MOUNTAIN AIR EXPRESS (1): United States (1996-1998). With its headquarters at Colorado Springs, MAX is established at Denver in early August 1996 as a regional subsidiary of Western Pacific Airlines (Westpac). The new regional is owned and financed by Westpac and private investors; Western Pacific Chairman/CEO Ed Beauvais holds the same post with this carrier, with Thomas McClain as president. Orders are placed for 12 Fairchild Dornier 328-120s, 2 of which arrive by December 1. The aircraft are painted in a snow-white livery with titles and a huge, stylized “X” on their tails.
Plans call for scheduled feeder services to six Colorado ski destinations to commence three days later. Unhappily, FAA certification of the new entrant is delayed and in the interim until December 15, service is provided under contract by United Airlines.
When company flights do begin, they are conducted to the airports at communities close to six major ski resorts: Aspen (Snowmass), Du-rango-La Plata County Airport (Purgatory), Eagle (Vail), Gunnison (Crested Butte), Hayden (Steamboat Springs), and Montrose (Telluride). Within 3 days, MAX is operating 25 daily roundtrips from Colorado Springs.
Two more 328-120s arrive early in 1997 and the schedule is increased upward to 50 flights per day for the remainder of the winter season. Flights to Santa Fe are inaugurated at the end of the first quarter following the arrival of the fifth Dornier.
On June 29, this Westpac subsidiary follows its parent’s move to the new Denver International Airport. The number of weekday frequencies from Colorado Springs is reduced to 19 while those at DIA total 29.
During July, the company unveils a Dornier 328-120 “logoprop” that has been given a color scheme publicizing the Frontier Days celebration of Cheyenne, Wyoming. In the style of Westpac’s “logojets,” an image of a cowboy riding a bucking bull adorns the aircraft’s tail.
By August 1, Westpac and MAX together are offering 70 weekday departures from Denver International Airport to 26 markets. Following the failure of a planned merger between Westpac and Frontier Airlines (2) at the end of September, the former declares Chapter XI bankruptcy on October 5.
Westpac continues to operate while reorganizing. All jet service to Colorado Springs is eliminated, replaced by five additional daily Dornier 328 flights between the old hub and the new Denver consolidation point.
MAX itself declares bankruptcy in November. A group of investors, MAX Acquisition Group, steps forward at month’s end and begins to pump $2 million into the carrier to keep it from shutting down. It will prove fortuitous that, at year’s end, United Airlines cancels its contract with United Express (Mesa Air Group) for operations out of Denver and Colorado Springs.
A total of 159,948 passengers are flown during the year.
As 1998 begins, airline employment at failing MAX stands at 300 and the company, to keep its certificate valid, flies one flight daily from Denver to four other communities, including Colorado Springs. MAX assets continue to dwindle; the city of Colorado Springs alone is owned $104,000 for landing fees. By the end of January, the company has only $11,000 in cash on hand and a hearing is scheduled for March 5 before U. S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Sidney Brooks on March 5 concerning liquidation.
In need of additional capacity to take over the routes United has cancelled with Mesa, “United Express” operator Air Wisconsin steps in on February 23 and purchases MAX. Pledging to retain the carrier’s workers, Air Wisconsin pays MAX Acquisition Group $1.5 million. President McClain agrees to stay on during the transition period.
With the transaction completed, Air Wisconsin begins to retrain MAX pilots and repaints the four Dorniers in “United Express” colors. New routes are added to additional cities in Colorado and Wyoming and the entire company is flying as “United Express” by April 20. Orders are placed for six additional Dorniers, four of which join the fleet June 10, when the transition to Air Wisconsin is completed.
MOUNTAIN AIR EXPRESS (2): 3250 Airflite Way, Long Beach, California 90807, United States; Phone (562) 869-4128; Http://www. mountainairexpress. com; Year Founded 1998. MAX-2 is established at Long Beach in late 1998 to operate executive and small group passenger charters, including many on behalf of Mountain Air Tours. Revenue flights begin with a fleet of 1 each Merlin 11B, Cessna 401, C-402, C-421, and Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain. When flights demand larger capacity or longer range, the company is able to acquire the use of a Fairchild Metro III and Cessna Citation bizjets. From Long Beach, Fresno, and San Jose, Mountain Air Tours organizes flights to Mammoth Lakes, Grand Canyon, Reno, Catalina, and South Lake Tahoe.
World History
