States; Phone (505) 326-4410; Fax (505) 326-4485; http:// www. americawest. com;Http://www. mesa-air. com; Code HP; Year Founded 1997. During the first week of January 1997, Mesa Air Group is again reorganized. The operating divisions Desert Sun, Florida Gulf, Liberty Express, and Mountain West are replaced by four new units: America West Express, Independent, United Express, and USAir Express. Also merged into the new divisions are the marketing and customer service departments of Air Midwest and WestAir Commuter Airlines.
Desert Sun Airlines (2), the company tasked with flying America West Fokker 70 jet service from Phoenix, and Mountain West Airlines (4) are thus combined into America West Express, with former Mountain West CEO Michael Lewis in charge. While Mesa Air Group as a whole upgrades to FAR 121 status, the new unit takes over the 10-year America West Airlines contract, which requires 97% service completion reliability.
Services to Seattle, Spokane, Fresno, Des Moines, and Las Vegas continue even as plans move forward to replace the Fokkers with Canadair regional jets.
The initial CRJ200ERs arrive in late June painted in the new color scheme of America West Airlines with America West Express billboard-sized titles painted along their sides. They commence revenue services on July 7 from Phoenix to Des Moines, replacing the Fokker 70s. Later in the fall, one of the new CRJ200ERs unveils the unit’s distinctive new color scheme.
Training backlogs result in Beech 1900D crew shortages, which begin to impact service reliability.
With CRJ200ERs unable to operate successfully out of Aspen in winter conditions, the carrier, on December 17, inaugurates thrice-daily nonstops from Phoenix to Aspen with DHC-8-200s; simultaneously, twice-daily flights begin from Aspen to Phoenix. Unfortunately, service completion reliability as a whole falls to 95%, three points below the minimum required.
Disappointed with the service it has received from Mesa, America West Airlines determines during the first quarter of 1998 to conclude its code-sharing agreement with Mesa Air Group, effective April 2. When it is learned that former Mesa executive vice president and current Virgin Express Airlines, S. A. CEO, Jonathan Ornstein, has become involved with Mesa on a management basis, AWA relents, agreeing to rescind the termination notice and enter into an interim dual-designator pact. A long-term code-sharing alliance will be negotiated after Ornstein takes over as Mesa’s CEO in May.
A new, six-year code-sharing agreement with America West Airlines is announced on July 23. Focusing initially on America West’s hub at Phoenix, the agreement contemplates adding regional operations in Las Vegas and Columbus, Ohio. Additionally, Mesa’s Beech 1900s will be withdrawn in favor of CRJs and DHC-8s, which will reach totals of 12 and 14, respectively, by the end of 1999.
Frequencies to Des Moines and Fresno are increased during August. Twice-daily Beech 1900D nonstops commence on September 14 from Phoenix to Hermosillo and Guaymas in northern Mexico. On the same day, four-times-a-day nonstop DHC-8-202 roundtrips are started from Phoenix to Bakersfield, California. Twice-daily nonstop DHC-8-202 roundtrips begin on September 17 from Phoenix to Gunnison, Colorado.
Daily DHC-8-202 roundtrips commence on October 26 from Phoenix to Hayden and Steamboat Springs and to Eagle and Vail, Colorado.
Under terms of its new accord with America West Airlines, America West Express (Mesa Air Group) assigns 4 new CRJ200s necessary for the expansion to the major’s Columbus, Ohio, hub as they become available. The first of the new Ohio-based CRJs are employed, beginning on October 29, to double frequencies to Baltimore and Philadelphia from two flights per day to four.
Additionally, a third daily flight is started to Boston and a fourth to New York (LG A). Frequencies to Chicago (MDW) are advanced to seven-per-day. These latter services will be operated by a mix of CRJs and larger America West jets and will be expanded again in January.
On November 16, the company announces that it will provide four daily CRJ roundtrips between Phoenix and Monterey, California, beginning on February 1.
At the end of the year, America West Express visits 32 cities in Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Washington, D. C., and northern Mexico.
As announced, frequencies to Chicago are expanded in January 1999 and four daily CRJ roundtrips between Phoenix and Monterey start on February 1.
Thrice-daily CRJ roundtrips commence on March 24 between Phoenix and Midland and Odessa, Texas. Two additional daily CRJ roundtrips are added on March 27 between Phoenix and El Paso.
Daily CRJ roundtrips are introduced on April 4 between Phoenix and San Luis Obispo and Carlsbad and Oceanside, California.
The Mesa Airlines, Air Midwest, and CCAir divisions of Mesa Air Group all complete 100% of their flights on May 2. To celebrate this achievement, President/CEO Ornstein, on May 6, hosts a company-wide pizza party, ordering pizza for all 3,800 employees in every unit spread over 100 locations.
Capacity from Bakersfield, California, is increased by 75% on June 26 with the introduction of two additional DHC-8-202 roundtrips to Phoenix, along with a new daily nonstop roundtrip to Las Vegas.
Twice-daily CRJ roundtrips commence on September 11 between Phoenix and Eugene, Oregon; a third frequency is added on October 1. Complementing the major’s two daily roundtrips between Phoenix and Wichita, AWE adds a third CRJ service the same day. CRJ200ER daily roundtrips begin on October 31 from Las Vegas to Santa Barbara.
To complement the major’s twice-daily return flights, twice-daily CRJ200ER roundtrips commence on June 20, 2000 from Columbus to Hartford. A new four-times-a-day CRJ return service from Las Vegas to Columbus begins on July 1.
Twice-daily nonstop DHC-8-200 roundtrips commence on September 6 between Phoenix and Oxnard, California. Three days later, new thrice-daily Beech 1900D roundtrips are started from the Arizona hub to Santa Fe. Daily CRJ200ER roundtrips from Phoenix to Guadalajara commence on September 13.
AMERICAIR: United States (1983-1984). With a base at Washington, D. C. (lAD), David Sullivan’s AmericAir, marketing itself as the “Airlink to the Nation’s Capital,” inaugurates scheduled daily roundtrip passenger services to Atlantic City on March 15, 1983.
Employing 1 Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander, 1 Cessna 402, and 2 Cessna 210s, the company also undertakes shuttle flights to Washington, D. C. (DCA) and Baltimore (BWI) on behalf of British Airways, Ltd. (2). Scheduled operations are discontinued late in the year.
Plans are made in spring 1984 to resume service from Washington,
D. C. (lAD) to Richmond, Virginia, in May, but these can only be maintained for a few months.
World History
