View source for CCAir

{{Refimprove|date=July 2009}}
{{Infobox airline
| airline=CCAir
| image=<!-- logo -->
| caption=<!-- Caption for the image -->
| IATA = ED
| ICAO = CDL
| callsign = CAROLINA
| founded=1986
| commenced=
| ceased=November 4, 2002
| bases= <!-- {{plainlist|*[[Airport Name1]] }} -->
| hubs= <!-- {{plainlist|*[[Airport Name1]] }} -->
| frequent_flyer= <!-- Name of frequent flyer program -->
| lounge= <!-- Name of airport lounge or member's club -->
| alliance= <!-- Name of multi-airline alliance -->
| subsidiaries  = <!-- {{plainlist|*[[Subsidiary1]]}} -->
| fleet_size=See narrative
| destinations= <!-- See [[Air #Destinations|Destinations]] below -->
| company_slogan= <!-- Insert company marketing slogan -->
| parent=[[Mesa Air Group]]
| headquarters=[[Charlotte, North Carolina]], [[United States]]
| key_people= <!-- {{plainlist|
*Ken Gann <small>(Chief Executive Officer)</small> }}
*Jonathan Ornstein <small>(Mesa Chief Executive Officer)</small> }}  -->
| num_employees= <!-- NNN -->
| website=<!-- {{URL|example.com}} -->
}}

'''CCAir, Inc.''' ([[NASDAQ]]: CCAR<ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/19981202172428/http://www.ccairinc.com/geninfo.htm general info]". CCAir. Retrieved on September 30, 2009.</ref>) was a regional airline headquartered in [[Charlotte, North Carolina]], [[United States]].<ref>"World Airline Directory". ''Flight International''. March 22–28, 1995. [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1995/1995%20-%200747.html 82]. Retrieved on July 25, 2009.</ref><ref>"World Airline Directory". ''Flight International''. March 23, 1999. [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1999/1999%20-%200520.html 68]. Retrieved on September 30, 2009.</ref>

==Piedmont Commuter==
CCAir was created on or about February 15, 1986 when [[Sunbird Airlines]] was renamed. Operating as a [[Piedmont Airlines (1948–1989)|Piedmont]] Commuter / [[US Airways Express|USAir Express]] code-sharing partner, its radio call sign was "Carolina". The CC stood for Carolina Commuter. Most of the employees were local people who were extremely loyal to the company.{{Citation needed|date=July 2009}}

CCAir (beginning as predecessor [[Sunbird Airlines]]) had experienced a tremendous period of growth in the years 1985–1987. With the Piedmont/[[USAir]] merger in 1989, the company experienced a tremendous change in the compensation arrangements with their senior partner. These problems eventually led to the company filing bankruptcy in order to protect themselves from creditors. Former [[CEO]] Ken Gann, was responsible for turning around the airline and restructuring it. CCAir was the first commuter airline to ever enter [[Chapter 11 bankruptcy]] and emerge profitable.{{citation needed|date=July 2009}}

CCAir began with a fleet of [[Cessna 402]] "Businessliner" piston-engined aircraft as well as [[Beech 99]] and [[Short 330]] commuter turboprops.   After the changeover to CCAIR the Cessna were retired and the Short 330's were replaced by the new [[Shorts 360]].  CCAir also acquired the [[British Aerospace]] [[BAe Jetstream 32]], a pressurized turboprop aircraft which proved a poor choice as most flights were operated under 10,000 feet and maintenance costs were high. In the mid-90s code-sharing partner [[US Airways]] directed CCAir to begin the acquisition of [[DeHavilland Canada Dash 8]] aircraft.

==Under Mesa ownership==

In 1999, [[Mesa Air Group]] acquired CCAir. Under Mesa CEO Jonathan Ornstein, CCAir and Mesa were operated as separate airlines. Some CCAir gate/ticket agents and ground handlers attempted to unionize, but the vote was narrowly against representation. Ornstein promised to work with ground personnel, but shortly thereafter canceled the ground handling service with US Airways Express. Also several cities in North Carolina, [[Hickory, North Carolina|Hickory]], [[Southern Pines]]/[[Pinehurst, North Carolina|Pinehurst]], [[Kinston, North Carolina|Kinston]] and [[Rocky Mount, North Carolina|Rocky Mount]] lost their air service, which was flown by CCAir.{{citation needed|date=November 2014}} The CCAir pilots resisted many offers to take pay cuts and deep concessions to have the chance for growth and flying regional jets.{{citation needed|date=November 2014}}

Ornstein slowly started making changes to CCAir. First the high-maintenance Jetstream 32s were grounded and Mesa's Beech 1900s were brought in to replace the Jetstreams. Finally, in 2002, a deep concessionary agreement was proposed to the CCAir pilots. When voted upon and ratified, [[Air Line Pilots Association, International|Air Line Pilots Association]] (ALPA) president, Duane Woerth promised the CCAir pilots he would sign off on the agreement, but [[reneg]]ed when he felt the agreement was too concessionary in nature. A few pilots attempted to sue ALPA in federal court in Charlotte, but US District Court Judge Graham Muellen upheld ALPA's decision not to allow the new collective bargaining agreement to take effect.

On November 4, 2002, CCAir ceased operations.{{citation needed|date=July 2009}} Most CCAir pilots found employment with Mesa and Mesa's collective bargaining agreement in their respective operations.{{citation needed|date=July 2009}}

== See also ==
* [[List of defunct airlines of the United States]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.ccairinc.com CCAir] (archive)

{{Portalbar|Companies|Aviation}}
{{Mesa Air Group|state=autocollapse}}{{US Airways Express Carriers}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ccair}}
[[Category:Defunct airlines of the United States]]
[[Category:Airlines established in 1987]]
[[Category:Airlines disestablished in 2002]]
[[Category:Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1991]]
[[Category:Mesa Air Group]]
[[Category:US Airways Group]]
[[Category:Airlines based in North Carolina]]