SHUTTLE AMERICA: P. O. Box 3246, Windsor Locks, Connecticut 06096, United States; Phone (877) 247-7488; Http://www. airshut-tle. com; Code S5; Year Founded 1998. Shuttle America is established by David F. Hackett (a former strategic planner for Continental Airlines) and Gregory D. Aretakis at Windsor Locks in the fall of 1998 to offer deep-discount, ticketless travel to four points in the Northeast. Hackett becomes president, with Aretakis as vice president-management. Initial private capitalization is $8 million, supplemented by a $2-million grant from the state of Connecticut. A workforce of 300 is assembled, including 200 in the home state.
Employing a fleet of six de Havilland Canada DHC-8-300s, the new regional begins revenue flights on November 12 linking Hartford with Buffalo thrice daily and Wilmington five times a day). Service is started from Hartford to Norfolk four times a day on December 18.
Between Christmas and New Year’s Day, the carrier lifts restrictions on its lowest fares. Tickets are priced at $19 and $69 each way during the week.
Thrice-daily roundtrips commence between Trenton-Mercer County Airport in New Jersey and Buffalo, New York, on February 10, 1999. The same number of frequencies are started between Buffalo and Albany on April 6.
The carrier’s activities are significantly expanded on July 13. New thrice-daily DHC-8-300 return service is introduced from Long Is-land/Islip to Albany, with continuation to Buffalo. Additionally, twice-daily roundtrips begin from Long Island/Islip to Norfolk, Virginia Beach, and Williamsburg. Expanded service at Norfolk includes a new nonstop daily roundtrip to Hartford and also to Trenton, as well as one-stop service to Buffalo via Albany.
Enplanements for the year total 237,000.
The workforce totals 275 at the beginning of 2000.
Citing environmental concerns raised by the prospect of noise pollution to such historic areas as Minuteman Historical Park, lawyers representing the surrounding towns of Bedford, Lincoln, Lexington, and Concord petition the FA A to stop the company’s introduction of new service from Hanscom Field, north of Boston, to New York (LGA). The regulators agree and on September 11 order Shuttle America to postpone the launch for 30 days. The carrier, which had leased an extra aircraft to handle the route and had begun selling tickets, promises refunds to affected customers.
Four-times-a-day return service from Hanscom Field to La Guardia is introduced on October 11 and by October 13 five of the first eight flights have been sold out. On November 8, 10 additional daily roundtrips are introduced from Hanscom Field, including five to Buffalo via Hartford, four to Trenton and Wilmington, and one Buffalo nonstop.
As the result of a spring law allowing an increase in traffic, New York (LGA) has, by early December, added more than 200 new daily flights and requests have been made that will increase the daily total by almost 600. In an effort to handle an increase certain to exacerbate existing delays and congestion, the FAA and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey begin coordinating planning while imposing a September moratorium on new La Guardia flights.
On December 4, the FAA holds an action to distribute the available takeoff and landing slots. Each carrier serving the airport draws a certain number, with each then choosing lots for first choice of times for those slots. Shuttle America receives 14 of the new positions. On December 22, it is announced that the route from Hanscom Field into New York (LGA) will be expanded from five daily roundtrips on January 31 to seven.
Passenger boardings during these 12 months jump 4.9% to 245,312.
World History
