US Airways
US Airways is an airline based in Arlington, Virginia. It operates hubs in Charlotte (its largest hub), Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh. Recently, the airline announced that it would cut back operations in Pittsburgh to establish a new inter-American connecting hub in Fort Lauderdale. [1] (http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/living/travel/9464939.htm?1c)
The airline became a member of the Star Alliance on May 4, 2004, becoming the 16th airline to do so. [2] (http://www.usairways.com/about/press/nw_04_0504.htm) It has flights to destinations in North America, Central America, the Caribbean, and Europe. Commuter service is offered by US Airways Express and US Airways Shuttle. US Airways uses the IATA designator code US.
History
Before 1979, the company was known as Allegheny Airlines. It changed its name to USAir following the Airline Deregulation Act, which allowed the airline to expand its northeastern route network to destinations in the southern United States.
USAir expanded dramatically in 1987, when it purchased San Diego-based Pacific Southwest Airlines and Winston-Salem, North Carolina-based Piedmont Airlines. The mergers gave the airline hubs in Baltimore and Charlotte, as well as routes to the West Coast, and Piedmont's transatlantic service to London Gatwick Airport. The Piedmont merger, when it was completed in 1989, became the largest merger in airline history.
In the early 1990s, USAir expanded its service to Europe with new flights to London, Paris, and Frankfurt from its three main hubs. The company formed new 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 alliances.
In 1996, USAir closed its relationship with BA and announced its rebranding as US Airways. It expanded its flights to Europe through the end of the decade, and bought out Trump Shuttle in 1998.
Following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, US Airways was one of the first major U.S. carriers to declare bankruptcy, forcing the closure of its Baltimore hub and the furloughing of thousands of employees. In 2004, the company reached a deadlock in negotiations with the Air Line Pilots Association, leading some observers to speculate that it may be liquidated, or abandon its hub and spoke routing to reform as a low-cost airline. [3] (http://www.fool.com/News/mft/2004/mft04082407.htm)On September 12th, 2004, US Airways filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for the second time since 9/11. Some airline experts have predicted this may be the demise of US Airways.
In the past, the airline has used Boeing 737-200, Fokker 100, DC-9, Boeing 727 and MD-80 aircraft. In the early 1980s, its routes in the Northeast were fed by Ransome Airlines.
Fleet
US Airways flies a fleet of A319, A320, A321, A330, Boeing 737-300, Boeing 737-400 and Boeing 757-200 aircraft.
External Links
- The official site for US Airways (http://www.usairways.com)
- Guide to earning miles on US Airways (http://mileguide.com/usair.shtml)
- Flyertalk (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=505)
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