Shuttle America

Infobox_Airline
airline=Shuttle America Airlines

logo_size=171
fleet_size=41
destinations=See Below
IATA=S5
ICAO=TCF
callsign=MERCURY [ICAO8585 Edition 141]
parent=Republic Airways Holdings
founded=1995
key_people=Bryan Bedford (CEO)
headquarters=Indianapolis, Indiana
hubs=As United Express:
Washington Dulles International Airport
Denver International Airport
O'Hare International Airport
As Delta Connection:
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
frequent_flyer=SkyMiles (Delta Connection)
Mileage Plus (United Express)
lounge=Crown Room Club
(Delta Connection)
Red Carpet Club
(United Express)
alliance=SkyTeam (Delta Connection)
Star Alliance (United Express)
website=http://www.shuttleamerica.com

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 (LaGuardia) as Delta Connection.

History

Shuttle America was established in 1995 and began operations on November 12, 1998 [Flight International 12-18 April 2005] 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. Fact|date=February 2007

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 Pittsburgh 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. Fact|date=February 2007

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. Fact|date=February 2007 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. However, prior to the changing of the ICAO to Mercury it was changed to Crossroads, but the word cross was confusing to air traffic controllers. 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 October 2008" [ [http://www.rjet.com/pdf/RAFactsheet.pdf] Republic Airways fact sheet]

Operated as United Express

* Albuquerque, New Mexico – Albuquerque International Sunport
* Atlanta, Georgia – Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
* Austin, Texas – Austin-Bergstrom International Airport
* Cedar Rapids, Iowa – The Eastern Iowa Airport
* Chicago, Illinois – O'Hare International Airport
* Columbus, Ohio – Port Columbus International Airport
* Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas – Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport
* Denver, Colorado – Denver International Airport
* Des Moines, Iowa – Des Moines International Airport
* Edmonton, Alberta – Edmonton International Airport
* Fort Myers, Florida – Southwest Florida International Airport
* Grand Rapids, Michigan – Gerald R. Ford International Airport
* Halifax, Nova Scotia – Halifax Robert L. Stanfield International Airport
* Hartford, Connecticut/Springfield, Massachusetts – Bradley International Airport
* Houston, Texas – George Bush Intercontinental Airport
* Indianapolis, Indiana – Indianapolis International Airport
* Kansas City, Missouri – Kansas City International Airport
* Louisville, Kentucky – Louisville International Airport
* Miami, Florida – Miami International Airport
* Minneapolis/Saint Paul, Minnesota – Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport
* Montréal, Quebec – Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport
* Myrtle Beach, South Carolina – Myrtle Beach International Airport "weekends only"
* New Orleans, Louisiana – Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport
* New York, New York – John F. Kennedy International Airport
* Norfolk, Virginia – Norfolk International Airport
* Ottawa, Ontario – Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport
* Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – Pittsburgh International Airport
* Québec City, Québec – Québec/Jean Lesage International Airport
* Toronto, Ontario – Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International Airport
* Washington, D.C. Area, Virginia – Washington Dulles International Airport
* White Plains, New York – Westchester County Airport

Operated as Delta Connection

* Atlanta, Georgia – Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
* Austin, Texas – Austin-Bergstrom International Airport "Tue/Wed"
* Birmingham, Alabama – Birmingham International Airport
* Charleston, South Carolina – Charleston International Airport "weekends only"
* Chicago, Illinois – Chicago Midway International Airport
* Columbia, South Carolina – Columbia Metropolitan Airport
* Columbus, Ohio – Port Columbus International Airport
* Detroit, Michigan – Detroit Metropolitan Airport
* Greenville/Spartanburg, South Carolina – Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport
* Houston, Texas
**George Bush Intercontinental Airport "Tue/Wed'
**Houston Hobby Airport
* Huntsville, Alabama – Huntsville International Airport
* Indianapolis, Indiana – Indianapolis International Airport
* Kingston, Jamaica – Norman Manley International Airport "3x per week"
* Knoxville, Tennessee – McGhee Tyson Airport
* Little Rock, Arkansas – Little Rock National Airport "Oct. 2-18"
* Louisville, Kentucky – Louisville International Airport "select days"
* Memphis, Tennessee – Memphis International Airport "weekends only"
* Milwaukee, Wisconsin – General Mitchell International Airport "weekends only"
* Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minnesota – Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport
* Mobile, Alabama – Mobile Regional Airport
* Monterrey, Mexico – General Mariano Escobedo International Airport
* Nashville, Tennessee – Nashville International Airport
* New Orleans, Louisiana – Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport
* New York City, New York
** John F. Kennedy International Airport
** LaGuardia Airport
* Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – Pittsburgh International Airport "Oct. 18 only"
* San Antonio, Texas – San Antonio International Airport "weekends only"
* St. Louis, Missouri – Lambert-St. Louis International Airport "weekends only"
* Tallahassee, Florida – Tallahassee Regional Airport "Sundays only"
* Washington, D.C. area – Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
* White Plains, New York – Westchester County Airport

Fleet

The Shuttle America fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of 12 September 2008) [http://www.ch-aviation.ch/aircraft.php?search=set&airline=S5&al_op=1] :

Incidents

*On February 18, 2007, Shuttle America, operating as Delta Connection flight 6448, skidded off the runway and crashed through a fence while landing on runway 28 at 3:14pm at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport at the end of the Delta Connection flight from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. None of the 70 passengers and four crew on board the Embraer 170 were reported injured.

External links

* [http://www.shuttleamerica.com/ Shuttle America]
* [http://www.rjet.com/ Republic Airways Holdings]

References