Allegheny Airlines

Infobox Airline
airline = Allegheny Airlines

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image_size =
IATA = none
ICAO = ALO
callsign = Allegheny
founded = 1946 (as Reading Aviation Services)
commenced = August 1957
ceased =
hubs = Allegheny County Airport, (1946-1951) Pittsburgh International Airport, (1951-1979)
secondary_hubs =
focus_cities =
frequent_flyer = USA Airways Dividend Miles
lounge =
alliance =
subsidiaries =
fleet_size = 315
destinations = ABE, ALB, AVP, BDL, BFD, BGM, BOS, BTV, BUF, BWI, CHO, CRW, DTW, ELM, ERI, GSO, HPN, HVN, ISP, ITH, IPT, LGA, MDT, MDT, MHT, ORH, PHF, PHL, PIT, PVD, PWM, RDG, RDU, ROA, ROC, SCE, SYR, SWF, YYZ
parent = US Airways
company_slogan =
headquarters = Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
key_people = Keith Houk, president
website =

Allegheny Airlines Airline codes|AL|ALO|Allegheny was an airline based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, from 1952 to 1979. It was a forerunner of today’s US Airways.

History

Allegheny Airlines began as All American Aviation Company, a business founded by du Pont family brothers Richard C. du Pont and Alexis Felix du Pont, Jr. in 1939.

Allegheny before 1979

In 1949, the company was renamed All American Airways as it switched from airmail to passenger service. The company was again renamed, to Allegheny Airlines, in 1952; the 1950s began a period of significant growth for the airline.

In the early 1960s, Allegheny added the Convair 540 turboprop to its fleet. Unfortunately, the aircraft proved to be unreliable, with many engine problems. Shortly thereafter, the airline switched to General Motors/Allison turboprops, the Convair 580. This proved to be a great aircraft and is credited with much of the airline's growth.

Allegheny Airlines also became one of the first airlines to create an affiliated branded network of regional airline carriers operating in unison with Allegheny. This was called the Allegheny Commuter System.

Also contributing to Allegheny’s growth were the acquisitions of regional carriers Lake Central Airlines in 1968 and Mohawk Airlines in 1972.

On September 9, 1969, Allegheny Airlines Flight 853, a DC-9 en route from Cincinnati, Ohio, to Indianapolis, Indiana, collided with a small private plane and crashed into a soybean field southeast of Indianapolis, killing all 83 people aboard both aircraft.

As deregulation dawned on the industry, Allegheny — looking to shed its regional image — changed its name to USAir on October 28, 1979.

“Allegheny” under USAir and US Airways

After rebranding itself as USAir, the company retained its earlier name for its Allegheny Commuter service, later renamed “US Airways Express”. The Allegheny name continued to be used by a wholly owned operating company, keeping the trademark under USAir’s and US Airways’ control. That Allegheny division was headquartered in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and flew primarily De Havilland Canada Dash 8 turboprop aircraft serving 35 destinations in north-eastern USA, and eventually Canada, from hubs at Boston and Philadelphia. Its activities and Dash 8 fleet were incorporated into Piedmont Airlines in 2004 to consolidate operations and costs.

Fleet

External links

* [http://www.mcglaun.com/1969.htm Allegheny Airlines Flight 853] Memorial website by Dan McGlaun on the September 9, 1969 crash near Indianapolis