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MetroJet (American airline)

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This article is about the 1998–2001 US Airways brand. For other uses, see Metrojet (disambiguation).
MetroJet
IATA ICAO Call sign
US USA USAIR
Founded1998
Commenced operationsJune 1, 1998
Ceased operationsDecember 2001 (Dissolved with the parent company US Airways)
HubsBaltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport
Frequent-flyer programDividend Miles
Fleet size49
Destinations25
Parent companyUS Airways
HeadquartersArlington, Virginia
Key peopleS. Michael Scheeringa
(Vice President)
Websiteflymetrojet.com

MetroJet was a no-frills airline brand operated as a wholly owned division of US Airways from 1998 until 2001.

History

File:MetroJet.jpg
A Boeing 737-200 in MetroJet colors
A MetroJet Boeing 737-200

After the conclusion of painstaking labor negotiations in 1997, US Airways sought to head off burgeoning competition from low-cost carriers in its strongest region, the U.S. Northeast. Competitor Southwest Airlines was encroaching from its base in the west as were Delta Express and AirTran Airways from the South. Like them it would offer a single class of service, operate a single type of aircraft, which consisted of the Boeing 737-200, and fly a limited network, based at the airline's Baltimore hub. Like similar projects from traditional carriers, including Continental Lite, Delta Express, and Shuttle by United, it would participate in the parent airline's frequent flyer program and other systems.

MetroJet was launched on June 1, 1998, flying from its base at Baltimore-Washington International Airport to Cleveland, Ohio, Providence, Rhode Island, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Manchester, New Hampshire. It began with five dedicated aircraft, repainted in a distinctive livery with a red and gray fuselage, and the traditional blue tail with the US Airways logo. It was slated for a measured expansion over the next two years that eventually included flights from Washington Dulles International Airport and several point-to-point operations, with an emphasis on connecting Northeastern passengers to destinations in Florida.

MetroJet provided great customer service and low fares. They participated in US Airways’ loyalty program, Dividend Miles, and held many of the same policies. The airline offered one single class rather than multiple, however, their seats had 33 inches of pitch. They allowed two carry on bags as long as they could fit under the seat. Their 737s could carry about 120 passengers.

In the summer of 1999, US Airways’ service began to deteriorate, in part because too much attention was being devoted to MetroJet. It was becoming difficult for US Airways to manage both MetroJet and their own struggling company. Even though MetroJet continued to fly high, the future seemed uncertain for both companies.

MetroJet operations did not improve US Airways's loss-making record. Many of MetroJet's passengers were cannibalized from other US Airways operations, such as its major presence at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Its aircraft were among the oldest and least fuel efficient in US Airways's fleet, and like its parent its labor costs were among the highest in the industry. Meanwhile, it faced cutthroat competition with Southwest, its main competitor at BWI. In an October 28, 2001 interview with Business Travel News, CEO David Siegel revealed that MetroJet's average cost per available seat mile was 8 cents, compared to 6 cents for Southwest and 10 cents for mainline US Airways.

The September 11, 2001 attacks gave US Airways a rationale to invoke a force majeure clause in its labor contracts to close the operation, announced on September 24. The airline also largely ended its Baltimore hub, which it had inherited from an earlier merger with Piedmont Airlines. Once the largest carrier there, its number of scheduled flights had fallen by 60 percent by the time the last MetroJet 737 was retired in December.

Destinations

Fleet

MetroJet fleet included:

See also

References

Further reading

Wikimedia Commons has media related to MetroJet (United States).
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