Piedmont Airlines: Difference between revisions
Wikipedia URL→wikilink (6) |
Quadunit404 (talk | contribs) →History: Replaced IATA codes with the actual airport names for clarity and Piedmont is not the only operator at Lynchburg Regional Airport - Air Wisconsin also operates out of there. Other airports are fine (yes, I checked) |
||
| Line 33: | Line 33: | ||
The Piedmont name was resurrected in 1993, when USAir (now [[US Airways]]) renamed Henson to "Piedmont Airlines", to protect the Piedmont brand name, which could be used by others if not exercised in trade use for a period of time. USAir continued this practice by changing the name of its two other wholly owned regional airline subsidiaries, Jetstream and Allegheny Commuter, to [[PSA Airlines]] and [[Allegheny Airlines]], respectively. ([[Pacific Southwest Airlines]] was the name of a California-based airline merged into USAir.) In 1997, USAir was renamed US Airways, and Piedmont was likewise re-branded as a US Airways Express carrier. US Airways merged [[Allegheny Airlines]] into Piedmont in 2004. |
The Piedmont name was resurrected in 1993, when USAir (now [[US Airways]]) renamed Henson to "Piedmont Airlines", to protect the Piedmont brand name, which could be used by others if not exercised in trade use for a period of time. USAir continued this practice by changing the name of its two other wholly owned regional airline subsidiaries, Jetstream and Allegheny Commuter, to [[PSA Airlines]] and [[Allegheny Airlines]], respectively. ([[Pacific Southwest Airlines]] was the name of a California-based airline merged into USAir.) In 1997, USAir was renamed US Airways, and Piedmont was likewise re-branded as a US Airways Express carrier. US Airways merged [[Allegheny Airlines]] into Piedmont in 2004. |
||
The airline has 6,150 employees (at November 2007), and operates crew bases at [[Roanoke, Virginia|Roanoke]], [[Salisbury, Maryland|Salisbury]], [[New Bern, North Carolina|New Bern]], [[Charlottesville, Virginia|Charlottesville]], and [[Harrisburg, Pennsylvania|Harrisburg]]. The crew base at [[LaGuardia Airport|LaGuardia]] was closed in August 2011. <ref name="FI"/> As of 2011 Piedmont is currently the exclusive operator out at |
The airline has 6,150 employees (at November 2007), and operates crew bases at [[Roanoke, Virginia|Roanoke]], [[Salisbury, Maryland|Salisbury]], [[New Bern, North Carolina|New Bern]], [[Charlottesville, Virginia|Charlottesville]], and [[Harrisburg, Pennsylvania|Harrisburg]]. The crew base at [[LaGuardia Airport|LaGuardia]] was closed in August 2011. <ref name="FI"/> As of 2011 Piedmont is currently the exclusive operator out at Tweed New Haven Regional Airport, Hilton Head Airport and Williamsport Regional Airport.{{fact|date=October 2011}} |
||
==Fleet== |
==Fleet== |
||
Revision as of 07:24, 4 December 2011
| File:Piedmont Airlines.png | |||||||
| |||||||
| Founded | 1962 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hubs | |||||||
| Focus cities | |||||||
| Frequent-flyer program | Dividend Miles | ||||||
| Alliance | Star Alliance | ||||||
| Fleet size | 44 | ||||||
| Destinations | 47 | ||||||
| Parent company | US Airways Group, Inc. | ||||||
| Headquarters | Salisbury, Maryland | ||||||
| Key people | Stephen R. Farrow (CEO) | ||||||
| Website | www.piedmont-airlines.com | ||||||
Piedmont Airlines (pronounced as Peed-mont) is an American regional airline operating for US Airways Express. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the US Airways Group, headquartered in unincorporated Wicomico County, Maryland,[1] near the city of Salisbury,[2] it conducts flight operations using De Havilland Canada Dash 8 aircraft along the East Coast of the United States.[3] Its main base is Wicomico Regional Airport, Salisbury, with hubs at Philadelphia International Airport and Charlotte/Douglas International Airport.
History
The airline was formed in 1961 by Richard A. Henson as Henson Aviation, a fixed base operator in Hagerstown, Maryland. It began its first scheduled flights to Washington National Airport in 1962 under the Hagerstown Commuter name, later changed to Henson Airlines.[3] Allegheny Airlines (now US Airways) and Henson began one of the world's first code sharing arrangements in 1967, and Henson re-branded itself as an Allegheny Commuter carrier using Beechcraft 99 aircraft. It initially developed a route structure serving Washington DC, Philadelphia and Baltimore while establishing a new headquarters for Allegheny Commuter at Salisbury, Maryland in 1968. In the 1970s, the airline upgraded to Shorts 330 and De Havilland Dash 7 turboprops.[3]
In 1983, Piedmont Aviation bought Henson and re-branded the airline as "Henson, The Piedmont Regional Airline." Under Piedmont's control, the airline expanded rapidly, particularly in Florida. Both were purchased by the USAir Group in 1987 with Piedmont absorbed two years later and Henson's aircraft repainted in USAir Express livery.[4] The 1980s saw rapid growth by the company, first resulting the upgrade of its fleet to the De Havilland Canada Dash 8 aircraft, and an expansion in the fleet size. With the growth in passenger capacity, the airline made a geographic expansion to Florida, including numerous intrastate routes in Florida, and it opened a maintenance facility in Jacksonville.[3]
The Piedmont name was resurrected in 1993, when USAir (now US Airways) renamed Henson to "Piedmont Airlines", to protect the Piedmont brand name, which could be used by others if not exercised in trade use for a period of time. USAir continued this practice by changing the name of its two other wholly owned regional airline subsidiaries, Jetstream and Allegheny Commuter, to PSA Airlines and Allegheny Airlines, respectively. (Pacific Southwest Airlines was the name of a California-based airline merged into USAir.) In 1997, USAir was renamed US Airways, and Piedmont was likewise re-branded as a US Airways Express carrier. US Airways merged Allegheny Airlines into Piedmont in 2004. The airline has 6,150 employees (at November 2007), and operates crew bases at Roanoke, Salisbury, New Bern, Charlottesville, and Harrisburg. The crew base at LaGuardia was closed in August 2011. [4] As of 2011 Piedmont is currently the exclusive operator out at Tweed New Haven Regional Airport, Hilton Head Airport and Williamsport Regional Airport.[citation needed]
Fleet
In October 2010, Piedmont Airlines average fleet age was 20.4 years old.[5] All aircraft are operated as US Airways Express. As of December 2010, the Piedmont Airlines has a fleet of 44 aircraft[6] including the following aircraft:[4][7]
| Aircraft | Total | Passengers |
|---|---|---|
| De Havilland Canada Dash 8-100 | 33 | 37 |
| De Havilland Canada Dash 8-300 | 11 | 50 |
| Total | 44 |
Incidents and Accidents
- On September 23, 1985, Henson Airlines Flight 1517, a Beechcraft B99 Airliner 15-passenger turboprop airplane, crashed near Grottoes, Virginia. The crash was fatal to all 12 passengers and both crewmembers; This was the first fatality of a female commercial U.S. pilot, First Officer Zilda A. Spadaro-Wolan. The National Transportation Safety Board concluded that part of the probable cause of the crash was the airline's failure to standardize the cockpit configurations of its aircraft and on its failure to provide adequate training to its pilots.[8]
- On Sunday, November 16, 2008, Flight 4551, a US Airways Express deHavilland Dash-8 turboprop operated by Piedmont Airlines, took off from Lehigh Valley International Airport at 8:20am heading to Philadelphia International Airport, had to make an emergency landing. The flight crew was indicated that the front nose gear hadn't come down and had to make a flyover the runway for confirmation. Of 35 passengers and 3 crew, there were no injuries. The aircraft (N326EN) incurred only minor damage and was returned to service shortly thereafter.[citation needed]
- On Saturday, January 1, 2011, US Airways Express Flight 4352, a Piedmont Airlines-operated deHavilland Dash-8 turboprop forced an evacuation of the U.S. Capitol and fighter jets were scrambled from Andrews Air Force Base after Flight 4352 suffered radio problems on approach to Washington, DC's Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and strayed into restricted airspace.[9][10] The Capitol was evacuated for approximately 20 minutes until the Dash-8 aircraft landed at Reagan National Airport.
- On Saturday, January 7, 2011, a Bombardier Dash 8-100, operating as Piedmont Airlines flight 4507 under US Airways Express from Philadelphia International Airport to Tweed New Haven Regional Airport in Connecticut was struck by lightning over the Long Island Sound. The captain reported electrical problems and diverted safely to Long Island Macarthur Airport due to more favorable weather conditions. The aircraft had 33 passengers aboard who were then bussed to New Haven.
See also
- Air transportation in the United States
- List of companies of the United States
- List of airlines of the United States
- List of airports in the United States
- Transportation in the United States
References
- ^ "Career Opportunities." Piedmont Airlines. Retrieved on May 20, 2009.
- ^ "About Piedmont." Piedmont Airlines. Retrieved on May 20, 2009.
- ^ a b c d "Piedmont History". Retrieved 2007-06-28.
- ^ a b c Flight International 12–18 April 2005
- ^ Fleet Age for Piedmont Airlines
- ^ "About Piedmont". Piedmont Airlines.
- ^ "Piedmont Airlines". CH-Aviation.ch. Retrieved 17 December 2010.
- ^ The first female commercial U.S. pilot fatality involving a propeller aircraft was that of First Officer Zilda A. Spadaro-Wolan, in the Henson Airlines flight 1517 turboprop crash of September 23, 1985 near Grottoes, Virginia."Aircraft Accident Report: Henson Airlines Flight 1517" (PDF).
- ^ Sarah Brumfield (January 1, 2011). "Pilot error prompts evacuation of U.S. Capitol building". thestar.com. Retrieved 2011-02-10.
- ^ Mary Compton (January 1, 2011). "Jets Scrambled Over Capitol Hill Airspace Scare". ABC News. Retrieved 2011-02-10.
External links
- Piedmont Airlines - US Airways Express
- [1] has several Piedmont timetables from 1948-60, showing where they flew, how often, how long it took and how much it cost.