National Airlines was a short lived Americanlow-fare airline that operated from 1999 to 2002. Headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, it was the third US carrier to use the name. The airline was established to transport tourists to Las Vegas, providing services to a select number of cities with high traffic.
Taking a page from Southwest Airlines' book, National kept operations simple by operating a single aircraft type—in National's case, the Boeing 757.
Service began on May 27, 1999. This was the third airline in the United States to use the "National Airlines" name. Michael Conway became president and CEO of the company. From its inception, the company fought an uphill battle against rising fuel costs and an economic recession. National Airlines filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on December 6, 2000.[3]
Like many other airlines, National had serious financial problems after the September 11 attacks in 2001, and only 41 months after their inaugural flight left Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport, the airline ceased all operations on November 6, 2002, after being in Chapter 11 bankruptcy for 23 months.
As of the day of National's grounding, the airline had carried 1.85 million passengers through McCarran (January–November 2002), and National was the airport's fourth-largest carrier based upon passenger volume. Departing McCarran International Airport at 4:20p.m., National Airlines Flight 354 to Dallas/Fort Worth was the carrier's last to leave the Las Vegas hub.
Attempted hijacking
On July 27, 2000, National Airlines flight 19 operating from John F. Kennedy International Airport to McCarran International Airport was boarded by a man with a gun and knife, who immediately stormed the cockpit and took the two pilots hostage. The hijacker demanded that the flight attendant close the cabin door; however, startled passengers shoved the flight attendant aside and reopened the door to escape. All 143 passengers exited without injuries. By 12:50 AM, both pilots were released. The hijacker remained on the plane alone for another two and a half hours before being apprehended. The FBI identified the suspect as Aaron Amartei Commey of Milwaukee. His motive was to be flown to Argentina or Antarctica. He was charged with attempting to hijack an aircraft.[4][5][6]
In popular culture
In the science entertainment television program MythBusters, a stored National Airlines 757 following their collapse is shown on camera taxiing away. They were going to use it to test a myth about the effects of jet wash on vehicles behind an airplane taking off. The TV program was unable to use the jet because of a dispute with their insurance company.[7]
Destinations
At the time National Airlines was grounded, the airline provided service to 14 destinations throughout the United States:[8]
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