As of November 2013[update] Silver Airways received $20,515,042 in annual Federal subsidies for Essential Air Services that it provided to rural airports in the United States.[4]
On December 15, 2011, the airline was re-branded as Silver Airways. That same day, they took delivery of one of six recently-purchased Saab 340B+ aircraft.[6] Upon the merger of Continental Airlines into United Airlines on April 1, 2012, Silver operated as United Express until the affiliation with United ended in July, 2013.[7]
In the first half of 2012, Silver Airways made several moves to turn itself around. Its maintenance facilities were moved from Fort Lauderdale to Gainesville Regional Airport, taking over the former Eclipse Aviation facility that had remained vacant since 2009.[8] It purchased six more Saab 340B+ aircraft bringing the Saab fleet to 12.[9] Scheduled service on the Saabs started on the Florida and Bahamas routes. Shortly after, routes were added from Gainesville Regional Airport to Orlando International Airport and Tampa International Airport began.[10]
In late 2011, Silver Airways began a new operation in Montana, serving eight cities from a hub at Billings. Seven of the eight cities were served through government subsidies by way of Essential Air Service contracts. The Montana operation lasted for two years, ending by mid 2013.[14]
On February 11, 2013, Victory Park Capital announced it had hired industry veteran Dave Pflieger to strengthen and grow the airline.[15] On June 28, 2013, Silver Airways announced that it would cease Montana operations over the next few months.[16] The announcement came on the heels of the Department of Transportation's (DOT) decision to eliminate subsidized service in two key Montana communities, Lewistown and Miles City. Service ended after the last flights on July 15, 2013, for Lewistown and Miles City.[16] To ensure no interruption of service and a smooth transition for the flying public in the remaining Montana markets serviced by Silver Airways, Silver continued its operations in those communities until such time as the DOT awarded the routes to another airline and the new carrier started service to those communities.[16]
In September 2013, Silver Airways announced an expansion of its intra-Florida and Florida-Bahamas network.[17] In 2013, Silver Airways was named one of the Top 10 Best U.S. Airlines in the Condé Nast Traveler's 26th annual Readers' Choice Awards.[18]
Interior cabin of the ATR 72-600
In the first half of 2014, Silver Airways made several network changes. It ended Beechcraft 1900 operations in Cleveland's EAS network.[19] Then, Silver Airways closed much of its Atlanta network and redeployed its aircraft to other markets.[20] In February 2014, the airline and its owners, Victory Park Capital, announced they had obtained up to $73 million in additional financing from GB Credit Partners, LLC, the investment management affiliate of Gordon Brothers Group and Crystal Financial LLC.[21] Plans were also made to strengthen its core network and Saab 340B+ fleet.[22] In March 2014, Silver Airways completed its first ever IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA).[23]
In May 2014, Silver announced a new partnership with JetBlue.[24] In May 2014, Silver Airways announced it was a new stand-alone airline after the launch of its own independent reservations system. CEO Dave Pflieger described the airline as a hybrid carrier, part start-up, part turnaround, both independent, and a partner to a larger airline (United). He also noted that it was "rationalizing" its fleet and network and "only flying where it makes sense,” so the airline could not only meet but exceed guests' expectations and continue to grow the airline.[25]
On February 27, 2015, Silver Airways previewed its new maintenance headquarters at Orlando International Airport. The project is a complete renovation that will be home to a 38,000 square-foot maintenance, repair and overhaul facility that includes two large aircraft hangars, each capable of housing three to four aircraft, as well as office space. Silver Airways has committed to a long-term 30-year lease from the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority to headquarter its new maintenance facility in Orlando.[27] In August 2015, Silver Airways ended its Gainesville service, several months after missing and restructuring payments on its Gainesville maintenance hangar.[28]
On March 2, 2016, Silver Airways filed an application with the U.S. Department of Transportation to provide service from five Florida cities to ten Cuban cities.[29][30] However, later, Silver Airways was only granted nine Cuban cities, being denied a Havana route.[31][32][33]
On June 2, 2016, Silver Airways, Great Lakes Airlines and Frontier Airlines announced a partnership for recruiting pilots.[34] On September 13, 2016, it was announced that a majority stake of Silver Airways has been acquired by a private equity firm Versa Capital Management LLC in Philadelphia.[35] On August 1, 2017, Silver Airways announced an order for 20 ATR-42-600 aircraft, with options for up to 30 more.[citation needed]
On April 23, 2018, Silver Airways announced the acquisition of Seaborne Airlines, a San Juan-based airline serving the Caribbean.[36] In November 2019, Silver Airways created a codeshare partnership with Delta Air Lines and American Airlines to provide single ticket booking with baggage transfers to destinations in the Caribbean.[37][38]
In March 2020, Silver announced the introduction of its own services to its San Juan base previously acquired along with its subsidiary Seaborne Airlines, with routes from San Juan launching in phases between March and July 2020 as more of the airline's ATR 42-600 aircraft would be delivered.[42]
On November 9, 2021, Silver Airways began contract flying for Amazon Air with feeder flights from Albuquerque and Des Moines to Amazon's hub at the Fort Worth Alliance Airport near Fort Worth, Texas. Silver is using two ATR-72-500 aircraft configured for airfreight operations and painted with Amazon's "Prime Air" logo.[43] However, Amazon cut ties with Silver in July 2023, ending the airline's cargo services.[44]
Facilities
The airline headquarters are located 2850 Greene St. Hollywood, FL 33020 in unincorporatedBroward County, Florida,[3][45][46] near Fort Lauderdale. Previously its headquarters were in Dania Beach, Florida,[45][47] also near Fort Lauderdale.[48] The airline also maintains a maintenance facility at Orlando International Airport in a facility previously utilized by Comair.[49] In April 2023, the company faced eviction from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport for failure to pay rent since 2021.[50]
Destinations
Over its history, Silver Airways has domestically operated both scheduled commercial flights originating from its Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, and Tampa hubs in Florida, as well as Essential Air Services based in Atlanta (Georgia), Billings (Montana), Boston (Massachusetts), Cleveland (Ohio), and Washington D.C. Internationally, the airline operates services between Florida and the Bahamas, and in March 2020 began its own operations based in San Juan (Puerto Rico) to surrounding destinations in the Caribbean, alongside those of its subsidiary Seaborne Airlines.
The following table lists destinations served or previously served by the airline as of July2023[update]:[51]
Silver Airways does not participate in any major global airline alliances, but the airline has interline and codeshare agreements with several airlines. Many of the following airlines are also members of global airline alliances:
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