Command Airways

Command Airways was a regional airline based at the Dutchess County Airport in Wappinger, New York, just outside Poughkeepsie where it began operations in 1965 as Mid-Hudson Airlines[1].

In 1984 it began transitioning into operating in affiliation with American Airlines, much like AmericanConnection does today. By maintaining independent management and separate ownership, it continued to do business in it's own colors as Command Airways, although it's fleet was primarily dedicated for American Airlines operations. This permitted Command to gain marketing presence associated only usually with much larger airline carriers.

Command was the first airline to carry the American Eagle brand when it became a part of the American Eagle system which included repainting their entire fleet under the American Eagle banner. This rebranding process of regional airlines commenced circa 1985 and accelerated when American Airlines parent company began purchasing a number of smaller regional carriers after the crash of one of it affiliate partners named Avair[2], which was operating similarly to Command Airways.

AMR Corporation the parent company of American Airlines, purchased Command Airways in 1988[3] and renamed it Flagship Airlines. This and other AMR affiliate and subsidiary airlines and Flagship Airlines flew under the American Eagle banner before all parties began being referred to more simply as American Eagle in 1991.

Command/Flagship Airways was operated separately until all AMR subsidiary regional carriers excluding Executive Airlines were merged together into a commonly certificated carrier name American Eagle Inc. in late 1998, utilizing the former Simmons Airlines two letter IATA Code.

During its existence, Command Airways operated the Beech 99, DeHavilland Canada Twin Otter, Shorts 330, Shorts 360 and ATR-42 airliners. Command was the first U.S. airline to operate both the Shorts 330 [4] starting in 1976 and the ATR-42 beginning in 1986.

Its hub was at the Dutchess County Airport in Poughkeepsie, which no longer has scheduled commercial airline service today.

Former Destinations

• New York
  • Poughkeepsie (Dutchess County Airport)* - hub
  • Albany (Albany International Airport)
  • Binghamton (Greater Binghamton Airport)
  • Ithaca (Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport)
  • New York (John F. Kennedy International Airport)
  • New York (LaGuardia Airport)
  • White Plains (Westchester County Airport)
• Massachusetts
  • Boston (Logan International Airport)
  • Pittsfield (Pittsfield Municipal Airport)*
• New Hampshire
  • Lebanon (Lebanon Municipal Airport)
• Vermont
  • Burlington (Burlington International Airport)
• Virginia
  • Manassas (Manassas Regional Airport)

Those articles marked with an asterisk (*) are no longer served by commercial airline service.

References

Roach, John; Eastwood, Tony (1990), Turbo Prop Airliner Production List, West Drayton, Middlesex UK: The Aviation Hobby Shop, ISBN 0907178324

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