Connect Airlines

Last updated

Connect Airlines
IATA ICAO Callsign
MWWZMMATILDA
Hubs Toronto
Focus cities Chicago, Philadelphia
Parent company Waltzing Matilda Aviation
Website https://www.connectairlines.com/

Connect Airlines is a proposed American [1] airline that intends to operate flights between Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport and Midwest and Northeast US cities. Proposed service will fly between Toronto to/from Chicago and Philadelphia. The airline would be backed by Waltzing Matilda Aviation, a Massachusetts-based charter operator. [2] The company intends to lease De Havilland Canada Dash 8 turboprop aircraft formerly operated by Flybe and will target primarily business travel. [3]

In June 2022, Connect Airlines announced an order for 75 converted ATR 72-600 turboprops, with an option for an additional 25, to be converted by Universal Hydrogen to use hydrogen powertrains. [4]

Connect Airlines received a certificate of convenience and necessity for domestic air transportation from the US Department of Transportation (DOT) in July 2022 and a certificate for foreign transport in September 2022. The airline had acquired two Dash-8s as of September 2022, with further aircraft expected to arrive monthly until February 2023. The aircraft have had one row of seats removed and will feature 26 premium seats with increased legroom, as well as 48 economy seats. Service was due to be launched in November 2022; an interline agreement with an as-yet unnamed major carrier had been signed. [5]

As of December 2022, the airline was running proving flights to complete its application requirements for its air operator's certificate, and was looking to hire direct-entry captains to run its initial flights. [6] In June 2023, it asked the DOT to extend until October 2023 its deadline to begin flying, amid difficulties in meeting FAA requirements. [7] In November 2023, the DOT revoked its certificate of public convenience and necessity, though the airline noted its intent to appeal the revocation and pursue its plans. [8]

Related Research Articles

Bahamasair Holdings Limited is an airline headquartered in Nassau. It is the national airline of The Bahamas and operates scheduled services to 32 domestic and regional destinations in the Caribbean and the United States from its base at Lynden Pindling International Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ATR (aircraft manufacturer)</span> Aircraft manufacturer

ATR is a Franco-Italian aircraft manufacturer headquartered in Blagnac, France, a suburb of Toulouse.

Air Wisconsin Airlines is a regional airline based at Appleton International Airport in the town of Greenville, Wisconsin, near Appleton. Air Wisconsin originally operated as one of the original United Express partners in 1985, and operated then as US Airways Express on behalf of US Airways prior to becoming an American Eagle regional air carrier. Between March 2018 and April 2023, Air Wisconsin operated exclusively as a United Express regional air carrier once again with primary hubs located at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD) and Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD). This came to an end in April 2023 as the carrier switched to conducting solely American Eagle branded flights, per a new contract with American Airlines.

Continental Express was the operating brand name used by a number of independently owned regional airlines providing commuter airliner and regional jet feeder service under agreement with Continental Airlines. In 2012 at the time of Continental's merger with United Airlines, two carriers were operating using the Continental Express brand name:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regional airliner</span> Small airliner

A regional airliner or a feederliner is a small airliner that is designed to fly up to 100 passengers on short-haul flights, usually feeding larger carriers' airline hubs from small markets. This class of airliners is typically flown by the regional airlines that are either contracted by or subsidiaries of the larger airlines. Regional airliners are used for short trips between smaller towns or from a larger city to a smaller city. Feederliner, commuter, and local service are all alternative terms for the same class of flight operations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ATR 42</span> Regional turboprop airliner family

The ATR 42 is a regional airliner produced by Franco-Italian manufacturer ATR, with final assembly in Toulouse, France. On 4 November 1981, the aircraft was launched with ATR, as a joint venture between French Aérospatiale and Aeritalia . The ATR 42-300 performed its maiden flight on 16 August 1984 and type certification was granted during September 1985. Launch customer Air Littoral operated its first revenue-earning flight in December of that year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">De Havilland Canada Dash 8</span> Regional turboprop airliner family by De Havilland Canada, formerly Bombardier

The De Havilland Canada DHC-8, commonly known as the Dash 8, is a series of turboprop-powered regional airliners, introduced by de Havilland Canada (DHC) in 1984. DHC was later bought by Boeing in 1988, then by Bombardier in 1992; then by Longview Aviation Capital in 2019, reviving the De Havilland Canada brand. Powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW150s, it was developed from the Dash 7 with improved cruise performance and lower operational costs, but without STOL performance. Three sizes were offered: initially the 37–40 seat -100 until 2005 and the more powerful -200 from 1995, the stretched 50–56 seats -300 from 1989, both until 2009, and the 68–90 seats -400 from 1999, still in production. The QSeries are post-1997 variants fitted with active noise control systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LIAT</span> Airline in Antigua and Barbuda

LIAT (1974) Ltd, also known as Leeward Islands Air Transport Services and operating as LIAT, is a regional airline headquartered in Antigua and Barbuda that operated high-frequency inter-island scheduled services to 15 destinations in the Caribbean. The airline's main base was V.C. Bird International Airport, Antigua and Barbuda, with a secondary base at Grantley Adams International Airport, Barbados.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regional jet</span> Small jet airliner

A regional jet (RJ) is a jet-powered regional airliner with fewer than 100 seats. The first one was the Sud-Aviation Caravelle in 1959, followed by the widespread Yakovlev Yak-40, Fokker F-28, and BAe 146. The 1990s saw the emergence of the most widespread Canadair Regional Jet and its Embraer Regional Jet counterpart, then the larger Embraer E-Jet and multiple competing projects. In the US, they are limited in size by scope clauses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PenAir</span> U.S.-based regional airline

Peninsula Airways, operated as PenAir, was a U.S.-based regional airline headquartered in Anchorage, Alaska. It was Alaska's second-largest commuter airline operating scheduled passenger service, as well as charter and medevac services throughout the state. Its main base was Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. PenAir had a code sharing agreement in place with Alaska Airlines with its flights operated in the state of Alaska.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caribbean Airlines</span> Flag carrier of Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and Guyana

Caribbean Airlines Limited is the state-owned airline and flag carrier of Trinidad and Tobago. It is also the flag carrier of Jamaica and Guyana, with the Government of Jamaica having approximately 11.9% ownership. Headquartered in Iere House in Piarco, the airline operates flights to the Caribbean, North America and South America from its base at Piarco International Airport, Trinidad. Presently Caribbean Airlines employs more than 1,700 people and is the largest airline in the Caribbean. The company slogan is The Warmth of the Islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Firefly (airline)</span> Malaysian low-cost airline

Firefly is a low-cost carrier subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines that offers flights within Malaysia, as well as to Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand. Firefly operates from its main hub at Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang and Penang International Airport, as well as its secondary hub at Kota Kinabalu International Airport. The airline's first flight was on 3 April 2007, from Penang to Kota Bharu. The company slogan is Beyond Convenience.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TransNusa</span> Indonesian domestic airline

PT TransNusa Aviation Mandiri, operating as TransNusa, is an Indonesian low-cost carrier based in Jakarta Soekarno–Hatta International Airport. It was launched in August 2005, serving various destinations from Kupang, Timor, using aircraft chartered from Pelita Air and Trigana Air Service. In August 2011, TransNusa received its own air operator's certificate (AOC) and scheduled commercial airline permit, operating as a regional carrier. The airline relaunched as a low-cost carrier in 2022 after briefly ceasing operations in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

American Eagle is a US brand name for the regional branch of American Airlines, under which six individual regional airlines operate short- and medium-haul feeder flights. Three of these airlines, Envoy Air, Piedmont Airlines, and PSA Airlines, are wholly owned subsidiaries of the American Airlines Group. American Eagle's largest hub is Charlotte Douglas International's Concourse E, which operates over 340 flights per day, making it the largest express flight operation in the world.

Many aviation-related events took place in 2020. The aviation industry was impacted by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Airbahn</span> Future airline of the United States

Airbahn Inc is a planned American airline headquartered in Irvine, California.

New Pacific Airlines is an American low-cost airline based in Anchorage, Alaska. Operations commenced on July 14, 2023 with their inaugural flight from Ontario International Airport in Ontario, California, to Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Many aviation-related events took place in 2022. Throughout the year, the aviation industry was recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Norse Atlantic UK Ltd is a British airline and an integrated subsidiary of Norwegian low-cost airline Norse Atlantic Airways. The airline operates a fleet of Boeing 787 aircraft based at London's Gatwick Airport, and operations launched on 26 March 2023.

Many aviation-related events are expected to take place in 2023.

References

  1. https://www.regulations.gov/document/DOT-OST-2021-0046-0001 [ bare URL ]
  2. Wolfsteller, Pilar (April 8, 2021). "New carrier Connect Airlines to launch US-Canada flights in October". Flight Global.
  3. Curran, Andrew (April 9, 2021). "Another US Startup? Connect Airlines Eyes Canada Flights". Simple Flying.
  4. Kaminski-Morrow, David (June 9, 2022). "Connect Airlines plots expansion with up to 100 hydrogen-powered ATR 72s". Flight Global.
  5. Wolfsteller, Pilar (September 8, 2022). "US start-up Connect sees niche in bringing touch of class to turboprops". Flight Global.
  6. "An Update On Connect Airlines' Proving Runs". Simple Flying. December 3, 2022. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  7. Hardee, Howard (July 7, 2023). "US start-up Connect Airlines' certification work lags as proving flights 'terminated': DOT". Flight Global.
  8. Hardee, Howard (November 17, 2023). "Connect Airlines vows to appeal DOT decision to revoke certificate". Flight Global.