Allegheny Commuter

Allegheny Commuter was one of the first marketing partnerships linking Allegheny Airlines with a series of regional airline affiliates in the North Eastern portion of the United States, well before such marketing agreements and codeshare type arrangements became common place.

Allegheny Airlines and Henson airlines now a part of the US Airway Group's Piedmont Airlines began one of the world's first codesharing arrangements in 1967, and Henson re-branded itself as an Allegheny Commuter "banner carrier" using Beechcraft 99 aircraft.

Henson airlines initially developed a route structure serving Washington DC, Philadelphia and Baltimore while establishing a new headquarters for it and Allegheny Commuter at Salisbury, Maryland in 1968. In the 1970s, the airline upgraded to Shorts 330 and De Havilland Dash 7 turboprops, which it used for Allegheny Commuter codeshare service until it was bought by Piedmont Aviation in 1983.

Another airline flying as an Allegheny Commuter was Fischer Brothers Aviation [http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?regsearch=N14FB&distinct_entry=true] , the reference depicting a Fischer Brothers Aviation aircraft pictured in a full Allegheny Commuter color scheme.

Allegheny Airlines became USAir with the arrival of airline deregulation. The affiliation of regional carriers remained, have grown in number, and now have transitioned to be represented under the banner of assembled carriers called US Airways Express, which is operated by the same parent company of US Airways.

Allegheny Commuter was merged into US Airways Piedmont division in 2004 and is now a defunct brand although the certificated regional airline Piedmont remains as a part of US Airways Group.

Independently certificated airline companies operating as or on behalf of Allegheny Commuter

*Fischer Brothers Aviation
*Henson Airlines
*Ransome Airlines