View source for Piedmont Airlines

{{Short description|American regional airline operating since 1962}}
{{about|the airline founded as Henson Airlines in 1962, but currently called Piedmont Airlines|the airline founded as Piedmont Airlines in 1948|Piedmont Airlines (1948–1989)}}
{{Use American English|date=December 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2023}}
{{Infobox airline
| airline = Piedmont Airlines, Inc.
| logo = Piedmont Airlines logo.svg
| logo_size = 130
| image = N673AE KJFK (37515488820).jpg
| caption = Piedmont Airlines [[Embraer ERJ|ERJ 145]] operated for [[American Eagle (airline brand)|American Eagle]]
| IATA = PT
| ICAO = PDT
| callsign = PIEDMONT
| aoc = HNAA001A<ref name="FAA" />
| hubs = {{ubl|class=nowrap
  | [[Charlotte Douglas International Airport|Charlotte]]
  | [[Philadelphia International Airport|Philadelphia]]}}
| frequent_flyer = [[AAdvantage]]
| alliance = {{nowrap|[[Oneworld]] (affiliate)}}
| fleet_size = 68
| destinations = 55+
| parent = [[American Airlines Group]]
| num_employees = 10,500 (2024)
| founded = {{start date and age|1961||}} (as ''Henson Airlines'')
| commenced = {{ubl|
  | {{start date and age|1962||}} (as ''Henson Airlines'')
  | {{start date and age|1993||}} (as ''Piedmont Airlines'')}}
| headquarters = [[Salisbury Regional Airport]], [[Wicomico County, Maryland]], United States
| key_people = Eric Morgan ([[President (corporate title)|President]] & [[Chief executive officer|CEO]])
| founder = [[Richard A. Henson]]
| website = {{URL|https://piedmont-airlines.com/}}
}}

'''Piedmont Airlines, Inc.''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|p|iː|d|m|ɒ|n|t}} {{respell|PEED|mont}}) is an American [[regional airline]] headquartered at the [[Salisbury Regional Airport]] in [[Wicomico County, Maryland]],<ref name="careers" /> near the [[Salisbury, Maryland|city of Salisbury]].<ref name="ourcompany" /> The airline is a wholly owned subsidiary of the [[American Airlines Group]] and it is paid by fellow group member [[American Airlines]] to staff, operate and maintain aircraft used on [[American Eagle (airline brand)|American Eagle]] flights that are scheduled, marketed and sold by American Airlines. Piedmont also provides ground handling and customer service for airports in the northeastern and western [[United States]].

Piedmont operates a fleet consisting exclusively of [[Embraer ERJ family|Embraer ERJ 145]] regional jet aircraft. Its main base is [[Philadelphia International Airport]] with an additional hub at [[Charlotte Douglas International Airport]]. The company has a team of more than 9,800 employees, operating flights to nearly 50 destinations.

Started in 1961 as '''Henson Airlines''', the airline was rebranded in 1993 to re-use the name of the 1948–1989 airline, [[Piedmont Airlines (1948–1989)|Piedmont Airlines]], one of the predecessors of today's American Airlines, to protect the trademark.

==History==
The airline was formed in 1961 by [[Richard A. Henson]] as Henson Aviation, a [[fixed-base operator]] in [[Hagerstown, Maryland]]. It began its first scheduled flights to [[Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport|Washington National Airport]] in 1962 under the Hagerstown Commuter name, later changed to Henson Airlines.<ref name="PDT" />  [[Allegheny Airlines]] (which became [[US Airways]], which in turn has now merged with [[American Airlines]]) and Henson began one of the world's first [[code sharing]] arrangements in 1967. Henson re-branded itself as an [[Allegheny Commuter]] carrier using [[Beechcraft Model 99|Beechcraft 99]] aircraft.  It initially developed a route structure serving Washington D.C., Philadelphia and Baltimore, while establishing a new headquarters for Allegheny Commuter at [[Salisbury, Maryland]] in 1968. In the 1970s, the airline upgraded to [[Short 330]] and [[de Havilland Canada Dash 7]] turboprops.<ref name="PDT" />

In 1983, [[Piedmont Airlines (1948–1989)|Piedmont Aviation]] bought Henson Airlines and re-branded the airline as "Henson, The Piedmont Regional Airline". Under Piedmont's control, the airline expanded rapidly, particularly in [[Florida]]. Both were purchased by the USAir Group in 1987 with Piedmont absorbed two years later and Henson's aircraft repainted in USAir Express livery.<ref name="FI" />  The 1980s saw rapid growth by the company with the upgrade of its fleet to the de Havilland Canada Dash 8 aircraft and fleet expansion.  With the growth in capacity, the airline expanded to [[Florida]], including numerous intrastate routes in Florida, and it opened a maintenance facility in [[Jacksonville, Florida|Jacksonville]].<ref name="PDT" />

The Piedmont name was resurrected in 1993, when USAir (the erstwhile Allegheny Airlines that became US Airways) renamed Henson to "Piedmont Airlines", to protect the Piedmont brand name, which could be used by others if not exercised in trade use for a period of time. USAir continued this practice by changing the name of its two other wholly owned regional airline subsidiaries, Jetstream and Suburban Airlines, to [[PSA Airlines]] and [[Allegheny Airlines]], respectively ([[Pacific Southwest Airlines]] was the name of a California-based airline merged into USAir).  In 1997, USAir was renamed US Airways, and Piedmont and Allegheny were likewise re-branded as US Airways Express carriers. US Airways merged [[Allegheny Airlines]] into Piedmont in 2004.

==Operations==
The airline had more than 10,000 employees as of August 2022 and operated nearly 400 daily flights to more than 55 destinations.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Our Company |url=https://piedmont-airlines.com/about/our-company/ |access-date=August 23, 2022 |website=Piedmont Airlines |language=en-US}}</ref>

{{As of|January 2024}}, Piedmont is currently the exclusive operator at [[Pitt–Greenville Airport]], [[Florence Regional Airport]], and [[Watertown International Airport]].

Piedmont Airlines currently flies under the [[American Eagle (airline brand)|American Eagle]] brand after a merger of [[American Airlines]] and US Airways in December 2013.

The airline operates maintenance bases in [[Albany International Airport|Albany]], [[Charlotte-Douglas International Airport|Charlotte]], [[Harrisburg International Airport|Harrisburg]], [[Philadelphia International Airport|Philadelphia]], [[Richmond International Airport|Richmond]], [[Roanoke–Blacksburg Regional Airport|Roanoke]] and [[Salisbury Regional Airport|Salisbury]].<ref name="albany" /> Piedmont has crew bases in Charlotte, Harrisburg, and Philadelphia.<ref name=":0" />

==Fleet==
[[File:American Eagle Embraer ERJ-145.JPG|thumb|[[Embraer ERJ family|Embraer ERJ 145]]]]
As of June 2025, Piedmont Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft:<ref>{{cite web |title=Form 10-K 2024 Year End Investor Report |url=https://americanairlines.gcs-web.com/node/42651/html |website=American Airlines Newsroom |access-date=28 March 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=American Airlines Subsidiary To Add 45 New Embraer E175s |url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/american-airlines-subsidiary-to-add-45-new-embraer-e175s/ar-AA1GJ2o0?ocid=BingNewsSerp |access-date=2025-06-15 |website=www.msn.com}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;margin:auto;"
|+ '''Piedmont Airlines Fleet'''
|-
! rowspan="2" |Aircraft
! rowspan="2" |In-service
! rowspan="2" |Orders
! colspan="3" |Passengers
! rowspan="2" |Notes
|-
! <abbr title="Main Cabin Extra">Y+</abbr>
! <abbr title="Economy class">Y</abbr>
!Total
|-
|[[Embraer ERJ family|Embraer ERJ 145]]
|68
|—
|3
|47
|50
|3 to come from long term storage
|-
|[[Embraer E-Jet family|Embraer E175]]
|—
|45
|12
|64
|76
|Deliveries start in the beginning of 2028
|-
!Total
!68
!45
! colspan="4" |
|}

===Retired fleet===
[[File:Henson_Airlines_Shorts_330_at_Baltimore_-_11_September_1983.jpg|thumb|[[Short 330]] of [[Henson Airlines]] in [[Allegheny Commuter]] livery at [[Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport|BWI]] in 1983]]

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;margin:auto;"
|+ '''Piedmont Airlines Retired Fleet'''
|- 
!Aircraft<ref name="PDT" />
!Introduction
!Retired
!Replacement(s)
! class="unsortable" |Notes
|-
|[[Beechcraft Model 99]]
|1967
|1987
|[[Short 330]]
|
|-
|[[De Havilland Canada Dash 8#Series 100|Bombardier Dash 8-100]]
|1993
|2017
|[[Embraer ERJ family|Embraer ERJ 145]]
|Last flight was November 29, 2017.
|-
||[[De Havilland Canada Dash 8#Series 200|Bombardier Dash 8-200]]
|1996
|2004
|
|
|-
|[[De Havilland Canada Dash 8#Series 300|Bombardier Dash 8-300]]
|2000
|2018
|[[Embraer ERJ family|Embraer ERJ 145]]
|Last flight was July 4, 2018.<ref name="delmarva" />
|-
||[[De Havilland Canada Dash 8#Series 200|Bombardier Q200]]
|1996
|2008
|
|
|-
|[[de Havilland Canada Dash 7]]
|1979
|1997
|[[De Havilland Canada Dash 8#Series 300|Bombardier Dash 8-300]]
|
|-
|[[Short 330]]
|1977
|1989
|[[De Havilland Canada Dash 8#Series 100|Bombardier Dash 8-100]]
|
|}

== Incidents and accidents==
*On September 23, 1985, [[Henson Airlines Flight 1517]], a [[Beechcraft Model 99|Beechcraft Model B99]] [[turboprop]], crashed near [[Grottoes, Virginia]]. The crash was fatal to all 12 passengers and both crewmembers. This was the first fatality of a female commercial U.S. pilot, First Officer Zilda A. Spadaro-Wolan. The [[National Transportation Safety Board]] concluded that part of the probable cause of the crash was the airline's failure to standardize the cockpit configurations of its aircraft and on its failure to provide adequate training to its pilots.<ref name="zilda" />
*On November 16, 2008, [[US Airways Express]] Flight 4551, a Piedmont Airlines-operated [[De Havilland Canada Dash 8|Dash 8]] turboprop, took off from [[Lehigh Valley International Airport]] at 8:20am heading to [[Philadelphia International Airport]], had to make an [[emergency landing]].<ref name="avherald" /><ref name="airliners" />  The flight crew was indicated that the front nose gear hadn't come down and had to make a flyover the [[runway]] for confirmation. Of 35 passengers and 3 crew, there were no injuries. The aircraft (N326EN) incurred only minor damage and was returned to service.
*On January 1, 2011, US Airways Express Flight 4352, a Piedmont Airlines-operated [[De Havilland Canada Dash 8|Dash 8-100]] turboprop forced an evacuation of the [[United States Capitol|U.S. Capitol]] and fighter jets were scrambled from [[Andrews Field|Andrews Air Force Base]] after Flight 4352 suffered radio problems on approach to [[Washington, D.C.|Washington, DC's]] [[Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport]] and strayed into restricted airspace.<ref name="star" /><ref name="abcnews" /> The Capitol was evacuated for approximately 20 minutes until the Dash 8 aircraft landed at Reagan National Airport.
*On January 7, 2011, US Airways Express Flight 4507, a Piedmont Airlines-operated Dash 8-100 turboprop from Philadelphia International Airport to [[Tweed New Haven Regional Airport]] in Connecticut was struck by lightning over the [[Long Island Sound]].<ref name="seattletimes" /> The captain reported electrical problems and diverted safely to [[Long Island MacArthur Airport]] due to more favorable weather conditions. The aircraft had 33 passengers aboard who were then bussed to New Haven.
*On May 18, 2013, US Airways Express Flight 4560 made a [[belly landing]] at [[Newark Liberty International Airport]] after landing gear would not extend. All passengers and crew members were evacuated safely.<ref name="nbcnews" />
*On December 31, 2022, a Piedmont Airlines ground worker was killed after being ingested into the engine of an [[Embraer 175]] aircraft operated by  [[Envoy Air]] at [[Montgomery Regional Airport]] in [[Montgomery, Alabama]]. The incident caused flights at Montgomery Airport to be temporarily grounded.<ref>{{Citation |title=American Airlines worker 'ingested' into engine {{!}} NewsNation Prime | date=January 2023 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHrF-d98Hts |language=en |access-date=January 2, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Airline worker killed in accident at Alabama airport |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/airline-worker-killed-ground-alabama-airport-rcna63851 |access-date=January 2, 2023 |website=NBC News |date=January 2023 |language=en}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Air transportation in the United States]]
*[[List of airlines of the United States]]
*[[List of airports in the United States]]
*[[Transportation in the United States]]

==References==
<references>
<ref name="abcnews">{{Cite news |last=Mary Compton |date=January 1, 2011 |title=Jets Scrambled Over Capitol Hill Airspace Scare |work=ABC News |url=http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2011/01/jets-scrambled-over-capitol-hill-airspace-scare.html |access-date=February 10, 2011}}</ref>
<ref name="airliners">{{Cite web |title=Aviation Photo #1445445: De Havilland Canada DHC-8-311 Dash 8 - US Airways Express (Piedmont Airlines) |url=http://www.airliners.net/photo/US-Airways-Express-Piedmont-Airlines/De-Havilland-Canada-DHC-8-311-Dash-8/1445445 |access-date=January 17, 2018 |website=Airliners.net}}</ref>
<ref name="albany">http://piedmont-airlines.com/News/Latest-News1/Post/2768/Piedmont-expands-maintenance-network-to-Albany-NY {{Dead link|date=February 2022}}</ref>
<ref name="avherald">{{Cite web |title=Accident: Piedmont DH8C at Philadelphia on Nov 16th 2008, nose gear did not deploy |url=http://avherald.com/h?article=4102537e |access-date=January 17, 2018 |website=avherald.com}}</ref>
<ref name="careers">"[http://www.piedmont-airlines.com/careers.shtml Career Opportunities]." ''Piedmont Airlines''. Retrieved on May 20, 2009. "5443 Airport Terminal Rd Salisbury, MD 21804 "</ref>
<ref name="delmarva">{{Cite news |title=After 33 years, Piedmont Airlines retires planes that revolutionized regional industry |language=en |work=Delmarva Daily Times |url=https://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/local/maryland/2018/07/03/piedmont-airlines-dash-8-turboprop-fleet-aviation-history-retire-air-travel-flight/752071002/ |access-date=July 3, 2018}}</ref>
<ref name="FAA">{{Cite web |title=Federal Aviation Administration - Airline Certificate Information - Detail View |url=https://av-info.faa.gov/detail.asp?DSGN_CODE=HNAA&OPER_FAR=121&OPER_NAME=PIEDMONT+AIRLINES+INC |access-date=June 27, 2019 |website=av-info.faa.gov}}</ref>
<ref name="FI">[[Flight International]] April 12–18, 2005</ref>
<ref name="nbcnews">{{Cite web |last=NBC News |date=May 18, 2013 |title=Plane makes belly landing at Newark Airport, no injuries reported |url=http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/18/18340087-plane-makes-belly-landing-at-newark-airport-no-injuries-reported?lite |access-date=May 20, 2013}}</ref>
<ref name="ourcompany">{{Cite web |title=Our Company |url=http://piedmont-airlines.com/Our-Company |access-date=November 9, 2016}}</ref>
<ref name="PDT">{{Cite web |title=Piedmont History |url=http://piedmont-airlines.com/Our-Company/History |access-date=November 9, 2016}}</ref>
<ref name="seattletimes">{{Cite news |date=January 7, 2011 |title=US Airways Conn.-bound flight safely lands in NY |language=en-US |work=The Seattle Times |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/business/us-airways-conn-bound-flight-safely-lands-in-ny/ |access-date=January 17, 2018}}</ref><ref name="star">{{Cite news |last=Sarah Brumfield |date=January 1, 2011 |title=Pilot error prompts evacuation of U.S. Capitol building |work=thestar.com |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/914584--pilot-error-prompts-evacuation-of-u-s-capitol-building?bn=1 |access-date=February 10, 2011}}</ref>
<ref name="zilda">The first female commercial U.S. pilot fatality involving a propeller aircraft was that of First Officer Zilda A. Spadaro-Wolan, in the [[Henson Airlines]] flight 1517 [[turboprop]] crash of September 23, 1985, near Grottoes, Virginia.{{Cite web |title=Aircraft Accident Report: Henson Airlines Flight 1517 |url=http://libraryonline.erau.edu/online-full-text/ntsb/aircraft-accident-reports/AAR86-07.pdf}}</ref>
</references>

==External links==
{{commons category|Piedmont Airlines}}
* {{official website|http://piedmont-airlines.com/}}

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[[Category:1961 establishments in Maryland]]
[[Category:Airlines based in Maryland]]
[[Category:Airlines established in 1961]]
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[[Category:American companies established in 1961]]
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[[Category:Wicomico County, Maryland]]