People Express Airlines (2010s)

Last updated

PEOPLExpress
PEOPLExpress Airlines (2012) logo.JPG
IATA ICAO Callsign
V2 (from Vision Airlines)RBY (from Vision Airlines)RUBY (from Vision Airlines)
FoundedFebruary 13, 2012
Commenced operationsJune 30, 2014
Ceased operationsSeptember 26, 2014
Hubs Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport
Frequent-flyer program SMARTbank
Destinations10
Headquarters Newport News, Virginia
Key peopleJeffrey Erickson (CEO)
Michael Morisi (Founder)
Website flypex.com

People Express Airlines (stylized as PEOPLExpress) was an airline that began operations on June 30, 2014 from Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport, targeting the no-frills budget flyer. The air carrier took its name from the original PEOPLExpress Airlines which operated in the 1980s but was unrelated. Due to complications with its contracted fleet, including one aircraft having been hit by a ground vehicle, the airline abruptly ceased operations on September 26, 2014, leaving some passengers stranded and others holding tickets that were not transferable to other carriers. Its hub airport located in Newport News commenced eviction of the airline from the airport terminal on November 12, 2014. [1] On January 22, 2015, People Express Airlines was evicted from its offices at the Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport. [2]

Contents

History

Beginnings

The airline was publicly launched during a press conference at the Newport News airport on February 13, 2012, though its organization began in April 2011 when Michael Morisi, an official at the original People Express Airlines and chief operating officer for the revived company, began bringing together a group of people to start the company. [3] [4] People Express received financing from private investors and Newport News area businesses. [5]

Service was initially anticipated to begin late-2013, but several delays caused the launch date to push back to mid-2014. [6] People Express had initially intended to acquire Xtra Airways in order to expedite the airline's certification process, but the deal was never finalized due to issues identified during the due diligence process. [7] On October 5, Jeffrey Erickson, former Atlas Air President and CEO was announced as PEOPLExpress' first CEO. [8]

Start of operations

PEOPLExpress Boeing 737-400 N745VA lines up for take-off at Boston's Logan International Airport (July 2014) PEOPLExpress (Vision Airlines) 737-405 (N745VA) (1).jpg
PEOPLExpress Boeing 737-400 N745VA lines up for take-off at Boston's Logan International Airport (July 2014)

At a press event on May 30, 2014, PEX announced that flight operations would commence on June 30, 2014. Flights were operated by Vision Airlines doing business as PEOPLExpress. [9] The airline utilized Vision Airlines' existing USDOT scheduled authority and FAA Part 121 certification. People Express had planned on obtaining its own FAA certification and begin operating independently within the next few years.

The airline's business model was to operate to niche markets, largely in the eastern United States, that were underserved or unserved by mainline airlines while charging about 40% less than typical fares. [5] The airline's base and hub were located at Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport (PHF) in Newport News, VA. The airport was previously served by AirTran in 2012 and Allegiant Air in 2014; however, both airlines then ceased serving Newport News. In addition, the airport had previously received jet service over the years operated by Allegheny Airlines, National Airlines, Piedmont Airlines (1948-1989) and United Airlines as well as USAir and its successor US Airways.

End of operations

On September 26, 2014, the airline announced what it expected to be a temporary suspension of all service until October 16, 2014. [10] [11] According to CEO Jeff Erickson, the airline was forced to suspend operations when both of its aircraft were incapacitated. A vendor's truck crashed into one plane on September 17, and the second was forced out of service on September 26 due to an unspecified maintenance issue. [12]

The airline subsequently announced that it would not resume operations on October 16, 2014, [13] and on November 12, 2014, PEOPLExpress was evicted from the Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport due to non-payment of Passenger Facilities Charges of US$100,000. [14] On January 22, 2015, People Express Airlines was evicted from its office space at the Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport due to non-payment of utility bills. [15]

In July 2019, Michael Morisi pleaded guilty to fraud charges in relation to the collapse of the airline. On February 21, 2020 he was jailed for two years. [16]

Destinations

People Express served or planned to serve the following destinations in the United States:

StateCityAirportRefs
Flag of Florida.svg  Florida Orlando Orlando International Airport
Flag of Florida.svg  Florida St. Petersburg St. Petersburg–Clearwater International Airport [17]
Flag of Florida.svg  Florida West Palm Beach Palm Beach International Airport
Flag of Georgia (U.S. state).svg Georgia Atlanta Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Flag of Louisiana.svg  Louisiana New Orleans Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport
Flag of Massachusetts.svg  Massachusetts Boston Logan International Airport
Flag of New Jersey.svg  New Jersey Newark Newark Liberty International Airport
Flag of Pennsylvania.svg  Pennsylvania Pittsburgh Pittsburgh International Airport [17]
Flag of Virginia.svg  Virginia Newport News Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport - Hub
Flag of West Virginia.svg  West Virginia Charleston Yeager Airport [18]

Historical fleet

People Express operated as a virtual airline exclusively flying Boeing 737-400 aircraft operated by Vision Airlines including Vision Airlines flight crew. [4] The aircraft were configured with 150 (12/138) seats. [4]

AircraftPassengersNotes
FCYTotal
Boeing 737-400 212138150Operated By Vision Airlines
Total2

Frequent flyer program

People Express' frequent flier program was called SMARTbank, and it also operated Club Travelati, a group for customers to receive special discounts. [19] In May 2012, the airline was fined by the United States Department of Transportation for violating a ban on premature advertising in connection with its solicitation for memberships in Club Travelati, of which the airline claimed to have sold over 130 before suspending sales at the end of March 2012. [20]

See also

Related Research Articles

Frontier Airlines is a major American ultra low-cost airline headquartered in Denver, Colorado. It operates flights to over 100 destinations throughout the United States and 31 international destinations, and employs more than 3,000 staff. The carrier is a subsidiary and operating brand of Indigo Partners, LLC, and maintains a hub at Denver International Airport with numerous focus cities across the US and Puerto Rico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MBS International Airport</span> Airport in Freeland, Michigan

MBS International Airport, located in Freeland, Michigan, is a commercial and general aviation airport serving the nearby cities of Midland, Bay City, and Saginaw. It is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2017–2021, in which it is categorized as a non-hub primary commercial service facility.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pittsburgh International Airport</span> Airport serving Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

Pittsburgh International Airport, originally Greater Pittsburgh Airport and later Greater Pittsburgh International Airport, is a civil-military international airport in Findlay Township and Moon Township, Pennsylvania, United States. About 10 miles (15 km) west of downtown Pittsburgh, it is the primary international airport serving the Greater Pittsburgh Region as well as adjacent areas in West Virginia and Ohio. The airport is owned and operated by the Allegheny County Airport Authority and offers passenger flights to destinations throughout North America and Europe. PIT has four runways and covers 10,000 acres (40 km2).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Wayne International Airport</span> Airport in Fort Wayne, Indiana, US

Fort Wayne International Airport lies eight miles southwest of Fort Wayne, in Allen County, Indiana, United States. It is owned by the Fort Wayne-Allen County Airport Authority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Pete–Clearwater International Airport</span> Third busiest airport serving the Tampa Bay area, Florida, United States

St. Pete–Clearwater International Airport is a public/military airport in Pinellas County, Florida, United States, serving the Tampa Bay Area. It is right on the northeast municipal boundary of Pinellas Park, 9 miles (14 km) north of downtown St. Petersburg, 7 miles (11 km) southeast of Clearwater, and 17 miles (27 km) southwest of Tampa.

US Airways was a major airline in the United States that operated from 1937 until it merged with American Airlines in 2015. It was originally founded in Pittsburgh as a mail delivery airline called All American Aviation, which soon became a commercial passenger airline. In 1953, it was renamed Allegheny Airlines and operated under that name for a quarter-century. In October 1979, after the passage of the Airline Deregulation Act, Allegheny Airlines changed its name to USAir. A decade later it had acquired Piedmont Airlines and Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA), and was one of the U.S.'s seven transcontinental legacy carriers. In 1997, it rebranded as US Airways.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lehigh Valley International Airport</span> Airport serving Hanover Township, Pennsylvania, USA

Lehigh Valley International Airport, formerly Allentown–Bethlehem–Easton International Airport, is a domestic airport located in Hanover Township in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. Lehigh Valley International Airport is located in the center of the Lehigh Valley, roughly 7 miles (11 km) northeast of Allentown, 4 miles (6.4 km) northwest of Bethlehem, and 11 miles (18 km) southwest of Easton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allegiant Air</span> American ultra-low-cost airline

Allegiant Air is a major American airline headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. The airline focuses on serving leisure traffic from small and medium-sized cities which it considers to be underserved, using a ultra low-cost business model with minimal inclusions in fares and a greater number of add-on fees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bishop International Airport</span> Airport in Flint, Michigan, United States

Bishop International Airport is a commercial and general aviation airport located in Flint, Michigan, United States. It is named after banker and General Motors board member Arthur Giles Bishop, who donated 220 acres of his farmland for the airport in 1928. It is located in southwestern Flint, and is surrounded by Flint Township to the north, east and west; and Mundy Township to the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport</span> Airport in Newport News, Virginia

Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport is in Newport News, Virginia, United States, and serves the Hampton Roads area along with Norfolk International Airport in Norfolk. The airport is owned and operated by the Peninsula Airport Commission, a political subdivision of the Commonwealth of Virginia. PHF covers 1,800 acres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bellingham International Airport</span> Airport in Washington, United States

Bellingham International Airport is three miles (5 km) northwest of Bellingham, in Whatcom County, Washington, United States. BLI covers 2,190 acres (886 ha) of land, and is the third-largest commercial airport in Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Colorado Regional Airport</span> Airport

Northern Colorado Regional Airport, formerly known as the Fort Collins–Loveland Municipal Airport, is a public use airport located nine nautical miles southeast of the central business district of Fort Collins and northeast of Loveland, both cities in Larimer County, Colorado, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vision Airlines</span> Defunct US regional airline, 1994–2017

Vision Airlines, formerly Vision Air, was an airline that had its operations headquartered in North Las Vegas, Nevada.

Mokulele Airlines is a regional airline operating in Hawaii. The airline scheduled inter-island and charter flights, primarily between smaller airports and its hubs at Kahului Airport on the island of Maui and Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu on the island of Oahu. The airline was acquired by Southern Airways Express in 2019 but continues to operate under its own brand. Both Southern Airways and Mokulele Airlines are subsidiaries of Surf Air Mobility, which purchased Southern in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Punta Gorda Airport (Florida)</span> Airport in Unincorporated Charlotte County, near Punta Gorda

Punta Gorda Airport is a public airport three miles east of Punta Gorda, in Charlotte County, Florida. It is owned by the Charlotte County Airport Authority and was formerly called Charlotte County Airport. The airport has mainly been used for general aviation, but has recently seen more scheduled airline service, with flights offered by Allegiant Air to fifty-one destinations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transportation in Hampton Roads</span>

Historically, the harbor was the key to the Hampton Roads area's growth, both on land and in water-related activities and events. Ironically, the harbor and its tributary waterways were both important transportation conduits and obstacles to other land-based commerce and travel. For hundreds of years, state and community leaders have worked to develop solutions to accommodate both.

Elite Airways was an airline based in the United States that operated charter and scheduled passenger flights. The airline was headquartered in Portland, Maine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">People Express Airlines (1980s)</span> Defunct low-cost airline in the United States (1981–1987)

People Express Airlines, stylized as PEOPLExpress, was a low-cost airline in the United States that operated from 1981 until it merged with Continental Airlines in 1987. Its headquarters was in the North Terminal of Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) in Newark, New Jersey.

OneJet is a defunct virtual airline that specialized in scheduled point-to-point flights operated by small business jets and regional aircraft. Flights were operated utilizing a public charter arrangement.

References

  1. Daily Press (December 20, 2014). "Year in Review: Newport News-Williamsburg airport loses People Express, Frontier Airlines and Allegiant". dailypress.com. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
  2. "PEOPLExpress evicted from Newport News/Williamsburg Airport". WTKR.com. January 23, 2015. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
  3. "New airline to be headquartered in NN". WAVY.com. February 13, 2012. Archived from the original on February 18, 2012. Retrieved February 17, 2012.
  4. 1 2 3 "Low-cost airline with familiar name hopes to fly". USA Today. February 14, 2012. Archived from the original on February 17, 2012. Retrieved February 17, 2012.
  5. 1 2 "People Express Attempts To Return". Aviation Week. February 14, 2012. Retrieved February 17, 2012.
  6. "New People Express faces delays". Pittsburgh Business Times. July 17, 2012.
  7. "PEOPLExpress Could Start Operations as Early as This Quarter". airchive.com. May 13, 2014. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
  8. "People Express expects CEO pick on the money". Daily Press. October 5, 2013. Retrieved October 5, 2013.
  9. "People Express announces flights from Newport News to Newark, Boston, Pittsburgh starting June 30".
  10. "People Express suspends service, to relaunch Oct. 16".
  11. Blachly, Linda (September 26, 2014). "PEOPLExpress to temporarily suspend service; plans to relaunch Oct. 16". Air Transport World . Archived from the original on October 12, 2014. Retrieved October 12, 2014. 
  12. Reynolds Hutchins (October 3, 2014). "PeoplExpress CEO breaks silence". The Virginian-Pilot.
  13. "Newport News-Williamsburg airport: People Express plan to resume service is delayed". Daily Press. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
  14. "PeopleExpress Evicted". WAVY-TV .
  15. 13News Now (January 22, 2015). "PEOPLExpress evicted from offices at Peninsula airport". WVEC. Retrieved February 22, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link).
  16. "Former head of defunct airline goes to prison for fraud in scandal at Newport News-Williamsburg airport". Williamsburg Yorktown Daily. February 21, 2020.
  17. 1 2 "Pittsburgh is PeoplExpress Airlines' 'major focus'". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. February 15, 2012. Archived from the original on February 18, 2012. Retrieved February 17, 2012.
  18. "New low-cost airline, PEOPLExpress, to launch in June". CNBC . May 30, 2014.
  19. "PEOPLExpress is Back in Business and Calling Virginia Home". Jaunted. February 14, 2012. Archived from the original on May 25, 2024. Retrieved February 18, 2012.
  20. Mutzabaugh, Ben (May 11, 2012). "DOT fines start-up PEOPLExpress, which has yet to fly". USA Today . Retrieved May 11, 2012.