Shuttle America
 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Founded | 1995 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commenced operations | November 12, 1998 | ||||||
| Ceased operations | January 30, 2017 (merged intoRepublic Airways) | ||||||
| Hubs | |||||||
| Frequent-flyer program | |||||||
| Alliance | |||||||
| Fleet size | 113 | ||||||
| Parent company | Republic Airways Holdings | ||||||
| Headquarters | Indianapolis,Indiana,U.S. | ||||||
| Key people | Bryan Bedford (CEO) | ||||||
| Founder | David Hackett | ||||||
| Website | www | ||||||
Shuttle America Corporationwas aregional airlinein theUnited Statesbased inIndianapolis,Indiana,[2].It fedUnited Airlinesflights atChicago O'Hare International Airport(ORD) andHouston George Bush Intercontinental Airport(IAH) under theUnited Expressbrand, as well asDelta Air Linesflights atAtlanta(ATL),New York-LaGuardia(LGA), andNew York-JFKunder theDelta Connectionbrand. Shuttle America also operated two of threeDelta ShuttleEast Coast routes, servingWashington, D.C.,andChicagofrom New York-LaGuardia.
Shuttle America merged intoRepublic Airwayson January 31, 2017.
History
[edit]
Shuttle America was established in 1995 by former CEO David Hackett, and began operations on November 12, 1998,[3]as a low-fare commuter airline, headquartered inWindsor Locks, Connecticut,the location of Hartford'sBradley International Airport.Shuttle America's first route wasHartford, Connecticut,toBuffalo, New York.Shuttle America got much publicity for their launch because of their "super-low $29 fares". Shuttle America's first aircraft; registered N801SA, was a 50-seatBombardier Dash 8-300with leather seats and a very creative and patriotic paint scheme. Shuttle America had rapid growth in its first year, adding more aircraft and destinations.[4]
In 1999, Shuttle America made a controversial move to reach theBostonmarket. Instead of choosing the busyLogan Airportin East Boston, Shuttle America chose a nearby regional airport,Hanscom Field.Located inBedford, Massachusetts,just 12 miles (19 km) west ofBoston,it had amenities not found at the larger Logan Airport. With free parking, rental cars, and convenience to the I-95 highway, it was promoted as "Hassle-free Hanscom Field". From Hanscom, Shuttle America servedBuffalo,LaGuardia Airportin New York,Trenton, New Jersey,andGreensboro, North Carolina,via Trenton. At that timeTrenton, New Jersey,was acting as a hub because of its central location in their route network.
At the peak time of their operation without codeshares, the airline was flying six Dash 8-300 aircraft and transported over 3000 passengers per day. Additional destinations in their route network during this time period includeAlbany, New York,Islip, New York,Norfolk, Virginia,andWilmington, Delaware.Despite the success in quickly expanding throughout the region, the airline attained financial trouble with its growth.
In 2001, Shuttle America was purchased by Wexford Holdings LLC., who at the time also ownedChautauqua Airlines.Shuttle America then started flying asUS Airways Expressin a codeshare agreement, adding service toUS Airways'PhiladelphiaandPittsburghhubs as well as seasonal service toMartha's Vineyard, MA.At the same time, Shuttle America was transitioning to the smaller Dash 8-100 and started taking deliveries of former ChautauquaSaab 340aircraft. The Dash 8-100's had been leased fromAllegheny Airlinesand were a temporary stop gap measure to allow for the spool up of the Saab 340 fleet. Eventually, the Dash 8-300's were sold to various airlines includingCaribbean StarandPiedmont Airlineswhile the independent branding of Shuttle America was phased out in lieu of a full network of codeshares with US Airways andUnited Airlineswith subsequent route changes to feed those carriers. In 2002, Shuttle America moved its headquarters toFort Wayne, Indiana.In spring 2005, it was purchased byRepublic Airways Holdingsfor $1 million. Headquarters were moved from Fort Wayne to Republic's Indianapolis base shortly afterwards, and the Saab 340 fleet was replaced byEmbraer 170aircraft operating forDelta ConnectionandUnited Express.
In October 2008, a short-lived operating partnership was established withMokulele Airlinesto feed their hub inHonoluluwith three aircraft. These Embraer 170 aircraft operated in the livery of Mokulele Airlines until October 2009, when Republic entered into a new joint venture agreement withMesa Air Group,with the latter airline'sCanadair Regional Jetaircraft operating jet flights within Hawaii.[5]
In an effort to reduce costs, parent company Republic Airways Holdings announced in 2014 that it would begin the process of merging subsidiaries Republic Airlines, Shuttle America and Chautauqua Airlines. Republic Airways Holdings merged Shuttle America andChautauqua Airlinesby the end of 2014 to reduce costs.[6]As Republic Airways Holdings entered bankruptcy protection in February 2016, they announced that they would be merging the Shuttle America certificate into Republic Airlines operations.
Shuttle America operated its lastEmbraer ERJ-145service on September 30, 2016.
On the evening of January 30, 2017, Shuttle America ceased operations and all remaining aircraft and crew were transferred to the Republic Airways Inc. certificate. This was intended to allow reduced costs as Republic Airways Holdings operates a single airline, with a single aircraft type, for the 3 major codeshares, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, and United Airlines.
Operations
[edit]Shuttle America had five crew member bases at the time of its merger into Republic: Columbus, Chicago O'Hare, Indianapolis, Newark, and New York-LaGuardia. Its fleet was made up solely ofEmbraer E170jetliners with a two-cabin seating configuration. For United Airlines, Shuttle America operated the E170 in a two-class configuration of 6 First Class seats, and 64 economy. For Delta Air Lines, Shuttle America operated the E170 and the larger E-175 aircraft. Both of these aircraft consisted of a two-class configuration, with the E170 consisting of 9 first class seats, and 60 economy seats, while the larger E175 aircraft consists of 12 first class seats and 64 economy. These aircraft were initially operated by sister companyChautauqua Airlines,but Chautauqua was forced to transfer their 170s to Shuttle America after the pilots' union atAmerican Airlinesclaimed the aircraft violated a "scope clause"regulating the size of regional aircraft operated by airlines that also operate under theAmerican AirlinesIATA airline designator code. Beginning in July, 2008, slightly largerEmbraer E175aircraft began to replace theEmbraer E170fleet in service with Delta. Towards the end of 2008, the airline achieved a major feat by being chosen to replaceDelta Shuttle's MD-88 operations between New York'sLaGuardia Airportand WashingtonReagan National Airporton the same hourly schedule that Delta has operated with larger aircraft for decades. Beginning June, 2010, new flights by Shuttle America on behalf of Delta Shuttle served Chicago'sO'Hare International Airportfrom New York-LaGuardia with 11 round trips per day.
Callsign
[edit]On July 3, 2007, Shuttle America received approval from the ICAO to change itsATC callsignfrom Shuttlecraft to Mercury. However, prior to the changing of the callsign to Mercury it was changed to Crossroads, but the word "cross" caused confusion between aircraft and air traffic control ( "cross" being a common phrase when taxiing aircraft, i.e. "Cross runway 25L" ). This change was necessary due to the similar-sounding Air Shuttle callsign used byMesa Airlines.The IDENT code remained the same as TCF. The IATA code of the airline has remained S5 through this time.
Crew bases
[edit]
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania –Pittsburgh Intl Airport2001–2005, USAir Express SF-340A
- Trenton, New Jersey –Mercer County Airport2001–2004, USAir Express SF-340A
- Fairfax, VA –Dulles Intl Airport2004–2005, United Express SF-340A
- Chicago, Illinois –O'Hare International Airport
- Columbus, Ohio –John Glenn Columbus International Airport
- Indianapolis, Indiana –Indianapolis International Airport
- Newark, New Jersey –Newark Liberty International Airport
- New York City-LaGuardia, New York –LaGuardia Airport
Fleet
[edit]As of January 2017, the Shuttle America fleet consisted of the following aircraft:[7]
| Aircraft | Total | Orders | Passengers | Operated For | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F | Y+ | Y | Total | |||||
| Embraer E170 | 5 | — | 6 | 16 | 48 | 70 | United Express | Transferred toRepublic Airways |
| 14 | — | 9 | 12 | 69 | Delta Connection Delta Shuttle |
2 planes onwet leasefromRepublic Airways | ||
| Embraer E175 | 16 | — | 12 | 12 | 52 | 76 | ||
| Total | 35 | — | ||||||
Incidents
[edit]Although Shuttle America was never involved in a fatal accident, it has been involved in several mishaps, notably:
- On June 8, 2005: Shuttle America flight 7534, aUnited ExpressSaab 340Areported undercarriage problems on approach to Washington Dulles International Airport. Undercarriage collapsed on landing, aircraft skidded off the runway, and onto grass. No fatalities were reported but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.[8]
- On February 18, 2007, Shuttle America flight 6448, aDelta ConnectionEmbraer E-170aircraft skidded off the snow covered 6,017 foot runway due to pilot error/fatigue and crashed through a fence while landing on runway 28 at 3:14pm atCleveland Hopkins International Airport.The flight was arriving fromHartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.None of the 70 passengers and four crew on board the flight were reported injured.[9]
- On February 27, 2012, Shuttle America flight 5124, aUnited ExpressEmbraer E-170aircraft operating a flight from Atlanta made an emergency landing atNewark Liberty International Airportafter the pilots received an unsafe nose gear indication on approach; a fly-by of the tower confirmed the nose gear was retracted. The aircraft subsequently came to rest on runway 22L supported only by its main landing gear. The 66 passengers and 4 crew escaped uninjured.[9]
- On June 13, 2013, a Shuttle AmericaEmbraer E-170aircraft departingLaGuardia Airportwas involved in a near-miss with aDelta Air LinesBoeing 747arriving atJohn F. Kennedy International Airport.Both aircraft were turning away from each other when they lost the required separation distance.[10]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ICAO8585 Edition 141
- ^"Contact UsArchived2009-04-30 at theWayback Machine."Republic Airways Holdings.Retrieved on May 19, 2009.
- ^Flight International12–18 April 2005
- ^"Shuttle America Fleet of DH8 (History)".Airfleets.Retrieved2010-03-25.
- ^"Mokulele, go! airlines merging".Honolulu Star-Bulletin.2009-10-13.Retrieved2009-11-13.
- ^"Shuttle America To Absorb Chautauqua Airlines".
- ^"Shuttle America Fleet".ch-aviation.ch-aviation.Retrieved5 July2015.
- ^"Metro".The Washington Post.
- ^abRiddle University, Embry (26 Jan 2008)."Runway Overrun During Landing Shuttle America, Inc. Doing Business as Delta Connection Flight 6448"(PDF).
- ^FAA investigates near-miss by 2 planes over NYC.CBS News (2013-06-21). Retrieved on 2013-08-16.
11.https://libraryonline.erau.edu/online-full-text/ntsb/aircraft-accident-reports/AAR08-01.pdf
External links
[edit]
