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Shuttle America

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Shuttle America Corporation is a regional airline based in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. It feeds United Airlines flights at Chicago, Denver, and Washington (Dulles) as United Express, and feeds Delta Air Lines flights at Atlanta and New York as Delta Connection.

Shuttle America Airlines
File:Shuttleamericalogo.png
IATA ICAO Call sign
S5 TCF MERCURY[1]
Founded1995
HubsAs United Express:
Washington Dulles International Airport
Denver International Airport
O'Hare International Airport
As Delta Connection:
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Frequent-flyer programSkyMiles (Delta Connection)
Mileage Plus (United Express)
AllianceSkyTeam (Delta Connection)
Star Alliance (United Express)
Fleet size41
DestinationsSee Below
Parent companyRepublic Airways Holdings
HeadquartersIndianapolis, Indiana
Key peopleBryan Bedford (CEO)
Websitehttp://www.shuttleamerica.com

History

Shuttle America was established in 1995 and began operations on November 12, 1998 [2] as a low-fare commuter airline, headquartered in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, the location of Hartford's Bradley International Airport. Shuttle America's first route was Hartford, Connecticut to Buffalo, New York. Shuttle America got much publicity for their launch because of their "super-low $29 fares". Shuttle America's first aircraft was a 50-seat Bombardier Dash 8-311 with leather seats and a very creative and patriotic paint scheme. Shuttle America had rapid growth in its first year, adding more aircraft and destinations. [citation needed]

In 1999, Shuttle America made a controversial move to reach the Boston market. Instead of choosing the busy Logan Airport in East Boston, Shuttle America chose a nearby regional airport, Hanscom Field. Located in Bedford, Massachusetts, just 12 miles west of Boston, 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 served Buffalo, LaGuardia Airport in New York, Trenton, New Jersey, and Greensboro, North Carolina via Trenton. At that time Trenton, NJ was acting as a hub because of its central location in their route network.

Just before the September 11, 2001 attacks, Shuttle America went into bankruptcy and was purchased by Wexford Holdings LLC., who at the time also owned Chautauqua Airlines. Shuttle America then started flying as US Airways Express in a codeshare agreement, adding service to US Airways' hub in Philadelphia and seasonal service to Martha's Vineyard, MA. At the same time, Shuttle America was transitioning to the smaller Dash 8-100 and started taking deliveries of all the former Chautauqua Saab 340's. The Dash 8-100's had been leased from Allegheny Airlines and were a temporary stop gap measure to allow for the spool up of the Saab 340 fleet. The Dash 8-300's were eventually sold to various airlines including LIAT and Piedmont Airlines. In 2002, Shuttle America moved its headquarters to Fort Wayne, Indiana. The Bankruptcy led Shuttle America to transition from a local independent Airline to a nationwide regional partner with major airlines. In spring 2005, it was purchased by Republic Airways Holdings. [citation needed]

Operations

Shuttle America currently has four crew member bases: Atlanta; Columbus; Chicago; and Indianapolis. Its fleet comprises Embraer 170 jetliners with a two-cabin seating configuration, allowing for 6 seats in First Class and 64 seats in coach. These aircraft were initially operated by sister company Chautauqua Airlines, but Chautauqua was forced to transfer their 170s to Shuttle America after the pilots' union at American Airlines claimed the aircraft violated a "scope clause" regulating the size of regional aircraft operated by airlines that also operate under the American Airlines brand. [citation needed] Beginning in July, 2008, slightly larger Embraer 175 aircraft will begin to replace the Embraer 170 fleet.

Callsign

On July 3, 2007, Shuttle America received approval from the ICAO to change its ATC callsign from Shuttlecraft to Mercury. This change was necessary due to the similar sounding Air Shuttle callsign used by Mesa Airlines. The IDENT code remained the same as TCF.

Destinations

As of June 2008 [3]

Operated as United Express

Operated as Delta Connection

Fleet

 
Illustration of the Embraer series of aircraft amongst Shuttle America's fleet. Shuttle America no longer uses it's own aircraft livery as in the '90s but instead, the colour scheme and corporate image of the organizations it is operating under the name of.
[citation needed]
Type Total Passengers
(First Class/Economy) 		Routes
Embraer E-170-100SE 41
6/64
 Domestic & International short to medium haul routes

Incidents

References

  1. ^ ICAO8585 Edition 141
  2. ^ Flight International 12-18 April 2005
  3. ^ [1]Republic Airways fact sheet
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