 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(July 2009) |
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| Founded | 1986 | ||||||
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| Ceased operations | November 4, 2002 | ||||||
| Fleet size | See narrative | ||||||
| Parent company | Mesa Air Group | ||||||
| Headquarters | Charlotte, North Carolina, United States | ||||||
CCAir, Inc. (NASDAQ: CCAR [1] ) was a regional airline headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. [2] [3]
CCAir was created on or about February 15, 1986 when Sunbird Airlines was renamed. Operating as a Piedmont Commuter / 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 ]
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 ]
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.
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, Southern Pines/Pinehurst, Kinston and Rocky Mount lost their air service, which was flown by CCAir.[ citation needed ] 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 ]
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 (ALPA) president, Duane Woerth promised the CCAir pilots he would sign off on the agreement, but reneged 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 ] Most CCAir pilots found employment with Mesa and Mesa's collective bargaining agreement in their respective operations.[ citation needed ]
Key West International Airport is an international airport located in the City of Key West in Monroe County, Florida, United States, 2 miles east of the main commercial center of Key West.
US Airways Express was the brand name for the regional affiliate of US Airways, under which a number of individually owned commuter air carriers and regional airlines operate short and medium haul routes. This code sharing service was previously operated as USAir Express. Mainline carriers often outsource to regional airlines to operate services in order to increase frequency, serve routes that would not sustain larger aircraft, or for other competitive reasons. US Airways Express operations were conducted from smaller markets in the United States, Canada, and the Bahamas primarily centered on US Airways' major hubs and focus cities.
Mesa Airlines, Inc., is an American regional airline based in Phoenix, Arizona. It is an FAA Part 121–certificated air carrier operating under air carrier certificate number MASA036A issued on June 29, 1979. It is a subsidiary of Mesa Air Group and operates flights as United Express via respective code sharing agreements with United Airlines. It serves more than 180 markets in the Western Hemisphere. In a 1997 article from the Journal of Air Transportation, Mesa's safety record was noted as having the fewest incidents among domestic regional airlines at that time.
Air Midwest, Inc., was a Federal Aviation Administration Part 121 certificated air carrier that operated under air carrier certificate number AMWA510A issued on May 15, 1965. It was headquartered in Wichita, Kansas, United States, and from 1991 was a subsidiary of Mesa Air Group. Besides initially flying as an independent air carrier, it later operated code sharing feeder flights on behalf of Eastern Air Lines as Eastern Air Midwest Express, on behalf of American Airlines as American Eagle, on behalf of Trans World Airlines (TWA) as Trans World Express and on behalf of US Airways as US Airways Express. It also operated feeder flights on behalf of Braniff (1983–1990) and Ozark Air Lines in addition to flying for Mesa Airlines. Air Midwest was shut down by its parent company, Mesa Airlines, in June 2008.
Piedmont Airlines, Inc. is an American regional airline headquartered at the Salisbury Regional Airport in Wicomico County, Maryland, near the city of Salisbury. The airline is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the American Airlines Group and it is paid by fellow group member American Airlines to staff, operate and maintain aircraft used on American Eagle flights that are scheduled, marketed and sold by American Airlines. Piedmont also provides ground handling and customer service for airports in the northeastern and western United States.
PSA Airlines is an American regional airline headquartered at Dayton International Airport in Dayton, Ohio United States. The airline is a wholly owned subsidiary of the American Airlines Group and it is paid by fellow group member American Airlines to staff, operate and maintain aircraft used on American Eagle flights that are scheduled, marketed and sold by American Airlines.
Mesa Air Group, Inc. is a Nevada Corporation commercial aviation holding company with headquarters in Suite 700 at 410 North 44th Street in the Camelback East area of Phoenix, Arizona, United States. The company operates one regional airline subsidiary: Mesa Airlines which operates as United Express and as American Eagle under contractual agreements with United Airlines and American Airlines respectively.
San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport, McChesney Field is a civil airport near San Luis Obispo, California, United States. Five passenger airlines serve the airport with nonstop flights to eight cities: Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco and Seattle. The airport was established in 1939 and used by the U.S. military between 1939 and 1945.
Hickory Regional Airport is three miles (5 km) west of Hickory, in Catawba County, North Carolina. It is owned by the City of Hickory.
Kinston Regional Jetport, also known as Stallings Field, is a public airport located three miles (5 km) northwest of the central business district of Kinston, a city in Lenoir County, North Carolina. The airport has a single runway that is one of the longest in the southeastern United States. It is mostly used for general aviation.
Smith Reynolds Airport is a public airport 3 miles (5 km) northeast of Winston-Salem in Forsyth County, North Carolina. The airport has two runways, and is used for general aviation and flight training. There are currently no scheduled passenger airline flights. Smith Reynolds was once home to the Winston-Salem air show, usually held in September, which drew about 20,000 spectators. There has not been an airshow since 2015. The airport has multiple flight schools and maintenance facilities. Smith Reynolds also has an operational control tower that operates from 6:00 AM to 9:30 PM year-round. INT covers 702 acres of land.
Freedom Airlines, Inc. was an American FAA Part 121 certificated air carrier operating under air carrier certificate number FDKA087K issued on April 1, 2002. A Nevada corporation, it was headquartered in Irving, Texas and a subsidiary of Mesa Air Group. It operated flights as Delta Connection for Delta Air Lines serving Delta's hub at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport in Hebron, KY, near Cincinnati, OH using EMB 145 aircraft. Freedom's base moved to Cincinnati from New York City in July 2009. Freedom previously operated the CRJ-900 aircraft for Delta Connection as well; however, this contract was canceled and all aircraft were transferred to Eagan, MN-based Mesaba Airlines, Atlanta, GA-based Atlantic Southeast Airlines, and Memphis, TN-based Pinnacle Airlines.
Alamogordo–White Sands Regional Airport is a city-owned public-use airport located four nautical miles southwest of the central business district of Alamogordo, a city in Otero County, New Mexico. It opened in 1959 and was formerly known as Alamogordo Municipal Airport. The airport was the home for Black Hills Aviation, with a fleet of fire fighting aircraft. The company was bought out by Neptune Aviation in 1993 and moved to Missoula, Montana. Neptune still bases some of its current fleet of British Aerospace 146 jets at Alamogordo during active forest fire seasons. The airport also sees large MD-87 firefighting jets operated by Erickson Aero Tanker.
Anderson Regional Airport is a public airport 3 nautical miles southwest of Anderson, in Anderson County, South Carolina, United States. It is one of the busiest airports in upstate South Carolina. It receives over 14,000 visitors each year and generates over $13 million annually.
Piedmont Airlines was a United States local service carrier, a scheduled carrier that operated from 1948 until it merged with USAir in 1989. Its headquarters were at One Piedmont Plaza in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, a building that is now part of Wake Forest University.
Purdue University Airport is a public-use airport in Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States. It is owned by Purdue University, and is 2 nautical miles southwest of the central business district of Lafayette, Indiana, in West Lafayette.
StatesWest Airlines was a commuter airline headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona that operated to destinations in the Southwestern United States.
Sunbird Airlines was a United States airline founded by Ralph Quinlan in Denver, North Carolina on November 15, 1979.
Crown Airways was a regional airline operating for USAir Express with its headquarters on the grounds of DuBois Regional Airport in Washington Township, Jefferson County, Pennsylvania, near Falls Creek. Allegheny Commuter was the brand name for the regional affiliate of Allegheny Airlines, under which a number of individually owned commuter air carriers operate short and medium haul routes. The airline is often credited as the first code-share agreement between a major airline and smaller commuters.
Wheeler Airlines was the operating name of Wheeler Flying Service (WHAA), the first black-owned airline certificated in the US by the FAA, which also helped integrate the pilots at major US air carriers by qualifying a large number of black pilots that were subsequently hired by the nation's major airlines.
