US Airways Express

Infobox_Airline
airline=US Airways Express
logo=Usairwaysexpress.pnglogo_size=140px
fleet_size=329
destinations=170
IATA= various
ICAO= various
callsign= various
parent=US Airways Group
founded=1967
headquarters=Tempe, Arizona
key_people=Doug Parker (CEO)
Derek Kerr (CFO)
hubs=Charlotte/Douglas International Airport
Philadelphia International Airport
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
frequent_flyer=Dividend Miles
lounge=US Airways Club
alliance=Star Alliance
website= [http://www.usairways.com/awa/content/travelplanning/shuttleexpress/default.aspx]

US Airways Express is an airline brand name, rather than a fully certificated airline, and as such, the US Airways Express name is used by several individually owned airlines or airline holding companies which provide regional airline and commuter service for US Airways.

Operations are conducted from smaller markets in the United States, Canada, and the Bahamas primarily centered around US Airways major airline hubs and focus city stations at

*Charlotte/Douglas International Airport
*Philadelphia International Airport
*Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
*Las Vegas McCarran International Airport
*Pittsburgh International Airport
*New York City's LaGuardia Airport
*Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
*Boston's Logan International Airport

History

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

Pacific Southwest Airlines and Piedmont were both major carriers that merged with USAir, which became US Airways, and the corporate names were retained to protect their trademarks. However, the routes, aircraft, and other characteristics of the rebranded regional carriers bear no relation to their namesakes.

US Airways's new livery will also be applied to the US Airways Express fleet.

Destinations

Airlines that make up US Airways Express

Fleet

Aircraft operated as US Airways Express as of May 2008 [http://www.usairways.com/awa/content/aboutus/pressroom/factsheets.aspx] :

Past airlines and fleet

Airlines which have previously operated as US Airways Express or its predecessors include Allegheny Airlines, CCAir, CommutAir, Crown Airways, FloridaGulf Airlines, Jet Express, Liberty Express Airlines, Midway Airlines, MidAtlantic Airways, Paradise Island Airlines, Potomac Air, Ransome Airlines, Shuttle America, Southern Jersey Airways, StatesWest Airlines and Suburban Airlines.

Aircraft types formerly operated as US Airways Express or its predecessors include the Dornier 328, deHavilland Dash 7, Shorts 360, Jetstream 31, Jetstream 41, EMB-120 Brasilia, Shorts 330, Fokker F27, DHC-6 Twin Otter, Nord 262, Mohawk 298, Fairchild Metro, EMB-110 Bandeirante, CASA 212, DHC-3 Otter, deHavilland Heron, Volpar Beech 18, Riley 400, and Beech 99.

Accidents and incidents

*January 3, 1992: CommutAir Flight 4821, using a Raytheon Beech 1900C Airliner and operating for USAir Express, was flying from Plattsburgh to Saranac Lake when it crashed into wooded mountaintop as it was landing at Adirondack Regional Airport. Of the 4 people on board (2 passengers and 2 crew) 2 died while the other 2 sustained serious injuries. The cause of the crash was determined to be pilot error in establishing a stabilized approach and cross-checking instruments. [http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19920103-0]
*Air Midwest Flight 5481 - using a Beechcraft 1900D operated by Air Midwest as US Airways Express under a franchise agreement, crashed into an airport hangar and burst into flames 37 seconds after leaving Charlotte/Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, North Carolina for Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport in Greer, South Carolina on January 8, 2003. All 19 passengers and 2 pilots aboard died in the accident.
* On 26th August 2005 in Houston, a US Airways Express Embraer ERJ-170 landed with the parking brake set, causing extensive damage to the gear. No passengers were injured and the plane has been repaired and is back in service.

External links

* [http://www.usairways.com/awa/?redir=http://www.usairways.com/ US Airways Express web site]