Allegheny Airlines

Allegheny Airlines

IATA AL ICAO ALO Callsign ALLEGHENY
Founded	1946 (as Reading Aviation Services)
Commenced operations	August 1957
Ceased operations	1979 (Name change to USAir, now US Airways)
Hubs	Allegheny County Airport (1946-1951) Pittsburgh International Airport (1951-1979)
Frequent-flyer program	USA Airways Dividend Miles
Fleet size	315
Destinations	31
Parent company	US Airways
Headquarters	Washington, D.C. Arlington, Virginia
Key people	Keith Houk (President)

Allegheny Airlines (IATA: AL, ICAO: ALO, Call sign: ALLEGHENY) was an airline operating out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, from 1952 to 1979. It was a forerunner of today’s US Airways. Its headquarters were located on the grounds of Washington National Airport in Arlington County, Virginia.

History

Allegheny Airlines began as All American Aviation Company, a business founded by du Pont family brothers Richard C. du Pont and Alexis Felix du Pont, Jr. in 1939.

Allegheny before 1979

Allegheny had 41 Convair 580 in the fleet in 1975.

Allegheny utilised the BAC 1-11 on its routes.

Allegheny had 36 Douglas DC-9 in its fleet.

The Airlines flew the Nord 262 as Allegheny Commuter.

An Allegheny BAC 1-11 with a new livery in 1975.

In 1949, the company was renamed All American Airways as it switched from airmail to passenger service. The company was again renamed, to Allegheny Airlines, in 1952; the 1950s began a period of significant growth for the airline.

In 1960 Allegheny had its headquarters in Washington, D.C.

In the early 1960s, Allegheny added the Convair 540 turboprop to its fleet. The aircraft proved to be unreliable, with many engine problems. Throughout the industry the company was jokingly referred to as "Agony Air". Shortly thereafter, the airline switched to General Motors/Allison turboprops, the Convair 580. This proved to be a great aircraft and is credited with much of the airline's growth.^{[citation needed]}

Allegheny Airlines also became one of the first airlines to create an affiliated branded network of regional airline carriers operating in unison with Allegheny. This was called the Allegheny Commuter System.

Also contributing to Allegheny’s growth were the acquisitions of regional carriers Lake Central Airlines in 1968 and Mohawk Airlines in 1972.

As deregulation dawned on the industry, Allegheny — looking to shed its regional image — changed its name to USAir on October 28, 1979.^{[citation needed]}

Revenue Passenger-Miles (Millions)

(Sched Service Only)

	Allegheny	Mohawk	Lake Central
1951	30	16	5
1955	56	49	17
1960	131	116	36
1965	289	348	95
1970	1683	566	(merged 1968)
1975	3272	(merged 1972)

(Mohawk was struck on 12 November 1970; the strike continued into 1971.)

“Allegheny” under USAir and US Airways

Allegheny Airlines DC-9-30, circa 1970

Allegheny Airlines BAC 1-11, circa 1979

After Allegheny Airlines rebranded itself as USAir as airline deregulation took effect, the company retained its earlier name for its Allegheny Commuter service, later renamed “US Airways Express”.

Under USAir, which again rebranded itself as US Airways, the Allegheny name continued to be used by the US Airways parent company, keeping the trademark under US Airways' control. That Allegheny division was headquartered on the grounds of Harrisburg International Airport in Lower Swatara Township, Pennsylvania, near Harrisburg, and primarily flew De Havilland Canada Dash 8 turboprop aircraft serving 35 destinations in the northeastern United States, and eventually Canada, from hubs at Boston and Philadelphia. Its activities and Dash 8 fleet were incorporated into Piedmont Airlines in 2004 to consolidate operations and costs. Today an Airbus A319 aircraft (N745VJ) of US Airways is painted in Allegheny colors.

Fleet

Allegheny Airlines Fleet

Aircraft	From	To	Fleet
Douglas DC-3	1953	1966	24
Martin 202	1955	1966	18
Convair 540	1959	1963	5
Convair 340	1960	1967	17
Convair 440	1962	1974	27
Fokker F27	1965	1974	27
Convair 580	1965	1978	40
Douglas DC-9-30	1966	1979	89
Douglas DC-9-50	1974	1978	8
Nord 262	1968	1977	13
Boeing 727-200	1970	1971	2
Boeing 727-100	1978	1979	11
BAC 1-11	1972	1979	31
Mohawk 298	1975	1979	9

Accidents and incidents

• On December 1, 1959, Allegheny Airlines Flight 371, a Martin 2-0-2, crashed into a mountain on approach Williamsport, Pennsylvania, United States, 25 fatalities.
• On December 24, 1968, Allegheny Airlines Flight 736, a Convair 580, crashed on approach to Bradford, PA, killing 20 of the 47 people on board.
• On January 6, 1969, Allegheny Airlines Flight 737, a Convair 580, crashed on approach to Bradford, PA, killing 11 of the 28 people on board.
• On September 9, 1969, Allegheny Airlines Flight 853, a DC-9 en route from Cincinnati to Indianapolis, collided with a small private plane and crashed into a soybean field southeast of Indianapolis, near Shelbyville, killing all 83 people aboard both aircraft.
• On June 7, 1971, Allegheny Airlines Flight 485, a Convair 580, enroute from Washington DC to New Haven CT (via New London, CT) crashed short of the runway at New Haven. 26 passengers and 2 crew members were killed; Two passengers and one crew member survived. Pilot Error was the cause of the crash.

References

• Eastwood, Tony; Roach, John (1991). Piston Engine Airliner Production List. West Drayton, England: The Aviation Hobby Shop. ISBN 0-907178-37-5. 

External links

• Media related to Allegheny Airlines at Wikimedia Commons
• Allegheny Airlines Flight 853 Memorial website by Dan McGlaun on the September 9, 1969 crash near Indianapolis