground On Its $1 Billion Global Gateway Program At Newark International Airport|location=Newark, New Jersey|publisher=Continental Airlines|access-date=July 22, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606144054/http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/apps/vendors/default.aspx?i=%2Fweb%2Fen-US%2Fcontent%2Fcompany%2Fnews%2Frelease%2F1999-07-06-01.html|archive-date=June 6, 2011|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>]]
In May 2008, Continental Airlines sold its remaining 4.38 million share investment in Panamanian [[flag carrier]] [[Copa Airlines|Copa]] for $35.75 a share, netting proceeds of $149.8 million. Continental had been a principal shareholder in Copa.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/afxnewslimited/feeds/afx/2008/05/21/afx5035184.html |title=Copa says Continental Airlines sold remaining stake in company |work=Forbes |date=May 21, 2008 |access-date=May 31, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081002022741/http://www.forbes.com/afxnewslimited/feeds/afx/2008/05/21/afx5035184.html |archive-date=October 2, 2008}}</ref> In June 2008, due to national and international economic conditions, Continental cut 3,000 jobs and the CEO and president had reduced salaries for the remainder of the year. The airline also reduced capacity and eliminated 67 mainline aircraft from its fleet by the end of 2009, retiring all of Continental's 737-300s and all but 35 of its 737-500s.<ref>{{Cite news|author1=DAVID KOENIG|url=http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008Jun06/0,4670,AirlinesCutbacks,00.html|title=Continental Airlines to cut 3,000 jobs, capacity|publisher=[[Fox News]]|agency=Associated Press|date=June 6, 2008|access-date=May 4, 2010|archive-date=August 11, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811162841/http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008Jun06/0,4670,AirlinesCutbacks,00.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Continental also announced that it planned to withdraw from SkyTeam and would join [[Star Alliance]] in order to cooperate more extensively with United Airlines and other Star Alliance airlines. The new Continental-United relationship was characterized as a "virtual merger" in some circles.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.cleveland.com/business/2008/06/continental_united_agree_to_li.html|title=Continental, United agree to link airline networks | cleveland.com|date=June 19, 2008|publisher=Blog.cleveland.com|access-date=May 4, 2010|archive-date=March 15, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315223238/http://blog.cleveland.com/business/2008/06/continental_united_agree_to_li.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In September 2008, Continental announced that it would commence providing seasonal non-stop service between Houston and [[Rio de Janeiro/Galeão International Airport|Rio de Janeiro]]. The new nonstop flight was timed to provide roundtrip flight connections at Continental's Houston hub to more than 160 cities throughout the U.S., Canada, Central America, Europe, and Asia.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2008/09/08/daily9.html|title=New Continental flight to connect Houston, Rio de Janeiro – Houston Business Journal|publisher=Bizjournals.com|date=September 8, 2008|access-date=May 4, 2010|archive-date=December 25, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101225132850/http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2008/09/08/daily9.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Continental renewed its lease for around {{convert|450000|sqft|sqm}} in [[Continental Center I]].<ref name="houston.bizjournals.com">{{cite news|author=Dawson, Jennifer|url=http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2008/09/22/story2.html|title=Continental renews lease, decides to stay downtown|work=[[Houston Business Journal]]|date=September 19, 2008|access-date=November 11, 2009|archive-date=August 16, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816145437/http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2008/09/22/story2.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Continental announced that its fourth quarter 2008 net loss widened to $266 million on costs for pilot retirement and reducing the value of its fuel hedges.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news|title=Continental, USAir bring U.S. airline losses to $1.35 billion|date=January 29, 2009|agency=Bloomberg|access-date=March 6, 2017|archive-date=July 5, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080705135704/http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news|url-status=live}}</ref> In January 2009, Continental became the first commercial carrier to successfully demonstrate the use of sustainable biofuel to power an aircraft in North America. During the demonstration flight, Continental's test pilots successfully conducted a number of flight maneuvers, and the biofuel met all performance requirements as compared with traditional jet fuel. The biofuel blend included components derived from algae and [[jatropha]] plants, both sustainable, second-generation sources that do not impact food crops or water resources or contribute to deforestation.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://journalstar.com/business/continental-airlines-tests-biofuel-in-flight/article_b8c06b64-b83c-536a-8c4b-9303d57feed5.html|title=Continental Airlines tests biofuel in flight|first=PETER PAE/Los Angeles|last=Times|website=JournalStar.com|date=January 11, 2009|access-date=April 18, 2023|archive-date=April 18, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230418080926/https://journalstar.com/business/continental-airlines-tests-biofuel-in-flight/article_b8c06b64-b83c-536a-8c4b-9303d57feed5.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In March 2009, Continental became the first U.S. carrier to inaugurate scheduled service between New York and [[Shanghai Pudong International Airport|Shanghai]], China, with daily nonstop flights from Newark.<ref>{{cite web|author=Matt Rainey/The Star-Ledger|url=http://www.nj.com/newark/index.ssf/2009/03/continentals_shanghai_express.html|title=Continental's Shanghai express takes off | Newark Live|publisher=NJ.com|date=March 26, 2009|access-date=May 4, 2010|archive-date=October 11, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121011072853/http://www.nj.com/newark/index.ssf/2009/03/continentals_shanghai_express.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:United Airlines (Continental Blue Skyway livery) Boeing 737-924(ER) N75436.jpg|thumb|left|To commemorate Continental's 75th Anniversary, a Boeing 737-900ER aircraft registered N75436 was painted with Continental's 1947 "Blue Skyways" livery when it was delivered in June 2009. [[United Airlines]] continues to fly this retro livery on a different Boeing 737-900ER, registered N75435.]]
[[File:Boeing 737-924 N71411 Continental Airlines.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Boeing 737|Continental Boeing 737-900 (N71411) after takeoff at [[Los Angeles International Airport]] in January 2007]]
In June 2009, Continental Airlines took delivery of another new Boeing 737-900ER, which was painted with a retro livery to commemorate the airline's 75th anniversary. The livery, which was originally used on aircraft beginning in 1947 and is called The Blue Skyway, was selected by Continental employees. Continental flew the aircraft to its three hubs for anniversary celebration events for employees and retirees. Post-merger, United maintained the livery, but on a different 737-900ER than the aircraft originally carrying it.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2009/06/24/328787/pictures-continental-goes-retro-with-blue-skyway-livery-on.html|title=PICTURES: Continental goes retro with 'Blue Skyway' livery on 737-900|work=Flight International|access-date=May 4, 2010|archive-date=June 27, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090627112134/http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2009/06/24/328787/pictures-continental-goes-retro-with-blue-skyway-livery-on.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In July 2009 Continental began to offer [[DirecTV]], giving customers the choice of 95 channels of live television programming, more channels than any other carrier.<ref>{{cite web|author=Plain Dealer file|url=http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2009/07/continental_2.html|title=Continental to offer DirectTV for $6 in economy, free in first class | Business|date=July 15, 2009|publisher=cleveland.com|access-date=May 4, 2010|archive-date=May 24, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100524090539/http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2009/07/continental_2.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Continental also launched Virtual Expert technology on their website at continental.com, offering customers 24-hour support on the Web for all their travel needs. Continental was the first airline to use this technology.<ref>{{citation |url=|title=Continental Airlines Revolutionizes Customer Support With Online Virtual Expert. – PR Newswire |date=July 30, 2009|access-date=}}</ref>

===2010s===
On January 1, 2010, Jeff Smisek, former president and COO, became the CEO of Continental Airlines.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Esterl|first=Mike|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704876804574628262355343196|title=Smisek Takes the Controls at Continental|work=The Wall Street Journal|date=December 31, 2009|access-date=May 4, 2010|archive-date=October 16, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016172854/http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704876804574628262355343196|url-status=live}}</ref>
Continental also planned to start seasonal nonstop service between [[Portland International Airport|Portland International Airport (PDX)]] and [[Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport|Ted Stevens International Airport (ANC)]], putting Continental in direct competition with former partner [[Alaska Airlines]]. The route was scheduled to start on June 10, 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/apps/vendors/default.aspx?i=PRNEWS|title=Continental Airlines|publisher=Continental.com|access-date=May 4, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100115081015/http://www.continental.com/web/en-Us/apps/vendors/default.aspx?SID=D9CBC510F95442CAB68EB8CA289B7BEF&i=PRNEWS|archive-date=January 15, 2010|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> On February 16, Continental, along with its wholly owned subsidiary [[Continental Micronesia]], announced that it applied for nonstop flights to [[Haneda Airport|Tokyo-Haneda]] as part of an open-skies agreement between the US and Japan. Continental planned to begin services to Tokyo-Haneda from its New York/Newark hub in late October 2010, and Continental Micronesia planned to start service to Haneda Airport from its Guam hub.{{citation needed|date=June 2018|reason=dead link before}} However, Haneda slots were awarded to American, Delta, and Hawaiian Airlines instead. Continental Airlines became the first airline to launch a mobile boarding pass service to London's Heathrow. The service allowed customers to receive boarding passes electronically on their mobile phones or PDAs.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.traveldaily.co.uk/AsiaPacificNews/Detail.aspx?Section=17991 |title=Continental launch paperless boarding passes at Heathrow |date=February 25, 2010 |publisher=Travel Daily |access-date=February 25, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101203103421/http://traveldaily.co.uk/AsiaPacificNews/Detail.aspx?Section=17991 |archive-date=December 3, 2010 |df=mdy}}</ref> Continental Airlines left the [[SkyTeam]] alliance on October 24, 2009, and joined [[Star Alliance]] on October 27, 2009.<ref name="StarOct">{{cite web |url=http://www.businesstraveller.com/news/continental-to-leave-skyteam-in-october |title=Continental to leave Skyteam in October |publisher=Businesstraveller.com |date=January 30, 2009 |access-date=May 29, 2012 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304062021/http://www.businesstraveller.com/news/continental-to-leave-skyteam-in-october |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Merger with United Airlines====
{{Main|United Airlines Holdings}}
[[File:EM N71411 (5563088923).jpg|thumb|left|The same Boeing 737-900 (N71411) at [[McCarran International Airport]] in March 2011. The new [[Aircraft livery|livery]] after the merger between United and Continental in 2010 retains the Continental theme, but with the ''Continental'' replaced by ''United''. 2011 was the first full year (second year altogether) with the post-merger combination of the two carriers.]]
In February 2008, [[UAL Corporation]] and Continental Airlines began the advanced stages of merger talks and were expected to announce their decision in the immediate aftermath of a definitive merger agreement between rival [[Delta Air Lines]] and [[Northwest Airlines]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/chi-fri_airlinesfeb15,0,3837947.story |title=United stands ready to merge |publisher=Chicagotribune.com |access-date=May 29, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080416232532/http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/chi-fri_airlinesfeb15%2C0%2C3837947.story |archive-date=April 16, 2008}}</ref> The timing of the events was notable because Northwest's golden shares in Continental (that gave Northwest veto authority against any merger involving Continental) could be redeemed, freeing Continental to pursue a marriage with United. On April 27, 2008, Continental broke off merger negotiations with United and stated it was going to stand alone.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/28/business/28air.html|work=The New York Times|title=Continental Abandons Merger Talks With United|date=April 28, 2008|access-date=May 26, 2010|archive-date=May 1, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501015657/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/28/business/28air.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Despite ending merger talks, Continental announced that it would join United in the Star Alliance.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/content/news/alliance.aspx |title=Continental Airlines |publisher=Continental.com |access-date=May 29, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080628014304/http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/content/news/alliance.aspx |archive-date=June 28, 2008 |df=mdy}}</ref>

United and [[US Airways]] were in advanced merger talks in late April 2008, following the announcement that Continental had broken off talks with United.<ref>[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-united-usair-merger-idINN2830615720080428 UAL, USAir in "very advanced" merger talks: sources] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200110180134/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-united-usair-merger-idINN2830615720080428 |date=January 10, 2020 }}, Reuters, April 28, 2008. Retrieved July 2, 2011.</ref> In June 2008, the CEOs of both United and Continental signed an alliance pact that led to their eventual merger. The alliance was an agreement to link international networks and share technology and passenger perks. This agreement was termed a "virtual merger" as it included many of the benefits of a merger without the actual costs and restructuring involved. The alliance took effect about a year after [[Delta Air Lines]] and [[Northwest Airlines]] completed their merger, as that released Continental from the SkyTeam contract and allowed for the required nine-month notice. Additionally, Continental joined the Star Alliance, as Delta and Northwest merged.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-fri-united-alliance-uaua-caljun20,0,3619794.story|title=United, Continental join forces|author=Johnsson, Julie|work=Chicago Tribune|date=June 20, 2008|access-date=June 20, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080702025202/http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-fri-united-alliance-uaua-caljun20,0,3619794.story|archive-date=July 2, 2008|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

United was reported to be in serious merger discussion with US Airways in early April 2010. A ''[[The New York Times|New York Times]]'' report indicated that a deal was close. Union consent was cited as a major hurdle for negotiators to clear.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://dealbook.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/07/united-and-us-airways-hold-merger-talks/?ref=business|title=United and US Airways Said to be in Merger Talks|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=April 7, 2010|access-date=April 7, 2010}}</ref> On April 22, 2010, United announced that it would not pursue a merger with [[US Airways]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Reed|first=Dan|url=https://www.usatoday.com/MONEY/usaedition/2010-04-22-us-airways-ends-merger-talks-united-airlines_NU.htm?csp=34|title=Irked US Airways ends merger talks with United|work=USA Today|date=April 22, 2010|access-date=May 3, 2010}}</ref>

On May 2, 2010, the boards of directors at Continental and United approved a stock-swap deal that would combine them into the world's largest airline in [[revenue passenger mile]]s. The new airline would take on United's name, Continental's logo and be based in United's hometown of Chicago. The new United would be run by Continental's CEO, Jeff Smisek, along with United's CEO, Glenn Tilton, serving as non-executive chairman of the board. The deal received approval from US and European regulators in the summer of 2010. The shareholders of both airlines approved the deal on September 17, 2010.<ref name="reuters approve">{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ual-continental-idUSTRE68G3VM20100917|title=UAL and Continental shareholders approve deal|last=Peterson|first=Kyle|date=September 17, 2010|work=Reuters|access-date=July 2, 2011|archive-date=April 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402103725/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ual-continental-idUSTRE68G3VM20100917|url-status=live}}</ref> Both airlines had been reporting losses in the recession and expected the merger to generate savings of more than {{Nowrap|$1 billion}} a year.<ref name=BBCmerger>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/10095080.stm|title=United and Continental Airlines to merge|date=May 3, 2010|agency=BBC News|access-date=May 3, 2010|archive-date=May 4, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100504225337/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/10095080.stm|url-status=live}}</ref>

In August 2010, Continental and United revealed a new logo that was used after the merger was complete.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/apps/vendors/default.aspx?i=PRNEWS |title=New Visual Brand Identity for the New United Airlines |publisher=Continental.com |access-date=May 29, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100115081015/http://www.continental.com/web/en-Us/apps/vendors/default.aspx?SID=D9CBC510F95442CAB68EB8CA289B7BEF&i=PRNEWS |archive-date=January 15, 2010 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all}}</ref> Both carriers planned to begin merging operations in 2011 and were expected to receive a single operating certificate by 2012.<ref name="sfgate.com">{{cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/09/19/BU7H1FGCIJ.DTL|work=The San Francisco Chronicle|title=United, Continental to merge operations in 2011|date=September 20, 2010|access-date=September 20, 2010|archive-date=September 19, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110919100419/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2010%2F09%2F19%2FBU7H1FGCIJ.DTL|url-status=live}}</ref> Continental's [[air operator's certificate]] (AOC) was retained, while those of United and Continental Micronesia were surrendered.<ref>Flint, Perry. (2010-09-06) [http://atwonline.com/international-aviation-regulation/news/united-transition-continental-operating-certificate-part-merg United to transition to Continental operating certificate as part of merger] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929210710/http://atwonline.com/international-aviation-regulation/news/united-transition-continental-operating-certificate-part-merg |date=September 29, 2011 }}. ATW Online. Retrieved on December 16, 2010.</ref> On the other hand, United's maintenance certificate remained while Continental's did not.

On October 1, 2010, UAL Corporation and Continental Airlines completed the planned merger and changed the name to United Continental Holdings. Although the two airlines remained separate until the operational integration was completed by mid-2012, as of that day both airlines were corporately controlled by the same leadership. On June 27, 2019, United changed its parent company name from United Continental Holdings to [[United Airlines Holdings]].<ref name="bloomberg.com" /> On December 22, 2010, Continental Airlines merged operating certificates with Continental Micronesia. All Continental Micronesia flights were then branded and operated by Continental Airlines.<ref>{{cite news|title=United-Continental Merger Clears Federal Hurdle|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/28/business/28air.html?ref=business|work=The New York Times|access-date=August 28, 2010|date=August 27, 2010|first=Jad|last=Mouawad|archive-date=December 28, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161228230713/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/28/business/28air.html?ref=business|url-status=live}}</ref> Both carriers began merging their operations in 2011.<ref>[http://www.united.com/page/article/0,6867,1314,00.html] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112034128/http://www.united.com/page/article/0%2C6867%2C1314%2C00.html|date=January 12, 2012}}</ref> On March 22, UCH announced that they had plans to offer Wi-Fi Service on more than 200 domestic Boeing 737 and 757 aircraft.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ir.unitedcontinentalholdings.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=83680&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1541660&highlight= |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120712053335/http://ir.unitedcontinentalholdings.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=83680&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1541660&highlight= |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 12, 2012 |title=United Continental Holdings, Inc. – Investor Relations – News |publisher=Ir.unitedcontinentalholdings.com |date=March 22, 2011 |access-date=May 29, 2012}}</ref> The airlines attained a single operating certificate from the FAA on November 30, 2011. That day, all Continental flights began to use the "United" callsign in air traffic control communications which marked the end of Continental Airlines.<ref name="Freed">{{cite news|last=Freed|first=Joshua|title=Pilots: United gets single operating certificate|url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jKO6fjeCKz15xlm1HWkwRlJugk1Q?docId=d5ac50837647422bbd59e1dd6b72f779|agency=Associated Press}}{{dead link|date=June 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

The new United is the [[World's largest airline|third largest airline]] in terms of fleet size, behind [[American Airlines]] and Delta. The combined airline houses a fleet of over 1,280 aircraft that features a mixture of [[Airbus]] and [[Boeing]] aircraft: [[Airbus A320 family|Airbus A319s]], [[Airbus A320 family|Airbus A320s]], [[Boeing 737]]s, [[Boeing 757]]s, [[Boeing 767]]s, [[Boeing 777]]s, and [[Boeing 787 Dreamliner]]s with orders of [[Airbus A350]]s.

At the time of the merger with United, Continental was the fourth-largest airline in the US based on passenger-miles flown and the fifth largest in total passengers carried. Continental operated flights to destinations throughout the U.S., Canada, Latin America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific regions. Principal operations were from its four hubs at [[Newark Liberty International Airport]], [[George Bush Intercontinental Airport]] ([[Houston]]), [[Cleveland Hopkins International Airport]] and [[Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport]] in Guam. Initially, the only Continental hubs to be rebranded were [[Cleveland Hopkins International Airport]] and Houston's [[George Bush Intercontinental Airport]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.continental.com/CMS/en-US/travel/Pages/airportupdates.aspx |title=United Airlines - Airline Tickets, Vacations Packages, Travel Deals, and Company Information on united.com |publisher=Continental.com |access-date=May 29, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120209062738/http://www.continental.com/CMS/en-US/travel/Pages/airportupdates.aspx |archive-date=February 9, 2012 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all}}</ref> The Newark hub began the rebranding process on October 19, 2011, with all United-operated ticket counters and gates rebranded in Phase One; Phase Two of rebranding at Newark began in 2012 with Continental ticket counters and gates being rebranded.<ref name="Airline Spotlight: Continental Airlines">{{cite web|title=Airline Spotlight: Continental Airlines|url=http://www.flightnetwork.com/blog/airline-spotlight-continental-airlines/|website=Airline Spotlight: Continental Airlines|access-date=12 February 2015|archive-date=February 12, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150212210902/http://www.flightnetwork.com/blog/airline-spotlight-continental-airlines/|url-status=live}}</ref> On November 30, 2011, Continental officially merged with [[United Airlines|United]] and no longer operates as a separate airline.<ref name="Airline Spotlight: Continental Airlines" />

On March 3, 2012, Continental's passenger reservation system and frequent flyer program was merged into United. The last Continental Airlines flight taking off was "Continental Flight 1267", flying from Phoenix to Cleveland, and arriving into the latter as "United Flight 1267".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/west_university/news/two-mega-airlines-are-united-continental-is-no-more/article_9da2792f-6162-59c5-bedf-903f226d8ff8.html |title=Two mega-airlines are United: Continental is no more |publisher=Your Houston News |date=March 3, 2012 |access-date=May 29, 2012 |archive-date=May 21, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120521085337/http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/west_university/news/two-mega-airlines-are-united-continental-is-no-more/article_9da2792f-6162-59c5-bedf-903f226d8ff8.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

United Airlines, Inc. merged into Continental Airlines, Inc., with Continental Airlines, Inc. being the surviving corporate entity and a wholly owned subsidiary of the UAL Corporation, on March 31, 2013. The name of Continental Airlines, Inc., was changed to United Airlines, Inc.<ref>"[http://biz.yahoo.com/e/130403/ual8-k.html Form 8-K for UNITED CONTINENTAL HOLDINGS, INC.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140306033148/http://biz.yahoo.com/e/130403/ual8-k.html |date=March 6, 2014 }}" () [[Securities and Exchange Commission]]. April 3, 2013. "On March 31, 2013, United merged with and into Continental, with Continental continuing as the surviving corporation of the Merger and as a wholly owned subsidiary of UAL. Upon the closing of the Merger on March 31, 2013, Continental's name was changed to "United Airlines, Inc." (the "Survivor"). "</ref>

==Corporate identity==

===Branding===
[[File:Boeing 777-200 (United Airlines) (5161227064).jpg|thumb|right|[[United Airlines|United]] [[777-200ER]] in the (2010–2019) livery at [[Heathrow Airport|London–Heathrow]] in November 2010]]

The designer [[Saul Bass]] designed the Continental "Jet Stream" logo in the late 1960s. In the 1990s, the design agency [[Lippincott (brand consultancy)|Lippincott]] introduced the globe logo. Before it merged, Continental's livery consisted of a white fuselage, with the globe in blue and gold, and a gray underside. The combined [[United Airlines]] adopted the pre-merger Continental Airlines livery and logo following the merger.<ref>Mouawad, Jad. "On Jet Exteriors, a Parade of Vanilla." ''[[The New York Times]]''. December 23, 2011. [https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/24/business/on-the-exterior-of-jetliners-a-parade-of-plain-vanilla.html?pagewanted=2&_r=2&ref=business 2] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161229005701/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/24/business/on-the-exterior-of-jetliners-a-parade-of-plain-vanilla.html?pagewanted=2&_r=2&ref=business |date=December 29, 2016 }}. Retrieved on December 24, 2011.</ref>

===Slogans===
* Work Hard. Fly Right. (1998–2012)<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://adage.com/article/news/continental-campaign-work-hard-fly/22701/|title=New Continental campaign: 'Work hard. Fly right'|access-date=2018-05-14|language=en|archive-date=May 15, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180515043904/http://adage.com/article/news/continental-campaign-work-hard-fly/22701/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* More Airline for Your Money (mid-1990s)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.calmemories.com/The%20Advertising.html |title=The Ads |publisher=Calmemories.com |access-date=2012-10-14 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130628071012/http://www.calmemories.com/The%20Advertising.html |archive-date=June 28, 2013 |df=mdy}}</ref>
* One Airline Can Make a Difference (early 1990s – introduced with the "Globe" livery)
* Working to Be Your Choice (1989)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.departedflights.com/COhotspots.html |title=COhotspots |publisher=Departedflights.com |access-date=2012-10-14 |archive-date=July 18, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130718112607/http://www.departedflights.com/COhotspots.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
* Up Where You Belong (1987) <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.departedflights.com/COimproveparadise.html |title=COimproveparadise |publisher=Departedflights.com |access-date=2012-10-14 |archive-date=July 18, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130718152818/http://www.departedflights.com/COimproveparadise.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
* The Only Airline Worth Flying (1985)
* We Really Move Our Tail for You (1975–1979)
* If You Can't Fly Continental, Try to Have a Nice Trip Anyway (1970s)
* The Airline That Pride Built (1968)
* The Proud Bird with the Golden Tail (1967–1981)

==Company affairs==

===Headquarters===
[[File:Chicago United Continental Building 07.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|[[77 West Wacker Drive]], the airline's final headquarters]]

{{See also|77 West Wacker|Continental Center I|American General Center}}On October 31, 1937, Continental moved its headquarters to [[Stapleton Airport]] in Denver, Colorado.<ref>Kasel, Carol. "[http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=RM&p_theme=rm&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB4DF14E6C62146&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM CONTINENTAL AIRLINES: THE DENVER YEARS] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609023644/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=RM&p_theme=rm&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB4DF14E6C62146&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |date=June 9, 2011 }}." ''[[Rocky Mountain News]]''. October 30, 1994. Retrieved on January 24, 2010.</ref> [[Robert F. Six]] arranged to have the headquarters moved to Denver from [[El Paso, Texas]], because Six believed that the airline should have its headquarters in a large city with a potential base of customers.<ref name="TheCompany">"[http://magazine.continental.com/200907-the-company The Company] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100718103925/http://magazine.continental.com/200907-the-company |date=July 18, 2010}}." Continental Airlines Magazine. July 2009. Retrieved on February 8, 2010.</ref>

[[File:ContinentalCenterAtNightHoustonTX.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|left|The [[Continental Center I]] in [[Houston]], with the airline logo displayed, and the [[KBR Tower]]]]
At a 1962 press conference in the office of [[Mayor of Los Angeles]] [[Sam Yorty]], Continental Airlines announced that it planned to move its headquarters to Los Angeles in July 1963.<ref>"[https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/455936232.html?dids=455936232:455936232&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Aug+16%2C+1962&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=Continental+Airlines+to+Move+Its+Main+Offices+Here+From+Denver&pqatl=google Continental Airlines to Move Its Main Offices Here From Denver] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130315113213/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/455936232.html?dids=455936232:455936232&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Aug+16%2C+1962&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=Continental+Airlines+to+Move+Its+Main+Offices+Here+From+Denver&pqatl=google |date=March 15, 2013}}." ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''. August 16, 1962. B11. Retrieved on January 24, 2010. [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/156806117/ Clipping] at [[Newspapers.com]].</ref> In 1963 Continental's headquarters moved to a two-story, $2.3 million building on the grounds of [[Los Angeles International Airport]] in [[Westchester, Los Angeles]].<ref>"[https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/491841672.html?dids=491841672:491841672&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Sep+15%2C+1963&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=AIRLINE+OCCUPIES+NEW+HEADQUARTERS+IN+L.A.&pqatl=google AIRLINE OCCUPIES NEW HEADQUARTERS IN L.A.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130315113200/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/491841672.html?dids=491841672:491841672&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Sep+15%2C+1963&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=AIRLINE+OCCUPIES+NEW+HEADQUARTERS+IN+L.A.&pqatl=google |date=March 15, 2013}}" ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''. September 15, 1963. Section J, page N6. Retrieved on January 24, 2010. [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/156806153/ Clipping] at [[Newspapers.com]].</ref><ref>"[http://projects.latimes.com/mapping-la/neighborhoods/neighborhood/westchester/ Westchester – Mapping L.A.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101014203605/http://projects.latimes.com/mapping-la/neighborhoods/neighborhood/westchester/ |date=October 14, 2010 }}" ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''. Retrieved on March 19, 2010.</ref> The July 2009 ''[[Continental (magazine)|Continental Magazine]]'' issue stated that the move "underlined Continental's western and Pacific orientation."<ref name="TheCompany"/>

On July 1, 1983, the airline's headquarters were relocated to the [[American General Center|America Tower]] in the [[Neartown, Houston|Neartown]] area of [[Houston]], and remained there until 1998.<ref>"[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=9XgUAAAAIBAJ&sjid=swIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6239,4678381&dq=continental-airlines+america-tower Insurer to Buy Continental Stock] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160519021513/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=9XgUAAAAIBAJ&sjid=swIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6239,4678381&dq=continental-airlines+america-tower |date=May 19, 2016 }}." [[Associated Press]] at ''[[Toledo Blade]]''. Wednesday March 16, 1983. Page 4. [[Google News]] 3 of 52. Retrieved on August 22, 2009.</ref><ref>"World Airline Directory." ''Flight International''. March 30, 1985. [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1985/1985%20-%200931.html 71] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120303074120/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1985/1985%20-%200931.html |date=March 3, 2012 }}." Retrieved on June 17, 2009.</ref><ref name="Map">[http://www.neartown.org/images/nta-map.jpg Map of Neartown] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181005062603/http://www.neartown.org/images/nta-map.jpg |date=October 5, 2018}}. Neartown Association. Retrieved October 20, 2008.</ref><ref>''World Airline Directory''. Flight International. March 22–28, 1995. [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1995/1995%20-%200749.html 64] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120303073858/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1995/1995%20-%200749.html |date=March 3, 2012 }}.</ref><ref>"[http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/content/company/history/1978-1990.aspx Company History 1978 to 1990] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301230941/http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/content/company/history/1978-1990.aspx |date=March 1, 2012}}." Continental Airlines. Retrieved on July 28, 2009.</ref> Stephen M. Wolf, the president of Continental said that the company moved its headquarters because [[Houston]] became the largest hub for Continental.<ref>"[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=sVwxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=vAIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6794,3246812&dq=continental+moving+headquarters+houston&hl=en Continental Moving Offices to Houston] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151123055311/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=sVwxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=vAIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6794,3246812&dq=continental+moving+headquarters+houston&hl=en |date=November 23, 2015 }}." [[Associated Press]] at ''[[Toledo Blade|The Blade]]''. Saturday February 12, 1983. Page 15. ''Google News'' 8 of 16. Retrieved on February 15, 2010.</ref>

In January 1997, Continental occupied {{convert|250000|sqft|sqm}} of space at the [[American General Center|America Tower]]. In addition it had {{convert|200000|sqft|sqm}} of office space in a building in proximity to [[George Bush Intercontinental Airport]] and {{convert|75000|sqft|sqm}} in a building located on Fuqua Road in Houston. The airline planned to move into a new headquarters site; originally it wanted a single site for its operations.<ref>Rutledge, Tanya. "[http://assets.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/1997/02/03/story6.html Continental picks Cullen Center as destination for downtown HQ] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141023102816/http://assets.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/1997/02/03/story6.html |date=October 23, 2014}}." ''[[Houston Business Journal]]''. Friday January 31, 1997. Retrieved on August 23, 2009.</ref> In September 1997, the airline officially announced that it would consolidate its Houston headquarters in Continental Center I.<ref>"[http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/content/company/history/1991-2000.aspx Company History 1991 to 2000] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301215711/http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/content/company/history/1991-2000.aspx |date=March 1, 2012}}." Continental Airlines. Retrieved on February 11, 2009.</ref> The airline scheduled to move around 3,200 employees in stages beginning in July 1998 and ending in January 1999. The airline consolidated the headquarters operation at the America Tower and three other local operations into Continental Center I and Continental Center II in the [[Cullen Center]]. [[Bob Lanier (mayor)|Bob Lanier]], [[Mayor of Houston]], said that he was "tickled to death" by the airline's move to relocate to [[Downtown Houston]].<ref>Boisseau, Charles. "[http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1997_1434442 Airline confirms relocation/Continental moving offices downtown] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120512173615/http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1997_1434442 |date=May 12, 2012 }}." ''[[Houston Chronicle]]''. Wednesday September 3, 1997. Business 1. Retrieved on August 23, 2009.</ref>

After the [[September 11 attacks]] and by September 2004 Continental laid off 24% of its clerical and management workers. Despite the reduction of the workforce, Continental did not announce any plans to sublease any of its space in Continental Center I and Continental Center II.<ref>Sarnoff, Nancy. "[http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2004_3799689 Tunnel business going up? / Aboveground shops on rail line draw attention to new competition] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120512174205/http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2004_3799689 |date=May 12, 2012 }}." ''[[Houston Chronicle]]''. Sunday September 12, 2004. Business 3. Retrieved on November 11, 2004.</ref>

In 2008 Continental renewed its lease for around {{convert|450000|sqft|sqm}} in Continental Center I. Before the lease renewal, rumors spread stating that the airline would relocate its headquarters to office space around [[George Bush Intercontinental Airport]] due to high fuel costs affecting the airline industry; the rumors stated that the airline was studying possibilities of less expensive alternatives to Continental Center I.<ref name="houston.bizjournals.com"/> The parties did not reveal the terms of the lease agreement.<ref>Feser, Katherine."[http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/6025372.html Continental to stay put at 1600 Smith]." ''[[Houston Chronicle]]''. September 26, 2008. Retrieved on November 11, 2009.</ref> In 2017, United Airlines consolidated its 1,600 Houston-area employees into a 225,000 square feet lease in the [[609 Main at Texas]] building.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mulvaney |first=By Erin |title=United to lease space in new downtown high-rise |url=https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/real-estate/article/United-to-lease-space-in-new-downtown-high-rise-6854965.php |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250523080144/https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/real-estate/article/United-to-lease-space-in-new-downtown-high-rise-6854965.php |archive-date=2025-05-23 |access-date=2025-06-27 |work=Houston Chronicle |language=en}}</ref>

In 2010, Continental Airlines and United Airlines announced that they would merge and that the headquarters of the combined company would be in the [[Chicago Loop]] in [[Chicago]].<ref>Moreno, Jenalia. "CEO aims for smooth landing in United-Continental merge." ''[[Houston Chronicle]]''. Sunday September 25, 2011. [http://www.chron.com/business/article/CEO-aims-for-smooth-landing-in-United-Continental-2186540.php#page-2 2] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111009235719/http://www.chron.com/business/article/CEO-aims-for-smooth-landing-in-United-Continental-2186540.php#page-2 |date=October 9, 2011 }}. Retrieved on October 10, 2011.</ref> As of 2025, United Airlines headquarters are located at the [[Willis Tower]] in Chicago.<ref>{{Cite news |title=United keeps options open for possible HQ move out of Chicago |url=https://wgntv.com/news/wgn-investigates/united-keeps-options-open-for-possible-hq-move/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250410223943/https://wgntv.com/news/wgn-investigates/united-keeps-options-open-for-possible-hq-move/ |archive-date=2025-04-10 |access-date=2025-06-27 |work=WGN-TV |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Environmental record===
Continental Airlines made efforts to minimize the negative environmental effects of commercial aviation. For example, the carrier invested over $12 billion for the purchase of 270 fuel-efficient aircraft and related equipment that made up part of the airline's fleet.<ref name="saipantribune">{{Cite news|title=Continental gets EPA award for PreKote use |url=http://www.saipantribune.com/newsstory.aspx?cat=5&newsID=79091 |work=[[Saipan Tribune]] |date=April 18, 2008 |access-date=May 6, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080424201122/http://www.saipantribune.com/newsstory.aspx?cat=5&newsID=79091 |archive-date=April 24, 2008 |df=mdy}}</ref> These efforts contributed to significant reductions of greenhouse gas and noise emissions.<ref name="saipantribune" /> Continental Airlines was also one of the first carriers in the world to fit [[winglets]] to as much of its fleet as it could, reducing fuel burn by 3–5%.<ref>"API Performance Enhancing Winglets" – ''[[Airliner World]]'', March 2009</ref>

The [[U.S. Environmental Protection Agency]]'s "Design for the Environment" program recognized Continental in 2008 for use of a non-chromium aircraft surface pre-treatment that is environmentally compatible. Continental Airlines was the first carrier in the world to utilize this technology on their aircraft. The product, "PreKote", eliminates hazardous chemicals that are usually used in the pre-treatment phase before painting an aircraft. This technology provides improved environmental conditions for maintenance employees, while also reducing wastewater.<ref name="saipantribune" />

Continental Airlines conducted flight tests using aircraft powered by [[biofuel]] rather than traditional [[Jet fuel|Jet-A1]]. On January 7, 2009, Continental partnered with [[GE Aviation]] to conduct a biofuel demonstration flight, making the airline the first U.S. carrier to conduct tests using biofuels. The test bed, a Boeing 737-800 (registered as N76516), ran one of its engines on a mix of 50% [[kerosene]], 6% [[algae]] oil, and 44% oil from [[jatropha]], a weed that bears oil producing seeds.<ref name="http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-biofuel8-2009jan08,0,761065.story">{{cite web|url=http://www.biodieselmagazine.com/article.jsp?article_id=2265|title=Airline industry advances use of biofuels|access-date=May 6, 2008|work=[[Biodiesel Magazine]]|archive-date=November 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231109211832/https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/2265/airline-industry-advances-use-of-biofuels/|url-status=live}}</ref> The engine running partly on biofuel burned {{cvt|46|kg}} less fuel than the conventional engine in {{frac|1|1|2}} hours while producing more thrust using the same volume of fuel. Continental's CEO, Larry Kellner, commented "This is a good step forward, an opportunity to really make a difference to the environment" citing jatropha's 50–60% lower CO2 emissions as opposed to Jet-A1 in its lifecycle.<ref>"A Greener Future?" – ''Aircraft Illustrated'', March 2009</ref>

Continental Airlines was recognized by NASA and ''Fortune'' magazine for positive environmental contributions.<ref name="saipantribune" />

===Awards===
* No. 1 Most Admired Global Airline; ''Fortune'' Magazine (2004–2009)<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS176168+11-Mar-2008+PRN20080311 |title=Continental Airlines Ranked No. 1 World's Most Admired Airline by FORTUNE Magazine |date=March 11, 2008 |work=Reuters |access-date=June 21, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090109091330/https://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS176168%2B11-Mar-2008%2BPRN20080311 |archive-date=January 9, 2009}}</ref>
* No. 1 Most Admired U.S. Airline; ''Fortune'' Magazine (2006–2007, 2010)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/Continental-Airlines-Again-prnews-3695352488.html?x=0&.v=1 |title=Continental Airlines Again Highest-Ranked U.S. Airline on FORTUNE World's Most Admired List |date=March 5, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100309095414/https://finance.yahoo.com/news/Continental-Airlines-Again-prnews-3695352488.html?x=0&.v=1 |archive-date=March 9, 2010}}</ref>
* No. 1 Greenest U.S. Airline; Greenopia (2009)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.greenopia.com/USA/news/15386/5-28-2009/Greener-Airlines-10-Least-Environmentally-Harmful-Companies |archive-url=https://archive.today/20090601072343/http://www.greenopia.com/USA/news/15386/5-28-2009/Greener-Airlines-10-Least-Environmentally-Harmful-Companies |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 1, 2009 |title=Continental Airlines Ranked US Greenest Airline}}</ref>
* No. 1 Pet-Friendly Airline; [[Petfinder]] (2009)<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/middleseat/2009/07/10/which-airline-is-the-most-pet-friendly/|title=Continental Airlines Ranked No. 1 Pet Friendly|work=The Wall Street Journal|first=Alice|last=Truong|date=July 10, 2009|access-date=August 4, 2017|archive-date=July 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170709125114/https://blogs.wsj.com/middleseat/2009/07/10/which-airline-is-the-most-pet-friendly/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Best Executive/Business Class; [[OAG (Air Travel Intelligence)|OAG]] Airline of the Year Awards (2003–2007, 2009)<ref name="continental.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.continental.com/WEB/en-us/content/company/globalcitizenship/awards.aspx|title=Continental Airlines – Awards|publisher=Continental.com|access-date=May 4, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100501210027/http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/content/company/globalcitizenship/awards.aspx|archive-date=May 1, 2010|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
* Best Airline Based in North America; [[OAG (Air Travel Intelligence)|OAG]] Airline of the Year Awards (2003–2009)<ref name="continental.com" />
* Best U.S. Carrier Trans-Atlantic and Trans-Pacific Business Class; [[Condé Nast Traveler]] (1999–2006)<ref name="continental.com" />
* Best Airline for North American Travel; Business Traveler Magazine (2006–2009)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Continental-Airlines-Chosen-Best-Airline/story.aspx?guid={6B188AE6-0FBB-4DC1-8B1C-97915BACD8F4}|title=Continental Airlines Chosen as Best Airline for North American Travel by Business Traveler Magazine Readers (2008, 2009)|date=December 12, 2008|publisher=MarketWatch|access-date=December 12, 2008}}</ref>
* Best Large Domestic Airline (Premium Seating); [[Zagat]] Airline Survey(2008)<ref name="marketwatch1">{{cite web|url=http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Continental-Airlines-Named-Best-Large/story.aspx?guid={0860256A-C8A2-4FFB-AAE3-D87851BE143C}|title=Continental Airlines Named Best Large Domestic Airline by Zagat|date=November 25, 2008|publisher=MarketWatch|access-date=December 7, 2008}}</ref>
* Best Value for the Money (International); [[Zagat]] Airline Survey (2009)<ref name="marketwatch1" />
* Highest-Ranked Network Airline; [[J.D. Power and Associates]] (2007)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jdpower.com/corporate/news/releases/pressrelease.aspx?ID=2007097|title=2007 North America Airline Satisfaction Study|date=June 19, 2007|publisher=J.D. Power|access-date=June 24, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120302201829/http://www.jdpower.com/library/index.htm?contentType=press-release|archive-date=March 2, 2012|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
* Airline of the Year; [[OAG (Air Travel Intelligence)|OAG]] (2004–2005)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oagairlineawards.com/previousAOY.html |title=OAG Airline Industry Awards – Previous AOY |year=2008 |publisher=OAG |access-date=June 24, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080615204257/http://www.oagairlineawards.com/previousAOY.html |archive-date=June 15, 2008 |url-status=dead |df=mdy}}</ref>
* Business Leadership Recycling Award; [[American Forest & Paper Association]] (2010)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.afandpa.org/pressreleases.aspx?id=1342 |title=2010 Business Leadership Recycling Award Presented to Continental Airlines |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100504112527/http://www.afandpa.org/pressreleases.aspx?id=1342 |archive-date=May 4, 2010 |df=mdy}}</ref>

==Destinations==

Continental, together with [[Continental Express]] and [[Continental Connection]], offered more than 2,400 daily departures throughout the Americas, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. The summer 2008 schedule saw Continental serving 130 domestic and 132 international destinations.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Continental Airlines Announces New Policy for Same-Day Flight Changes. |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS161663+26-Jun-2008+PRN20080626?symbol=CAL.N |work=Continental Airlines News Release |publisher=via [[Reuters]] |date=June 26, 2008 |access-date=August 2, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090110153852/https://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS161663%2B26-Jun-2008%2BPRN20080626?symbol=CAL.N |archive-date=January 10, 2009}}</ref>

Continental Airlines operated primarily a hub-and-spoke route network with North American hubs in Cleveland, Houston, and Newark, and a west Pacific hub in Guam. The majority of Continental flights were operated from its hubs. Some affiliated airlines used the [[Continental Connection]] name also operate flights not involving hubs, such as [[Gulfstream International Airlines]], which operated intra-Florida and Florida-Bahamas services.

[[File:Terminal E Waiting area.jpg|thumb|Continental was the dominant operator at [[Houston Intercontinental Airport]]]]

For almost 40 years, Continental operated a very large hub in [[Denver, Colorado]], but took the decision to close that hub in 1995 immediately after the opening of [[Denver International Airport]] (DIA), which represented a significantly higher-cost operation than the former Stapleton Airport, which DIA had replaced. The abrupt nature of this change came as a shock to Denver, which was experiencing dramatic growth. The void left by Continental's departure allowed the establishment of the "new" [[Frontier Airlines]] (a startup, rather than the original carrier of that name). Both Frontier and Southwest Airlines (which entered the Denver market after Continental's dehubbing) expanded quickly to fill the vacuum created by Continental's closing of its Denver hub.

For the first forty years of its existence, Continental was a domestic airline; however, especially after the incorporation of [[Texas International Airlines|Texas International]] routes, it served more Mexican destinations than any other U.S. carrier since the mid-1980s.{{citation needed|date=May 2020}}

Continental first entered the transatlantic market in April 1985, with the introduction of a Houston-[[Gatwick Airport|London-Gatwick]] service. Long prevented from serving [[London Heathrow Airport]] because of the provisions of the [[Bermuda II]] agreement, which only allowed [[British Airways]], [[Virgin Atlantic]], [[United Airlines]] and [[American Airlines]] to operate flights from Heathrow to the United States, Continental maintained its London services at Gatwick, where in 2007 as many as six flights a day were offered to Newark, Houston, and Cleveland.

In March 2008, an [[Open Skies Agreement]] between the U.S. and the European Union became effective, invalidating Bermuda II restrictions that had limited the number of carriers and cities in the U.S. that could serve London-Heathrow. In November 2007 Continental announced that new, nonstop, twice-daily service from its hubs at [[George Bush Intercontinental Airport]] and [[Newark Liberty International Airport]] to London-Heathrow would be offered; and this service was inaugurated on March 29, 2008. The service replaced existing frequencies to London-Gatwick and were offered with a combination of [[Boeing 777|Boeing 777-200ER]] and [[757-200]] equipment, with flat beds guaranteed in the BusinessFirst cabin.<ref>"[https://archive.today/20120628230019/http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=85779&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1078367&highlight= Continental Airlines to Launch Twice-Daily Nonstop Flights to Heathrow From Both New York and Houston]", ''Continental Airlines''</ref> By the time of its merger with United, Continental had grown its presence at London-Heathrow to seven daily flights; two to Houston-Intercontinental and five to Newark.

[[File:Bush terminal E.jpg|thumb|Continental operated international flights from Terminal E at [[George Bush Intercontinental Airport]] in [[Houston]].]]

During the [[Vietnam War]], Continental's extensive military charter operations established a presence in the Pacific region that formed the basis for the [[Air Micronesia]] operation. Service to Japan was initiated in the 1970s from Guam and Saipan, and by the late 1980s, nonstop service between Seattle and Tokyo was briefly offered with [[Boeing 747|747]] equipment, soon to be replaced with a direct Honolulu-[[Narita International Airport|Tokyo (Narita)]] flight. Through the 1990s, Continental maintained a minimal presence in the long-haul trans-Pacific market, until the delivery of 777-200ERs in 1998 which saw the addition of nonstop Tokyo service from Houston and Newark. By 2007, Hong Kong and Beijing were added to the network, and in 2009 Shanghai was added, all from the Newark hub. Continental has served Australia in the past with DC-10<ref>"[http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-4804460.html Continental to cut Fiji service in response to Australian protest. (Continental Airlines)]", ''Travel Weekly'' {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104015744/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-4804460.html |date=November 4, 2012}}</ref> and [[Boeing 747]] service from Hawaii, with some flights via Auckland. Continental withdrew from much of the Australasian market, but continues Air Micronesia [[Boeing 737 Next Generation|Boeing 737-800]] services between Cairns and Guam on a 4x weekly basis. Beginning in June 2011, it initiated service to [[Hilo]], Hawaii, providing that city the only nonstop air service to and from any destination outside the state of Hawaii.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.airlinesanddestinations.com/airlines/continental-to-begin-serving-hilo-in-hawaii-in-june-2011/ |title=Continental to Begin Serving Hilo in Hawai'i in June 2011 |publisher=Airlinesanddestinations.com |access-date=May 29, 2012 |archive-date=May 16, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120516131412/http://www.airlinesanddestinations.com/airlines/continental-to-begin-serving-hilo-in-hawaii-in-june-2011/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Continental offered the most destinations of any of the U.S. carriers to Germany, India, Ireland, Japan, Mexico and the United Kingdom, and was the only U.S. airline that flew to the Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, and Norway. Continental began service from Newark to [[Mumbai]], India on October 1, 2007, making that city Continental's second Indian destination.

===Codeshare agreements===
Throughout its existence, Continental Airlines had [[codeshare agreement]]s with the following airlines:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.continental.com/web/en-US/content/company/alliance/default.aspx?camp=virtual_expert|title=Continental Airlines – Global Alliances|publisher=Continental Airlines|access-date=September 20, 2010}}{{dead link|date=March 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>

{{div col}}
* [[Aeromar]]
* [[Air France]] {{small|(ended with Continental's withdrawal from [[SkyTeam]])}}
* [[Alitalia]] {{small|(ended with Continental's withdrawal from [[SkyTeam]])}}
* [[America West Airlines]] {{small|(ended on May 1, 2002, citing low code-shared flight sales)}}<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/28/business/company-news-continental-ends-ticket-alliance-with-america-west.html| title=Continental Ends Ticket Alliance With America West| date=March 28, 2002| newspaper=The New York Times| agency=[[Bloomberg News]]| url-access=subscription}}</ref>
* [[Amtrak]] {{small|([[Northeast Regional]] rail service to select destinations from the [[Newark Airport (Amtrak station)|Newark Airport Rail Station]], despite the fact Amtrak is not an airline)}}
* [[Avianca]]
* [[Cape Air]]
* [[Copa Airlines]]
* [[Copa Airlines Colombia]]
* [[Czech Airlines]] {{small|(ended with Continental's withdrawal from [[SkyTeam]])}}
* [[Delta Air Lines]] {{small|(ended with Continental's withdrawal from [[SkyTeam]])}}
* [[EVA Air]]
* [[Hawaiian Airlines]]
* [[Island Air (Hawaii)|Island Air]]
* [[KLM]] {{small|(ended with Continental's withdrawal from [[SkyTeam]])}}
* [[Korean Air]] {{small|(ended with Continental's withdrawal from [[SkyTeam]])}}
* [[Northwest Airlines]] {{small|(ended with Continental's withdrawal from [[SkyTeam]])}}
* [[Spanair]] {{small|(ended with Spanair's collapse in January 2012)}}
* [[TACA Airlines]]
* [[United Airlines]] {{small|(Merger partner)}}
* [[US Airways]]
{{div col end}}

===Regional operators===
[[File:ContinentalConnection.jpg|thumb|[[Continental Connection]] [[Beechcraft 1900]]]]
[[File:Continental Connection Bombardier Q400.jpg|thumb|A Continental Connection Bombardier Q400.]]

Continental was a minority owner of [[ExpressJet]], which operated under the "[[Continental Express]]" trade name but was a separately managed and public company. [[Chautauqua Airlines]] also flew under the Continental Express identity, while [[Cape Air]], [[Colgan Air]], [[CommutAir]], and [[Silver Airways]] fed Continental's flights under the [[Continental Connection]] identity. Continental did not have any ownership interests in these companies.

The operators of Continental Connection were:
* [[Cape Air]] operated out of San Juan (SJU), Puerto Rico, to other Puerto Rican destinations, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, Anguilla and Nevis. It also serviced routes from Guam to Saipan, Saipan to [[Rota International Airport|Rota]] and Rota to Guam.<ref>"[http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/content/company/alliance/capeair.aspx Cape Air] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120302103146/http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/content/company/alliance/capeair.aspx |date=March 2, 2012}}." Continental Airlines. Retrieved on July 13, 2009.</ref>
* [[Colgan Air]] operated out of Cleveland, Houston and Newark as a subsidiary of [[Pinnacle Airlines Corp.]]<ref>"[http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/content/company/alliance/colganair.aspx Colgan Air] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120302103134/http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/content/company/alliance/colganair.aspx |date=March 2, 2012}}." Continental Airlines. Retrieved on July 13, 2009.</ref>
* [[CommutAir]] operated mostly from Continental's [[Cleveland Hopkins International Airport|Cleveland]] and [[Newark Liberty International Airport|Newark]] hubs.<ref>"[http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/content/company/alliance/commutair.aspx Commutair] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120302103044/http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/content/company/alliance/commutair.aspx |date=March 2, 2012}}." Continental Airlines. Retrieved on July 13, 2009.</ref>
* [[Gulfstream International Airlines]] operated in the Bahamas, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando, Tampa, West Palm Beach, Tallahassee, Pensacola, and Key West. Also operated some flights under the [[Essential Air Service]] program from Continental's [[Cleveland Hopkins International Airport|Cleveland]] hub.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gulfstreamair.com/destinations.shtml|title=Destinations|publisher=Gulfstream International Airlines|access-date=December 12, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091114075721/http://www.gulfstreamair.com/destinations.shtml|archive-date=November 14, 2009}}</ref>
* [[Silver Airways]]

==Fleet==
Continental's all-[[Boeing Commercial Airplanes|Boeing]] fleet consisted of four types (737, 757, 767, and 777) in ten variants, with two variants of the [[Boeing 787 Dreamliner]] scheduled to enter service in 2011. The company's daily aircraft utilization was usually at the top of the industry.<ref name="Scott" />

As of October 1, 2010, at the time of the merger, the Continental Airlines fleet consisted of the following aircraft with an average age of 9.5 years:<ref>[http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/content/company/investor/docs/continental_fleet_plan_2010_042202.pdf Continental Airlines Fleet Plan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606144011/http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/content/company/investor/docs/continental_fleet_plan_2010_042202.pdf |date=June 6, 2011}}, April 22, 2010</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://airfleets.net/flottecie/Continental%20Airlines.htm |title=Continental Airlines fleet list |publisher=Airfleets.net |access-date=May 29, 2012 |archive-date=June 10, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120610204303/http://www.airfleets.net/flottecie/Continental%20Airlines.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://airfleets.net/ageflotte/Continental%20Airlines.htm |title=Continental Airlines fleet age |publisher=Airfleets.net |access-date=May 29, 2012 |archive-date=June 10, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120610204217/http://www.airfleets.net/ageflotte/Continental%20Airlines.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Continental Airlines fleet in 2010
|-
!rowspan=2 style="width:150px"|Aircraft
!rowspan=2|In service
!rowspan=2|Orders
!colspan=4|Passengers
!rowspan=2|Notes
|-
!style="width:25px;"|<abbr title="BusinessFirst">J</abbr>
!style="width:25px;"|<abbr title="First Class">F</abbr>
!style="width:25px;"|<abbr title="Economy Class">Y</abbr>
!style="width:25px;"|Total
|-
|[[Boeing 737-500]]
|36
|—
|—
|8
|106
|114
|All were transferred to [[United Airlines]] and later retired in 2013.
|-
|[[Boeing 737-700]]
|36
|—
|—
|12
|112
|124
|All were transferred to [[United Airlines]].
|-
|rowspan=2|[[Boeing 737-800]]
|rowspan=2|126
|rowspan=2|4
|rowspan=2|—
|14
|141
|155
|rowspan=2|All fleet and remaining orders transferred to [[United Airlines]].
|-
|16
|144
|160
|-
|[[Boeing 737-900]]
|12
|—
|—
|20
|153
|173
|All were transferred to [[United Airlines]].
|-
|[[Boeing 737-900ER]]
|30
|22
|—
|20
|153
|173
|All fleet and remaining orders transferred to [[United Airlines]].
|-
|[[Boeing 757-200]]
|41
|—
|16
|—
|159
|175
|All were transferred to [[United Airlines]].
|-
|[[Boeing 757-300]]
|21
|—
|—
|24
|192
|216
|Largest operator. All were transferred to [[United Airlines]].
|-
|[[Boeing 767-200ER]]
|10
|—
|25
|—
|149
|174
|All were transferred to [[United Airlines]] and later retired in 2013.
|-
|rowspan=2|[[Boeing 767-400ER]]
|12
|rowspan=2|—
|35
|rowspan=2|—
|200
|235
|rowspan=3|All were transferred to [[United Airlines]].
|-
|4
|20
|236
|256
|-
|[[Boeing 777-200ER]]
|22
|—
|50
|—
|226
|276
|-
|[[Boeing 787-8]]
|—
|11
|colspan="4" class="unsortable" style="text-align:center" | <abbr title="N/A">N/A</abbr>
|rowspan=2|All orders were transferred to [[United Airlines]].
|-
|[[Boeing 787-9]]
|—
|14
|colspan="4" class="unsortable" style="text-align:center" | <abbr title="N/A">N/A</abbr>
|-
!Total
!350
!51
!colspan="5"|
|}

By 2013, all of the former Continental fleet, excluding the Boeing 737-500 and Boeing 767-200ER (which were sold, primarily to Russian operators) were repainted in the new United livery making them officially part of the [[United Airlines Fleet]], except for the one Boeing 737-900ER in the Continental Blue Skyway retro livery (N75436). United repainted this aircraft to the standard Globe livery in May 2016, and then painted a different airframe in the Blue Skyway, sister ship N75435. The reason for the change is currently unknown to the public.

First Class was offered on Domestic Flights, and BusinessFirst was offered on Transatlantic/Transpacific Flights.

Continental Airlines was one of three carriers (with [[American Airlines]] and [[Delta Air Lines]]) to sign an exclusivity agreement with Boeing in the late 1990s. When Boeing acquired [[McDonnell Douglas]], the European Union forced Boeing to void the contracts. Both parties had been adhering to the terms under a [[gentlemen's agreement]].

Continental was one of the first major airlines to fly Boeing 757s on transatlantic routes. There have been some instances of range limitations on west-bound transatlantic flights due to strong headwinds resulting in a fuel stop which does not appear on the timetable, but these stops are not common. The use of the 757 with its smaller [[seating capacity]] allowed for "thin" routes (routes with less passenger traffic) to be economically viable. It allowed nonstop service from smaller cities, such as [[Belfast]], Northern Ireland and [[Hamburg]], Germany to the New York gateway. Previously, customers originating at these and similar cities needed to connect at European gateways like London Heathrow, Paris Charles de Gaulle, or Frankfurt, in order to travel to New York. United retains a number of these flight routes, mostly based out of Newark, including Newark-Dublin and Newark-Berlin.

===Historic fleet===
Over the years, Continental Airlines had in the past operated a variety of the following aircraft:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aerobernie.bplaced.net/Continental.html|title=Continental fleet|website=aerobernie.bplaced.net|access-date=February 20, 2021|archive-date=April 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411202624/http://aerobernie.bplaced.net/Continental.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Continental Airlines historic fleet
|-
!Aircraft
!Total
!Introduced
!Retired
!Notes
|-
|[[Airbus A300B4-200]]
|26
|1986
|1995
|
|-
|[[Beechcraft Baron]]
|10
|{{unknown}}
|{{unknown}}
|Operated by [[Continental Air Services, Inc|Continental Air services]]
|-
|[[Beechcraft Model 18]]
|3
|1965
|1975
|Operated by [[Continental Air Services, Inc|Continental Air services]]
|-
|[[Boeing 707-120]]
|5
|1959
|1967
|
|-
|[[Boeing 707-320C]]
|13
|1964
|1973
|
|-
|[[Boeing 720B]]
|8
|1962
|1976
|
|-
|[[Boeing 727-100]]
|26
|1967
|1994
|
|-
|[[Boeing 727-200]]
|109
|1970
|1999
|
|-
|[[Boeing 737-100]]
|17
|1987
|1999
|
|-
|[[Boeing 737-200]]
|30
|1986
|1999
|
|-
|[[Boeing 737-300]]
|65
|1985
|2010
|
|-
|[[Boeing 747-100]]
|6
|1970
|1996
|
|-
|[[Boeing 747-200B]]
|7
|1987
|1999
|
|-
|[[Convair CV-240]]
|8
|1948
|1959
|
|-
|[[Convair CV-340]]
|7
|1952
|1959
|
|-
|[[Convair CV-440]]
|3
|1956
|1959
|
|-
|[[Curtiss C-46 Commando]]
|8
|1965
|1976
|Operated by [[Continental Air Services, Inc|Continental Air services]]
|-
|[[Dornier Do 28]]
|5
|1965
|1968
|Operated by [[Continental Air Services, Inc|Continental Air services]]
|-
|[[Douglas C-47 Skytrain]]
|30
|1944
|1974
|
|-
|[[Douglas C-54 Skymaster]]
|1
|1971
|1972
|Leased
|-
|[[Douglas DC-3]]
|8
|1955
|1965
|
|-
|[[Douglas DC-7B]]
|6
|1957
|1963
|
|-
|[[McDonnell Douglas DC-9|McDonnell Douglas DC-9-14]]
|15
|1966
|1991
|
|-
|[[McDonnell Douglas DC-9|McDonnell Douglas DC-9-15MC/RC]]
|22
|1967
|1988
|
|-
|[[McDonnell Douglas DC-9|McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31]]
|5
|1987
|1999
|
|-
|[[McDonnell Douglas DC-9|McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32]]
|31
|1990
|2000
|
|-
|[[McDonnell Douglas DC-9|McDonnell Douglas DC-9-51]]
|5
|1991
|1992
|Leased from [[Eastern Air Lines]]
|-
|[[McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10]]
|8
|1972
|2000
|
|-
|[[McDonnell Douglas DC-10|McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10CF]]
|8
|1974
|1986
|Transferred to [[FedEx Express]]
|-
|[[McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30]]
|33
|1985
|2002
|
|-
|[[Lockheed Model 9 Orion]]
|5
|1934
|1935
|
|-
|[[Lockheed Model 10 Electra]]
|1
|1936
|{{unknown}}
|
|-
|[[Lockheed Model 12 Electra Junior]]
|2
|1937
|1940
|
|-
|[[Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar]]
|3
|{{unknown}}
|1945
|
|-
|[[Lockheed L-100 Hercules]]
|2
|1965
|1966
|Operated by [[Continental Air Services, Inc|Continental Air services]]
|-
|[[Lockheed Vega]]
|6
|1934
|1937
|
|-
|[[McDonnell Douglas MD-81]]
|5
|1990
|2003
|
|-
|[[McDonnell Douglas MD-82]]
|62
|1984
|2006
|
|-
|[[McDonnell Douglas MD-83]]
|3
|1987
|2006
|
|-
|[[North American B-25 Mitchell]]
|1
|1948
|{{unknown}}
|
|-
|[[North American Sabreliner]]
|4
|{{unknown}}
|{{unknown}}
|
|-
|[[Northrop Gamma]]
|1
|1942
|1948
|
|-
|[[Pilatus PC-6 Porter]]
|29
|1965
|1977
|Operated by [[Continental Air Services, Inc|Continental Air services]]
|-
|[[Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer]]
|4
|1965
|{{unknown}}
|Operated by [[Continental Air Services, Inc|Continental Air services]]
|-
|[[Sikorsky S-39]]
|2
|1934
|{{unknown}}
|
|-
|[[Travel Air 2000|Travel Air 4000]]
|2
|{{unknown}}
|{{unknown}}
|
|-
|[[Vickers Viscount|Vickers Viscount 700D]]
|1
|1958
|1958
|
|-
|[[Vickers Viscount|Vickers Viscount 800]]
|15
|1958
|1967
|
|}

===Fleet in 1960, 1970, and 1980===
{{Col-begin}}
{{Col-break}}
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:0.5em auto; text-align:center"
|+ '''CAL, March 1960'''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1960/1960%20-%200497.html |title=Flight International April 8, 1960 |publisher=Flightglobal.com |access-date=May 29, 2012 |archive-date=July 9, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170709114624/https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1960/1960%20-%200497.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
!Aircraft
!Total
!Orders
!Notes
|-
|[[Boeing 707|Boeing 707-120]]
|4
|1
|
|-
|[[Douglas DC-3]]
|10
|0
|
|-
|[[Douglas DC-6]]
|1
|0
|Leased
|-
|[[Douglas DC-6]]B
|2
|0
|1 leased
|-
|[[Douglas DC-7]]B
|5
|0
|
|-
|[[Vickers Viscount|Vickers Viscount 812]]
|15
|
|
|-
!Total
!37
!1
!
|}
{{Col-break}}
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:0.5em auto; text-align:center"
|-
|+ '''CAL, March 1970'''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1970/1970%20-%200529.html |title=Flight International March 26, 1970 |publisher=Flightglobal.com |access-date=May 29, 2012 |archive-date=February 1, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150201205701/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1970/1970%20-%200529.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
!Aircraft
!Total
!Orders
!Notes
|-
|[[Concorde]] ([[Supersonic transport|SST]])
|0
|3
| Not delivered
|-
|[[Boeing 2707]] ([[Supersonic transport|SST]])
|0
|3
| Not manufactured
|-
|[[Boeing 707|Boeing 707-320C]]
|13
|0
|
|-
|[[Boeing 720B]]
|8
|0
|
|-
|[[Boeing 727|Boeing 727-100C]]
|1
|0
|
|-
|[[Boeing 727|Boeing 727-200]]
|12
|0
|
|-
|[[Boeing 747|Boeing 747-100]]
|0
|4
|
|-
|[[Douglas DC-9|Douglas DC-9-10F]]
|19
|0
|
|-
!Total
!62
!10
!
|}
{{Col-break}}
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:0.5em auto; text-align:center"
|-
|+ '''CAL, July 1980'''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1980/1980%20-%201919.html|title=World Airline Directory 1980|publisher=Flight International|date=July 26, 1980|access-date=December 11, 2011|archive-date=July 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170709115408/https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1980/1980%20-%201919.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
!Aircraft
!Total
!Orders
!Notes
|-
|[[Boeing 727|Boeing 727-100]]
|16
|0
|
|-
|[[Boeing 727|Boeing 727-200]]
|36
|9
|
|-
|[[McDonnell Douglas DC-10|Douglas DC-10-10]]
|7
|0
|
|-
|[[McDonnell Douglas DC-10|Douglas DC-10-10CF]]
|6
|0
|
|-
|[[McDonnell Douglas DC-10|Douglas DC-10-30]]
|0
|2
|
|-
!Total
!65
!11
!
|}
{{col-end}}

===Cabin===
Continental Airlines had two classes of service, First/Business and Economy, for aircraft in the mainline fleet.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.continental.com/web/en-US/content/travel/inflight/aircraft/default.aspx |title=Continental Airlines Aircraft Information |publisher=Continental.com |access-date=May 29, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120302102529/https://www.continental.com/web/en-US/content/travel/inflight/aircraft/default.aspx |archive-date=March 2, 2012 |df=mdy-all}}</ref>

====BusinessFirst====
BusinessFirst was Continental's international [[business class]] product. It was offered on all Boeing 757-200s, Boeing 767s, and Boeing 777-200ERs. Continental had begun deploying BusinessFirst seats that allowed customers to lie completely flat, reclining 180-degrees and providing {{convert|6+1/2|ft|m}} of sleeping space in the fully extended position on its 777-200ER and 757-200 aircraft. The Flat Bed Seat offered a seat measuring up to {{convert|25|in|mm}} wide when the adjustable armrest was positioned flush with the seat cushion. Electronic controls enabled customers to easily move the seats to an infinite combination of seat adjustments, including lumbar support, leg and foot rests. iPod connectivity was available in the Flat Bed Seat. The new BusinessFirst seats had a six-way adjustable head rest, an individual overhead reading light and an adjustable seat light allowing customers to read in bed without disturbing their neighbor and a privacy shell that allowed for seclusion from other travelers. BusinessFirst customers also received one of the highest crew to passenger ratios (1:8) among all international business class products.<ref>[https://www.continental.com/web/en-GB/content/bf.aspx Continental Airlines – BusinessFirst] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090626081909/http://www.continental.com/web/en-GB/content/bf.aspx |date=June 26, 2009}}. Continental.com. Retrieved on December 23, 2010.</ref>

[[File:Continental Airlines BusinessFirst gen1 777.jpg|thumb|left|Previous generation 777 BusinessFirst seats, Replaced in 2010]]
The new BusinessFirst seats were featured on all of Continental's [[Boeing 777|777-200ER]]s and [[Boeing 757|757-200]]s. Installation on the [[Boeing 767]] fleet was to follow in 2011. The anticipated completion of the roll-out across Continental's entire international fleet was planned for August 2012. In addition, all 787 deliveries were to have the seats installed.

Continental considered BusinessFirst to be its signature onboard product, and the service is a frequent subject of advertising campaigns. Customers seated in the BusinessFirst cabin on longhaul flights from the United States to Europe, Asia, select cities in South America, and the Middle East received special ground services, including EliteAccess priority bag service at check-in, expedited security screening (where available), access to Continental's Presidents Club or affiliated Star Alliance lounges, personalized Continental Concierge service, and dedicated boarding procedures.

[[File:Continental Airlines BusinessFirst entree.jpg|thumb|In-flight meal in BusinessFirst]]

On board, multi-course meals were designed by Continental's Congress of Chefs, beverages were selected by Continental's Wine Masters, and service was provided by flight attendants from separate International crew bases at Newark and Houston. Most flights had at least two meal services. Entertainment was offered at each individual seat, and passengers on Boeing 777 and 757 aircraft had access to a new Audio-Video On Demand system with touch-screen controls. 767 aircraft featured older, looped-video multi-channel entertainment systems, generally with a wider programming selection than Economy Class. 767 aircraft were expected to receive AVOD in the near future. Customers also were provided headphones, a large pillow, wool blanket, and amenity kit prior to departure. Upon arrival, BusinessFirst customers have access to shower facilities and arrival lounges at most airports.

Continental offered a modified BusinessFirst service on flights from the United States mainland to Hawaii. All flights offered the same suite of EliteAccess ground services, along with a similar main meal service on board. Amenities such as pillows and headsets also were the same, but no amenity kits were offered. On flights from Newark and Houston to Honolulu, Continental operated Boeing 767-400ER aircraft with typical recliner-style BusinessFirst seats. On flights from Los Angeles and Orange County to Honolulu/Kahului with [[Boeing 737]] equipment, domestic First Class seats were substituted. Nonstop flights from Guam to Honolulu were exempt from most of these modifications and more closely resembled the standard BusinessFirst service.

No complimentary upgrades were offered to Continental OnePass Elite members on any intercontinental flights offering BusinessFirst service. However, on 767-operated BusinessFirst services to Hawaii, Continental offered a day-of-departure buy up fee for any revenue coach class fare, provided seats were available. Mainland-Hawaii was the only BusinessFirst market where such upgrades are available. In addition, OnePass Elites were eligible for complimentary automatic upgrades on Continental-operated flights from California to Hawaii.
[[File:Continental Airlines domestic First Class dinner.jpg|thumb|left|Domestic First Class dinner]]

====Domestic First Class====
First Class was offered on all domestically configured aircraft. It was offered on all Boeing 737s and Boeing 757-300s. Seats range from 20.75 to {{convert|21|in|mm}} wide, and had between 37 and {{convert|38|in|mm}} of pitch. Passengers aboard this class received free meals, refreshments, and alcoholic beverages. Passengers could watch movies on overhead television screens located throughout the cabin. In 2009, Continental began to add [[LiveTV]] television and [[Wi-Fi]] services to all next-generation Boeing 737s and Boeing 757-300s which was free of charge to First Class customers.<ref name="LiveTV">[http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/apps/vendors/default.aspx?i=PRNEWS Continental Airlines To Add LiveTV and Wi-Fi To Next-Gen 737 and 757-300 Aircraft] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100115081015/http://www.continental.com/web/en-Us/apps/vendors/default.aspx?SID=D9CBC510F95442CAB68EB8CA289B7BEF&i=PRNEWS |date=January 15, 2010}} (Official Press Release: January 29, 2008)</ref>

On international flights to Latin America, the Caribbean, and select cities in South America, Continental's Domestic First Class service was re-branded as Regional Business Class. These customers received access to Continental's Presidents Club and affiliated Star Alliance lounges on day-of-departure. Also, meal choices were frequently substituted to reflect the local cuisine of destinations served, especially on flights to Latin America.

====International Economy Class====
[[File:Continental Airlines 767-400ER economy cabin.jpg|thumb|767-400ER economy cabin]]

Economy Class was offered on all internationally configured aircraft. Seats range from 17.2 to {{convert|17.9|in|mm}} wide, and have between 31 and {{convert|32|in|mm}} of pitch. Passengers aboard this class received free meals, snacks, and non-alcoholic beverages; alcoholic beverages could be purchased for US$6 per drink or one Continental Currency coupon per drink.<ref>"[http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/content/travel/inflight/dining/beverages/default.aspx In-flight Beverage Selection] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120302102722/http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/content/travel/inflight/dining/beverages/default.aspx |date=March 2, 2012}}", ''Continental Airlines''</ref> All seats on 757 and 777 equipment were fitted with AVOD touch screen with a wide-ranging selection of films, games, television shows and music.

====Domestic Economy Class====
Economy Class was offered on all domestically configured aircraft. Seats were {{convert|17.2|in|mm}} wide, and had between 31 and {{convert|32|in|mm}} of pitch. Passengers aboard this class received free non-alcoholic refreshments. Alcoholic beverages could be purchased on board. Passengers on all Boeing 737-700, −800, −900, −900ER, and 757-300 aircraft could watch movies on overhead television screens located throughout the cabin, with headsets available at a charge. In January 2009, Continental began to add [[LiveTV]] television services to all next-generation Boeing 737s and Boeing 757-300s. LiveTV would be chargeable for Economy Class customers. Continental Airlines offered free meals on domestic economy class flights. In March 2010, for economy class passengers on domestic and Canadian flights under six hours and on certain flights to and from Latin America, the airline discontinued free meals and began [[buy on board]] service in the northern hemisphere in the fall of 2010.<ref>Mutzabaugh, Ben. "[https://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/item.aspx?type=blog&ak=83427.blog Continental to start charging for meals on most domestic flights]." ''[[USA Today]]''. Retrieved on March 16, 2010.</ref>

===Meal and drink services===
Meals were free on BusinessFirst on all flights.<ref>"[http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/content/travel/inflight/businessfirst/dining.aspx BusinessFirst Dining] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301021250/http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/content/travel/inflight/businessfirst/dining.aspx |date=March 1, 2012}}." Continental Airlines. Retrieved on October 29, 2010.</ref> Flights of a duration of over one hour within North America and flights to and from resort destinations in the Caribbean and Latin America had meals in First Class depending on the mealtimes that the flights are within. All flights to and from non-resort destinations in the Caribbean and Latin America had free meals in First Class, with the exception of certain flights that depart after midnight.<ref>"[http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/content/travel/inflight/firstclass/dining.aspx First Class/Business Class Dining] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301020957/http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/content/travel/inflight/firstclass/dining.aspx |date=March 1, 2012}}." Continental Airlines. Retrieved on October 29, 2010.</ref> Meals in Economy Class were served on most flights to and from Asia and Europe. Meals were offered in economy class on all flights to and from non-resort destinations in the Caribbean Latin America, with the exception of some flights departing after midnight. Flights within Asia and the Pacific that were previously operated by [[Continental Micronesia]] had free meals and/or snacks offered during mealtimes. Meals were available for purchase on all economy class flights within North America, to/from Canada, and to/from resort destinations within the Caribbean and Latin America if the flight's duration was over 6{{fraction|1|2}} hours.<ref name="EconDin">"[http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/content/travel/inflight/economy/dining.aspx Economy Class Dining] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301031940/http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/content/travel/inflight/economy/dining.aspx |date=March 1, 2012}}." Continental Airlines. Retrieved on October 29, 2010.</ref>

Towards the end of the airline's life, on most economy class flights within North America, to/from Canada, and to/from resort destinations within the Caribbean and Latin America, Continental had a [[buy on board]] service. On those flights between 2{{fraction|1|2}} hours and 6{{fraction|1|2}} hours, snacks were available for purchase, and food for purchase was available on most of those flights that are 3{{fraction|1|2}} to 6{{fraction|1|2}} hours.<ref name="EconDin"/> Originally the airline provided meals free of charge on flights more than 1{{fraction|1|2}} hours. The airline continued doing so after competitors charged for meals. In March 2010 the airline announced that it would switch to buy on board for food in fall 2010. The airline said that the absence of free meals would save the airline $35 million per year (${{inflation|US|35000000|2010|fmt=c}} when adjusted for inflation), and if half of economy class passengers on the affected flights purchased food, the airline would make an additional $17 million per year (${{inflation|USD|17000000|2010|fmt=c}} when adjusted for inflation). The airline did not say how the transition to buy on board would affect the employment of workers at the subsidiary [[Chelsea Food Services]].<ref>Moreno, Jenalia. "[http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/6913828.html No more free lunch for Continental coach passengers] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100322205227/http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/6913828.html? |date=March 22, 2010 }}." ''[[Houston Chronicle]]''. March 15, 2010. Retrieved on November 1, 2010.</ref> Buy on board began on October 12, 2010.<ref>"[http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20101005052124/http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=85779&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1475060 Continental Airlines Introduces New Meals and Snacks for On-Board Purchase]." Continental Airlines. September 27, 2010.</ref> On March 1, 2011, Continental stopped serving free snacks on domestic flights to coach passengers in order to align itself with the policy of [[United Airlines]].<ref>Baskas, Harriet. "[http://www.nbcnews.com/id/41888897 No more pretzels? Airlines ditch free snacks] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200212091658/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/41888897 |date=February 12, 2020 }}." [[NBC News]]. March 3, 2011. Retrieved on March 6, 2011.</ref> In addition, on that day all fights between Hawaii, Alaska, and the Mainland U.S. became buy on board flights.<ref name="EconDin2">"[http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/content/travel/inflight/economy/dining.aspx Economy Class Dining] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301031940/http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/content/travel/inflight/economy/dining.aspx |date=March 1, 2012}}." Continental Airlines. Retrieved on March 6, 2011. "Effective March 1, 2011, Continental will offer snacks and fresh meal options for purchase in Economy Class on flights between Hawaii, Alaska and the Mainland U.S."</ref>

Continental Airlines offered free special meal options on certain flights; special meals include the Child, [[Gluten intolerant]], Hindu vegetarian, Jain, Kosher, Muslim, and Vegan options. The airline offered special meals for all classes of service on flights to and between [[Houston]] and Argentina, Asia, Brazil, Europe, and Hawaii, and the airline offered special meals for all classes of service on flights between [[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]] and Asia, Brazil, Europe, and Hawaii; flights between Newark and India use Hindu vegetarian as a standard meal choice. In addition, special meals were available in first class on flights between Newark and Alaska, California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. Other routes with special meal service available in first class include Los Angeles to/from Honolulu, Los Angeles to/from Maui, Orange County to/from Honolulu, and Orange County to/from Maui.<ref>"[http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/content/travel/inflight/dining/special/default.aspx Special Meals] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120126205408/http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/content/travel/inflight/dining/special/default.aspx |date=January 26, 2012}}." Continental Airlines. Retrieved on October 29, 2010.</ref>

The airline offered soft drinks that are free on all flights. Beer, liqueurs, spirits, and wine were free of charge in BusinessFirst and Business Class on all flights, and for a charge in economy class on all flights. On flights within North America and to or from the Caribbean and Latin America, the airline offered "Specialty Beverages" for purchase in economy class.<ref>"[http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/content/travel/inflight/dining/beverages/default.aspx In-flight Beverage Selection] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120302102722/http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/content/travel/inflight/dining/beverages/default.aspx |date=March 2, 2012}}." Continental Airlines. Retrieved on October 29, 2010.</ref>

===In-flight entertainment===
{{multiple image
|align = right
|direction = horizontal
|image2 =
|width2 = 70
|caption2 = LiveTV Seat Controls
|image1 =
|width1 = 158
|caption1 = Continental's LiveTV System aboard a Boeing 737-900ER
}}
Boeing 757-200 and 777-200ER aircraft included Audio-Video On-Demand ([[AVOD]]) in every seat back. Boeing 767 family aircraft were equipped with a personal television located in every seat back, using a tape system. On all Boeing 757-200 and Boeing 777-200ER aircraft, all rows were equipped with power-ports (two power ports per group of 3 seats) that do not require special power adapters or cables.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.redorbit.com/news/business/788782/continental_airlines_installs_new_audiovideo_on_demand_entertainment_systems_on/index.html|title=Continental Airlines Installs New Audio/Video on Demand Entertainment Systems on International Routes – Business News|publisher=redOrbit|date=January 4, 2007|access-date=May 4, 2010}}</ref>

[[File:DirecTV COA B738.jpg|thumb|DirecTV on board a Continental 737-800]]
Continental Airlines began offering 95 channels of live [[DirecTV]] television to all passengers on its domestic fleet beginning in January 2009.<ref name="Reiter">Reiter, Chris. "[http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKN2959189520080129 Continental to offer live TV and email on domestic flights] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231109211839/https://www.reuters.com/?edition-redirect=uk |date=November 9, 2023 }}." [[Reuters UK]]. Tuesday January 29, 2008. Retrieved on January 19, 2010.</ref> Boeing 737-700s, 800s, 900s, and 900ERs and Boeing 757-300s were going to receive the service.<ref name="Fleetstatus">"[https://web.archive.org/web/20090518111618/http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/content/travel/inflight/entertainment/directv/fleetstatus.aspx DIRECTV > Fleet Status]." Continental Airlines. Retrieved on January 19, 2010.</ref> The service became available immediately after a credit card is swiped and confirmed, and could be activated at any point during the flight. Movies started at a set time and cannot be paused, rewound or fast-forwarded. The service was free to first-class passengers and was available for a charge of US$6 in the coach cabin.<ref name="Reiter" /> Service could become limited and/or interrupted during descent.<ref name="Fleetstatus" />

On December 16, 2009, Continental Airlines, announced that, beginning in the second quarter 2010(see note) it will offer [[Gogo Inflight Internet]] service on its fleet of 21 Boeing 757-300 aircraft that primarily serve domestic routes. The new Gogo Inflight Internet service will provide customers full Internet access on their own standard, Wi-Fi equipped laptop or Personal Electronic Device (PED) at speeds similar to wireless mobile broadband services on the ground. Customers will be able to sign up and log in once the aircraft reaches {{convert|10000|ft|m}}. The Gogo system, powered by the Aircell Network and available in the continental U.S., will be available to customers at a cost from $4.95 and up, based on length of flight{{Citation needed|date=April 2011}}.

At airport [[kiosk]]s Continental Airlines allowed customers to buy "Continental Currency", a prepaid credit for audio headsets and alcoholic beverages on flights.<ref name="Cocurr">"[http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/content/travel/airport/kiosks/default.aspx#currency Airport Kiosks] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120302103023/http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/content/travel/airport/kiosks/default.aspx#currency |date=March 2, 2012}}." Continental Airlines. Retrieved on May 18, 2009.</ref>

==OnePass==
[[File:Continental Airlines OnePass logo.png|thumb|Continental's OnePass logo]]

Established in 1987 in cooperation with now defunct [[Eastern Air Lines]], OnePass was the [[frequent flyer program]] for Continental Airlines, the [[Trump Shuttle]], [[Copa Airlines]] and [[Copa Airlines Colombia]]. OnePass offered regular travelers the privilege to obtain free tickets, First Class upgrades on flights, discounted membership for its airport lounge ([[#President's Club|President's Club]]), and other types of rewards. Customers accumulated miles from flight segments they fly or through Continental Airlines partners. OnePass elite tiers were Silver, Gold, and Platinum Elite which have benefits such as free upgrades, mileage bonus, priority check-in, priority boarding, and much more. Continental previously had a frequent flyer program prior to OnePass called TravelBank, which was started not long after American Airlines started its frequent flyer program in 1981 and when most large United States airlines followed, but this was merged with Eastern Airlines' frequent flyer program in 1987 to form OnePass.<ref>personal collection of Eastern Airlines frequent flyer program newsletters from 1987.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.insideflyer.com/articles/o2_sidebar.php?key=4 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060525073303/http://www.insideflyer.com/articles/o2_sidebar.php?key=4 |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 25, 2006 |title=The First Frequent Flyer Programs |publisher=InsideFlyer.com |access-date=May 29, 2012}}</ref> The name "OnePass" refers to the ability to accumulate miles on two major airlines, namely Continental and Eastern, in one frequent flyer program.

In addition to its [[Continental Express]], [[Continental Connection]] and Star Alliance partnerships, Continental had frequent flyer partnerships with the following airlines (as of February 2012):
* [[Aeromar]]
* [[Cape Air]]
* [[Copa Airlines]]
* [[EVA Air]]
* [[Hawaiian Airlines]]
* [[Island Air (Hawaii)|Island Air]]

As a result of [[#Merger with United Airlines|United Airlines and Continental Airlines merger]], on March 3, 2012, OnePass program was phased out and merged into United [[MileagePlus]] program.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://creditshout.com/blog/continental-onepass-is-now-united-mileageplus-questions-from-current-account-holders/ |title=Continental OnePass is Now United MileagePlus – Questions From Current Account Holders |publisher=Creditshout.com |access-date=May 29, 2012 |archive-date=March 9, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120309014005/http://creditshout.com/blog/continental-onepass-is-now-united-mileageplus-questions-from-current-account-holders/ |url-status=live }}</ref> OnePass stopped accepting new membership applications effective February 29, 2012.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.theman1000.com/2012/02/23/dying-continental-onepass-card/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120912194101/http://www.theman1000.com/2012/02/23/dying-continental-onepass-card/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 12, 2012 |title=Don't Get Suckered by the Dying Continental OnePass Card! |publisher=Theman1000.com |date=February 23, 2012 |access-date=May 29, 2012}}</ref>

The President's Club was the membership airport lounge program of Continental Airlines.

==Accidents and incidents==
The following were major accidents and incidents that have occurred on Continental Airlines mainline aircraft.
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Continental Airlines reported accidents and incidents
|-
!rowspan="2"|Flight
!rowspan="2"|Date
!rowspan="2"|Aircraft
!rowspan="2"|Location
!rowspan="2"|Passengers/crew
!colspan="4"|Injuries
! rowspan="2" |Other
|-
!Fatal
!Serious
!Minor
!Ground or other injuries/fatalities
|-
|N/A<ref name=ASN082745>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19450827-0|title=ASN Aircraft accident Lockheed 18-01-01 Lodestar NC25636 Albuquerque, NM|publisher=Aviation-safety.net|access-date=August 19, 2011|archive-date=May 9, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150509223920/http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19450827-0|url-status=live}}</ref>
|August 27, 1945
|[[Lockheed Lodestar]]
|[[Albuquerque, New Mexico]]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|46<ref name=ASN160354>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19540316-0|title=ASN Aircraft accident Convair CV-340-35 N90853 Midland, TX|publisher=Aviation-safety.net|access-date=August 19, 2011|archive-date=November 4, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104104125/http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19540316-0|url-status=live}}</ref>
|March 16, 1954
|[[Convair CV-340]]
|[[Midland, Texas]]
|8/3
|0
|0
|11
|0
|
|-
|[[Continental Airlines Flight 11|11]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19620522-0|title=ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 707-124 N70775 Unionville, MO|publisher=Aviation-safety.net|access-date=January 8, 2009|archive-date=May 19, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120519111804/http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19620522-0|url-status=live}}</ref>
|May 22, 1962
|[[Boeing 707-100]]
|[[Unionville, Missouri]]
|37/8
|45
|0
|0
|0
|
|-
|210<ref name=ASN080762>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19620708-0|title=Accident description|publisher=Aviation Safety Network|access-date=October 2, 2009|archive-date=October 25, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025085658/http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19620708-0|url-status=live}}</ref>
|July 8, 1962
|[[Vickers Viscount]]
|[[Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport|Lubbock International Airport]]
|13/3
|0
|0
|0
|0
|
|-
|290 <ref>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19630129-0|title=ASN Aircraft accident Vickers 812 Viscount N242V Kansas City, MO|publisher=Aviation-safety.net|date=January 29, 1963|access-date=January 8, 2009|archive-date=July 20, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120720162838/http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19630129-0|url-status=live}}</ref>
|January 29, 1963
|[[Vickers Viscount]]
|[[Kansas City Municipal Airport|Kansas City, Missouri]]
|5/3
|8
|0
|0
|0
|
|-
|[[Continental Airlines Flight 12|12]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://asn.flightsafety.org/wikibase/332610 |title=Runway excursion Accident Boeing 707-124 N70773, Thursday 1 July 1965 |website=asn.flightsafety.org |access-date=2024-10-22}}</ref>
|July 1, 1965
|[[Boeing 707|Boeing 707-124]]
|[[Kansas City Municipal Airport|Kansas City, Missouri]]
|60/6
|0
|0
|0
|0
|-
|712 <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fss.aero/accident-reports/dvdfiles/US/1971-08-04-US.pdf |date=December 29, 1971 |title=Midair collision, Continental Air Lines, Inc., Flight 712, Boeing 707-320C, N47330, Floyd Flying Service, Cessna 150J, N61011, Compton, California August 4, 1971 |publisher=[[National Transportation Safety Board|NTSB]] |access-date=October 14, 2020 |archive-date=October 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201017010938/https://www.fss.aero/accident-reports/dvdfiles/US/1971-08-04-US.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
|August 4, 1971
|[[Boeing 707#707-320C|Boeing 707-320C]]
|[[Compton, California]]
|87/9
|0
|0
|0
|2 injuries (on Cessna 150)
|Mid-air collision, both occupants of [[Cessna 150]] survived with injuries
|-
|N/A<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19730413-0|title=ASN Aircraft accident North American NA-265 Sabreliner 60 N743R Montrose, CO|publisher=Aviation-safety.net|date=April 13, 1973|access-date=January 8, 2009|archive-date=May 25, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080525212353/http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19730413-0|url-status=live}}</ref>
|April 13, 1973
|[[North American Sabreliner|Sabreliner 60]]
|[[Montrose, Colorado]]
|0/2
|2
|0
|0
|0
|
|-
|426 <ref>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19750807-0|title=ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727-224 N88777 Denver-Stapleton International Airport, CO (DEN)|publisher=Aviation-safety.net|date=August 7, 1975|access-date=January 8, 2009|archive-date=October 26, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121026135548/http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19750807-0|url-status=live}}</ref>
|August 7, 1975
|[[Boeing 727-200]]
|[[Denver, Colorado]]
|124/7
|0
|0
|15
|0
|
|-
|[[Continental Airlines Flight 603|603]] <ref>{{cite web |url=http://libraryonline.erau.edu/online-full-text/ntsb/aircraft-accident-reports/AAR79-01.pdf |title=E.R.A.U. Library: National Transportation Safety Board |publisher=Libraryonline.erau.edu |access-date=2012-10-14 |archive-date=May 28, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160528053730/http://libraryonline.erau.edu/online-full-text/ntsb/aircraft-accident-reports/AAR79-01.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
|March 1, 1978
|[[McDonnell Douglas DC-10]]
|[[Los Angeles International Airport|Los Angeles]]
|189/11
|4
|29
|167
|10 (firefighters injured)
|2 died during evacuation, 2 died three months later of their injuries
|-
|25<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/07/11/us/pilot-in-near-collision-over-ocean-suggested-incident-be-kept-secret.html?pagewanted=all|title=Pilot in near collision over ocean suggested incident be kept secret|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=July 11, 1987|first=Richard|last=Witkin|access-date=February 6, 2017|archive-date=December 28, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161228195841/http://www.nytimes.com/1987/07/11/us/pilot-in-near-collision-over-ocean-suggested-incident-be-kept-secret.html?pagewanted=all|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ntsb.gov/safety/safety-recs/recletters/A87_105_106.pdf|title=Safety Recommendation|publisher=National Transportation Safety Board|date=September 1, 1987|access-date=December 28, 2016|archive-date=December 29, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161229100036/http://www.ntsb.gov/safety/safety-recs/recletters/A87_105_106.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,965468,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101022235506/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,965468,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 22, 2010|title=Wrong Track: Delta is blamed for a close call|magazine=Time|date=September 14, 1987|first=Ed|last=Magnuson}}</ref>
|July 8, 1987
|[[Boeing 747]]
|North Atlantic Ocean
|399/19
|0
|0
|0
|0
|Near mid-air collision with off-course Delta flight
|-
|[[Continental Airlines Flight 1713|1713]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19871115-0|title=ASN Aircraft accident Douglas DC-9-14 N626TX Denver-Stapleton International Airport, CO (DEN)|publisher=Aviation-safety.net|date=November 15, 1987|access-date=January 8, 2009|archive-date=March 24, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324052642/http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19871115-0|url-status=live}}</ref>
|November 15, 1987
|[[McDonnell Douglas DC-9]]
|[[Stapleton International Airport|Denver]]
|77/5
|28
|28
|26
|0
|
|-
|795<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Aviation Accident Report AAR-95-01 |url=https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/Pages/DCA94MA038.aspx |access-date=2018-12-17 |website=www.ntsb.gov |archive-date=June 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230603170333/https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/Pages/DCA94MA038.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref>
|March 2, 1994
|[[McDonnell Douglas MD-80|McDonnell Douglas MD-82]]
|New York
|110/6
|0
|0
|30
|0
|
|-
|1943<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ntsb.gov/doclib/reports/1997/aar9701.pdf|title=NTSB Aircraft accident report wheels-up landing Continental Airlines Flight 1943 Douglas DC-9 N10556 Houston, TX February 19, 1996|publisher=National Transportation Safety Board|date=February 11, 1997|access-date=June 29, 2020|archive-date=February 2, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220202005342/https://www.ntsb.gov/doclib/reports/1997/aar9701.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
|February 19, 1996
|[[McDonnell Douglas DC-9]]
|[[Houston Intercontinental Airport|Houston]]
|82/5
|0
|0
|12
|0
|
|-
|475<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19980916-0|title=Accident description: Continental Airlines flight 475, September 16, 1998|publisher=Aviation Safety Network|access-date=December 28, 2016|archive-date=January 27, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120127165235/http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19980916-0|url-status=live}}</ref>
|September 16, 1998
|[[Boeing 737-500]]
|[[Guadalajara International Airport|Guadalajara]]
|102/6
|0
|0
|0
|0
|Aircraft damaged beyond repair
|-
|[[Air France Flight 4590|55]] <ref>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20000725-0|title=ASN Aircraft accident Aérospatiale / BAC Concorde 101 F-BTSC Gonesse|publisher=Aviation-safety.net|access-date=January 8, 2009|archive-date=June 6, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606071418/http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20000725-0|url-status=live}}</ref>
|July 25, 2000
|[[McDonnell Douglas DC-10]]
|[[Charles de Gaulle Airport|Paris, France]]
|
|0
|0
|0
|0
|Mechanical failure (source of foreign object that caused [[Air France Flight 4590]] to crash)
|-
|1515
|January 16, 2006
|[[Boeing 737-524]]
|[[El Paso International Airport|El Paso, Texas]]
|114/5
|0
|0
|0
|1 fatality (ground crew mechanic)
|Mechanic checking for oil leak stepped into hazard zone, got ingested into the engine.
|-
|[[Continental Airlines Flight 1404|1404]]
|December 20, 2008
|[[Boeing 737-500]]
|[[Denver International Airport|Denver]]
|110/5
|0
|2
|45
|0
|
|-
|128<ref>{{Cite web |title=Accident: Continental B762 over Caribbean on Aug 3rd 2009, severe turbulence injures 26 |url=http://avherald.com/h?article=41dadc4d&opt=0 |access-date=2023-10-04 |website=avherald.com |archive-date=November 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231109211846/http://avherald.com/h?article=41dadc4d&opt=0 |url-status=live }}</ref>
|August 3, 2009
|[[Boeing 767|Boeing 767-224]]
|[[Dominican Republic]]
|168/11
|0
|4
|22
|0
|Strong clear-air turbulence approximately 50 nm North of Dominican Republic, 600 nm south of Miami, 26 injured.
|}
* August 27, 1945
** A Lockheed Lodestar burned out while parked at Albuquerque, New Mexico; there was no one on board.
* March 16, 1954
** Flight 46, on a flight from Midland, Texas, to Kansas City, Missouri, suffered vibration just after takeoff and went into a dive; the flight crew managed to make a wheels-up landing in an open field.
* May 22, 1962
** Thomas Doty, a passenger intent on having his wife claim money from life insurance, boarded [[Continental Airlines Flight 11|Flight 11]] with a bomb, which departed [[O'Hare International Airport|Chicago-O’Hare]], destined for [[Kansas City Municipal Airport]]. The bomb exploded, breaking off the aircraft's tail, and the plane crashed on a farm near [[Unionville, Missouri]]. All 45 on board died, including the suicide bomber. This aircraft had previously been subject to an attempted hijacking to Cuba, although the hijackers were captured in [[El Paso, Texas]].
* July 8, 1962
** A Vickers Viscount was damaged beyond economic repair when the propellers struck the runway shortly after take-off. A wheels-up landing was made in a wheat field.
* January 29, 1963
** Flight 290, en route from [[Midland International Airport|Midland, Texas]], to Kansas City, crashed on approach near the south end of the runway and burst into flames.
* August 4, 1971
** Continental Airlines Flight 712, on a flight coming from [[Hilo International Airport]] into [[Los Angeles International Airport]] collided in midair over [[Compton, California|Compton]] with a [[Cessna 150]] at about 3,950 feet during an evening approach to LAX. The Boeing 707-320C suffered substantial damage to the outer right-wing panel but landed safely. The Cessna 150 crashed and was destroyed but both occupants survived with injuries.
* April 13, 1973
** After bringing [[Robert Six|Bob]] and [[Audrey Meadows|Audrey Six]] to their Colorado ranch, the Sabreliner crew departed [[Montrose Regional Airport]], for the return flight to Los Angeles (LAX). The thrust reverser of the aircraft was deployed in flight shortly after takeoff. The aircraft descended from {{convert|1000|ft|m}}, struck the ground, and was destroyed.
* August 7, 1975
** Flight 426, bound for [[Wichita, Kansas]], crashed near the departure end of runway shortly after takeoff from Denver-Stapleton International Airport. The aircraft encountered severe windshear at an altitude and airspeed which precluded recovery to level flight. The aircraft descended at a rate which could not be overcome even though the aircraft was flown at or near its maximum lift capability throughout the encounter. The windshear was generated by the outflow from a thunderstorm which was over the aircraft's departure path. All passengers and crew were safely evacuated. The aircraft, a Boeing 727, was a total loss.
* March 1, 1978
** [[Continental Airlines Flight 603|Flight 603]] was scheduled to [[Honolulu International Airport|Honolulu, HI]] from Los Angeles. At takeoff, the McDonnell-Douglas DC-10 overran the runway at Los Angeles ([[LAX]]) when the takeoff was aborted as a result of a tire explosion. The resulting overrun caused a fire that engulfed the aircraft. The aircraft was a total loss; two passengers died when they evacuated the aircraft directly into the fire. Two other passengers died three months later of their injuries.
* July 8, 1987
** A Continental Boeing 747 had a near collision with an off-course [[Delta Air Lines]] [[Lockheed L-1011]]. Both the Delta (London-Cincinnati) and Continental (London-Newark) were heading to the U.S., with a total of nearly 600 people on board. The Delta flight strayed {{convert|60|mi|km}} off course during its flight, and came within {{convert|30|ft|m}} of colliding with the 747 as the L-1011 flew under it in Canadian airspace. It was potentially the deadliest aviation accident in history. Delta pilots attempted to convince the Continental crew to cover up the incident and not report it.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Witkin|first=Richard|date=July 10, 1987|title=Pilot in Near Collision Over Ocean Suggested Incident Be Kept Secret|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1987/07/11/554287.html?pageNumber=1|access-date=September 10, 2020|archive-date=March 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230309235916/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1987/07/11/554287.html?pageNumber=1|url-status=live}}</ref>
* November 15, 1987
** [[Continental Airlines Flight 1713|Flight 1713]], bound for [[Boise, Idaho]], crashed on take-off during a snowstorm at Stapleton International Airport, Denver, Colorado. 25 passengers and 3 crew were killed.
* March 2, 1994
** Flight 795, a [[McDonnell Douglas MD-80|McDonnell Douglas MD-82]], suffered damage due to a rejected takeoff from runway 13 at [[LaGuardia Airport]] during wintry conditions. The aircraft failed to takeoff and came to a stop at the edge of a ditch near the runway. 30 Passengers and crew suffered minor injuries.<ref name=":0" />
* February 19, 1996
** Flight 1943 landed wheels up on runway 27 at the Houston Intercontinental Airport, Houston, Texas.
* September 16, 1998
** Flight 475 from Houston to Guadalajara, a Boeing 737-500, was damaged beyond repair upon exiting the left side of the runway while landing. There were no injuries, and wind shear is suspected to have been a factor.<ref name="auto" />
* July 25, 2000
** The official investigation found that Flight 55 (a Continental DC-10) caused the crash of [[Air France]] [[Concorde]] [[Air France Flight 4590|Flight 4590]] in Paris. The DC-10 dropped a strip of titanium alloy from its [[thrust reverser]] on the runway during takeoff. When AF4590 subsequently departed, Concorde's left main landing gear tires struck the strip of metal and were punctured. The tires then exploded and tire rubber fragments penetrated Concorde's wing fuel tanks, starting fires in engines 1 and 2, leading to the crash which killed all aboard and four people on the ground. According to the official report on the accident, the strip of metal installed on the Continental jet was made from a different alloy than had been approved by the US [[Federal Aviation Administration]] or the engine manufacturer. This led French authorities to undertake a criminal investigation into Continental Airlines,<ref>"[https://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2005-03-10-continental-concorde_x.htm Judge places Continental under investigation in Concorde crash] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090125081931/http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2005-03-10-continental-concorde_x.htm |date=January 25, 2009 }}." ''[[USA Today]]''</ref> which ended in Continental being fined 200,000 euros and ordered to pay 1 million euros to Air France.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11923556|publisher=BBC News|title=Continental 'responsible' for Concorde crash in 2000|date=December 6, 2010|access-date=July 20, 2018|archive-date=December 6, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101206045552/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11923556|url-status=live}}</ref>
* January 16, 2006
** A mechanic standing near a Boeing 737 at El Paso International Airport in Texas was sucked into one of the engines and killed. The mechanic's failure to maintain proper clearance with the engine intake during a jet engine run, and the failure of contract maintenance personnel to follow written procedures and directives contained in the airline's general maintenance manual were determined to be the cause. Factors contributing to the accident were the insufficient training provided to the contract mechanics by the airline, and the failure of the airport to disseminate a policy prohibiting ground engine runs above idle power in the terminal area.<ref>{{Cite news |date=January 16, 2006 |title=Mechanic sucked into jet engine |work=CNN |url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/01/16/airplane.fatality/index.html |access-date=May 25, 2010 |archive-date=August 28, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100828034412/http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/01/16/airplane.fatality/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
* December 20, 2008
** Flight 1404 bound for [[Houston]], pulled left and ran off of the runway during its takeoff roll at [[Denver International Airport]]. The cause of the incident is unknown, however the right side of aircraft caught fire once coming to a stop. Of the 115 people on board, 47 sustained injuries, with 2 seriously injured, including the pilot.<ref>NTSB final report, section 1.2 "Injuries to persons", page 6</ref>

===Incidents===

* July 1, 1965
** [[Continental Airlines Flight 12]], a [[Boeing 707-100]], ran off the runway at [[Kansas City Downtown Airport]] landing in heavy rain. All 66 on board survived however the aircraft broke apart in several places and was a total loss.
* March 1, 1978
**[[Continental Airlines Flight 603]] was a scheduled [[McDonnell Douglas DC-10]] flight between [[Los Angeles International Airport]] and [[Honolulu International Airport]]. On March 1, 1978, it crashed during an aborted takeoff, resulting in the deaths of four passengers.
*October 28, 2006
** [[Continental Airlines Flight 1883|Continental Flight 1883]], a [[Boeing 757|Boeing 757-200]] aircraft carrying 160 passengers, landed on a narrow unoccupied taxiway parallel to runway 29 at [[Newark Liberty International Airport]]. No one was injured and both pilots were removed from flying status duties pending an investigation. They have since been reinstated. Potentially confusing runway lighting and pilot error were cited in the investigation.<ref>Weiss, Murray & Jeremy Olshanp.[http://www.nypost.com/seven/10312006/news/regionalnews/airline_pilot_in_blunder_land_regionalnews_murray_weiss_and_jeremy_olshan.htm "Airline Pilot in Blunder Land"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090111122107/http://www.nypost.com/seven/10312006/news/regionalnews/airline_pilot_in_blunder_land_regionalnews_murray_weiss_and_jeremy_olshan.htm |date=January 11, 2009}}, ''New York Post'', October 31, 2006. Retrieved June 21, 2007.</ref>
* In January 2007
** A Continental Boeing 757 pilot died en route from Houston to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The flight was diverted to McAllen, Texas.
* In November 2008
** The airline temporarily cancelled it's flights to [[Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport|Mumbai Airport]] due to passenger and crew safety during the [[2008 Mumbai attacks|terrorist attacks]] in Mumbai led by 10 Pakistan based [[Lashkar-e-Taiba]] terrorists. Continental resumed it's flights once the attacks ended after the last attacker was killed by security forces.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB122774214504461219?mod=yahoo_hs&ru=yahoo |title=Mumbai Notebook: Squeeze to India's Cash-Strapped Carriers |work=Wall Street Journal |date=27 November 2008 |accessdate=27 November 2008 |last=Prada |first=Paulo |author2=Daniel Fitzpatrick|author3=Nitin Luthra|author4=Dan Michaels|author5= Jeanne Whalen| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20081203035805/http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122774214504461219.html?mod=yahoo_hs&ru=yahoo| archivedate= 3 December 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref>
* June 18, 2009
** The captain of Continental Airlines Flight 61, a Boeing 777-200ER, en route from Brussels, Belgium, to Newark, New Jersey, died of natural causes during the trip. The airline alerted federal authorities around 10:30 that morning that Flight 61 was being flown by the first officer and relief pilot. The plane with 247 passengers aboard landed safely at Newark Liberty International Airport at about noon EDT.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna31426550|title=60-year-old Continental pilot dies in flight – News|publisher=NBC News|date=June 18, 2009|access-date=May 4, 2010|archive-date=November 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231109212331/https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna31426550|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>[https://www.foxnews.com/story/continental-airlines-pilot-dies-on-flight-from-brussels-to-newark "Continental Airlines Pilot Dies on Flight From Brussels to Newark"], Fox News, June 18, 2009. Retrieved June 19, 2009.</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090620235328/http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-continental-pilot19-2009jun19,0,6091517.story "Pilot dies mid-flight; plane lands safely"], ''Los Angeles Times'', June 18, 2009. Retrieved June 19, 2009.</ref>
* August 3, 2009
** Continental Airlines Flight 128, a [[Boeing 767]], made an emergency landing in Miami ([[Miami International Airport]]) due to extreme turbulence. This flight was scheduled from Rio de Janeiro ([[Rio de Janeiro-Galeão International Airport]]) to Houston ([[George Bush Intercontinental Airport]]). The plane carried 11 crew members and 168 passengers. At least 26 passengers were injured, including four seriously.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna32266096 |title=26 hurt as turbulence diverts U.S.-bound jet |date=August 3, 2009 |publisher=NBC News |access-date=2013-08-18 |archive-date=November 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231109212332/https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna32266096 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* December 6, 2010
** Continental Airlines was found criminally responsible for the disaster to Concorde ([[Air France Flight 4590]]) at Gonesse on July 25, 2000 (an accident that killed one hundred passengers and nine crew members on board the plane, and four persons on the ground) by a Parisian court and was fined €200,000 ($271,628) and ordered to pay Air France €1 million. Continental mechanic John Taylor was given a 15-month suspended sentence, while another airline operative and three French officials were cleared of all charges. The court ruled that the crash resulted from a piece of metal from a Continental jet that was left on the runway; the object punctured a tire on the Concorde and then ruptured a fuel tank. Another Continental employee, Stanley Ford, was found not guilty. On November 29, 2012, a French appeals court overturned that decision, thereby clearing Continental of criminal responsibility.

==See also==
* [[Air transportation in the United States]]
* [[Independent Association of Continental Pilots]]
* [[List of airlines of the United States]]
* [[List of defunct airlines of the United States]]
* [[List of airports in the United States]]
* [[Transportation in the United States]]
* [[United Airlines]]
* [[Northwest Airlines]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Continental Airlines, ''Customer Service Manual'', 1970 edition.
* Vietor, Richard H. K. "Contrived Competition: Airline Regulation and Deregulation, 1925–1988", ''The Business History Review'', Vol. 64, No. 1, Government and Business (Spring 1990), pp. 61–108

==External links==
{{Sister project links|wikt=no|b=no|q=no|s=no|v=no|species=no}}
*{{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/*/http://www.continental.com|title=Continental Airlines (continental.com)}}
*{{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/*/http://www.flycontinental.com|title=Continental Airlines (flycontinental.com, late 1990s)}}

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National Airlines (1934–1980)

2025-06-29T09:58:20Z

182.232.34.176:

{{Short description|Defunct airline of the United States (1934–1980)}}
{{about|one of the airlines that have shared this name|other uses of the name|National Airlines (disambiguation)|'national airlines'|Flag carrier}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2015}}
{{Infobox airline
| airline = National Airlines
| logo = National_Airlines_Logo,_April_1975.svg
| logo_size =
| IATA = NA<ref name="JP79">{{cite book |last1=Klee |first1=Ulrich |last2=Bucher |year=1979 |title=JP Airline-Fleets International |edition=79 |location=Switzerland |publisher=Editions JP |isbn=3857581131}}</ref>
| ICAO = NAL
| callsign = NATIONAL
| founded = {{start date|1934|08|02}} {{small|signed post office contract}}
| commenced = {{start date|1934|10|15}}
| ceased = {{end date|1980|01|07}} {{small|(acquired by [[Pan American World Airways|Pan Am]])}}
| fleet_size =
| parent = [[Pan Am Corporation]]
| hubs = {{nowrap|[[Miami International Airport|Miami]]}}
| focus_cities = {{ubl|class=nowrap
| [[Jacksonville International Airport|Jacksonville (FL)]]
| [[Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport|New Orleans]]
| [[John F. Kennedy International Airport|New York–JFK]]
| [[Tampa International Airport|Tampa]]}}
| headquarters = [[Miami-Dade County, Florida|Miami-Dade County]], [[Florida]], [[United States]]
| founder = George T. Baker {{small|([[Chief executive officer|CEO]], 1934–1962)}}
| key_people = Louis "Bud" Maytag {{small|([[Chief executive officer|CEO]], 1962–1980)}}
}}

'''National Airlines''' was a [[trunk carrier]], a scheduled airline in the United States that operated from 1934 until it merged with [[Pan American World Airways|Pan Am]] in 1980.<ref name="atdb">[http://www.aerotransport.org/php/go.php?query=operator&qstring=National+Airlines&where=74549&luck= Information about National Airlines at the Aero Transport Data Bank]</ref> For most of its existence the company was headquartered at [[Miami International Airport]], Florida.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F20714F839591B728DDDA80894DA405B808BF1D3 |title= Walkout by 3,500 Cancels All Flights of National Airlines |work= [[The New York Times]] |date= February 1, 1970 |page= 58 |access-date= September 24, 2009 |quote= Pickets marched at National's headquarters at Miami International Airport.}}</ref> At its height, National Airlines had a network of "Coast-to-Coast-to-Coast" flights, linking Florida and [[Gulf Coast of the United States|Gulf Coast]] destinations such as New Orleans and Houston with cities along the [[East Coast of the United States|East Coast]] as far north as Boston as well as with large cities on the West Coast including Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle.<ref name="1964 timetable">[http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/na/na64/ National Airlines 1964 timetable, at timetableimages.com]</ref> From 1970 to 1978, National, [[Braniff International Airways]], [[Pan American World Airways]] (Pan Am) and [[Trans World Airlines]] (TWA) were the only U.S. airlines permitted to operate scheduled passenger flights to Europe.<ref name="timetableimages">[http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/na.htm Image collection of National Airlines timetables, at timetableimages.com]</ref>

==History==
===1930s===
George T. Baker and D. K. Franklin created a partnership called '''National Airlines Taxi System''' to fly an airmail route from [[Daytona Beach]] to [[St. Petersburg, Florida]], pursuant to a contract with the Post Office dated August 2, 1934. The route was operated continuously from October 15, 1934. On January 6, 1935, Franklin signed over his rights to Baker and on March 1, 1935, Baker took over the contract as a [[sole proprietor]], operating under the name '''National Airlines System''' until September 30, 1937. On that day, Baker's rights to the airmail contract and all property used to operate the contract were transferred to National Airlines, Inc., under a contract signed July 12, 1937.<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Civil Aeronautics Authority Reports|volume=1|title=National Airlines, Inc.—Certificates of Public Convenience and Necessity |date=February 1939 - July 1940 |publisher=Civil Aeronautics Authority|pages=24–28|hdl-access =free |hdl=2027/uc1.b2938502|url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc1.b2938502?urlappend=%3Bseq=40%3Bownerid=9007199273668041-44}}</ref> The new entity, National Airlines, was incorporated in Florida on 8 July 1937.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://opencorporates.com/companies/us_fl/134717|website=opencorporates.com|publisher=opencorporates|title=opencorporates record for Florida incorporation of National Airlines Incorporated entity ID 134717|access-date=14 July 2024|language=en}}</ref>

National Airlines was founded by George T. Baker (1899–1963) in 1934. Its headquarters were in [[St. Petersburg, Florida]] and it was based at the city's [[Albert Whitted Airport]].<ref name="history_overview">{{Cite web |url=http://www.nationalsundowners.com/about/history.php |title=National Airlines history, at Nationalsundowners.com, the ''Organization of Former Stewardesses and Flight Attendants with the Original National Airlines.'' |access-date=January 31, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181022045204/http://www.nationalsundowners.com/about/history.php |archive-date=October 22, 2018 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref> On October 15 of that year, revenue flights were launched, transporting passengers and mail from St. Petersburg to a few destinations within Florida using a fleet of two [[Ryan ST]] monoplanes.<ref name="history_overview"/><ref name="airtimes">[http://www.airtimes.com/cgat/usb/national.htm Photos of National Airlines timetables and route maps, at airtimes.com]</ref> In 1935, the [[Stinson Airliner|Stinson Trimotor]] was introduced with National Airlines,<ref name="1930s">{{Cite web |url=http://www.nationalsundowners.com/decades/30s.php |title=NAL: The 1930s, at Nationalsundowners.com, the ''Organization of Former Stewardesses and Flight Attendants with the Original National Airlines.'' |access-date=January 31, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141230211611/http://www.nationalsundowners.com/decades/30s.php |archive-date=December 30, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> which were soon replaced by the [[Lockheed Model 10 Electra]].<ref name="1937 timetable">[http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/complete/na37/ 1937 National Airlines timetable, at timetableimages.com]</ref> In 1939, the company headquarters were moved to [[Jacksonville, Florida|Jacksonville]].<ref name="history_overview"/> By the end of the decade, the National Airlines network spanned from [[Miami]] to [[New Orleans]],<ref name="1938 timetable">[http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/complete/na38/ National Airlines 1938 timetable, at timetableimages.com]</ref> on what it called the ''Buccaneer Route''.<ref name="timetableimages"/>

===1940s===

Revenue passenger miles for years ending June 30:<ref>''American Aviation'' September 1, 1946 p19</ref>
* 1936: 249,799
* 1938: 653,688
* 1939: 1,340,050
* 1940: 3,465,316
* 1941: 7,264,322
* 1946: 108,760,267

In 1940 the [[Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar]] became the backbone of National's fleet.<ref name="1940s">{{Cite web |url=http://www.nationalsundowners.com/decades/40s.php |title=NAL: The 1940s, at Nationalsundowners.com, the ''Organization of Former Stewardesses and Flight Attendants with the Original National Airlines.'' |access-date=January 31, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141230223009/http://www.nationalsundowners.com/decades/40s.php |archive-date=December 30, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> National was awarded rights from Florida to New York City and other cities along the East Coast in 1944, with flights starting in 1945.<ref name="Boeing Magazine">''Airline to the playgrounds of the world''. The Boeing Magazine, January 1964 [http://www.nationalsundowners.com/images/60/boeing_magazine_page3.jpg page 3] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304025146/http://www.nationalsundowners.com/images/60/boeing_magazine_page3.jpg |date=March 4, 2016 }}, [http://www.nationalsundowners.com/images/60/boeing_magazine_page4.jpg page 4] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304034403/http://www.nationalsundowners.com/images/60/boeing_magazine_page4.jpg |date=March 4, 2016 }}, [http://www.nationalsundowners.com/images/60/boeing_magazine_page5.jpg page 5] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070328125629/http://www.nationalsundowners.com/images/60/boeing_magazine_page5.jpg |date=March 28, 2007 }}</ref> In 1946 National got approval to fly to [[Havana]], Cuba, which coincided with the introduction of the [[Douglas DC-4]].<ref name="history_overview"/> The DC-4 allowed non-stop flights between Miami and New York<ref name="1947 timetable">[http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/complete/na47/ National Airlines 1947 timetable, at timetableimages.com]</ref> that started on February 14, 1946. Later that year National relocated its headquarters to [[Miami International Airport]]; a maintenance base opened at Miami in 1950.<ref name="history_overview"/><ref name="1952 timetable">[http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/complete/na52/ National Airlines 1952 timetable, at timetableimages.com]</ref>

The [[Douglas DC-6]], National's first [[Cabin pressurization|pressurized]] airliner, began flights on July 1, 1947<ref name="history_overview"/> and reduced New York to Miami flight time from five to four hours.<ref name="history_overview"/> Flights on the DC-6 were marketed as ''Star Service''.<ref name="timetableimages"/> National ran the ''Piggy Bank Vacations'' campaign, promoting low-fare flights to Florida during the off-peak summer season.<ref name="1954 timetable">[http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/complete/na54/ National Airlines 1954 timetable, at timetableimages.com]</ref>

===1950s===
This decade saw the introduction of the [[Convair CV-240 family|Convair 340/440]], the [[Douglas DC-7]],<ref name="1954 timetable"/> and the [[Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation]].<ref name="1958 timetable">[http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/complete/na58/ National Airlines 1958 timetable, at timetableimages.com]</ref> On December 10, 1958, National became the first airline to operate domestic jet flights, using a [[Boeing 707]] leased from [[Pan American World Airways]] between Miami and New York.<ref name="history_overview"/> In 1959 the [[Lockheed L-188 Electra]] was introduced into the fleet. It was the only turboprop aircraft type ever operated by the airline.<ref name="1959 ad">[http://www.airtimes.com/cgat/usb/national/detail/ad-na590801.jpg Image of National Airlines 1959 advert, at airtimes.com]</ref> At the end of the decade Houston and Boston were the ends of the network with heavy emphasis on service between Florida and the U.S. East Coast and Gulf Coast.<ref name="1958 timetable"/>

===1960s===
With the award of traffic rights on the southern transcontinental route on March 11, 1961, National Airlines gained access to California and began operating new [[Douglas DC-8]]s between Florida and Los Angeles and San Francisco with a number of flights stopping in Houston and/or New Orleans<ref name="history_overview"/><ref name="timetableimages.com">[http://www.timetableimages.com March 2, 1962 National timetable]</ref> (previously, [[American Airlines]], [[Delta Air Lines]] and National had together operated [[Douglas DC-6]]s and [[DC-7]]s through between Miami and California).<ref name="1954 timetable"/> In March 1962, National scheduled one round trip transcontinental nonstop: National flights 34 and 35 between Miami and Los Angeles on DC-8s.<ref name="timetableimages.com"/> Concerning international destinations in Central and South America, a cooperation involving interchange flights with [[Pan Am]] was set up.<ref name="1962 timetable">[http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/complete/na62/ 1962 National Airlines timetable, at timetableimages.com]</ref>

In the early 1960s National started new service with the Lockheed Electra propjet to Las Vegas and San Diego.<ref name="timetableimages.com"/> Eastbound coast to coast routes flown with the Electra included San Diego-Los Angeles-Houston-New Orleans-Miami and San Francisco-Las Vegas-Houston-New Orleans-Tampa-Orlando-Jacksonville.<ref name="timetableimages.com"/> National had other long, multistop routings with the Electra such as Boston-New York City-Jacksonville-Orlando-Tampa-New Orleans-Houston-Las Vegas-San Francisco. National flight 223 departed Boston at 7:30am and arrived in San Francisco at 8:42pm.<ref name="timetableimages.com"/>

In 1962 Louis Bergman "Bud" Maytag, Jr. (grandson of [[Maytag]] Corporation founder [[Frederick Louis Maytag I]]), who had previously led [[Frontier Airlines (1950–1986)|Frontier Airlines]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Lewis Maytag Jr., Heir And National Airlines Chief|url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1990-09-26/news/9002160111_1_national-airlines-maytag-aircraft-corp-mr-maytag|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140826113652/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1990-09-26/news/9002160111_1_national-airlines-maytag-aircraft-corp-mr-maytag|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 26, 2014|access-date=August 22, 2014}}</ref> bought a majority share in National Airlines and replaced George T. Baker as CEO.<ref name="history_overview"/> In 1960 the airline modernized its fleet with new [[Douglas DC-8]]s, followed by ten new [[Boeing 727-100]] trijets,<ref name="Boeing Magazine"/> the first of which was delivered in 1964.

After the retirement of the Electras in 1968, National became an all-jet airline with the DC-8 and 727.<ref name="history_overview"/> The airline introduced the first jet service into Key West, FL in 1968 with the Boeing 727-100. The Douglas DC-8 fleet included the stretched Super DC-8-61 which was the largest aircraft type operated by the airline until the introduction of new wide body jetliners such as the [[Boeing 747]] and [[McDonnell Douglas DC-10]]. In 1969 National flew the Super DC-8 nonstop between Miami and New York JFK airport and nonstop between Miami and Los Angeles, flights having names such as "The Royal Biscayne", "The Royal Dolphin", "The Gotham" and "The Manhattan" between Miami and New York, and "The Californian" and "The Caribbean" between Miami and Los Angeles.<ref>[http://www.timetableimages.com/ July 15, 1969 National timetable]</ref>

On July 26, 1969, the Atlanta-San Francisco nonstop route was awarded to National and service began on October 1, 1969. It was National's only route out of Atlanta.

===1970s===
{{pax|float=right
|note = (scheduled flights only, domestic and international)
|footnote = <ref>Handbook of Airline Statistics (biannual [[Civil Aeronautics Authority|CAB]] publication)</ref>{{full citation needed|date=April 2013}}
|1951|432
|1955|905
|1960|1041
|1965|2663
|1970|2643
|1975|3865
}}
A $17 million IBM electronic computer reservation system, called Res-A-Vision, was completed and put into operation in 1970.

On June 16, 1970, National Airlines reintroduced international flights, when their Miami-[[London]] route opened (flights to Cuba were suspended in 1961 due to the [[Cuban Revolution]]).<ref name="Boeing Magazine"/> With the London route, they became the third U.S. transatlantic passenger carrier, after Pan Am and TWA.

In the fall of 1970, the [[Boeing 747-100]] jumbo jet, at that time the largest commercial airliner, entered service with National on the Miami-New York nonstop route on October 1, 1970, and the Miami-[[Los Angeles]] transcontinental nonstop route on October 25, 1970.<ref name="history_overview"/> National sold its 747s in May 1976. Also in 1970, National Airlines opened their own terminal at [[John F. Kennedy International Airport]], which was dubbed the ''[[Sundrome]]''.<ref>[http://www.pcfandp.com/a/p/6223/s.html Information about the Sundrome] by its architects, [[Pei Cobb Freed & Partners]] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061022000531/http://www.pcfandp.com/a/p/6223/s.html |date=October 22, 2006 }}</ref>

Following an order for ten aircraft in 1969,<ref name="Boeing Magazine"/> the wide body [[McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10]] was put in service on the Miami-New York route on December 15, 1971.<ref name="history_overview"/> A 1971 publicity campaign designed by [[F. William Free]] promoting National's flight attendants was criticized by the [[National Organization for Women]] as being sexist due to the slogan "I'm (flight attendant's name). Fly me.", or similar.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.nationalsundowners.com/images/70/parting_shots_large.jpg |title=NOW criticism of the National Airlines "Fly Me" campaign |access-date=January 31, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304031816/http://www.nationalsundowners.com/images/70/parting_shots_large.jpg |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |work= [[The New York Times]] |url= https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D06E0DA123EF93BA35752C0A9659C8B63 |title= F. William Free, 74, Ad Man Behind 'Fly Me' |date= January 8, 2003 |first= Stuart |last= Lavietes}}</ref> Seeing one of these posters in [[Manchester]] inspired [[Eric Stewart]] of [[10cc]] to write the band's 1976 hit song "[[I'm Mandy Fly Me]]".

In May 1973, the front cover of the airline's system timetable proudly proclaimed, "National has daily nonstop 747s from Miami to London".<ref>{{Cite web |title=May 1, 1973 National Airlines system timetable front cover |url=http://www.timetableimages.com/ |access-date=2025-06-06 |website=www.timetableimages.com}}</ref> By early 1976, the airline was operating scheduled wide body DC-10 service to Houston (IAH), Las Vegas (LAS), Los Angeles (LAX), Miami (MIA), New Orleans (MSY), Orlando (MCO), San Diego (SAN), San Francisco (SFO), Tampa (TPA), West Palm Beach (PBI) and all three airports in the New York City area: John F. Kennedy (JFK), LaGuardia (LGA) and Newark (EWR).<ref>February 1, 1976 Official Airline Guide (OAG), National Airlines flight schedules for EWR, IAH, JFK, LAS, LAX, LGA, MIA, MSY, MCO, PBI, SAN, SFO and TPA.</ref> With the advent of the intercontinental [[McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30]], National Airlines then expanded their European network by adding [[Paris]] (inaugurated on June 22, 1977), as well as [[Frankfurt]], [[Amsterdam]] (both in 1978)<ref name="history_overview"/> and [[Zürich]] (in 1979).<ref name="airtimes"/> National began the very first nonstop flights from New Orleans to Europe (to Amsterdam) on July 2, 1978. National then began nonstop New York Kennedy (JFK)-Amsterdam flights on December 13, 1978, taking the route over from Pan Am.

National was criticized in 1974 by the [[Civil Aeronautics Board]] for giving preferential treatment to [[Rudy Vallée]], allowing him to travel between Los Angeles and Florida with more than 20 bags without charges for excess baggage.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Daily Variety]]|page=1|title=Those Friendly Skies May Become Less So For Celebs, Media Moguls}}</ref>

In 1975, National was forced to shut down for several months due to a strike by flight attendants.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/12/29/archives/national-airlines-shutdown-is-nearing-four-months-national-airlines.html|title = National Airlines Shutdown is Nearing Four Months|newspaper = The New York Times|date = December 29, 1975|last1 = Rattner|first1 = Steven}}</ref>

In the late 1970s, several airlines attempted to take over National Airlines, which had become a major player in the southern transcontinental and Florida-East Coast airline markets.<ref name="Scott">{{cite book |first= Christian, J. |last= Scott |title= Bring Songs to the Sky: Recollections of Continental Airlines, 1970–1986 |publisher= Quadran Press |year= 1998}}</ref> In 1978, [[Texas International Airlines]] (which was led by [[Frank Lorenzo]] at that time) acquired 24.6 percent of the shares,<ref name="atdb"/> but did not succeed in the subsequent [[tender offer]] takeover bid. A similar attempt was made by [[Eastern Air Lines]] in 1979.<ref name="atdb"/> At the same time, the shares held by Texas International were sold to [[Pan American World Airways]], who emerged as a [[White knight (business)|white knight]] and succeeded in accumulating a controlling majority.

===Acquisition by Pan Am===
On January 7, 1980, the acquisition of National was completed,<ref name="atdb"/> with [[Pan Am]] taking over the National Airlines fleet and route network. Pan Am continued to utilize the former National Miami maintenance base and headquarters building until Pan Am itself ceased operations in December 1991.<ref name="Scott"/> Much later, National's "Sun King" logo was sold and repackaged, much like Pan Am's, to start-up [[low-cost carrier]] [[Southeast Airlines]], which used it on the tail of its aircraft.

Most industry analysts believe that Pan Am paid too high a price for National, and was ill-prepared to integrate National's domestic route network with Pan Am's own globe-girdling international network. The cultures of National and Pan Am also proved to be incompatible, making workforce integration difficult.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Petzinger |first=Thomas |title=Hard Landing: The Epic Contest for Power and Profits That Plunged the Airlines into Chaos |publisher=Crown Publishing Group |year=1996 |isbn=978-0812928358 |location=New York |pages=134}}</ref> Texas International walked away from their foiled attempt with a multi-million dollar stock profit and was poised for Lorenzo's next ventures—a startup airline in the high-density East Coast corridor ([[New York Air]]), and subsequent acquisition of [[Continental Airlines]].<ref name="Scott"/>

==Route network==
[[File:Douglas DC-8-32 N7183C NAL LAX 06.02.71 edited-3.jpg|thumb|right|National [[Douglas DC-8]] at [[Los Angeles International Airport]] (1971)]]
[[File:National Airlines 747 (6153752723).jpg|thumb|National [[Boeing 747-100]] at [[London Heathrow Airport]] (1973)]]
[[File:National Airlines DC-10 (6074172759).jpg|thumb|National [[McDonnell Douglas DC-10]] at Heathrow in 1974. This aircraft would later be [[American Airlines Flight 102|written off in 1993]]]]
National Airlines operated scheduled flights to the following U.S. cities:
{| class="toccolours sortable" border="1" cellpadding="3" style="border-collapse:collapse;text-align:top"
|+
|-
!Location
!State
!Airport(s)
!Began
!Ended
!Notes
|-
|[[Mobile, Alabama|Mobile]]
|Alabama
|[[Mobile Municipal Airport]] [[Mobile Regional Airport]]
|{{center|November 1, 1938<ref name="1938 timetable"/>}}
|{{center|1980}}
|
|-
|[[Los Angeles]]
|California
|[[Los Angeles International Airport]]
|{{center|June 11, 1961<ref name="history_overview"/><ref name="1967 timetable">[http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/complete/na67/ National Airlines 1967 timetable, at timetableimages.com]</ref>}}
|{{center|1980}}
|
|-
|[[San Diego]]
|California
|[[San Diego International Airport]]
|{{center|June 11, 1961<ref name="history_overview"/><ref name="1967 timetable"/>}}
|{{center|1980}}
|
|-
|[[San Francisco]]
|California
|[[San Francisco International Airport]]
|{{center|June 11, 1961<ref name="history_overview"/><ref name="1967 timetable"/>}}
|{{center|1980}}
|
|-
|[[San Jose, California|San Jose]]
|California
|[[San Jose International Airport]]
|{{center|July 1, 1976}}
|{{center|1979}}
|
|-
|[[Daytona Beach, Florida|Daytona Beach]]
|Florida
|[[Daytona Beach Airport]] [[Daytona Beach International Airport]]
|{{center|October 15, 1934<ref name="1941 timetable">[http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/na/na41/ National Airlines 1941 timetable, at timetableimages.com]</ref>}}
|{{center|1980}}
|
|-
|[[Fort Lauderdale, Florida|Fort Lauderdale]]
|Florida
|[[Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport]]
|{{center|October 19, 1959}}
|{{center|1980}}
|
|-
|[[Fort Myers, Florida|Fort Myers]]
|Florida
|[[Page Field]]
|{{center|July 16, 1937<ref name="1937 timetable"/>}}
|{{center|1980}}
|
|-
|[[Jacksonville, Florida|Jacksonville]]
|Florida
|[[Jacksonville Municipal Airport]] [[Imeson Field]]
|{{center|November 19, 1934<ref name="airtimes"/>}}
|{{center|1980}}
|'''focus city'''
|-
|[[Key West, Florida|Key West]]
|Florida
|[[Key West International Airport]]
|{{center|March 1, 1944<ref name="1945 timetable"/>}}
|{{center|ca. 1970<ref name="1978 route map">[http://www.airtimes.com/cgat/usb/national/detail/rmapna780131.jpg National Airlines 1978 routemap, at airtimes.com]</ref>}}
|
|-
|[[Lakeland, Florida|Lakeland]]
|Florida
|[[Lakeland Linder International Airport|Lakeland Municipal Airport (Drane Field)]]
|{{center|1934<ref name="1937 timetable"/><ref name="history_overview"/>}}
|{{center|1962<ref name="1962 timetable"/>}}
|
|-
|[[Marathon, Florida|Marathon]]
|Florida
|[[Florida Keys Marathon Airport]]
|{{center|1959}}
|{{center|1961<ref name="1962 timetable"/>}}
|
|-
|[[Marianna, Florida|Marianna]]
|Florida
|[[Marianna Municipal Airport]]
|{{center|1938<ref name="1938 timetable"/>}}
|{{center|1961<ref name="1962 timetable"/>}}
|
|-
|[[Melbourne, Florida|Melbourne]]
|Florida
|[[Melbourne International Airport|Melbourne Airport]]
|{{center|April 26, 1959<ref name="1962 timetable"/>}}
|{{center|1980}}
|
|-
|[[Miami]]
|Florida
|[[Miami Municipal Airport]] [[Miami International Airport]]
|{{center|July 16, 1937<ref name="1937 timetable"/>}}
|{{center|1980}}
|{{center|'''main base'''}}
|-
|[[Orlando, Florida|Orlando]]
|Florida
|[[Orlando Executive Airport|Orlando Municipal Airport]] [[Orlando International Airport]]
|{{center|October 15, 1934<ref name="1937 timetable"/><ref name="history_overview"/>}}
|{{center|1980}}
|
|-
|[[Palm Beach, Florida|Palm Beach]]
|Florida
|[[Palm Beach International Airport|Morrison Field]]
|{{center|August 1, 1944<ref name="1945 timetable">[http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/na/na45/ National Airlines 1945 timetable, at timetableimages.com]</ref>}}
|{{center|1980}}
|
|-
|[[Panama City, Florida|Panama City]]
|Florida
|[[Panama City–Bay County International Airport|Panama City-Bay County Airport]]
|{{center|September 1, 1948<ref name="1947 timetable"/>}}
|{{center|1980}}
|
|-
|[[Pensacola, Florida|Pensacola]]
|Florida
|[[Pensacola International Airport|Pensacola Municipal Airport]]
|{{center|November 1, 1938<ref name="1938 timetable"/>}}
|{{center|1980}}
|
|-
|[[Sarasota, Florida|Sarasota]]
|Florida
|[[Sarasota–Bradenton International Airport|Sarasota-Brandenton Airport]]
|{{center|July 16, 1937<ref name="1937 timetable"/>}}
|{{center|1980}}
|
|-
|[[St. Petersburg, Florida|St. Petersburg]]
|Florida
|[[Albert Whitted Airport]] [[St. Petersburg–Clearwater International Airport]]
|{{center|October 15, 1934<ref name="1937 timetable"/><ref name="history_overview"/>}}
|{{center|1961<ref name="1962 timetable"/>}}
|
|-
|[[Tallahassee, Florida|Tallahassee]]
|Florida
|[[Tallahassee Regional Airport|Tallahassee Municipal Airport]]
|{{center|November 1, 1938<ref name="1938 timetable"/>}}
|{{center|1980}}
|
|-
|[[Tampa, Florida|Tampa]]
|Florida
|[[Peter O. Knight Airport|Davis Islands Airport]] [[Tampa International Airport]]
|{{center|October 15, 1934<ref name="1937 timetable"/><ref name="history_overview"/>}}
|{{center|1980}}
|{{center|'''focus city'''}}
|-
|[[Atlanta]]
|[[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]
|[[Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport|William B. Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport]]
|{{center|October 1, 1969}}
|{{center|1978}}
|
|-
|[[Savannah, Georgia|Savannah]]
|Georgia
|[[Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport|Savannah Airport]]
|{{center|July 15, 1946<ref name="1945 timetable"/>}}
|{{center|1980}}
|
|-
|[[Valdosta, Georgia|Valdosta]]
|Georgia
|[[Valdosta Regional Airport]]
|{{center|1946<ref name="1947 timetable"/>}}
|{{center|1960<ref name="1962 timetable"/>}}
|
|-
|[[New Orleans]]
|[[Louisiana]]
|[[New Orleans Lakefront Airport|Shushan Airport]] [[Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport|New Orleans International Airport]]
|{{center|November 1, 1938<ref name="1938 timetable"/>}}
|{{center|1980}}
|{{center|'''focus city'''}}
|-
|[[Baltimore]]
|[[Maryland]]
|[[Baltimore/Washington International Airport|Friendship Airport]]
|{{center|September 1, 1948 (Harbor Field 1948)<ref name="1952 timetable"/>}}
|{{center|1980}}
|
|-
|[[Boston]]
|[[Massachusetts]]
|[[Boston Logan International Airport]]
|{{center|December 14, 1956<ref name="1958 timetable"/>}}
|{{center|1980}}
|
|-
|[[Gulfport, Mississippi|Gulfport]]
|[[Mississippi]]
|[[Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport|Gulfport-Biloxi Airport]]
|{{center|1938<ref name="1938 timetable"/>}}
|{{center|1959-60<ref name="1962 timetable"/>}}
|
|-
|[[Las Vegas]]
|[[Nevada]]
|[[McCarran International Airport]]
|{{center|June 11, 1961<ref name="1962 timetable"/>}}
|{{center|1980}}
|
|-
|[[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]]
|[[New Jersey]]
|[[Newark Liberty International Airport|Newark Airport]]
|{{center|February 12, 1946<ref name="1962 timetable"/>}}
|{{center|1980}}
|
|-
|[[New York City]]
|[[New York (state)|New York]]
|[[John F. Kennedy International Airport|Idlewild/Kennedy Airport]]
|{{center|October 1, 1944<ref name="Boeing Magazine"/><ref name="1945 timetable"/>}}
|{{center|1980}}
|{{center|'''focus city'''}}
|-
|[[New York City]]
|[[New York (state)|New York]]
|[[LaGuardia Airport]]
|{{center|October 1, 1944, end 1947 resume 1966<ref name="Boeing Magazine"/><ref name="1945 timetable"/>}}
|{{center|1980}}
|
|-
|[[Fayetteville, North Carolina|Fayetteville]]
|[[North Carolina]]
|[[Fayetteville Regional Airport|Fayetteville Municipal Airport]]
|{{center|1956-57<ref name="1958 timetable"/>}}
|{{center|1962<ref name="1964 timetable"/>}}
|
|-
|[[New Bern, North Carolina|New Bern]]
|North Carolina
|[[Coastal Carolina Regional Airport|Simmons-Nott Airport]]
|{{center|1946<ref name="1947 timetable"/>}}
|{{center|1962<ref name="1964 timetable"/>}}
|
|-
|[[Wilmington, North Carolina|Wilmington]]
|North Carolina
|[[Wilmington International Airport|Bluethenthal Field]]
|{{center|1945-46<ref name="1945 timetable"/>}}
|{{center|1962<ref name="1964 timetable"/>}}

|
|-
|[[Philadelphia]]
|[[Pennsylvania]]
|[[Philadelphia International Airport]]
|{{center|July 1, 1945<ref name="1945 timetable"/>}}
|{{center|1980}}
|
|-
|[[Providence, Rhode Island|Providence]]
|[[Rhode Island]]
|[[T. F. Green Airport]]
|{{center|December 14, 1956<ref name="1958 timetable"/>}}
|{{center|1980}}
|
|-
|[[Charleston, South Carolina|Charleston]]
|[[South Carolina]]
|[[Charleston International Airport|Charleston Airport]]
|{{center|July 1, 1945<ref name="1945 timetable"/>}}
|{{center|1980}}
|
|-
|[[Houston]]
|[[Texas]]
|[[William P. Hobby Airport]] followed by [[Houston Intercontinental Airport]]
|{{center|November 20, 1956<ref name="1958 timetable"/>}}
|{{center|1980}}
|
|-
|[[Newport News, Virginia|Newport News]]
|[[Virginia]]
|[[Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport]]
|{{center|1955<ref name="1958 timetable"/>}}
|{{center|1980}}
|
|-
|[[Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk]]
|Virginia
|[[Norfolk International Airport|Norfolk Airport]]
|{{center|December 1, 1945<ref name="1945 timetable"/>}}
|{{center|1980}}
|
|-
|[[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]]
|Virginia
|[[Richmond International Airport]]
|{{center|1948<ref name="1952 timetable"/>}}
|{{center|1971<ref name="1969 timetable">[http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/na/na69/na69-01.jpg National Airlines 1969 timetable, at timetableimages.com]</ref>}}
|
|-
|[[Seattle]]
|[[Washington (state)|Washington]]
|[[Seattle–Tacoma International Airport]]
|{{center|April 1, 1979<ref name="timetableimages"/>}}
|{{center|1980}}
|
|-
|[[Washington, D.C.]]
|Virginia
|[[Washington National Airport]]
|{{center|February 25, 1948<ref name="1952 timetable"/>}}
|{{center|1980}}
|
|}

National also operated scheduled flights to the following destinations in Europe and the Caribbean:
{| class="toccolours sortable" border="1" cellpadding="3" style="border-collapse:collapse;text-align:top"
|+
|-
!Location
!Country
!Airport
!Commenced
!Ceased
|-
|[[Havana]]
|Cuba
|[[José Martí International Airport]]
|{{center|1946<ref name="1952 timetable"/>}}
|{{center|1961<ref name="Boeing Magazine"/>}}
|-
|[[Paris]]
|France
|[[Orly Airport]]
|{{center|June 22, 1977<ref name="1978 route map"/>}}
|{{center|1980}}
|-
|[[Amsterdam]]
|Netherlands
|[[Amsterdam Airport Schiphol]]
|{{center|May 4, 1978<ref name="1978 route map"/>}}
|{{center|1980}}
|-
|[[San Juan, Puerto Rico|San Juan]]
|[[Puerto Rico]]
|[[Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport]]
|{{center|April 1, 1979<ref name="1979 timetable">[http://www.departedflights.com/NA050179.html National Airlines 1979 timetable and routemap, at departedflights.com]</ref>}}
|{{center|1980}}
|-
|[[Zürich]]
|Switzerland
|[[Zurich Airport]]
|{{center|July 22, 1979<ref name="airtimes"/>}}
|{{center|1980}}
|-
|[[London]]
|United Kingdom
|[[Heathrow Airport]]
|{{center|June 16, 1970<ref name="1978 route map"/>}}
|{{center|1980}}
|-
|[[Frankfurt]]
|[[West Germany]]
|[[Frankfurt Airport]]
|{{center|May 1, 1978<ref name="1978 route map"/>}}
|{{center|1980}}
|}

==Fleet==
[[File:Boeing 727-235, National Airlines AN0987417.jpg|thumb|right|A [[Boeing 727]] in the livery of National Airlines landing at [[Miami International Airport]] (1980). The airline had already been taken over by Pan Am.]]
When National Airlines was acquired by Pan Am in 1980, the fleet consisted of 43 [[Boeing 727]] aircraft (19 of the original series 100 model and 24 of the stretched series 200 variant), as well as 16 [[McDonnell Douglas DC-10]] airliners (11 of the series 10 model used in domestic service and five of the intercontinental series 30 model used for service to Europe).<ref name=WorldAirlineDirectory1980-NA>{{cite web|title=World Airline Directory|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1980/1980%20-%201950.html|publisher=Flight International|access-date=November 8, 2011|date=July 26, 1980}}</ref>

Over the years, National owned the following aircraft types:<ref name="atdb"/>

{| class="toccolours sortable" border="1" cellpadding="3" style="border-collapse:collapse; margin:auto; text-align:center"
|+ '''National Airlines historical fleet'''
|-style="background:#FF9F00;color:black;"
!Aircraft
!Total
!Introduced
!Retired
!Remark
|-
| [[Boeing 707-120]] || 1 || 1958 || 1958 || N710PA leased from [[Pan American World Airways|Pan Am]]<ref>{{cite web | url =https://airlinefiles.com/national-airlines-na-1934-1980?start=2 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20201029165747/https://airlinefiles.com/national-airlines-na-1934-1980?start=2 | url-status =usurped | archive-date =October 29, 2020 | title = National Airlines | publisher = airlinesfiles.com | access-date = 14 August 2019}}</ref>
|-
| [[Boeing 727-100]] || 21 || 1964<ref>{{cite book |last1=Roach |first1=John |last2= Eastwood |first2= Tony |title=Jet Airliner Production List |year=1992 |publisher=The Aviation Hobby Shop |location=West Drayton, England |isbn= 0-907178-43-X}}</ref> || 1980 || <ref name=boeing727>{{cite web | url = https://rzjets.net/aircraft/?page=2&parentid=900&typeid=45&frstatus=3 | title = Boeing 727 | publisher = rzjets | access-date = 14 August 2019}}</ref>
|-
| [[Boeing 727-200]] || 27 || 1967 || 1980 || <ref name=boeing727/>
|-
| [[Boeing 747-100]] || 2 || 1970 || 1976 || N77772, N77773<ref>{{cite web | url = https://rzjets.net/aircraft/?parentid=900&typeid=50&frstatus=3 | title = Boeing 747-100 | publisher = rzjets | access-date = 14 August 2019}}</ref>
|-
| [[Convair CV-340]] || 1 || 1954 || 1960 || N11136<ref>{{cite web | url = https://rzjets.net/aircraft/?reg=145185 | title = Convair 340 | publisher = rzjets | access-date = 14 August 2019}}</ref>
|-
| [[Convair CV-440]] || 1 || 1953 || 1960 || N8415H<ref>{{cite web | url = https://rzjets.net/aircraft/?reg=145238 | title = Convair CV-440 | publisher = rzjets | access-date = 14 August 2019}}</ref>
|-
| [[Curtiss C-46 Commando|Curtiss C-46F Commando]] || 2 || 1948 || 1954 || N1661M, N1662M<ref>{{cite web | url = https://rzjets.net/aircraft/?parentid=900&typeid=311&frstatus=3 | title = Curtiss C-46F | publisher = rzjets | access-date = 14 August 2019}}</ref>
|-
| [[Douglas C-54]] || 3 || 1949 || 1950 || N88444, N88852, N95490<ref>{{cite web | url = https://rzjets.net/aircraft/?parentid=900&typeid=276&frstatus=3 | title = Douglas C-54 | publisher = rzjets | access-date = 14 August 2019}}</ref>
|-
| [[Douglas DC-4-1009]] || 7 || 1946 || 1952 || <ref>{{cite web | url = https://rzjets.net/aircraft/?parentid=900&typeid=276&frstatus=3 | title = Douglas DC-4-1009 | publisher = rzjets | access-date = 14 August 2019}}</ref>
|-
| [[Douglas DC-6]] || 8 || 1947 || 1963 || <ref>{{cite web | url = http://edcoatescollection.com/ac3/Airline/NALDC60.html | title = National Airlines Douglas DC-6 | publisher = Ed Coates Collection | access-date = 14 August 2019}}</ref>
|-
| [[Douglas DC-6#Variants|Douglas DC-6B]] || 13 || 1952 || 1963 || <ref>{{cite web | url = https://rzjets.net/aircraft/?parentid=900&typeid=96&frstatus=3 | title=Douglas DC-6 | publisher = rzjets | access-date = 14 August 2019}}</ref>
|-
| [[Douglas DC-7]] || 9 || 1953 || 1964 || <ref>{{cite web | url = https://rzjets.net/aircraft/?parentid=900&typeid=209&frstatus=3 | title = Douglas DC-7 | publisher = rzjets | access-date = 14 August 2019}}</ref>
|-
| [[Douglas DC-8#Series 20|Douglas DC-8-20]] || 3 || 1960 || 1974 || N6571B, N6572C, N6573C<ref name=nationaldc8>{{cite web | url =https://rzjets.net/aircraft/?parentid=900&typeid=97&frstatus=3 | title = Douglas DC-8 | publisher = rzjets | access-date = 14 August 2019}}</ref>
|-
| [[Douglas DC-8#Series 30|Douglas DC-8-30]] || 5 || 1963 || 1978 || <ref name=nationaldc8/>
|-
| [[Douglas DC-8#Series 50|Douglas DC-8-50]] || 9 || 1961 || 1973 || <ref name=nationaldc8/>
|-
| [[Douglas DC-8#Series 60|Douglas DC-8-61]] || 2 || 1967 || 1975 || N45090, N45191<ref name=nationaldc8/>
|-
| [[Lockheed C-60]] || 4 || 1940 || 1956 || <ref name="Lockheed Lodestar">{{cite web | url = https://rzjets.net/aircraft/?parentid=900&typeid=315&frstatus=3 | title = Lockheed Lodestar | publisher = rzjets | access-date = 14 August 2019}}</ref>
|-
| [[Lockheed L-188 Electra]] || 17 || 1959 || 1968 || <ref>{{cite web | url = https://rzjets.net/aircraft/?parentid=900&typeid=149&frstatus=3 | title = Lockheed L-188 Electra | publisher = rzjets | access-date = 14 August 2019}}</ref>
|-
| [[Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation|Lockheed L-1049H Super Constellation]] || 4 || 1957 || 1964 || N7131C, N7132C, N7133C, N7134C<ref>{{cite web | url = https://rzjets.net/aircraft/?parentid=900&typeid=239&frstatus=3 | title = Lockheed L-1049H Super Constellation | access-date = 14 August 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://edcoatescollection.com/ac3/Airline/National%20Airlines%20Lockheed%20L1049H.html | title = National Airlines Lockheed L1049H Super Constellation N7131C | publisher = Ed Coates Collection | access-date = 14 August 2019}}</ref>
|-
| [[Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar]] || 4 || 1940 || 1956 || <ref name="Lockheed Lodestar"/>
|-
| [[McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10]] || 11 || 1971 || 1980 || {{Cn|date=December 2024}}
|-
| [[McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30]] || 4 || 1971 || 1980 || N80NA, N81NA, N82NA, N83NA{{Cn|date=December 2024}}
|-
| [[Ryan Brougham|Ryan B-5 Brougham]] || 2 || 1934 || n/a || NC9234, NC545N<ref>{{cite web | url = http://edcoatescollection.com/ac3/Airline/National%20Airlines%20System%20Ryan%20B-5.html | title = National Airlines Ryan B-5 Brougham | publisher = Ed Coates Collection | access-date = 14 August 2019}}</ref>
|-
| [[Ryan Brougham|Ryan B-7 Brougham]] || 1 || 1934 || n/a || NC723M<ref>{{cite web | url = http://edcoatescollection.com/ac3/Airline/National%20Airlines%20System%20Ryan%20B-5.html | title = National Airlines Ryan B-7 Brougham | publisher = Ed Coates Collection | access-date = 14 August 2019}}</ref>
|-
| [[Sikorsky S-55]] || 1 || 1953 || 1954 || N423A<ref>{{cite web | url =https://www.helis.com/database/org/us_national_airlines/ | title = National Airlines | publisher = Helis.com | access-date = 14 August 2019}}</ref>
|-
| [[Stinson Airliner|Stinson U Tri-Motor]] || n/a || 1935 || n/a || NC432M<ref>{{cite web | url = http://edcoatescollection.com/ac3/Airline/National%20Airlines%20Stinson%20U.html | title = National Airlines System Stinson U Tri-Motor | publisher = Ed Coates Collection | access-date = 14 August 2019}}</ref>
|}

==Sun King Club==

===Domestic===
* Fort Lauderdale
* Houston
* Miami
* Jacksonville
* Los Angeles
* New Orleans
* New York (Kennedy)
* New York (LaGuardia)
* Newark
* Orlando
* San Francisco
* Tampa
* Washington (National)
* West Palm Beach

===International===
* Amsterdam
* Frankfurt
* London (Heathrow)
* Paris (Orly)

==Accidents and incidents==

===Fatal===
*On '''October 5, 1945''', '''[[National Airlines Flight 16]]''', a [[Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar]] ([[aircraft registration|registered]] NC18199) crashed into a lake near [[Lakeland, Florida]] at 01:05 local time. The scheduled passenger flight had originated in [[Tampa]], when the pilots encountered technical problems during approach of [[Lakeland Airport]], which led to a failed [[go-around]] attempt. Of the 15 people on board, two passengers died.<ref name="Flight16">[http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19451005-0 Accident report of National Airlines Flight 16 at the Aviation Safety Network]></ref>
*On '''January 14, 1951''', 6 of the 28 passengers on board '''[[National Airlines Flight 83|Flight 83]]''' died when the aircraft, a [[Douglas DC-4]] (registered N74685), overshot the runway and crashed into a ditch at [[Philadelphia International Airport]]. The pilots of the flight from [[New York City]] had tried to land the aircraft too far down the runway, instead of aborting the approach.<ref>[http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19510114-0 Accident report of National Airlines Flight 83 at the Aviation Safety Network]</ref> [[Frankie Housley]], the only stewardess, also died. She has been regarded as a hero, as she had returned to the burning wreckage to lead passengers to safety.<ref name=Time>{{cite magazine |title= Take Your Time |magazine= [[Time (magazine)|Time]] |url= http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,888882,00.html |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080127151958/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,888882,00.html |url-status= dead |archive-date= January 27, 2008 |date= January 22, 1951 |access-date= January 24, 2008 }}</ref>
*On '''February 11, 1952''', '''[[National Airlines Flight 101|Flight 101]]''', a [[Douglas DC-6]], crashed shortly after take-off from [[Newark Airport]] due to a failure of a propeller and subsequent loss of control. Of the 59 passengers on board, 26 died, as well as three of the four crew members. Four people on the ground were killed.
*With 46 fatalities (5 crew and 41 passengers, among them [[Billy DeBeck#Later life and death|Billy DeBeck's]] widow), the disaster of '''[[National Airlines Flight 470 (1953)|Flight 470]]''' on '''February 14, 1953''', marks the worst accident in the history of National Airlines. The aircraft, a DC-6 registered N90893, crashed into the [[Gulf of Mexico]] {{convert|20|miles|abbr=on}} off [[Mobile Point]] en route from Tampa to [[New Orleans]], after having encountered severe turbulence.
*On '''November 16, 1959''', at 00:55 local time, a [[Douglas DC-7]] (registered N4891C) crashed into the Gulf of Mexico, the cause of which could not be determined. The 36 passengers and six crew aboard '''[[National Airlines Flight 967|Flight 967]]''' from Tampa to New Orleans died in the accident {{convert|35.6|miles|abbr=on}} off the coast of [[Pilottown, Louisiana]].<ref name="Flight 967">[http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19591116-1 Accident report of National Airlines Flight 967 at the Aviation Safety Network]</ref>
*On '''January 6, 1960''', a bomb exploded aboard the DC-6 registered N8225H '''[[National Airlines Flight 2511|Flight 2511]]''' en route from New York to Miami. In the subsequent crash near [[Bolivia, North Carolina]], all 29 passengers and five crew died. One of the passengers, who was under criminal investigation, is suspected of committing a suicide bombing.<ref>[http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19600106-0 Accident report of National Airlines Flight 2511 at the Aviation Safety Network]</ref>
*On '''November 3, 1973''', a [[McDonnell Douglas DC-10]] (registered N60NA) suffered an [[Turbine engine failure|uncontained engine failure]] over Datil, New Mexico while operating as '''[[National Airlines Flight 27|Flight 27]]''' from [[Houston]] to [[Las Vegas]]. Pieces of the turbine penetrated the fuselage, breaking a window in the passenger cabin and causing subsequent decompression. One passenger was sucked out of the aircraft and died. The flight made a successful emergency landing at Albuquerque.<ref>[http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19731103-0 Accident report of National Airlines Flight 27 at the Aviation Safety Network]</ref>
[[File:Nationalcrash.jpg|thumb|right|The wreckage of [[National Airlines Flight 193|Flight 193]] (1978).]]
*On '''May 8, 1978''', at 21:20 local time, '''[[National Airlines Flight 193|Flight 193]]''' went down in [[Escambia Bay]] near [[Pensacola, Florida|Pensacola]], in {{convert|12|ft|abbr=on}} deep water. Of the 52 passengers aboard the Boeing 727 registered N4744, three died. The pilots had attempted to land the aircraft at [[Pensacola International Airport]].<ref>[http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19780508-1 Accident report of National Airlines Flight 193 at the Aviation Safety Network]</ref>

===Non-fatal===
*On September 13, 1945, a National Airlines Lockheed Lodestar (registered NC33349) overshot the runway at [[Peter O. Knight Airport]] near Tampa in rainy weather and came to a rest in the water of [[Hillsborough Bay]]. There were eleven passengers and three crew members on board the scheduled flight from Miami.<ref>[http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19450913-0 September 1945 National Airlines accident at the Aviation Safety Network]</ref>
*On October 11, 1945, another Lodestar (NC15555) was involved in a hull-loss accident. The pilots of '''Flight 23''' from [[Jacksonville]] to Miami with 14 passengers aboard experienced an engine fire and attempted an emergency landing at [[Melbourne International Airport|Melbourne Airport]]. The approach was missed, but the pilots did not manage to pull the aircraft up, so it impacted the ground.<ref>[http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19451011-0 Accident report of National Airlines Flight 23 at the Aviation Safety Network]</ref>
*On October 2, 1950, a cargo-configured [[Curtiss C-46 Commando]] (registered N1661M) was substantially damaged in a belly landing at [[Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport|Washington National Airport]].<ref>[http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19501002-1 1950 landing accident at the Aviation Safety Network]</ref>
*On January 10, 1955, at 09:38, '''Flight 1''' with ten passengers and three crew veered off the runway during a takeoff attempt at [[St. Petersburg–Clearwater International Airport|St. Petersburg-Clearwater Airport]]. The copilot had lost control of the Lockheed Lodestar (registered N33369) that had been bound for [[Sarasota, Florida|Sarasota]].<ref>[http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19550110-0 Accident report of National Airlines Flight 1 at the Aviation Safety Network]</ref>
*On November 15, 1961, at 17:10, '''National Airlines Flight 429''' (a DC-6 registered N8228H) collided with '''[[Northeast Airlines]] Flight 120''' (a [[Vickers Viscount]]) on the ground at [[Logan International Airport]] in [[Boston]]. The pilots of the National aircraft with 25 passengers aboard had commenced with the takeoff run without having been cleared to do so, hitting the landing Northeast plane.<ref>[http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19611115-0 Accident report of National Airlines Flight 429 at the Aviation Safety Network]</ref>

===Hijackings===
Between 1961 and 1980, 22 (attempted) hijackings on board National Airlines occurred, which involved the aircraft being demanded to be flown to Cuba. In 1969 alone, there were nine such occurrences.<ref>[http://aviation-safety.net/database/dblist.php?sorteer=datekey_desc&kind=%&cat=%&page=1&field=Operatorkey&var=5620 List of accidents and incidents involving National Airlines, at the Aviation Safety Network]</ref> These events can be partly attributed to the tense [[Cuba–United States relations]] at that time, and the many flights of National Airlines in and to the southeastern United States, near Cuba. See [[List of Cuba – United States aircraft hijackings]] for more information.

There were several other criminal acts involving National Airlines aircraft:
*On March 8, 1971, a hijacker on board '''Flight 745''', a Boeing 727 with 46 occupants en route from Mobile to New Orleans, demanded the aircraft be flown to Canada instead.<ref>[http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19710308-0 Report of the hijacking of National Airlines Flight 745 at the Aviation Safety Network]</ref>
*On July 12, 1972, Michael Stanley Green and Ethiopian national Lulseged Tesfa hijacked '''National Airlines Flight 496''' (a Boeing 727) while en route to New York from Philadelphia.<ref>[http://blog.chron.com/bayoucityhistory/2012/07/40-years-later-the-day-a-727-landed-at-lake-jackson/ ''40 years later: The day a 727 landed at Lake Jackson'', at chron.com]</ref>
*On March 30, 1974, following a hostage taking in Sarasota, the perpetrator tried to hijack a parked National Airlines 727 at [[Sarasota–Bradenton International Airport|Sarasota-Brandenton Airport]], but was prevented from doing so by a flight engineer.<ref>[http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19740330-0 Report of the 1974 National Airlines hijacking at the Aviation Safety Network]</ref> A similar hijacking attempt happened on January 3, 1975, at Pensacola Airport.<ref>[http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19750103-0 Report of the 1975 National Airlines hijacking at the Aviation Safety Network]</ref>

== See also ==
* [[List of defunct airlines of the United States]]
* [[WPST-TV]], a defunct television station in [[Miami|Miami, Florida]], owned and operated by the airline from 1957 to 1961

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{commons category|National Airlines}}
*{{cite book |last= Banning |first= Eugene |editor-first= R.E.G. |editor-last= Davies |year= 2001 |title= Airlines of Pan American since 1927 |publisher= Paladwr Press |isbn= 1-888962-17-8}}
*{{cite book |last= Conrad |first= Barnaby |year= 1999 |title= Pan Am: An Aviation Legend |location= Emeryville, CA |publisher =Woodford Press |isbn= 0-942627-55-5}}
*{{cite book |last= Davies |first =R.E.G |orig-year= 1972 |year= 1982 |title= Airlines of the United States Since 1914 |edition= Revised |publisher= Putnam |isbn= 0-370-30942-1}}
*{{cite book |last= Davies |first= R.E.G. |author-mask=-|others= Illustrated by Mike Machat |year= 1987 |title= Pan Am: An Airline and Its Aircraft |publisher= Orion |isbn= 0-517-56639-7}}
*{{cite book |last= Gandt |first= Robert L. |year= 1995 |title= Skygods: The Fall of Pan Am |location= New York |publisher= Morrow |isbn= 0-688-04615-0 |url-access= registration |url= https://archive.org/details/skygodsfallofpan00gand }}
*{{cite book |author= Pan American Historical Foundation |title= The Clipper Heritage: Pan American World Airways 1927-1991 |year= 2005 |publisher= Pan American Historical Foundation}}
*{{cite book |title= Pan American World Airways Records |date= June 26, 1996 |publisher= Otto G. Richter Library, University of Miami Archives}}

{{Portal bar|United States|Companies|Aviation}}
{{National Airlines (1934–1980)}}
{{Legacy carrier}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:National Airlines (Na)}}
[[Category:Airlines established in 1934]]
[[Category:Airlines disestablished in 1980]]
[[Category:Pan Am]]
[[Category:Companies based in Miami-Dade County, Florida]]
[[Category:Defunct airlines of the United States]]
[[Category:National Airlines (1934–1980)| ]]
[[Category:Defunct companies based in Florida]]
[[Category:1980 mergers and acquisitions]]
[[Category:1934 establishments in Florida]]
[[Category:1980 disestablishments in Florida]]

ExpressJet

2025-06-29T09:40:22Z

182.232.34.176:

{{Short description|Defunct regional airline of the United States (1986–2022)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Infobox airline
| airline = ExpressJet Airlines
| logo = ExpressJet Airlines, LLC - Copy.png
| IATA = {{ubl|class=nowrap|XE (1987–2011)|EV (2011–2022)}}
| ICAO = {{ubl|class=nowrap|BTA (1987–2011)|ASQ (2011–2022)}}
| callsign = {{ubl|class=nowrap|JET LINK (1987–2011)|ACEY (2011–2022)}}
| subsidiaries = {{nowrap|[[Aha! (airline brand)|aha!]] {{small|(2021–2022)}}}}
| fleet_size = 5<ref name="FAA" />
| parent = Polaris 8
| founded = {{start date|1986||}} {{small|(amalgamation)}}
| commenced = {{start date|1987||}}
| ceased = {{end date|2022|08|22}}
| hubs =
| aoc = ASOA029B<ref name="FAA">{{Cite web|url=https://av-info.faa.gov/detail.asp?DSGN_CODE=ASOA&OPER_FAR=121&OPER_NAME=EXPRESSJET+AIRLINES+LLC|title=Federal Aviation Administration - Airline Certificate Information - Detail View|website=av-info.faa.gov|access-date=June 19, 2022}}</ref>
| headquarters = [[College Park, Georgia|College Park]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], [[United States|U.S.]]
| key_people = [[Subodh Karnik]] ([[Chairman]] & [[Chief executive officer|CEO]])
| website = {{URL|www.expressjet.com}}
}}

'''ExpressJet Airlines''' was a [[regional airline]] in the [[United States]] that operated from 1987 until 2022. It was headquartered in [[College Park, Georgia|College Park]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]. The company began as [[Britt Airways]] and flew exclusively as [[Continental Express]], the contracted [[Codeshare agreement|codeshare]] partner for [[Continental Airlines]]. The name was changed to ExpressJet at the beginning of 1995 as the company began acquiring [[regional jets]], replacing its fleet of turboprop aircraft. Along with flying as Continental Express, ExpressJet expanded flying under the [[Delta Connection]] brand from 2007 through 2008 and again from 2012 through 2018. Service as [[American Eagle (airline brand)|American Eagle]] was flown between 2012 and 2019 and service under the [[United Express]] brand began in 2009. ExpressJet also flew an independent operation under their own brand in 2007 through 2008. When Continental Airlines merged into United Airlines in 2012, the Continental Express operations were added to the United Express service. In September 2020, it exited the [[Regional airline#Fee-for-departure (contract) model|fee-for-departure]] airline market and temporarily ceased flights after the conclusion of its contract with its sole remaining [[Mainline (aeronautics)|mainline]] partner, [[United Airlines]]. In September 2021, ExpressJet resumed operations as both an [[air charter]] provider and a regional airline under its own brand [[Aha! (airline brand)|aha!]]—short for "Air-Hotel-Adventure." The brand's route structure focused on the [[West Coast of the United States]] with a hub at [[Reno-Tahoe International Airport]], and scheduled flights began on October 24, 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|title=ExpressJet Brand Aha! Inaugurates Service {{!}} Aviation Week Network|url=https://aviationweek.com/air-transport/airlines-lessors/expressjet-brand-aha-inaugurates-service|access-date=October 27, 2021|website=aviationweek.com}}</ref> The airline, including its brand aha!, filed for bankruptcy on August 23, 2022, having ceased all operations the previous day.<ref name="CH11"/> In July 2023, the airline announced plans to relaunch as an [[air charter]] service using a single leased [[Boeing 777]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=ExpressJet Airlines Eyes Restart With 777 {{!}} Aviation Week Network |url=https://aviationweek.com/air-transport/airlines-lessors/expressjet-airlines-eyes-restart-777 |access-date=2023-07-21 |website=aviationweek.com}}</ref>

== History ==
=== Incorporation and acquisition ===
The airline was established in 1986 and started operations in 1987. Its origins were in a group of small commuter airlines acquired by [[Texas Air Corporation]] / [[Continental Airlines]]. These included [[Bar Harbor Airlines]] in [[Maine]], [[Provincetown-Boston Airlines]] in [[New England]], [[Rocky Mountain Airways]] in [[Denver, Colorado]], and [[Britt Airways]] in [[Terre Haute, Indiana]]. ExpressJet operates under the original [[Federal Aviation Administration]] Part 121 certificate issued to Britt, which began operations as [[Continental Express]] in April 1987 and was later acquired by Continental Airlines.{{Citation needed|date=June 2009}} ExpressJet Airlines, Inc. incorporated in 1995.<ref name="Prop">"[http://www.fortproperties.com/pdf/FORT%20X_Email.pdf FORT X $79,800,000 Available for Real Estate Investment & 1031 Exchange]." Fort Properties. Retrieved on October 22, 2009.</ref>

=== Corporate independence ===
ExpressJet was spun off from Continental in 2002. Afterwards the company began plans to move into a corporate headquarters location,<ref>"[http://www.sys-con.com/node/520807 NEC Helps ExpressJet Scale Operations Nationwide]." Business Wire. March 17, 2008. Retrieved on October 25, 2009.</ref> boasting over 8,000 employees. ExpressJet Holdings also owns American Composites LLC, Saltillo Jet Center, and InTech Aerospace Services. Together with other facilities throughout the U.S. they make up ExpressJet Services which provides third-party maintenance, repair and overhaul services for a variety of aircraft types. ExpressJet Holdings also has non-controlling interests in Wings Holdings LLC 49% and Flight Services and Systems Inc 44%.

Before ExpressJet became independent, it was headquartered in [[Continental Center I]] in Downtown Houston.<ref>"[http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/content/Contact/location/default.aspx Headquarters Location] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301164452/http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/content/Contact/location/default.aspx |date=2012-03-01 }}." ''[[Continental Airlines]]''. Retrieved on December 7, 2008.</ref><ref>"[http://www.houston.org/companieslistings/index.asp?title=Air+Transportation&code1='481111' Air Transportation]." Opportunity Houston''. Retrieved on December 10, 2008.{{dead link|date=February 2017|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}''</ref><ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20030608173551/http://expressjet.com/legal_notice.asp Expressjet.com Terms, Conditions, And Notices]." ''ExpressJet Airlines''. June 8, 2003. Retrieved on May 19, 2009.</ref>

Following a December 2005 decision by Continental to reduce ExpressJet's Continental Express flying by 69 aircraft, the airline elected to operate the aircraft independently. On December 31, 2006, the airline began its charter operation. It operated 6 aircraft for charter services under the Corporate Aviation Division. [[File:RDU 5-31-08 N16561 (2539163763).jpg|thumb|ExpressJet livery in 2008]]On February 5, 2007, the airline announced service to 24 cities in the [[West Coast of the United States|west coast]], [[Southwestern United States|southwest]], and [[Midwestern United States|midwest]] regions of the United States beginning in April 2007.<ref>{{cite press release | url=http://www.expressjet.com/press/2007/CORP_EXJ.pdf | title=ExpressJet Airlines Begins Flying Under Its Own Banner | publisher=ExpressJet Airlines | date=February 5, 2007 | access-date=February 5, 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070207094035/http://www.expressjet.com/press/2007/CORP_EXJ.pdf | archive-date=February 7, 2007 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

On April 2, 2007, the airline began [https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2007/04/02/daily4.html point-to-point services] under its own name to locations throughout the U.S. The airline had a total of 42 aircraft in their branded operation. According to ExpressJet CEO James Ream, [[LA/Ontario International Airport]] in [[Ontario, California]] (alternate airport to nearby [[Los Angeles International Airport|LAX]]) would become the airline's "biggest center of operation".<ref>{{cite news | title=ONT unveils expansion | url=http://www.dailybulletin.com/business/ci_5164939 | work=[[Inland Valley Daily Bulletin]] | first=Jason | last=Newell | date=February 6, 2007 | access-date=February 3, 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929131443/http://www.dailybulletin.com/business/ci_5164939 | archive-date=September 29, 2007 | url-status=dead }}</ref> In addition to Ontario in the west, New Orleans operated as a hub with additional focus cities and 24 destinations. During this period oil prices escalated from $50 per barrel to $140 which made conditions unsustainable for the branded operation. The service ended on September 2, 2008.

=== 2007 and 2010 partnerships ===
In March 2007, ExpressJet operated four of its Embraer ERJ 145 jets on JetBlue routes while JetBlue's [[Embraer E-Jet family#E190 and E195|Embraer 190]] jets were being serviced.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?ContentBlockID=000d1c5b-74ff-4968-a388-861c730a160f | title=ExpressJet JetBlue to pull E-Jets to repair software glitch| access-date=July 8, 2008 | date=March 7, 2007 | work=Aero-News Network}}</ref>

In June 2007, the airline began service at [[Los Angeles International Airport|LAX]] to western ski markets and Mexico on behalf of [[Delta Air Lines]] under the [[Delta Connection]] banner using 10 ERJ 145 aircraft.<ref>{{cite press release | url=http://www.secinfo.com/d12Tg4.uu.d.htm | title=ExpressJet Announces Capacity Purchase Agreement with Delta Air Lines | publisher=ExpressJet Airlines | date=March 1, 2007 | access-date=July 8, 2008 | archive-date=June 29, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170629061146/http://www.secinfo.com/d12Tg4.uu.d.htm | url-status=dead }}</ref> In July 2007, the agreement was increased to 18 aircraft. In July 2008, the agreement was terminated and ExpressJet ended all Delta Connection flying by September 1.<ref>{{cite news | title=Delta, ExpressJet ditch regional pact | url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/rbssIndustryMaterialsUtilitiesNews/idUKN0326316020080703 | archive-url=https://archive.today/20120720223025/http://uk.reuters.com/article/rbssIndustryMaterialsUtilitiesNews/idUKN0326316020080703 | url-status=dead | archive-date=July 20, 2012 | work=[[Reuters]] | first=Bill | last=Rigby | date=July 3, 2008 | access-date=July 3, 2008}}</ref>

Shortly after announcing the end of its agreement with Delta, ExpressJet announced on July 8, 2008, that it would also end its independent ExpressJet-branded flying on September 2 due to the [[oil price increases since 2003]].<ref name="xe_suspend">{{cite news | title=ExpressJet suspends commercial operations | url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/rbssIndustryMaterialsUtilitiesNews/idUKN0832534520080709?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090619043628/http://uk.reuters.com/article/rbssIndustryMaterialsUtilitiesNews/idUKN0832534520080709?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0 | url-status=dead | archive-date=June 19, 2009 | work=[[Reuters]] | first=Dane | last=Hamilton |author2=Michael Erman | date=July 9, 2008 | access-date=July 8, 2008}}</ref> This resulted in the furlough of 347 pilots.

In September 2007, the airline agreed to provide feeder service for [[Frontier Airlines]] from [[Denver International Airport]] while federal certification for Frontier's Lynx Aviation turboprop subsidiary was underway. ExpressJet flew to 5 cities from Frontier's Denver hub using 50-seat ERJ 145 regional jets until Frontier's subsidiary, Lynx Aviation, received DOT approval in December 2007. As of December 7, ExpressJet discontinued providing feeder service for Frontier Airlines.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_6985208 | title=Frontier to use alternative jet service | work=[[The Denver Post]] | date=September 27, 2007 | access-date=July 8, 2008 | first=Kelly | last=Yamanouchi}}</ref>

In April 2008, [[SkyWest, Inc.]] proposed an acquisition of ExpressJet at a price of $23.50/share. ExpressJet Holdings Inc. said its special committee unanimously rejected the proposal. SkyWest rescinded the offer in early June after ExpressJet Holdings and Continental signed a new 7-year Capacity Purchase Agreement. This proposal was ultimately not successful.

In May 2010, ExpressJet began operating [[Branson Air Express]], non-stop air service between [[Branson, Missouri]] and [[Houston, Texas]]; [[Austin, Texas]]; [[Nashville, Tennessee]]; [[Des Moines, Iowa]]; [[Shreveport, Louisiana]] and [[Terre Haute, Indiana]]; [[Midway International Airport|Chicago Midway]] and [[Indianapolis]].<ref>"[http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2010/02/22/daily13.html?ana=tt3245 Branson Air to begin Houston flights]." ''[[Houston Business Journal]]''. February 23, 2010. Retrieved on February 26, 2010.</ref><ref name="News-Leader">{{cite web | url = http://www.news-leader.com/article/20100623/BREAKING01/100623004/1007/NEWS01/Branson+Airport+adds+nonstop+service+to+Chicago+and+Indianapolis | title = Branson Airport adds nonstop service to Chicago and Indianapolis | publisher = News-Leader | date = June 2010 | access-date = July 13, 2010 | archive-date = September 15, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150915041900/http://www.news-leader.com/article/20100623/BREAKING01/100623004/1007/NEWS01/Branson+Airport+adds+nonstop+service+to+Chicago+and+Indianapolis | url-status = dead }}</ref> ExpressJet's last flight operating under Branson Air Express was on October 30, 2010.

=== Growth as United Express ===
[[File:Embraer 145LR ‘N11535’ United Express (38811177450).jpg|thumb|ExpressJet [[Embraer ERJ family|ERJ 145]] operating as [[United Express]] at [[George Bush Intercontinental Airport]]]]ExpressJet began a temporary contract with [[United Airlines]] to fly as a [[United Express]] carrier beginning in June 2009. The contract was for approximately 10 aircraft that operated out of United's O'Hare and Washington (Dulles) hub. The aircraft were flown in ExpressJet livery. The contract ended on September 2, 2009.

In late 2010 ExpressJet signed a multiple year contract with United Airlines for 22 ERJ 145 aircraft. The aircraft were flown, for the first time, in full United Express colors. Additionally, 10 more ERJ 145s; in ExpressJet colors, operated for United during the peak Summer travel season in 2010. The first flights under this new contract started December 1, 2009, and all 22 aircraft were in United Express service by Spring 2010.

=== Consolidation with Atlantic Southeast Airlines ===
On November 12, 2010, the airline was purchased by [[SkyWest, Inc.]] (the parent company of [[SkyWest Airlines]], the largest regional airline in the United States) and merged with [[Atlantic Southeast Airlines]]. As a legal entity, the original (legacy) ExpressJet airlines effectively ceased to exist. Atlantic Southeast Airlines continued to operate ExpressJet during that time under the terms of their then current operating certificate with the FAA as "ExpressJet Airlines" while a new name for the recently merged companies was being considered.

In October 2011, the employees of ExpressJet and Atlantic Southeast Airlines voted to keep the name ExpressJet as the combined airlines new name, while Atlantic Southeast's "Acey" callsign would remain. (Prior to the merger, the original ExpressJet had used its own IATA code “'''XE'''”, ICAO code “'''BTA'''”, and callsign “'''JET LINK'''”.) <ref>{{cite web|url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/Atlantic-Southeast-to-take-apf-1684776617.html?x=0&.v=1|title=Atlantic Southeast to take ExpressJet's name - Yahoo! Finance|website=yahoo.com|access-date=March 18, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161121233555/http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Atlantic-Southeast-to-take-apf-1684776617.html?x=0&.v=1|archive-date=November 21, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> ASA had been a [[Delta Connection]] feeder carrier prior which reinstated ExpressJet as Delta Connection in 2012.

On November 15, 2012, ExpressJet added feeder operations for [[American Airlines]] under the [[American Eagle (airline brand)|American Eagle]] brand.

In October 2013, ExpressJet opened a new crew domicile in [[Kansas City, Missouri]], at [[Kansas City International Airport]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kansascity.com/2014/02/18/4832935/expressjet-airlines-opens-crew.html|title=ExpressJet Airlines opens crew base at KCI|website=kansascity.com|access-date=March 18, 2018}}</ref> ExpressJet also opened a crew domicile in Denver, at Denver International Airport.
[[File:N136EV (8250437623).jpg|thumb|ExpressJet [[Bombardier CRJ700 series#CRJ900|CRJ900]] operating as [[Delta Connection]]]]

=== 2018 acquisition ===
As talks with United Airlines of a potential purchase gained momentum in August 2017, [[Delta Air Lines]] terminated its contract with ExpressJet. The fleet of [[Bombardier CRJ700 series#CRJ900|CRJ900]] aircraft it operated (but were owned by Delta) were transferred to [[Endeavor Air]].<ref name="Delta end contract">{{cite news|last=Karp|first=Aaron|date=August 10, 2017|title=Delta ends regional contract with ExpressJet, moves 31 CRJs to Endeavor|work=Air Transport World|publisher=Aviation Week Network|url=http://atwonline.com/airframes/delta-ends-regional-contract-expressjet-moves-31-crjs-endeavor|access-date=August 16, 2017}}</ref> [[American Airlines]] terminated their contract with ExpressJet in May 2018, marking ExpressJet's permanent exit from [[American Eagle (airline brand)|American Eagle]]-branded flights as of January 5, 2019.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-05-04/american-air-to-end-regional-deals-with-expressjet-trans-states|title=American Airlines Drops Two Regional Carriers as It Streamlines|access-date=May 5, 2018}}</ref>

In late 2018, it was announced that the company would be spun-off by SkyWest and purchased by a joint venture called ManaAir, with KAir Enterprises as the majority (50.1%) owner and [[United Airlines]] as the minority (49.9%) owner.

January 2019 [https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/manaair-llc-completes-acquisition-of-expressjet-airlines-300782346.html ExpressJet Airlines announced] finalization of its acquisition by Mana Air, LLC along with United Airlines as a minority investor. In addition, United committed delivery of 25 new Embraer 175 aircraft to ExpressJet for United Express operations beginning in April 2019.

February 2020 [http://www.frequentbusinesstraveler.com/2020/02/united-airlines-to-reassign-regional-jets-between-expressjet-and-skywest/ United Airlines announced] a formal reassignment of 36 ERJ-145 jets from another United Express carrier to ExpressJet. This made ExpressJet the largest operator of ERJ-145 aircraft in the world.

==== AVIATE program ====
United Airlines and ExpressJet had partnered to offer ExpressJet pilots a direct path to a First Officer position at [[United Airlines]] through the United Pilot Career Path Program called "AVIATE".<ref>{{cite news|last1=Lazare|first1=Lewis|date=October 3, 2019|title=United Airlines launching a fast-track pilot-recruitment program called Aviate|work=Chicago Business Journal|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/chicago/news/2019/10/03/united-airlines-launching-a-fast-track.html|access-date=January 22, 2020}}</ref> The program guaranteed eligible ExpressJet pilots participation in United's hiring process and, once accepted into the program, the expectation that they would become a mainline United Airlines pilot. Through the program, United had committed to hiring a sizable portion of its new-hire pilots directly from ExpressJet.<ref>{{cite web|title=United Pilot Career Path Program|url=http://www.expressjet.com/careers/pilots/united-career-pathway-program|access-date=January 22, 2020|website=ExpressJet.com|archive-date=January 24, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200124193442/http://www.expressjet.com/careers/pilots/united-career-pathway-program|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== COVID-19 pandemic disruption ===
Due to the [[impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on aviation]], on July 30, 2020, it was announced that [[United Airlines]] decided to end its contract with ExpressJet and transfer these operations to fellow [[United Express]] affiliate [[CommutAir]]. CommutAir would become the sole operator of the United Express ERJ 145 fleet.<ref>{{Cite news|date=July 30, 2020|title=United to drop contract with ExpressJet, dealing fatal blow|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/healthcoronavirus-united-arlns-regional-idUSFWN2F1217|access-date=July 31, 2020}}</ref>

On August 24, 2020, it was announced ExpressJet would end United Express operations on September 30, 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.flightglobal.com/strategy/expressjet-to-cease-operations-on-30-september/139879.article|title=ExpressJet to cease operations on 30 September}}</ref> As part of the operational wind down ExpressJet had closed maintenance bases at Chicago O'Hare and Cleveland Hopkins International airports. Despite the lack of flying since the end of March 2020, the crew base in Newark never officially closed before systemwide operations ended. Likewise, the flight crew base in Chicago remained open until shutdown as the final revenue flight to O'Hare (Flight 3915 from Fargo) by ExpressJet was completed on September 2.{{Citation needed|date=June 2022}}

On September 30, 2020, at 11:44 AM, ExpressJet Airlines flight 4001 departed out of gate former Continental Express Gate C14A at Memphis International Airport, 6 minutes ahead of schedule utilizing the former "Jetlink" call-sign. A local grass-roots effort led by United CSA David Knowles and Lead Ramp Serviceman Johnny Dortch at MEM arranged for a surprise water-cannon salute to honor the working crew, along with the several former/current ExpressJet employees on board as passengers and in the terminal looking outwards prior to its takeoff 11 minutes later. Jetlink 4001 then touched down at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston at 1:24 PM, parking 8 minutes later after a low altitude fly-over and additional water-cannon salute at Gate B87. The final flight was piloted by former Houston Chief Pilot James Campbell and former Houston Assistant Chief Pilot, Sean George with Teresa Baltazar-Arambula serving as the Flight Attendant. This flight was not only the last revenue ExpressJet departure, but also the last ExpressJet revenue arrival subsequently concluding all ExpressJet Airlines operations for United, sans any media attention. Federal assistance was in place for US airline industry workers, however, due to the circumstances of shutting down ExpressJet, some 3000 employees lost their jobs at the airline with no federal assistance.{{Citation needed|date=June 2022}}<ref>{{Cite web |last=Reed |first=Ted |date=October 1, 2020 |title=ExpressJet Shuts Down, Idling 3,000 Airline Workers, While 35,000 Face Furloughs |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/tedreed/2020/10/01/expressjet-shuts-down-idling-3000-airline-workers-while-35000-face-furloughs/?sh=4712b76e4559 |website=Forbes}}</ref>

=== Resumption and launch of aha! brand ===
In July 2021, the US Department of Transportation (DOT) granted final approval for ExpressJet to restart commercial operations. The airline's first relaunched revenue flight was a sports [[Air charter|charter]] operated on September 30, 2021, between [[Tallahassee, Florida|Tallahassee, FL]] and [[Anderson, SC]]—exactly one year after its final flight as a fee-for-departure contract carrier.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Pilot Group News|url=https://www.alpa.org/-/media/ALPA/Files/eLibraries/Communications/air-line-pilot-magazine/2021/air-line-pilot-oct-nov-2021.pdf|journal=[[Air Line Pilot Magazine]]|edition=October–November 2021|publisher=[[Air Line Pilots Association]]|pages=9|url-access=subscription|quote=ExpressJet Airlines, operating as aha!, flew its first revenue flight (a sports team charter) on September 30, from Tallahassee, Fla., to Anderson, S.C.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=October 1, 2021|title=ExpressJet Airlines restarts commercial flying exactly one year after its last revenue flight|url=https://www.expressjet.com/assets/Uploads/PressReleases/Press-Release1st-ExpressJet-Charter-10-1-21.pdf|access-date={{today}}|website=Expressjet.com|archive-date=January 4, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220104041147/https://www.expressjet.com/assets/Uploads/PressReleases/Press-Release1st-ExpressJet-Charter-10-1-21.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> One day later, the company also launched [[Aha! (airline brand)|aha!]], a leisure travel brand providing scheduled air service between [[Reno-Tahoe International Airport]] and cities along the [[West Coast of the United States]]. Scheduled flights began on October 24, 2021, with the first flight being to Pasco, Washington.<ref name="aha Starts">{{Cite press release|title=aha! launches eight nonstop flights from Reno-Tahoe International Airport to cities across the western United States|date=September 29, 2021|url=https://assets.paxiq.com/file/paxiq/aha/aha-launch-pr.pdf|access-date=September 30, 2021}}</ref> The carrier focused on cities, markets, and customers which have seen diminished air service as a result of airline industry consolidation and "up-gauging" of routes to larger but less-frequent flights.<ref>{{Cite web|title=ExpressJet Airlines Receives DOT Fitness Authority - Plans Restart in Q3|url=https://www.wboc.com/story/44423763/expressjet-airlines-receives-dot-fitness-authority-plans-restart-in-q3|access-date=August 5, 2021|website=www.wboc.com|language=en|archive-date=August 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210805214407/https://www.wboc.com/story/44423763/expressjet-airlines-receives-dot-fitness-authority-plans-restart-in-q3|url-status=dead}}</ref>

On June 14, 2022, United Airlines Holdings Inc. quietly divested its stake in the parent company of former regional carrier ExpressJet Airlines. ExpressJet Airlines LLC became 100% owned by KAir Enterprises and affiliates.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bachman |first=Justin |date=June 14, 2022 |title=United Air Exits Stake in Parent of Former ExpressJet Airlines |website=[[Bloomberg News]] |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-06-14/united-air-exits-stake-in-parent-of-former-expressjet-airlines }}</ref>

ExpressJet filed for [[Chapter 11, Title 11, United States Code|Chapter 11]] bankruptcy on August 22, 2022.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hidalgo |first=Jason |date=August 23, 2022 |title=Reno-based Aha! Airlines cancels flights after parent company ExpressJet files bankruptcy |language=en-US |work=[[Reno Gazette-Journal]] |url=https://www.rgj.com/story/news/money/business/2022/08/23/aha-airlines-reno-cancels-all-flights-expressjet-files-chapter-11-bankruptcy/7876112001/ |access-date=August 24, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Regional airline operator ExpressJet files for bankruptcy |language=en-US |work=[[MarketWatch]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |url=https://www.marketwatch.com/story/regional-airline-operator-expressjet-files-for-bankruptcy-01661297475 |access-date=2022-08-24}}</ref> Although Chapter 11 is typically used as protection while a debtor restructures, ExpressJet ceased all flight operations with plans to liquidate its assets.<ref name="CH11">{{Cite news |last=Yamanouchi |first=Kelly |date=August 23, 2022 |title=ExpressJet files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after failed Reno operation |language=en-US |work=[[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]] |url=https://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta-airport-blog/expressjet-files-for-chapter-11-bankruptcy-after-failed-reno-operation/P3Z5HEFNAJB2BHLZS7FYGIPYHU/ |access-date=August 25, 2022}}</ref>

=== Proposed 2023 relaunch ===
In early 2023, ExpressJet's assets were purchased by the company that owns [[Logistic Air]], a Nevada-based lessor and aviation solutions provider, and [[Global Supertanker Aviation|Global Supertanker Aviation, LLC]].<ref name=":0" />

In July 2023, the carrier announced its intentions to restart operations with a single Boeing 777. The airline requested a 90 day extension to its Air Operator Certificate's revocation-for-dormancy date while it works to submit its formal intent to resume operations.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Miller |first=Seth |date=2023-07-18 |title=ExpressJet plans 777 fleet for its next life |url=https://paxex.aero/expressjet-777-comeback/ |access-date=2023-07-21 |website=PaxEx.Aero |language=en-US}}</ref>

The aircraft ExpressJet plans to use is a former Japan Airlines aircraft owned by Logistic Air. The airline estimates it will take nearly $2 million to finalize its relaunch.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Schlappig |first=Ben |date=2023-07-18 |title=Huh: ExpressJet Plans Comeback Flying Boeing 777 |url=https://onemileatatime.com/news/expressjet-boeing-777/ |access-date=2023-07-21 |website=One Mile at a Time |language=en-US}}</ref>

In November 2023, the company requested to have its operating certificate changed from Part 121 domestic to Part 121 supplemental authority. Though the new air operator's certificate was expected to be approved by mid 2024, it failed to provide updates by the end of that year, and its operating certificate was revoked.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ExpressJet Airlines Eyes 2H24 Revival with Boeing 777 Charters |url=https://www.airguide.info/expressjet-airlines-eyes-2h24-revival-with-boeing-777-charters/ |access-date=2024-02-01 |website=AirGuide |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Sipinski |first=Dominik |title=US DOT decertifies ExpressJet as charter plan stagnates |url=https://www.ch-aviation.com/news/148542-us-dot-decertifies-expressjet-as-charter-plan-stagnates |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250128152051/https://www.ch-aviation.com/news/148542-us-dot-decertifies-expressjet-as-charter-plan-stagnates |archive-date=2025-01-28 |access-date=2025-03-11 |work=ch-aviation |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Fleet ==
=== Fleet at time of closure ===
{{As of|2022|06}}, prior to the closure of all operations, the ExpressJet fleet consisted of the following aircraft:<ref name="FAA" />
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;margin:auto;"
|-
! Aircraft
! In service
! Passengers
! Operated for
|-
| [[Embraer ERJ family|Embraer ERJ 145]]
| 5
| 50
| [[Aha! (airline brand)|aha!]]
|-
!Total
!5
! colspan="2" |
|}

===Historic fleet===
ExpressJet previously operated [[Bombardier CRJ100/200#CRJ-200|Bombardier CRJ200]], [[Bombardier CRJ700 series#CRJ700|CRJ700]], [[Bombardier CRJ700 series#CRJ900|CRJ900]], Embraer ERJ 145, and [[Embraer E-Jet family#E175|Embraer 175]] aircraft for [[American Eagle (airline brand)|American Eagle]], [[United Express]] and [[Delta Connection]].{{Cn|date=December 2024}}

==Corporate headquarters==
[[File:AtlanticSoutheastAirlinesHQCollegeParkGA.jpg|thumb|Former Atlantic Southeast Airlines headquarters at A-Tech Center at [[Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport]]]]
ExpressJet has its headquarters in [[College Park, Georgia]], in [[Greater Atlanta]].<ref name="TobinRamosSams">Tobin Ramos, Rachel and Douglas Sams. "[http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2007/12/10/story11.html?page=all ASA lands headquarters at Hartsfield hangar]." ''[[Atlanta Business Chronicle]]''. Monday December 10, 2007. Retrieved on July 28, 2012.</ref>

ExpressJet previously had its headquarters in the North Belt Office Center IV, a building in the Greens Crossing office park, a {{convert|484|acre|km2|adj=on}} mixed-use office park; the office park is in the [[Greenspoint, Houston|Greenspoint]] area of [[Houston, Texas|Houston]].<ref name="Prop"/><ref>"[http://www.expressjet.com/corporate/contact.htm Contact Us] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090227091120/http://www.expressjet.com/corporate/contact.htm |date=February 27, 2009 }}." ''ExpressJet Airlines''. Retrieved on May 19, 2009. "Corporate Mailing address & Phone 700 N. Sam Houston Parkway West, Suite 200 Houston, TX 77067"</ref><ref name="Map">"[http://www.greenspoint.org/ExportedSite/About_US/BoundaryMap.htm Boundary Map] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101019073249/http://www.greenspoint.org/ExportedSite/About_US/BoundaryMap.htm |date=October 19, 2010 }}." ''Greenspoint Management District''. Retrieved on May 19, 2009.</ref>

[[File:ExpressJetHQHouston.JPG|thumb|right|Former ExpressJet headquarters in [[Greenspoint, Houston]]]]
ExpressJet was one of three tenants that leased space in the two-building, {{convert|107200|sqft|m2|adj=on}} North Belt Office Center complex, which includes buildings III and IV. FORT Properties manages both buildings. ExpressJet uses the location due to the proximity to [[George Bush Intercontinental Airport]] and to [[Continental Center I]], the [[Continental Airlines]] headquarters in [[Downtown Houston]].<ref name="Prop"/> ExpressJet had relocated its headquarters to its final Houston location by 2006.<ref>"[http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/business/20061108-0726-airlines-expressjet-earns.html ExpressJet profit slips, shares fall]." ''[[Reuters]]''. November 8, 2006. Retrieved on October 25, 2009.</ref> FORT had acquired the buildings in 2007, which were built in 2003.<ref>"[http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-6786177/Fort-Properties-Inc-Acquires-Class.html Fort Properties, Inc. Acquires Class 'A' Office Buildings in Phoenix, Houston and Omaha.]" ''[[PR Newswire]]''. July 26, 2007. Retrieved on March 5, 2010.</ref>

==Accidents and incidents==
* On August 8, 2009, an ExpressJet aircraft operating as [[ExpressJet Airlines Flight 2816|Continental Express Flight 2816]] was involved in a passenger-handling incident that resulted in the 6-hour-long forced enplanement of its crew and 47 passengers.<ref>"[http://www.cnn.com/2009/TRAVEL/08/21/airplane.trapped/index.html Regional carrier, not crew, at fault in plane's tarmac stranding]." ''[[CNN]]''. Friday August 21, 2009. Retrieved on October 22, 2009.</ref> The flight was originally destined for [[Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport]], but weather forced its diversion to [[Rochester International Airport]]—a facility not served by ExpressJet nor Continental. Upon landing at 12:28 am, representatives of [[Mesaba Airlines]]—which ''did'' possess passenger-handling capability in Rochester—refused to allow the passengers to deplane and enter the airport terminal. The event resulted in [[United States Department of Transportation|United States Department of Transportation (DOT)]] fines against all the involved airlines,<ref>{{Cite news|date=November 24, 2009|title=Consent Order - ExpressJet Airlines, Inc. Violation of 49 U.S.c. § 41712|publisher=[[United States Department of Transportation]]|url=https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/docs/eo_2009-11-18.pdf|access-date={{today}}}}</ref> and it contributed to new regulations codifying the rights of airline passengers.<ref>{{Cite journal|date=December 30, 2009|title=Enhancing Airline Passenger Protections|url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2009-12-30/pdf/E9-30615.pdf|journal=[[Federal Register]]|volume=74|issue=249|pages=68983}}</ref>
* On April 3, 2012, an ExpressJet Embraer ERJ 145, registration N15973, operating as Flight 5912 from [[General Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport|Peoria, IL]] to [[Denver International Airport|Denver]] was landing on 34R in Denver when the aircraft hit approach lights and stopped on the runway. Smoke developed inside the aircraft and passengers were evacuated onto the runway. One passenger was taken to hospital for treatment of his injuries.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}
*On May 1, 2013, the wing of [[Scandinavian Airlines]] Flight 908, an [[Airbus A330]] bound for [[Oslo|Oslo, Norway]], clipped the tail of ExpressJet Flight 4226, destined for [[Nashville|Nashville, Tennessee]], during departure taxi to runway 22R at [[Newark Liberty International Airport|Newark Liberty Airport]]. No injuries were reported.<ref>[https://www.usatoday.com/story/todayinthesky/2013/05/02/sas-widebody-jet-clips-united-express-turboprop-at-newark/2128665/ United Express, SAS planes clip each other at Newark]. Usatoday.com (May 2, 2013). Retrieved on 2013-08-16.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aviationpros.com/news/10933680/sas-investigates-clipping-accident-at-ewr |title=Archived copy |access-date=May 5, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140220055300/http://www.aviationpros.com/news/10933680/sas-investigates-clipping-accident-at-ewr |archive-date=February 20, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Ranter|first=Harro|title=ASN Aircraft accident Embraer EMB-145LR (ERJ-145LR) N17560 Newark-Liberty International Airport, NJ (EWR)|url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20130501-2|access-date=December 16, 2021|website=aviation-safety.net}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category-inline|ExpressJet}}
*[http://www.expressjet.com/ ExpressJet Holdings]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080101134718/http://www.xjet.com// ExpressJet Airlines] (Archive)
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20100420023842/http://charter.expressjet.com/ ExpressJet Charter]
{{-}}

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Silver Airways

2025-06-29T09:39:40Z

182.232.34.176:

{{Short description|Defunct regional airline of the United States (2011–2025)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2023}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2021}}
{{Infobox airline
| airline = Silver Airways, LLC
| logo = Silver_Airways_Logo.svg
| logo_size = 200px
| image = File:Silver Airways ATR 42 N403SV.png
| image_size = 300px
| IATA = 3M
| ICAO = SIL
| callsign = SILVER WINGS
| founded = {{start date|2011|05|21}}
| commenced = {{start date|2011|12|15}}
| ceased = {{end date|2025|06|11}}
| aoc = 29GA010N<ref name="FAA">{{Cite web |title=Federal Aviation Administration – Airline Certificate Information – Detail View |url=https://av-info.faa.gov/detail.asp?DSGN_CODE=29GA&OPER_FAR=121&OPER_NAME=SILVER+AIRWAYS+LLC |access-date=May 25, 2023 |website=av-info.faa.gov}}</ref>
| bases =
| hubs = {{ubl|class=nowrap
| [[Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport|Fort Lauderdale]]
| [[Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport|San Juan]]
| [[Tampa International Airport|Tampa]]}}
| focus_cities =
| frequent_flyer =
| subsidiaries = [[Seaborne Airlines]]
| fleet_size = 8
| destinations = 28
| parent = Versa Capital Management, LLC
| headquarters = [[Hollywood, Florida]]
| key_people = Steve Rossum ([[Chief executive officer|CEO]])<ref>{{Cite journal |date=August 1, 2017 |title=Silver Airways announces new CEO, $1.1B fleet investment |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/news/2017/08/01/silver-airways-announces-new-ceo-1-1b-fleet.html |journal=South Florida Business Journal |access-date=February 24, 2020}}</ref>
| num_employees = 700 (2024)
| website = {{URL|https://www.silverairways.com/|silverairways.com}}
}}

'''Silver Airways''' was a [[regional airline]] in the [[United States]] with its headquarters in [[Hollywood, Florida]], near [[Fort Lauderdale, Florida|Fort Lauderdale]]. It was founded in 2011 with assets from the former [[Gulfstream International Airlines]],<ref name="Pike 2011">{{Cite web |last=Pike |first=Joe |date=December 15, 2011 |title=Caribbean, The Bahamas, flights, 987654 {{!}} Travel Agent Central |url=http://www.travelagentcentral.com/the-bahamas/silver-airways-first-saab-340-slated-fly-bahamas-32725 |access-date=June 20, 2016 |website=www.travelagentcentral.com}}</ref> and last operated scheduled flights from its hubs in [[Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport|Fort Lauderdale]] and [[Tampa International Airport|Tampa]], Florida, as well as [[Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport|San Juan]], [[Puerto Rico]]. The airline started flying on December 15, 2011.

{{As of|November 2013|post=,}} Silver Airways received $20,515,042 in annual federal subsidies for [[Essential Air Service]]s that it provided to rural airports in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 2013 |title=Subsidized EAS web report for non-Alaska communities |url=http://www.dot.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/docs/Subsidized%20EAS%20web%20report%20for%20non-Alaska%20communities-Nov%202013.pdf |access-date=June 20, 2016 |website=dot.gov}}</ref>

On June 11, 2025, Silver Airways ceased operations of all flights after selling its assets to Wexford Capital, who elected to discontinue operations of the airline.
{{TOC limit|3}}

== History ==
On November 4, 2010, [[Gulfstream International Airlines]] filed for [[Chapter 11 Bankruptcy]] protection.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Yu |first=Roger |date=November 5, 2010 |title=Gulfstream International files for bankruptcy protection |url=http://travel.usatoday.com/flights/post/2010/11/gulfstream-international-files-for-bankruptcy-protection/130108/1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324105957/http://travel.usatoday.com/flights/post/2010/11/gulfstream-international-files-for-bankruptcy-protection/130108/1 |archive-date=March 24, 2012 |access-date=June 20, 2016 |website=USA Today}}</ref> In May 2011, Victory Park Capital bought the assets of Gulfstream International Group, including 21 of Gulfstream's [[Beechcraft 1900#1900D|Beechcraft 1900D]] aircraft, from Raytheon Aircraft Credit Corporation.<ref name="Victory Park Capital Advisors 2011">{{Cite web |date=December 15, 2011 |title=Gulfstream International Airlines Rebrands as Silver Airways |url=http://www.victoryparkcapitaladvisors.com/news/2011/gulfstream_rebranded_as_silver_airways.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426082732/http://www.victoryparkcapitaladvisors.com/news/2011/gulfstream_rebranded_as_silver_airways.php |archive-date=April 26, 2012 |access-date=June 20, 2016 |website=victoryparkcapitaladvisors.com}}</ref> The company had been operating as [[Continental Connection]] on behalf of Continental Airlines.
[[File:Silver Airways Saab 340B.jpeg|thumb|[[Saab 340]] at [[Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport]]]]

On December 15, 2011, the airline was rebranded as Silver Airways. That same day, they took delivery of one of six recently purchased [[Saab 340]] aircraft.<ref name="Victory Park Capital Advisors 2011" /> Upon the merger of Continental Airlines into [[United Airlines]] on April 1, 2012, Silver operated as [[United Express]] until the affiliation with United ended in July 2013.<ref>The Official Airline Guide</ref>

In the first half of 2012, Silver Airways made several moves to turn itself around. Its maintenance facilities were moved from [[Fort Lauderdale, Florida|Fort Lauderdale]] to [[Gainesville Regional Airport]], taking over the former [[Eclipse Aviation]] facility that had remained vacant since 2009.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Clark |first=Anthony |date=February 29, 2012 |title=Silver Airways will offer flights connecting Gainesville to Orlando and Tampa starting April 15 |url=http://www.gainesville.com/article/20120229/articles/120229474 |access-date=June 20, 2016 |website=Gainesville.com}}</ref> It purchased six more Saab 340 aircraft bringing the Saab fleet to 12.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Satchell |first=Arlene |date=March 12, 2012 |title=Silver Airways to acquire six more Saab340 aircraft – Travel – Sun-Sentinel |url=http://blogs.sun-sentinel.com/south-florida-travel/2012/03/12/silver-airways-to-acquire-six-more-saab340-aircraft-by-september/ |access-date=June 20, 2016 |website=Sun-Sentinel}}</ref> Scheduled service on the Saabs started on the Florida and Bahamas routes. Shortly after, routes were added from Gainesville Regional Airport to [[Orlando International Airport]] and [[Tampa International Airport]] began.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Murphy |first=David |title=Silver Airways brings cheap Tampa, Orlando flights from Gainesville |url=http://www.alligator.org/news/local/article_11426ad6-838c-11e1-ba82-0019bb2963f4.html |access-date=June 20, 2016 |website=The Independent Florida Alligator}}</ref>

Silver Airways expanded its network numerous times in the second half of 2012. First, [[Washington Dulles International Airport]] saw scheduled service to destinations in [[Pennsylvania]], [[West Virginia]], and [[Virginia]]. Silver's Florida route network expanded to [[Jacksonville, Florida|Jacksonville]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Regional carrier Silver Airways adds new routes in select Florida and national markets |url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2012-06-06/business/fl-silver-airways-expansion-20120606-11_1_bahamas-routes-gulfstream-international-airlines-saab-340s |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151202145159/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2012-06-06/business/fl-silver-airways-expansion-20120606-11_1_bahamas-routes-gulfstream-international-airlines-saab-340s |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 2, 2015 |access-date=June 20, 2016 |website=tribunedigital-sunsentinel}}</ref> Service began from [[Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport]] to destinations in [[Mississippi]] and [[Alabama]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Silver Airways expands service at Hartsfield-Jackson |url=http://www.aviation.ca/2012100213114/news/international/13114-silver-airways-expands-service-at-hartsfield-jackson |access-date=June 20, 2016 |website=Aviation.ca |language=en-GB}}</ref> On August 7, 2012, Silver Airways made national news headlines when one of its flights landed at the wrong airport.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Cooper |first=Aaron |title=Plane lands at wrong airport in West Virginia, FAA investigating – CNN |publisher=CNN |url=http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/08/travel/west-virginia-wrong-airport/index.html |access-date=June 20, 2016}}</ref>

In late 2011, Silver Airways began a new operation in [[Montana]], serving eight cities from a hub at [[Billings Logan International Airport|Billings]]. Seven of the eight cities were served through government subsidies by way of [[Essential Air Service]] contracts. The Montana operation lasted for two years, ending by mid-2013.<ref>Official Airline Guide</ref>

On February 11, 2013, Victory Park Capital announced it had hired industry veteran Dave Pflieger to strengthen and grow the airline.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cooper |first=Aaron |title=Air Transport World |url=http://atwonline.com/ |access-date=February 12, 2013 |website=atwonline}}</ref> On June 28, 2013, Silver Airways announced that it would cease [[Montana]] operations over the next few months.<ref name="Falstad 2013">{{Cite web |last=Falstad |first=Jan |title=Silver Airways won't bid on Montana EAS contract |url=http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/silver-airways-won-t-bid-on-montana-eas-contract/article_e959d518-39d2-5b27-8d16-889a9aa0829a.html |access-date=June 20, 2016 |website=The Billings Gazette|date=June 28, 2013 }}</ref> The announcement came on the heels of the [[Department of Transportation]]'s (DOT) decision to eliminate subsidized service in two key Montana communities, Lewistown and Miles City. Service ended after the last flights on July 15, 2013, for Lewistown and Miles City.<ref name="Falstad 2013" /> To ensure no interruption of service and a smooth transition for the flying public in the remaining Montana markets serviced by Silver Airways, Silver continued its operations in those communities until such time as the DOT awarded the routes to another airline and the new carrier started service to those communities.<ref name="Falstad 2013" />

In September 2013, Silver Airways announced an expansion of its intra-Florida and Florida–Bahamas network.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Top Florida Airline adds new nonstop service in West Palm Beach |url=http://www.travelandtourworld.com/news/article/top-florida-airline-adds-new-nonstop-service-in-west-palm-beach-tallahassee-orlando-and-the-bahamas/ |access-date=September 6, 2013 |website=travelandtourworld.com|date=September 6, 2013 }}</ref> In 2013, Silver Airways was named one of the Top 10 Best U.S. Airlines in the [[Condé Nast]] Traveler's 26th annual Readers' Choice Awards.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 12, 2013 |title=Silver Airways named one of top 10 airlines by Conde Nast Traveler |url=http://bizbuzz.djournal.com/2013/11/12/silver-airways-named-one-top-10-airlines-conde-naste-traveler/ |access-date=June 20, 2016 |website=Biz Buzz}}</ref>
[[File:Cabin interior.jpg|thumb|Interior cabin of the ATR 72-600]]
In the first half of 2014, Silver Airways made several network changes. It ended Beechcraft 1900 operations in Cleveland's EAS network.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Suttell |first=Scott |date=February 14, 2014 |title=Silver Airways to exit Cleveland market |url=http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20140214/FREE/140219788 |access-date=June 20, 2016 |website=Crain's Cleveland Business}}</ref> Then, Silver Airways closed much of its Atlanta network and redeployed its aircraft to other markets.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bevan |first=Shaun |date=April 15, 2014 |title=Silver Airways to launch new route from Key West to Orlando – South Florida Business Journal |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/blog/2014/04/silver-airways-to-launch-new-route.html |access-date=June 20, 2016 |website=South Florida Business Journal}}</ref> In February 2014, the airline and its owners, Victory Park Capital, announced they had obtained up to $73 million in additional financing from GB Credit Partners, LLC, the investment management affiliate of Gordon Brothers Group and Crystal Financial LLC.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 19, 2016 |title=Silver Airways completes recapitalization |url=http://www.thebahamasinvestor.com/2016/silver-airways-completes-recapitalization/ |access-date=September 19, 2016 |website=thebahamasinvestor.com}}</ref> Plans were also made to strengthen its core network and Saab 340B+ fleet.<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 15, 2014 |title=Silver Airways to drop the Cleveland hub, will retire the Beech 1900Ds |url=https://worldairlinenews.com/2014/02/15/silver-airways-to-drop-the-cleveland-hub-will-retire-the-beech-1900ds/ |access-date=May 15, 2014 |website=worldairlinenews.com}}</ref> In March 2014, Silver Airways completed its first ever IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA).<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 15, 2014 |title=Silver Airways successfully completes IATA Operational Safety Audit |url=https://worldairlinenews.com/2014/02/15/silver-airways-to-drop-the-cleveland-hub-will-retire-the-beech-1900ds/ |access-date=March 11, 2014 |website=eturbonews.com}}</ref>

In May 2014, Silver announced a new partnership with JetBlue.<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 15, 2014 |title=Flights on Silver Airways Now Eligible for TrueBlue Frequent-Flyer Points |url=https://worldairlinenews.com/2014/02/15/silver-airways-to-drop-the-cleveland-hub-will-retire-the-beech-1900ds/ |access-date=May 6, 2014 |website=airlinesanddestinations.com}}</ref> In May 2014, Silver Airways announced it was a new stand-alone airline after the launch of its own independent reservations system. CEO Dave Pflieger described the airline as a hybrid carrier, part start-up, part turnaround, both independent, and a partner to a larger airline (United). He also noted that it was "rationalizing" its fleet and network and "only flying where it makes sense," so the airline could not only meet but exceed guests' expectations and continue to grow the airline.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Growing Pains of 3-Year Old Niche Carrier Silver Airlways |url=https://skift.com/2014/05/12/the-growing-pains-of-3-year-old-niche-carrier-silver-airlways/ |access-date=May 6, 2014 |website=skift.com}}</ref>

In January 2015, Silver Airways added [[Panama City, Florida]], to its list of destinations by starting services to [[Orlando, Florida|Orlando]] and [[Tampa, Florida|Tampa]] from the [[Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport]]. It also announced the launch of a direct service between [[Jacksonville, Florida|Jacksonville]] and Tampa.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Drum |first=Bruce |date=January 19, 2015 |title=Silver Airways to add Panama City, Florida as its newest destination, will also add Charleston, SC |url=https://worldairlinenews.com/2015/01/19/silver-airways-to-add-panama-city-florida-as-its-newest-destination/ |access-date=June 20, 2016 |website=World Airline News}}</ref>

On February 27, 2015, Silver Airways previewed its new maintenance headquarters at Orlando International Airport. The project was a complete renovation that is home to a {{convert|38000|sqfoot}} maintenance, repair and overhaul facility that includes two large aircraft hangars, each capable of housing three to four aircraft, as well as office space. Silver Airways committed to a long-term 30-year lease from the [[Greater Orlando Aviation Authority]] to headquarter its new maintenance facility in Orlando.<ref>{{Cite press release |date=February 27, 2015 |title=Photo Release -- Silver Airways Previews New Maintenance Headquarters at Orlando International Airport |url=http://globenewswire.com/news-release/2015/02/27/710935/10122422/en/Photo-Release-Silver-Airways-Previews-New-Maintenance-Headquarters-at-Orlando-International-Airport.html#sthash.O5ETREsl.dpuf |access-date=June 20, 2016 |website=GlobeNewswire News Room |language=en-US}}</ref> In August 2015, Silver Airways ended its Gainesville service, several months after missing and restructuring payments on its Gainesville maintenance hangar.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Clark, Anthony |date=July 8, 2015 |title=Silver Airways to end Gainesville service next month |url=http://www.gainesville.com/article/20150708/articles/150709735 |access-date=October 23, 2015 |publisher=Gainesville Sun}}</ref>

On March 2, 2016, Silver Airways filed an application with the [[U.S. Department of Transportation]] to provide service from five Florida cities to ten Cuban cities.<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 2, 2016 |title=Silver Airways Applies For Service From Florida To Cuba |url=http://miami.cbslocal.com/2016/03/02/silver-airways-applies-for-service-from-florida-to-cuba/ |access-date=June 20, 2016 |website=Miami CBS}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Reiser |first=Emon |date=March 2, 2016 |title=Cuba flights: Silver Airways applies for commercial routes to Cuba – South Florida Business Journal |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/news/2016/03/02/fort-lauderdale-airline-files-application-for.html |access-date=June 20, 2016 |website=South Florida Business Journal}}</ref> However, Silver Airways was only granted nine Cuban cities, being denied a Havana route.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Werley |first=Jensen |date=July 8, 2016 |title=Silver Airways snubbed from Havana flights – Jacksonville Business Journal |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2016/07/08/silver-airways-snubbed-from-havana-flights.html |access-date=August 1, 2016 |website=Jacksonville Business Journal}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Perez |first=Maria |date=July 7, 2016 |title=Florida cities selected for commercial flights to Havana, but not Fort Myers |url=http://archive.naplesnews.com/news/local/florida-cities-selected-for-commercial-flights-to-havana-but-not-fort-myers-3714566b-e402-5c53-e053--385944671.html |access-date=August 1, 2016 |website=Napes Daily News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=July 8, 2016 |title=USA to Havana Flights Approved for 8 Airlines |url=http://www.havanatimes.org/?p=119850 |access-date=August 1, 2016 |website=Havana Times.org |language=en-us}}</ref>

On June 2, 2016, Silver Airways, [[Great Lakes Airlines]] and [[Frontier Airlines]] announced a partnership for recruiting pilots.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Frontier Airlines |title=Frontier Airlines Launches Career Pilot Program With Great Lakes Airlines And Silver Airways |url=http://flygreatlakes.com/news/2016/doc_files/Frontier%20-%20Great%20Lakes%20-%20Silver%20-%20Pilot%20Program%20-%20Press%20Release%2006-02-16.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180719084320/http://flygreatlakes.com/news/2016/doc_files/Frontier%20-%20Great%20Lakes%20-%20Silver%20-%20Pilot%20Program%20-%20Press%20Release%2006-02-16.pdf |archive-date=July 19, 2018 |access-date=March 12, 2022 |website=flygreatlakes.com}}</ref> On September 13, 2016, it was announced that a majority stake of Silver Airways had been acquired by a private equity firm Versa Capital Management LLC in Philadelphia.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Satchell |first=Arlene |date=September 13, 2016 |title=Silver Airways gets new majority owner |work=Sun-Sentinel |url=http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/tourism/fl-silver-air-new-majority-owner-20160913-story.html |access-date=October 20, 2016}}</ref> On August 1, 2017, Silver Airways announced an order for 20 ATR 42-600 aircraft, with options for up to 30 more.{{Citation needed|date=October 2018}}

On April 23, 2018, Silver Airways announced the acquisition of [[Seaborne Airlines]], a San Juan–based airline serving the Caribbean.<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 23, 2018 |title=Silver Airways Acquires Seaborne Airlines to Create Leading Independent Airline Serving the Caribbean, Bahamas, Florida, and Beyond |url=https://www.silverairways.com/about-silver/press-room/article/2018/04/23/silver-airways-acquires-seaborne-airlines-to-create-leading-independent-airline-serving-the-caribbean-bahamas-florida-and-beyond?stop_mobi=no |access-date=February 24, 2020 |publisher=Silver Airways}}</ref> In November 2019, Silver Airways created a codeshare partnership with [[Delta Air Lines]] and [[American Airlines]] to provide single ticket booking with baggage transfers to destinations in the Caribbean.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Silver Airways and Delta Air Lines Announce Codeshare Partnership |url=https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/silver-airways-and-delta-air-lines-announce-codeshare-partnership-2019-11-13 |access-date=November 20, 2019 |website=MarketWatch |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Silver Airways and American Airlines Announce Codeshare Partnership |url=https://www.thedailytimes.com/business/silver-airways-and-american-airlines-announce-codeshare-partnership/article_d595b9af-98e7-5f49-9f86-f026cdb5c0eb.html |access-date=November 20, 2019 |website=The Daily Times |language=en}}</ref>

In February 2020, Silver Airways announced new services to [[Charleston International Airport]] from its hubs in Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, and Tampa; however, due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] and its [[Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on aviation|impacts on aviation]], the services were initially postponed until November 2020, when service was finally started.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wise |first=Warren |title=Silver Airways returns to Charleston airport with new flights to Florida |url=https://www.postandcourier.com/business/real_estate/silver-airways-returns-to-charleston-airport-with-new-flights-to/article_102ea256-5357-11ea-9703-f709ae4e78d2.html |access-date=February 29, 2020 |website=postandcourier.com|date=February 26, 2020 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Wise |first=Warren |date=June 9, 2020 |title=Silver Airways postpones new service from Charleston to Florida cities indefinitely |url=https://www.postandcourier.com/business/silver-airways-postpones-new-service-from-charleston-to-florida-cities-indefinitely/article_29ba88d4-aa55-11ea-9827-7bd0e1bcb039.html |access-date=August 20, 2020 |website=The Post and Courier |publisher=Evening Post Industries}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Liu |first=Jim |date=July 1, 2020 |title=Silver Airways removes planned Charleston SC July 2020 launch |url=https://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/292175/silver-airways-removes-planned-charleston-sc-july-2020-launch/ |access-date=July 7, 2020 |website=Routesonline |publisher=Informa Markets}}</ref>

In March 2020, Silver announced the introduction of its own services to its San Juan base previously acquired along with its subsidiary [[Seaborne Airlines]], with routes from San Juan launching in phases between March and July 2020 as more of the airline's ATR 42-600 aircraft would be delivered.<ref name="SJU">{{Cite press release |title=Silver Airways Introduces New State-of-the-Art ATR-600 Series Aircraft in the Caribbean |date=March 4, 2020 |publisher=Silver Airways LLC |url=https://www.silverairways.com/about-silver/press-room/article/2020/03/04/silver-airways-introduces-new-state-of-the-art-atr-600-series-aircraft-in-the-caribbean |access-date=May 28, 2020}}</ref>

On November 9, 2021, Silver Airways began contract flying for [[Amazon Air]] with feeder flights from Albuquerque and Des Moines to Amazon's hub at the [[Fort Worth Alliance Airport]] near Fort Worth, Texas. Silver used two [[ATR 72#ATR 72-212A|ATR 72-500]] aircraft configured for airfreight operations and painted with Amazon's "Prime Air" logo.<ref>Albuquerque Amazon Wants to expand to Sunport – KRQE October 19, 2021</ref> However, Amazon cut ties with Silver in July 2023, ending the airline's cargo services.{{cn|date=June 2024}}

On December 30, 2024, Silver Airways filed for [[Chapter 11 bankruptcy]] protection. The company planned to continue operations throughout the procedure, and intended to exit bankruptcy by the first quarter of 2025.<ref>{{Cite web|url= https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/region-hillsborough/silver-airways-files-for-bankruptcy-protection|title= Silver Airways files for bankruptcy protection|last=Kephart|first=Tim|date=December 31, 2024|access-date=December 31, 2024|website=ABC Action News|language=en}}</ref>

On March 2, 2025, Silver Airways abruptly ceased flying out of Orlando.<ref name="foxorlando">{{cite web |last1=Lafferty |first1=Abigail |title=Silver Airways cancels all flights at Orlando International Airport without notice, files bankruptcy |url=https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/silver-airways-cancels-all-flights-orlando-international-airport-without-notice-files-bankruptcy |website=FOX 35 Orlando |access-date=3 March 2025 |date=2 March 2025}}</ref> At least two aircraft, N408SV and N409SV, ferried from San Juan to [[Coeur d'Alene Airport|Coeur D’Alene (COE)]]. The routing brought them to South Carolina and Sioux Falls, starting on March 1. Additional fleet exits continued through April and into May. Aircraft have ferried to YQS, St. Thomas Airport in Ontario, Canada along with SGD, Sogdenberg, Denmark.

In April 2025, Silver Airways warned that its Chapter 11 case may end up converting to Chapter 7, which would result in liquidation.<ref>{{Cite news |title=The end of Silver Airways |url=https://aerospazio24.com/2025/04/15/la-fine-di-silver-airways/ |work=Aerospazio24.com}}</ref>

On June 11, 2025, Silver Airways sold itself to Wexford Capital after no other participating bids came in to purchase its assets. However, Wexford was not interested in maintaining flight operations, forcing Silver to abruptly shut down that day.<ref>{{Cite web|url= https://www.wtsp.com/article/travel/silver-airways-stop-operating-bankrupt/67-0aa937f6-5479-4245-bf89-69b6a7e1b399|title= Florida-based Silver Airways stops flying, will sell everything|first=Stephen|last=Adams|date=June 11, 2025|access-date=June 11, 2025|website=WTSP|language=en}}</ref> Silver Airways' last flight was Flight 56 from Tampa International Airport to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport operated by N706SV, which arrived at 11:51 p.m. EDT on June 10, 2025.<ref>{{cite web |date=11 June 2025 |title=3M56 (SIL56) Silver Airways Flight Tracking and History 10-Jun-2025 (KTPA-KFLL) |url=https://www.flightaware.com/live/flight/SIL56/history/20250611/0055Z/KTPA/KFLL |website=FlightAware |access-date=11 June 2025}}</ref>

== Facilities ==
The airline headquarters were located at 2850 Greene Street, Hollywood, FL 33020, in [[Unincorporated area|unincorporated]] [[Broward County, Florida|Broward County]], Florida,<ref name="Pike 2011" /><ref name="gulfstreamair">{{Cite web |title=Contact Us |url=http://www.gulfstreamair.com/contact.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714220605/http://www.gulfstreamair.com/contact.shtml |archive-date=July 14, 2014 |access-date=June 20, 2016 |website=gulfstreamair.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Tenant Directory – Silver Airways |url=http://www.broward.org/Airport/Business/Pages/TenantDirectory.aspx |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111227070033/http://www.broward.org/Airport/Business/Pages/TenantDirectory.aspx |archive-date=December 27, 2011 |access-date=June 20, 2016 |website=broward.org}}</ref> near Fort Lauderdale. Previously its headquarters were in [[Dania Beach, Florida|Dania Beach]], Florida,<ref name="gulfstreamair" /><ref>"[http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/MapItDrawServlet?geo_id=16000US1216325&_bucket_id=50&tree_id=420&context=saff&_lang=en&_sse=on Dania Beach city, Florida] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090826111704/http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/MapItDrawServlet?geo_id=16000US1216325&_bucket_id=50&tree_id=420&context=saff&_lang=en&_sse=on |date=2009-08-26 }}." ''[[U.S. Census Bureau]]''. Retrieved May 21, 2009.</ref> also near Fort Lauderdale.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Pasztor |first1=Andy |last2=Carey |first2=Susan |date=May 25, 2009 |title=FAA Probes Trainer of Commuter Pilots |work=The Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB124293891324544689 |access-date=June 20, 2016 |issn=0099-9660}}</ref> The airline also maintained a maintenance facility at [[Orlando International Airport]] in a facility previously utilized by [[Comair (USA)|Comair]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dineen |first=Caitlin |date=March 4, 2015 |title=Silver Airways maintenance headquarters to open in Orlando soon |url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/tourism/os-orlando-airport-expand-silver-jetblue-20150304-story.html |access-date=June 20, 2016 |website=Orlando Sentinel}}</ref>
In April 2023, the company faced eviction from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport for failure to pay rent since 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Silver Airways faces eviction at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport |date=April 12, 2023 |url=https://www.wptv.com/lifestyle/travel/silver-airways-faces-eviction-at-fort-lauderdale-hollywood-international-airport}}</ref>

== Destinations ==
Over its history, Silver Airways domestically operated both scheduled commercial flights originating from its Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, and Tampa hubs in Florida, as well as [[Essential Air Service]]s based in Atlanta (Georgia), Billings (Montana), Boston (Massachusetts), Cleveland (Ohio), and Washington, D.C. Internationally, the airline operated services between Florida and the Bahamas, and in March 2020 began its own operations based in San Juan (Puerto Rico) to surrounding destinations in the Caribbean, alongside those of its subsidiary [[Seaborne Airlines]].

The following table lists destinations that were served by the airline prior to it ceasing operations on June 11, 2025:<ref>{{Cite web|title=Route Map|url=https://www.silverairways.com/destinations/route-map|access-date=2024-09-02|website=www.silverairways.com}}</ref>

{| class="sortable collapsible wikitable uncollapsed"
!style="background-color:#EB068C;color: white"| Country (State) or Territory
!style="background-color:#EB068C;color: white"| City
!style="background-color:#EB068C;color: white"| Airport
!style="background-color:#EB068C;color: white"| Notes
!class="unsortable" style="background-color:#EB068C;color: white"| Ref
|-
|Anguilla
|[[The Valley, Anguilla|The Valley]]
|[[Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center|<ref name=Silver>{{cite web |title= Silver Airways Route Map
| url=https://www.silverairways.com/destinations/route-map |website=Silver Airways |access-date=January 16, 2025}}
</ref>
|-
|Antigua and Barbuda
|[[St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda|Saint John's]]
|[[V. C. Bird International Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center|<ref name=SILVER>{{cite web |title=Silver Airways tendrá vuelos a Antigua y Barbuda y suma un destino a República Dominicana |url=https://www.aviacionline.com/2023/08/silver-airways-tendra-vuelos-a-antigua-y-barbuda-y-suma-un-destino-a-republica-dominicana/ |website=Aviacionline |date=August 17, 2023 |access-date=August 17, 2023}}</ref>
|-
|rowspan=9| Bahamas
| [[Bimini]]
| [[South Bimini Airport]]
|align-center|
|align=center|
|-
|[[Cat Island, Bahamas|Cat Island]]
|[[New Bight Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center|<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.silverairways.com/more-information/travel-information/route-map |title=Silver Airways Route Map |work=Silver Airways |date=November 20, 2018 |access-date=November 20, 2018 |author=Silver Airways}}</ref>
|-
| [[Freeport, Bahamas|Freeport]]
| [[Grand Bahama International Airport]]
|align=center|
|align=center|
|-
| [[George Town, Bahamas|George Town]]
| [[Exuma International Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center|
|-
| [[Governor's Harbour]]
| [[Governor's Harbour Airport]]
|align=center|
|align=center|
|-
| [[Marsh Harbour]]
| [[Marsh Harbour Airport]]
|align=center|
|align=center|
|-
| [[Nassau, Bahamas|Nassau]]
| [[Lynden Pindling International Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center|
|-
| [[North Eleuthera]]
| [[North Eleuthera Airport]]
|align=center|
|align=center|
|-
| [[Treasure Cay]]
| [[Treasure Cay Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center|
|-
| British Virgin Islands
| [[Tortola]]
| [[Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport]]
|align=center|
|align=center|<ref>{{Cite web|title=Route Map|url=http://www.silverairways.com/more-information/travel-information/route-map|access-date=2021-02-01|website=www.silverairways.com|archive-date=May 10, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180510115958/http://www.silverairways.com/more-information/travel-information/route-map|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
| Dominica
| [[Portsmouth, Dominica|Portsmouth]]
| [[Douglas–Charles Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center|<ref name="SJU" />
|-
| rowspan="3" | Dominican Republic
|[[La Romana, Dominican Republic|La Romana]]
|[[La Romana International Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center|<ref name=SILVER/>
|-
| [[Santiago de los Caballeros]]
| [[Cibao International Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center|<ref name="SJU" />
|-
| [[Puerto Plata (city)|Puerto Plata]]
| [[Gregorio Luperón International Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center|
|-
|Puerto Rico
| [[San Juan, Puerto Rico|San Juan]]
| [[Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport]]
| {{Airline hub}}
|align=center|<ref name="SJU" />
|-
| Saint Kitts and Nevis
| [[Basseterre]]
| [[Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport]]
|align=center|
|align=center|<ref name="SJU" />
|-
| Saint Maarten
| [[Philipsburg, Sint Maarten|Philipsburg]]
| [[Princess Juliana International Airport]]
|align=center|
|align=center|<ref name="SJU" />
|-
| Turks and Caicos
| [[Providenciales]]
| [[Providenciales International Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center|
|-
|rowspan=3| United States ([[Alabama]])
| [[Birmingham, Alabama|Birmingham]]
| [[Birmingham–Shuttlesworth International Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center|
|-
| [[Huntsville, Alabama|Huntsville]]
| [[Huntsville International Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center|
|-
| [[Muscle Shoals, Alabama|Muscle Shoals]]
| [[Northwest Alabama Regional Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center|
|-
| United States ([[Washington, D.C.|District of Columbia]])

| [[Washington, D.C.]]
| [[Washington Dulles International Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center| <ref name="CLE-IAD">{{Cite web|title=2014-7-11 Order Selecting Air Carriers, Resoliciting Proposals on an Expected Basis, and Deferring Action|url=https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=DOT-OST-2003-15553-0094|date=July 20, 2014|access-date=July 16, 2020|website=Regulations.gov}}</ref>
|-
|rowspan=13| United States ([[Florida]])
| [[Daytona Beach, Florida|Daytona Beach]]
| [[Daytona Beach International Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/fl-bz-silver-airways-nonstop-to-daytona-20190117-story.html|title=Silver Airways begins nonstop flights to Daytona Beach from Fort Lauderdale|last=Hurtibise|first=Rob|publisher=South Florida Sun-Sentinel|date=January 17, 2019|access-date=May 28, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.news-journalonline.com/news/20190605/silver-airways-to-suspend-daytona-beach-service|title=Silver Airways to suspend Daytona Beach service|last=Abbott|first=Jim|website=Daytona Beach News-Journal|publisher=Gannett Co., Inc.|date=June 5, 2019|access-date=May 28, 2020}}</ref>
|-
| [[Fort Lauderdale, Florida|Fort Lauderdale]]
| [[Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport]]
| {{Airline hub}}
|align=center|
|-
| [[Fort Myers, Florida|Fort Myers]]
| [[Southwest Florida International Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center| <ref>{{cite news |last1=Ruane |first1=Laura |title=Getting and keeping intrastate flights isn't easy for Southwest Florida International Airport |url=https://www.news-press.com/story/travel/2018/11/02/swfl-international-has-tough-time-getting-keeping-intrastate-flights/1824482002/ |access-date=14 August 2023 |agency=The News-Press |date=2 November 2018}}</ref>
|-
| [[Fort Walton Beach, Florida|Fort Walton Beach]]
| [[Destin–Fort Walton Beach Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center|
|-
| [[Gainesville, Florida|Gainesville]]
| [[Gainesville Regional Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center|
|-
| [[Jacksonville, Florida|Jacksonville]]
| [[Jacksonville International Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center|
|-
| [[Key West, Florida|Key West]]
| [[Key West International Airport]]
|align=center|
|align=center|
|-
| [[Orlando, Florida|Orlando]]
| [[Orlando International Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center|<ref name="foxorlando" />
|-
| [[Panama City, Florida|Panama City]]
| [[Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center|
|-
| [[Pensacola, Florida|Pensacola]]
| [[Pensacola International Airport]]
|align=center|
|align=center|
|-
| [[Tallahassee, Florida|Tallahassee]]
| [[Tallahassee International Airport]]
|align=center|
|align=center|
|-
| [[Tampa, Florida|Tampa]]
| [[Tampa International Airport]]
| {{Airline hub}}
|align=center|
|-
| [[West Palm Beach, Florida|West Palm Beach]]
| [[Palm Beach International Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://airlinegeeks.com/2024/01/15/silver-airways-restarts-west-palm-beach/|title=Silver Airways Restarts West Palm Beach|publisher=Airline Geeks|date=January 15, 2024}}</ref>
|-
|rowspan=3| United States ([[Georgia (US state)|Georgia]])
| [[Atlanta]]
| [[Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center| <ref name="MCN-1"/><ref name="MEI-TUP"/>
|-
| [[Macon, Georgia|Macon]]
| [[Middle Georgia Regional Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center| <ref name="MCN-1">{{Cite web|title=Notice of Intent of Silver Airways Corp. to Terminate Scheduled Air Service|url=https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=DOT-OST-2007-28671-0097|date=August 13, 2014|access-date=July 16, 2020|website=Regulations.gov}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.macon.com/news/local/article30138135.html|title=Silver Airways seeks to leave Macon service|last=Gaines|first=Jim|website=Macon Telegraph|publisher=McClatchy|date=August 18, 2014|access-date=July 15, 2020}}</ref>
|-
| [[Savannah, Georgia|Savannah]]
| [[Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center| <ref name="Silver Airways New Nonstop Service from TPA and FLL to SAV">{{cite web|url=https://savannahairport.com/business/news-and-media/news-hub/silver-airways-launches-new-nonstop-service-from-tampa-and-fort-lauderdale-to-sav/|title=Silver Airways Launches New Nonstop Service from Tampa and Fort Lauderdale to SAV|date=February 2, 2021|publisher=SAV Airport}}</ref>
|-
|United States ([[Louisiana]])
|[[New Orleans]]
|[[Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport]]
|{{Terminated}}
|
|-
| United States ([[Maine]])
| [[Bar Harbor, Maine|Bar Harbor]]
| [[Hancock County–Bar Harbor Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center| <ref name="BOS-BHB">{{cite web|url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180508006244/en/Silver-Airways-Announces-Daily-Nonstop-Seasonal-Service|title=Silver Airways Announces Daily Nonstop Seasonal Service Between Bar Harbor, Maine and Boston Starting July 1, 2018|website=businesswire.com|access-date=6 June 2018|date=2018-05-08}}</ref>
|-
| United States ([[Massachusetts]])
| [[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston]]
| [[Logan International Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center| <ref name="BOS-BHB"/>
|-
|rowspan=4| United States ([[Mississippi]])
| [[Greenville, Mississippi|Greenville]]
| [[Mid Delta Regional Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center|
|-
| [[Hattiesburg, Mississippi|Hattiesburg]]
| [[Hattiesburg–Laurel Regional Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center| <ref name="MEI-TUP"/>
|-
| [[Meridian, Mississippi|Meridian]]
| [[Meridian Regional Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center| <ref name="MEI-TUP">{{Cite web|title=2014-7-12 Order Selecting Air Carrier|url=https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=DOT-OST-2008-0112-0033|date=July 13, 2014|access-date=July 16, 2020|website=Regulations.gov}}</ref>
|-
| [[Tupelo, Mississippi|Tupelo]]
| [[Tupelo Regional Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center| <ref name="MEI-TUP"/>
|-
|rowspan=8| United States ([[Montana]])
| [[Billings, Montana|Billings]]
| [[Billings Logan International Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center| <ref name="BIL-1">{{cite web|title=2013-9-4 - Order Selecting Carrier and Establishing Subsidy Rates|url=https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=DOT-OST-1997-2605-0222|date=September 4, 2013|access-date=July 16, 2020|website=Regulations.gov}}</ref><ref name="BIL-2">{{cite web|url=http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/silver-airways-won-t-bid-on-montana-eas-contract/article_e959d518-39d2-5b27-8d16-889a9aa0829a.html|title=Silver Airways won't bid on Montana EAS contract|last=Falstad|first=Jan|website=The Billings Gazette|date=June 28, 2013 |access-date=2016-06-20}}</ref>
|-
| [[Glasgow, Montana|Glasgow]]
| [[Glasgow Valley County Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center| <ref name="BIL-1"/>
|-
| [[Glendive, Montana|Glendive]]
| [[Dawson Community Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center| <ref name="BIL-1"/>
|-
| [[Havre, Montana|Havre]]
| [[Havre City–County Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center| <ref name="BIL-1"/>
|-
| [[Lewistown, Montana|Lewistown]]
| [[Lewistown Municipal Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center| <ref name="BIL-2"/><ref name="LWT-MLS">{{cite web|title=2013-9-5 - Order on Petition for Reconsideration|url=https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=DOT-OST-1997-2605-0223|date=September 4, 2013|access-date=July 16, 2020|website=Regulations.gov}}</ref>
|-
| [[Miles City, Montana|Miles City]]
| [[Miles City Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center| <ref name="BIL-2"/><ref name="LWT-MLS"/>
|-
| [[Sidney, Montana|Sidney]]
| [[Sidney–Richland Municipal Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center| <ref name="BIL-1"/>
|-
| [[Wolf Point, Montana|Wolf Point]]
| [[L. M. Clayton Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center| <ref name="BIL-1"/>
|-
| United States ([[New York (state)|New York]])
| [[Jamestown, New York|Jamestown]]
| [[Chautauqua County-Jamestown Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center| <ref name="CLE-IAD"/>
|-
| United States ([[North Carolina]])
| [[Greensboro]]
| [[Piedmont Triad International Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://myfox8.com/news/north-carolina/greensboro/silver-airways-drops-routes-from-piedmont-triad-international-airport-in-greensboro-4-months-after-launch/|title=Silver Airways drops routes from Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro 4 months after launch|work=FOX8 WGHP |date=November 2, 2023 }}</ref>
|-
| United States ([[Ohio]])
| [[Cleveland]]
| [[Cleveland Hopkins International Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center| <ref name="CLE-IAD"/>
|-
|rowspan=5| United States ([[Pennsylvania]])
| [[Altoona, Pennsylvania|Altoona]]
| [[Altoona–Blair County Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center| <ref name="CLE-IAD"/>
|-
| [[Bradford County, Pennsylvania|Bradford]]
| [[Bradford Regional Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center| <ref name="CLE-IAD"/>
|-
| [[DuBois, Pennsylvania|DuBois]]
| [[DuBois Regional Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center| <ref name="CLE-IAD"/>
|-
| [[Franklin, Pennsylvania|Franklin]]
| [[Venango Regional Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center| <ref name="CLE-IAD"/>
|-
| [[Johnstown, Pennsylvania|Johnstown]]
| [[Johnstown–Cambria County Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center| <ref name="CLE-IAD"/>
|-
|rowspan=3| United States ([[South Carolina]])
| [[Charleston, South Carolina|Charleston]]
| [[Charleston International Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews4.com/news/local/silver-airways-launching-service-from-charleston-intl-airport-to-3-florida-destinations|title=Silver Airways launching service from CHS to 3 Florida destinations|last=Dillane|first=Matt|website=WCIV ABC News 4|publisher=Sinclair Broadcast Group|date=October 13, 2020|access-date=November 3, 2020}}</ref>
|-
| [[Columbia, South Carolina|Columbia]]
| [[Columbia Metropolitan Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/news/2020/10/21/silver-to-offer-more-south-carolina-tampa-flights.html|title=Silver Airways to offer more South Carolina flights from Tampa|last=Brezina-Smith|first=Veronica|website=Tampa Bay Business Journal|publisher=American City Business Journals|date=October 21, 2020|access-date=November 3, 2020}}</ref>
|-
| [[Greenville, South Carolina|Greenville–Spartanburg]]
| [[Greenville–Spartanburg International Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center| <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aviationpros.com/airlines/press-release/21206454/silver-airways-silver-airways-announces-new-nonstop-service-to-orlando-tampa-and-jacksonville|title = StackPath| date=January 19, 2021 }}</ref>
|-
| United States ([[Tennessee]])
| [[Nashville]]
| [[Nashville International Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|
|-
|rowspan=4| United States ([[West Virginia]])
| [[Beckley, West Virginia|Beckley]]
| [[Raleigh County Memorial Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center| <ref name="CLE-IAD"/>
|-
| [[Lewisburg, West Virginia|Lewisburg]]
| [[Greenbrier Valley Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center| <ref>{{cite web|title=2016-9-10 Order Selecting Carrier and Establishing Subsidy Rates|url=https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=DOT-OST-2003-15553-0119|date=September 12, 2016|access-date=July 16, 2020|website=Regulations.gov}}</ref>
|-
| [[Morgantown, West Virginia|Morgantown]]
| [[Morgantown Municipal Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center|<ref>{{cite web|title=2016-8-24 Order Selecting Air Carrier|url=https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=DOT-OST-2002-11451-0133|date=August 25, 2016|access-date=July 16, 2020|website=Regulations.gov}}</ref>
|-
| [[Parkersburg, West Virginia|Parkersburg]]
| [[Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport]]
| {{Terminated}}
|align=center| <ref name="CLE-IAD"/>
|-
|rowspan=2| United States Virgin Islands
| [[Saint Croix]]
| [[Henry E. Rohlsen Airport]]
|align=center|
|align=center|<ref name="SJU" />
|-
|[[Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands|Saint Thomas]]
|[[Cyril E. King Airport]]
|align=center|
|align=center|<ref name="SJU" />
|-
|}

== Interline and codeshare agreements ==
Silver Airways did not participate in any major global [[airline alliance]]s, but the airline had [[Interlining|interline]] and [[codeshare agreement]]s with several airlines. Many of the following airlines are also members of global airline alliances:

{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Avianca]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tribune |first=Aviation |date=July 16, 2016 |title=Silver Airways Launches First International Codeshare with Avianca |url=http://aviationtribune.com/airlines/south-america-and-caribbean/silver-airways-launches-first-international-codeshare-avianca/ |access-date=August 1, 2016 |website=Aviation Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref>
* [[Air Canada]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Airways |first=Silver |date=January 27, 2017 |title=Silver Airways and Air Canada Introduce Interline Agreement |url=https://www.silverairways.com/about-silver/press-room/article/2017/01/23/silver-airways-and-air-canada-introduce-interline-agreement?stop_mobi=no/ |access-date=January 27, 2017 |website=Silver Aiways |language=en-US}}</ref>
* [[Alaska Airlines]]
* [[American Airlines]]
* [[All Nippon Airways]]
* [[Azul Brazilian Airlines]]
* [[Bahamasair]]
* [[Copa Airlines]]
* [[Delta Air Lines]]
* [[Emirates (airline)|Emirates]]
* [[JetBlue Airways]]
* [[United Airlines]]
{{div col end}}

== Fleet ==
{{As of|2025|06}}, the final Silver Airways fleet consisted of the following aircraft at the time of ceasing operations:<ref name="FAA" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Annual Report 2024 |url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/pageturnpro2.com/Publications/202409/4661/111651/PDF/133711682139850559_2024_RAA_Annual_Report_WebOnly.pdf |publisher=Regional Airline Association |access-date=17 February 2025}}</ref><ref name="Snyder 2025">{{Cite web |last=Snyder |first=Brett |date=2025-03-05 |title=Silver's Plans Appear to Be Tarnished |url=https://crankyflier.com/2025/03/06/silvers-plans-appear-to-be-tarnished/ |access-date=2025-03-09 |website=Cranky Flier |language=en-US}}</ref>
[[File:ATR 42-600 - Silver Airways -2.jpg|thumb|right|Silver Airways [[ATR 42#ATR 42-600|ATR 42-600]]]]

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;margin:auto;"
|-
!Aircraft
!In service
!Orders
!Passengers
!Notes
|-
|[[ATR 42#ATR 42-600|ATR 42-600]]
|3
|—
|46
|
|-
|[[ATR 72#ATR 72-212A|ATR 72-600]]
|5
|—
|70
|
|-
!Total
!8
!—
!colspan="3"|
|}

=== Historical fleet ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;margin:auto;"
!Aircraft
!Total
!Introduced
!Retired
!Notes
|-
|[[Beechcraft 1900#1900D|Beechcraft 1900D]]
|21
|2011
|2014
|Inherited from [[Gulfstream International Airlines]]
|-
|[[Saab 340]]
|28
|2011
|2022
|
|-
|[[ATR 72#ATR 72-212A|ATR 72-500F]]
|5
|2021
|2023
|Contract terminated by [[Amazon Air]]<ref name="Snyder 2025" />
|}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Official website}}

{{Portalbar|United States|Florida|Companies|Aviation}}
{{Airlines of the United States|state=collapsed}}
{{Continental Connection Carriers}}

[[Category:2011 establishments in Florida]]
[[Category:2025 disestablishments in Florida]]
[[Category:Airlines established in 2011]]
[[Category:Airlines disestablished in 2025]]
[[Category:Airlines based in Florida]]
[[Category:Companies based in Broward County, Florida]]
[[Category:Privately held companies based in Florida]]
[[Category:Regional Airline Association members]]
[[Category:Regional airlines of the United States]]
[[Category:American companies established in 2011]]
[[Category:American companies disestablished in 2025]]
[[Category:Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2024]]

DuPage Airport

2025-06-29T09:23:22Z

182.232.34.176: /* External links */

{{Short description|Airport in Chicago, Illinois, United States}}
{{Use American English|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox airport
| name = DuPage Airport
| image = Chicago - West Chicago - Dupage (DPA) AN1394034.jpg
| image-width = 250
| caption =
| IATA = DPA
| ICAO = KDPA
| FAA = DPA
| type = Public
| owner-oper = DuPage Airport Authority
| city-served = [[Chicago metropolitan area]]
| location = [[West Chicago, Illinois|West Chicago]], [[Illinois]]
| opened = {{start date and age|1943|03|}}
| elevation-f = 759
| elevation-m = 231.3
| coordinates = {{coord|41|54|25|N|88|14|54|W|type:airport_region:US|display=inline,title}}
| website = {{URL|www.dupageairport.com}}
| image_map = Airport Diagram (KDPA).png
| image_map_caption = FAA airport diagram
| mapframe = yes
| pushpin_map = USA Illinois#USA
| pushpin_relief = yes
| pushpin_map_caption = Location of airport in Illinois
| pushpin_label = '''DPA'''/KDPA/'''DPA'''
| pushpin_label_position = right
| r1-number = 2L/20R
| r1-length-f = 7,571
| r1-length-m = 2,308
| r1-surface = [[Concrete]]
| r2-number = 2R/20L
| r2-length-f = 6,451
| r2-length-m = 1,966
| r2-surface = Concrete
| r3-number = 10/28
| r3-length-f = 4,750
| r3-length-m = 1,448
| r3-surface = Asphalt
| r4-number = 15/33
| r4-length-f = 3,399
| r4-length-m = 1,036
| r4-surface = Asphalt
| stat-year = 2022
| stat1-header = Aircraft operations
| stat1-data = 135,932
| stat2-header = Based aircraft
| stat2-data = 236
| footnotes = Source: [[Federal Aviation Administration|FAA]]<ref name="FAA">{{FAA-airport|ID=DPA|use=PU|own=PU|site=04508.6*A}}, effective 31 July 2008</ref>
}}

'''DuPage Airport''' {{airport codes|DPA|KDPA|DPA}} is a [[general aviation]] airport located {{convert|29|mi|km|0}} west of [[Chicago Loop|downtown Chicago]] in [[West Chicago, Illinois|West Chicago]], [[DuPage County, Illinois|DuPage County]], [[Illinois]], United States. It is owned and operated by the DuPage Airport Authority, which is an independent government body established by law by the state of Illinois. It also serves as a [[relief airport]] for [[O'Hare International Airport]] and [[Midway International Airport]], both in nearby [[Chicago]].

==History==
DuPage Airport is located on what used to be sheep-grazing land. In 1927, two Chicago entrepreneurs purchased the land and began barnstorming, using the field as a grass strip. In 1941, the U.S. Navy requisitioned DuPage Airport, built brick hangars, paved two runways in an “X” pattern and began training pilots for the war effort. The airport was officially activated in March 1943.<ref name="FAA"/> Both the hangars and the original runway configuration still exist, though one runway is closed and is now taxiway C.

A year after the Navy began operations, [[Howard Aircraft Corporation]] opened a factory east of the airport across the road. The company built more than 500 trainer, transport and air ambulance aircraft for the military, and Howard employees were regularly seen pushing aircraft across the road to the little airport to test fly them.

In 1946, with the war over, the Navy sold the airport to DuPage County for $1. The post-war boom saw a lot of regional growth and the airport reflected it by adding an east-west runway and a five-story control tower and making plans for further expansion.

In the late 1970s, DuPage Airport was designated a reliever airport for general aviation aircraft, and in the early 1980s, the airport authority began an expansion project to accommodate the increased traffic.

However, planners learned a lesson from the plight of the beleaguered, land-locked Midway Airport. Surrounded by houses, restaurants and other small businesses, Midway found itself unable to expand and neighbors filed an endless succession of noise complaints. DuPage County would not make the same mistake.

The airport grew from {{convert|900|acres|abbr=on}} in 1985 to {{convert|2800|acres|abbr=on}} by 1992, with the goal of maintaining control of all the property surrounding the runway complex. Much of the land was acquired to provide a large buffer zone around the airport.

==Facilities and aircraft==
DuPage Airport has four runways. The longest, and the reason for its status as a reliever airport, is runway 2L/20R, which is a Group IV-compliant concrete runway at {{convert|7571|x|150|ft|m|abbr=on}}. Its slightly smaller partner, 2R/20L, is another concrete runway with dimensions of {{convert|6451|x|100|ft|m|abbr=on}}. Two asphalt general aviation runways complete the arrangement: runway 10/28 at {{convert|4750|x|75|ft|m|abbr=on}} and 15/33 at {{convert|3399|x|100|ft|m|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web |title=AirNav: KDPA - DuPage Airport |url=https://www.airnav.com/airport/KDPA |website=AirNav.com |publisher=AirNav, LLC. |accessdate=10 December 2018}}</ref>

The DuPage Airport Authority owns {{convert|2800|acres|abbr=on}} and operates four separate business units. This multifaceted business portfolio includes the DuPage Airport, one of the busiest airports in Illinois, its associated [[fixed-base operator]] (FBO), a Robert Trent Jones, Jr., designed golf course, and the largest corporate research and development park in DuPage County.

The airport has a [[Fixed-base operator|Fixed-Base Operator]] offering fuel and aircraft parking, de-icing, catering, and lavatory services. Courtesy cars, a passenger terminal, lounges, snooze rooms, showers, and an exercise room are available for transient crews and passengers. There is also a flight school offering [[flight training]], aircraft rental, aerial tours, pilot supplies, and aircraft maintenance and management. A cafe named for [[Kitty Hawk, North Carolina]], the location of the [[Wright brothers]]' first flight, is also located at the airport.<ref name="AirNav">{{Cite web |title=AirNav: KDPA – DuPage Airport |url=https://www.airnav.com/airport/KDPA |access-date=2022-08-03 | website=AirNav.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=DuPage Flight Center |url=https://www.airnav.com/airport/KDPA/DUPAGE_FLIGHT_CENTER |access-date=2022-08-03 | website=AirNav.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Illinois Aviation Academy |url=https://www.airnav.com/airport/KDPA/ILLINOIS_AV_ACADEMY |access-date=2022-08-03 | website=AirNav.com}}</ref>

DuPage Airport sits on {{convert|1200|acres|abbr=on}}, and is the only general aviation airport in Illinois with four active runways, two ILS approaches, a 24-hour FAA air traffic control tower, and over 40 aviation and non-aviation support businesses. DPA also has an on-site U.S. Customs Office. A total of 110 employees are associated with the airport.

For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2019, the airport had roughly 133,000 aircraft operations, an average of 364 per day: 95% [[general aviation]], 4% [[air taxi]], and <1% [[Military aviation|military]]. For the same time period, there were 255 aircraft based at this airport: 160 single-engine and 31 multi-engine [[airplane]]s, 60 [[Jet aircraft|jets]], and 4 [[helicopter]]s.<ref name="FAA" /><ref name="AirNav" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=DPA – DuPage Airport |url=https://skyvector.com/airport/DPA/Dupage-Airport |access-date=2022-08-03 | website=SkyVector Aeronautical Charts}}</ref>

In September 2022, DuPage Airport opened a $1.3 million U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facility. The 2,200-sq-ft, user-fee CBP facility is conveniently located on the first floor of the DuPage Flight Center FBO.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2022-09-02/dupage-airport-opens-new-us-customs-facility | title=DuPage Airport Opens New U.S. Customs Facility | AIN }}</ref>

DuPage Airport also serves as the headquarters for the Illinois Wing of the [[Civil Air Patrol]].

==Reception==
The airport faced severe political criticism in the 1980s and 1990s. A 1995 ''[[Chicago (magazine)|Chicago]]'' magazine exposé called it "A Monument to Lavish Spending of Taxpayers' Money, a Haven of [[Republican Party (United States)|GOP]] Patronage, and the Target of a Federal Probe."

According to an article by John K. Wilson:
:"[[James Philip|'Pate' Philip]], the patron of DuPage airport, helped push forward a disastrously expensive enterprise which included land purchases making it four times the size of [[Chicago Midway International Airport|Midway Airport]], a $10 million terminal, a $14 million golf course, and a charter airline run by the airport. The DuPage Airport budget grew from $1.6 million in 1984 to $46 million in 1993 at a time when airport use was declining. In 1992, DuPage Airport handled only 177,000 takeoffs and landings, while [[Aurora Municipal Airport (Illinois)|Aurora Municipal Airport]] took care of 134,000 takeoffs and landings at a cost of only $2 million."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ink.uchicago.edu/page_olga_made/archives/pate897.html |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2006-05-31 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20020527083523/http://ink.uchicago.edu/page_olga_made/archives/pate897.html |archivedate=2002-05-27 }}</ref>

According to a May 2006 article in ''Aviation International News'':
:"Before 2003, the airport had been on a trend of worsening annual operating losses. That trend was reversed in 2003 and the airport has continued to show improved operating results each quarter since. Last year the airport experienced a record-breaking year, with revenue up and expenditures down. The cornerstone of the airport's financial turnaround is the mission statement developed by the airport's Board of Commissioners in 2003. It establishes the framework for moving the airport toward operating as a self-sustaining facility while contributing to the economic impact of the county. The aggressive philosophy has resulted in two leases that will bring {{convert|60000|sqft|m2|-3|abbr=on}} of new hangar space to the airport. The airport is also developing another {{convert|48000|sqft|m2|-2|abbr=on}} of hangar space".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dupageairport.com/ainarticle1.htm |title=Home |accessdate=2006-08-29 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061017070917/http://www.dupageairport.com/ainarticle1.htm |archivedate=2006-10-17 }}</ref>

In the late 1990s, {{convert|800|acre|km2|adj=off}} of land were set aside for a nonprofit technology park that had secured a $34 million grant from the state. After the DuPage National Technology Park's failure to attract significant business and a media investigation into its highly paid administrator, the board of the park voted for its dissolution in June 2010.<ref>[http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/2417760,CST-NWS-dupage22.article] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100626015839/http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/2417760,CST-NWS-dupage22.article|date=2010-06-26}} Dave McKinney, "7 of 10 on board say end tech park: Sun-Times article 'absolutely' spurred call to dissolve" June 22, 2010 ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]''</ref> The park's management was transferred to the DuPage Airport Authority Board, whose chairman criticized the political decision-making that had led to its failure. The park was then reorganized as the DuPage Business Center.<ref>[https://www.dupageairport.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/realestatemagazine-january2011.pdf] "DuPage National Technology Park Repositions Itself For Future Growth" January 2011 ''Northern Illinois Real Estate Magazine''</ref>

==Accidents and incidents==
*On October 23, 1986, a [[Cessna 441 Conquest II|Cessna 441 Conquest]] was involved in an accident at DuPage.<ref>{{Cite web |title=N241FW accident description|url=https://planecrashmap.com/plane/il/N241FW/|access-date=2022-11-15| website=Plane Crash Map}}</ref>
*On December 22, 1986, a [[Bellanca 14-7|Bellanca 14-19-3A]] was involved in an accident at DuPage.<ref>{{Cite web |title=N1253R accident description
|url=https://planecrashmap.com/plane/il/N1253R/|access-date=2022-11-15| website=Plane Crash Map}}</ref>
*On April 15, 1989, a [[Cessna 152]] crashed at DuPage due to the flight instructor's improper execution of S-turns on final to increase spacing and the full retraction of flaps when performing a go-around. The student pilot aboard was also found to have failed to maintain adequate airspeed during the S-turns. Contributing factors were inadequate ATC tower service and tower separation, improper supervision in the tower, and the student pilot's inexperience.<ref>{{Cite web |title=N93748 accident description
|url=https://planecrashmap.com/plane/il/N93748/|access-date=2022-11-15| website=Plane Crash Map}}</ref>
*On September 21, 1991, a [[Cessna 172]] crashed at DuPage after a loss of engine power. The pilot did not properly execute a return to the airport and failed to maintain airspeed, resulting in an inadvertent stall at an altitude insufficient for recovery.<ref>{{Cite web |title=N65729 accident description
|url=https://planecrashmap.com/plane/il/N65729/|access-date=2022-11-15| website=Plane Crash Map}}</ref>
*On June 13, 1995, a [[Grumman G-21 Goose|Grumman G-21E]] impacted terrain after takeoff from DuPage. The aircraft entered a high nose up pitch, rolled left, and struck the ground in a dive. The private pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The probable cause of the crash was found to be the pilot's excessive nose-up rotation during liftoff and failure to maintain adequate airspeed, which resulted in an inadvertent [[Stall (fluid dynamics)|stall]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=N121H accident description
|url=https://planecrashmap.com/plane/il/N121H/ |access-date=2022-08-03 | website=Plane Crash Map}}</ref>
*On December 30, 1997, a [[Mitsubishi MU-2|Mitsubishi MU-2B-30]] crashed north of DuPage after departing from the airport on a training flight. Both pilots had commercial licenses. One pilot had reportedly said before takeoff that the two planned to work on engine failure scenarios, and the aircraft's trim settings were found to be set for a simulated right engine failure. The aircraft's flaps had been set to up but were stuck at 2 degrees in transit at the time of the crash.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 40577
|url=https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/40577 |access-date=2022-08-03 | website=Aviation Safety Network}}</ref>
*On May 9, 2001, a [[Cessna 172|Cessna 172 Skyhawk]] was substantially damaged when the aircraft veered off the runway, striking a sign and collapsing the right main landing gear. The probable cause was found to be an inadequate compensation for the crosswind by the student pilot; contributing were the student pilot's lack of total flight time and the runway signs.<ref>{{Cite web |title=N13474 accident description
|url=https://planecrashmap.com/plane/il/N13474/|access-date=2022-11-15 | website=Plane Crash Map}}</ref>
*On August 28, 2001, a [[Swearingen SA226-TC Metro II|Swearingen SA226-T Metroliner]] was damaged during a loss of direction control on takeoff at DuPage. The pilot failed to complete all the required checklists and did not maintain directional control.<ref>{{Cite web |title=N104BR accident description
|url=https://planecrashmap.com/plane/il/N104BR/|access-date=2022-11-15 | website=Plane Crash Map}}</ref>
*On January 28, 2003, an [[AgustaWestland AW109|Agusta A109]] impacted terrain north of DuPage Airport. The aircraft was operating as an on-demand [[Air medical services|air ambulance]] flight. The probable cause of the accident was found to be the pilot's failure to maintain control of the helicopter while maneuvering, resulting in excessive descent rate and impact terrain. Contributing factors include the dark night, low ceiling, and reduced visibility.<ref>{{Cite web |title=N109MX accident description|url=https://planecrashmap.com/plane/il/N109MX/|access-date=2022-11-15 | website=Plane Crash Map}}</ref>
*On June 1, 2003, a [[Mooney M20]] sustained substantial damage when it veered off the side of the runway and impacted signs and markings after a hard landing at DuPage. The pilot reported he flared too high, dropped to the runway, and bounced. The pilot attempted a go-around by adding power and retracting what he believed to be one notch of flaps, but the aircraft swerved left, and the pilot overcorrected and swerved off the runway. The aircraft's nosegear collapsed after the aircraft returned to a paved taxiway from the grass. The probable cause of the accident was found to be the pilot's improper flare and inability to maintain directional control. Contributing was the pilot's inadequate recovery from a bounced landing.<ref>{{Cite web |title=N21737 accident description
|url=https://planecrashmap.com/plane/il/N21737/|access-date=2022-11-15| website=Plane Crash Map}}</ref>
*On March 18, 2003, a [[Piper PA-34 Seneca]] sustained substantial damage during a hard landing at the airport. The pilot flew a faster-than-normal approach due to winds, but he flared too high and landed hard. The nose gear collapsed, and the nose gear support tube was pushed vertically up through the airframe by 6 inches. The center windshield airframe was pushed up, and the left and right windshields were separate from the cockpit's windshield frame. All three blade tips on both propellers were bent aft and exhibited gouging and scraping.<ref>{{Cite web |title=N930DE accident description
|url=https://planecrashmap.com/plane/il/N930DE/|access-date=2022-11-15| website=Plane Crash Map}}</ref>
*On December 30, 2003, a [[Cessna 182 Skylane]] received substantial damage when a fire began in the engine compartment during an attempted start. The fire was extinguished by the local fire department. The instructor onboard stated the engine was over-primed, and while a flooded start procedure was used, the engine would not start. Smoke was seen from the cowling on the second start attempt. The probable cause of the incident was found to be the inadequate starting and flooded engine procedure used by the instructor onboard while providing instruction to the student.<ref>{{Cite web |title=N5894B accident description
|url=https://planecrashmap.com/plane/il/N5894B/|access-date=2022-11-15 | website=Plane Crash Map}}</ref>
*On May 1, 2007, a [[Cessna 172|Cessna 172 Skyhawk]] impacted a ditch following an uncontrolled exit from the runway surface at DuPage. The aircraft lifted off after initial touchdown, and power was increased as the aircraft yawed into the left crosswind. The aircraft exited the runway into the grass adjacent to the runway, and the left wingtip impacted the grass during rollout. The probable cause of the accident was found to be the instructor's inadequate remedial action following the student pilot's loss of control during a crosswind landing as well as the instructor's failure to compensate for the wind conditions. Contributing were the crosswind, gusting winds, and the ditch.<ref>{{Cite web |title=N97224 accident description
|url=https://planecrashmap.com/plane/il/N97224/|access-date=2022-11-15 | website=Plane Crash Map}}</ref>
*On July 19, 2009, a [[Cessna 172|Cessna 172 Skyhawk]] experienced a loss of throttle control during a practice instrument approach at DuPage. The flight landed without incident. The probable cause was found to be a partial loss of engine power due to the detachment of the throttle control from the throttle assembly; contributing to the incident was a lack of redundant means to preclude the detachment of the cable from the throttle assembly.<ref>{{Cite web |title=N77AF accident description|url=https://planecrashmap.com/plane/il/N77AF/|access-date=2022-11-15 | website=Plane Crash Map}}</ref>
*On April 19, 2010, a [[Piper PA-24 Comanche]] experienced a runway excursion at DuPage during a training flight. The solo pilot on board was performing touch-and-goes when they lost control after touchdown. The aircraft corrected with aileron and rudder but neglected to use brakes. The aircraft continued off the paved runway and struck two runway lights and a taxiway sign. The pilot continued the aircraft across the grass and stopped on the adjacent paved taxiway, then taxied the aircraft to the ramp. The probable cause of the incident was found to be the pilot's failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during landing.<ref>{{Cite web |title=N7748P accident description|url=https://planecrashmap.com/plane/il/N7748P/|access-date=2022-11-15| website=Plane Crash Map}}</ref>
*On October 23, 2011, a [[Cessna 210 Centurion]] landed with its landing gear retracted. The pilot reported he had selected the down-neutral position instead of the full-down position. The pilot neglected to confirm whether the gear was in fact extended. No mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have prevented the landing gear from extending normally were found. The probable cause of the incident was found to be the pilot's failure to extend the landing gear before touchdown due to his failure to use a checklist.<ref>{{Cite web |title=N3309S accident description|url=https://planecrashmap.com/plane/il/N3309S/|access-date=2022-11-15| website=Plane Crash Map}}</ref>
*On December 8, 2011, a pilot crashed northwest of DuPage airport after attempting to land there in instrument meteorological conditions. The non-instrument-rated pilot lost sight of the airport and overflew it before leaving the area to try to land at another airport. The aircraft impacted terrain soon after. The pilot, his two daughters, and the boyfriend of one of the daughters were all killed in the crash.<ref>{{Cite web |title=NTSB: Pilot Passed Two Airports Before Crash That Killed Four|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/ntsb-pilot-passed-two-airports-before-crash-that-killed-four/ |access-date=2022-08-03 | website=CBS Chicago|date=8 December 2011 }}</ref>
*On April 11, 2014, a [[Piper PA-46|Piper PA-46 Mirage]] experienced a landing gear collapse following a loss of directional control while landing at DuPage. The commercial pilot and passenger on board were not injured, but the aircraft received substantial damage to the direwall and wings. The pilot reported the landing gear was reported as down and locked by the aircraft's indicators, but when the nosegear touched down, the aircraft pulled hard to the left. Though the pilot attempted to maintain control, the aircraft traveled into the grass off the runway, where the wing impacted an airport sign and the gear collapsed. The probable cause of the crash was found to be a failure of the nose gear actuator attachment to the engine mount due to overstress, resulting in the loss of directional control.<ref>{{Cite web |title=N1972M accident description|url=https://planecrashmap.com/plane/il/N1972M/|access-date=2022-11-15| website=Plane Crash Map}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Commons category|DuPage Airport}}
{{Portal|Chicago|Illinois|Aviation}}
* [[List of airports in Illinois]]
* [[List of airports in the Chicago area]]
* [[West Chicago station]]
{{Clear}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.dupageairport.com/ DuPage Airport], official website
* {{FAA-diagram|05104}}
{{US-airport-ga|DPA}}

{{Aviation in Illinois}}
{{DuPage County, Illinois}}

[[Category:Airports in DuPage County, Illinois]]
[[Category:West Chicago, Illinois]]
[[Category:Aviation in Illinois]]
[[Category:Transportation in DuPage County, Illinois]]
[[Category:Airports established in 1943]]