PSA Airlines
File:PSA Airlines Logo.png | |||||||
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Founded | 1980 (as Vee Neal Airlines) | ||||||
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Commenced operations | 1 November 1995[1] | ||||||
AOC # | VNAA111A | ||||||
Hubs | As American Eagle: Charlotte | ||||||
Focus cities | As American Eagle: Philadelphia Washington-National | ||||||
Frequent-flyer program | AAdvantage | ||||||
Alliance | Star Alliance (affiliate; 2004-2014) Oneworld (affiliate; 2014-present) | ||||||
Fleet size | 130 | ||||||
Destinations | 91 | ||||||
Parent company | American Airlines Group | ||||||
Headquarters | Vandalia, Ohio | ||||||
Key people | Dion Flannery (President) [2] | ||||||
Employees | 5,000+ (2019) | ||||||
Website | www |
PSA Airlines is an American regional airline headquartered at Dayton International Airport in Vandalia, Ohio,[3] that flies under the American Eagle brand for American Airlines. PSA is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Airlines Group.
PSA Airlines operates an all-jet fleet consisting of exclusively Bombardier regional jet aircraft. The company has a team of more than 5,000 employees, operating more than 800 daily flights to nearly 100 destinations on behalf of American Airlines.
Headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, PSA also has flight crew bases located in Washington, DC; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
PSA has airport maintenance facilities in Akron-Canton (CAK), Charlotte-Douglas International (CLT), Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International (CVG), Greenville-Spartanburg (GSP), Norfolk International (ORF), Savannah/Hilton Head International (SAV), Pensacola International (PNS), and Dayton International (DAY).
PSA operates 61 Bombardier CRJ700 aircraft and 69 Bombardier CRJ900 aircraft.
History
Vee Neal Airlines
Named after its owner Vee Neal Frey, Vee Neal Airlines was established in 1979 and began initial operations from Latrobe, Pennsylvania. In May 1980, the operation was expanded to include scheduled air services between Latrobe and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with a Cessna 402.[4]
Jetstream International Airlines
Between June 1980 and 1982, Henry Fish and a John P. Leemhuis lobbied civic and business leaders in the Erie, Pennsylvania area to raise venture capital to expand Vee Neal Airlines. After receiving financing, six British Aerospace Jetstream 31 aircraft were ordered to fashion a route system that would ensure air service links on a nonstop basis to key cities. In December 1983, the airline was renamed to Jetstream International Airlines (JIA) after it took delivery of its first two Jetstream aircraft. Within a year of renaming the airline, it relocated its maintenance department and corporate headquarters from Latrobe to Erie, Pennsylvania.
In September 1985, the airline affiliated itself with Piedmont Airlines. Jetstream International Airlines was acquired by Piedmont Airlines in August 1986 and became a wholly owned subsidiary shortly thereafter. In 1987, Jetstream once again moved its corporate headquarters to Dayton, Ohio, and established maintenance bases in Dayton and Hagerstown, Maryland.
Following the USAir acquisition of Piedmont in November 1987, JIA began operating as Allegheny Commuter from the USAir hub in Philadelphia. In July 1988, JIA became a wholly owned subsidiary of USAir and operated in the colors of US Air Express, later US Airways Express. In 1989, JIA began feeder service to USAir's Indianapolis hub and moved the maintenance base in Hagerstown to Indianapolis in 1990. This maintenance base was closed in May 1994 in conjunction with a further shift of flying to USAir's Pittsburgh hub.[4]
PSA Airlines
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Dornier_328-110%2C_US_Airways_Express_%28PSA_Airlines%29_AN0175474.jpg/220px-Dornier_328-110%2C_US_Airways_Express_%28PSA_Airlines%29_AN0175474.jpg)
In November 1995, USAir renamed Jetstream International Airlines to PSA Airlines to protect the trademark of Pacific Southwest Airlines, which was once a large carrier on the West Coast that USAir had acquired. Later in that month, PSA also moved its corporate headquarters to Vandalia, Ohio. By March 1996, all of Jetstream International Airlines' namesake Jetstream 31 aircraft had been replaced and the airline had transitioned to a fleet of Dornier 328 aircraft. In February 1997, USAir changed its name to US Airways and PSA began operating under the US Airways Express brand.
In August 2002, US Airways Group, Inc. and its subsidiary, PSA airlines, filed voluntary petitions for reorganization, under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. PSA emerged from Chapter 11 on March 31, 2003. As a result of its emergence from Chapter 11, PSA Airlines was chosen for placement of Bombardier CRJ-200 and Bombardier CRJ-700 aircraft. In September 2004, the last Dornier 328 was retired from the PSA fleet.
In April 2004, a new crew base was opened in Philadelphia, while the crew bases in Akron and Pittsburgh were later closed in November 2004. A new maintenance base was opened in Philadelphia in September 2004 and another in Charlotte, North Carolina, was opened in January 2005, replacing the Pittsburgh maintenance base. In February 2005, PSA opened its Charlotte crew base.
In September 2004, US Airways Group, Inc. and its subsidiaries (including PSA) for the second time filed voluntary petitions for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. US Airways and its subsidiaries emerged from Chapter 11 and the America West Airlines/US Airways merger was officially made final on September 27, 2005. The recently opened Philadelphia crew and maintenance bases also closed in September 2005.
In January 2008, US Airways flight activity at the Pittsburgh International Airport was significantly reduced due to market condition changes. US Airways mainline employees took over the US Airways Express flight operations at the airport and PSA ceased providing ground-handling services at the airport.[4]
In August 2015, PSA Airlines announced a maintenance base would be established at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.[5]
In August 2016, PSA Airlines announced a new 45,000-square-foot maintenance base would be opening in late 2016 at the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP).[6]
Fleet
As of December 2020[update], the PSA Airlines fleet consists of these aircraft:[7]
Aircraft | Total | Orders | Passengers | Notes | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
F | Y+ | Y | Total | ||||
Bombardier CRJ-700 | 61 | 0 | 9 | 8 | 48 | 65 | |
Bombardier CRJ-900 | 69 | 0 | 12 | 32 | 32 | 76 | |
Total | 130 | 0 |
In September 2013, PSA Airlines' pilots ratified tentative agreements with the managements of PSA Airlines and its parent company, US Airways Group Inc., that guaranteed the placement of 30 large regional jets at PSA.[8] In December 2013, American Airlines announced that it had ordered 30 Bombardier CRJ-900 jets and was assigning them to PSA Airlines. The airline began taking deliveries of them in the second quarter of 2014 to finish initial delivery in 2015. In addition, American acquired options to purchase up to 40 additional CRJ-900 aircraft scheduled to be delivered in 2015 through 2016.[9] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the CRJ-200 fleet consisting of 35 aircraft was retired at an accelerated rate.[10]
Crew bases
As of December 2020, PSA Airlines uses these airports as crewmember domiciles:
- Charlotte Douglas International Airport
- Dayton International Airport
- Philadelphia International Airport
- Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
Accidents and incidents
- PSA Airlines Flight 2495 (US2495/JIA2495), a Bombardier CRJ-200 (registered N246PS) overran the runway at Yeager Airport, Charleston, West Virginia, on 19 January 2010. This was caused by a rejected take-off because the wrong flap setting was set. The aircraft was stopped by the engineered materials arrestor system at the end of the runway, sustaining substantial damage to its undercarriage.[11] No one was injured as a result of the accident.
- PSA Airlines Flight 5320, a Bombardier CRJ-700 (registered N709PS) struck a deer on take-off from Charlotte Douglas International Airport on 15 February 2017, causing a fuel leak. The aircraft landed shortly afterwards with no passenger injuries reported.
See also
References
- ^ https://pilotjobs.atpflightschool.com/2009/05/15/airline_profile_psa_airlines/ Cites the date of commencing operations
- ^ "Our Leadership Team". PSA Airlines. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
- ^ "Home." PSA Airlines. Retrieved on 20 May 2009. "3400 Terminal Dr., Vandalia, Ohio 45377"
- ^ a b c "PSA Airlines Company History". psaairlines.com. August 1, 2012. Archived from the original on May 13, 2006. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
- ^ "PSA Airlines putting maintenance facility at CVG". August 5, 2015. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
- ^ "PSA Airlines To Open New Maintenance Facility At Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport". Archived from the original on September 19, 2016. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
- ^ "PSA Airlines Fleet Details and History". www.planespotters.net. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
- ^ "PSA Airlines' pilots ratify a new contract, airline to receive 30 large regional jets". worldairlinenews.com. September 28, 2013. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
- ^ "New Bombardier CRJ-900 NextGen and Embraer E175 Aircraft Will Replace Smaller, Less Efficient Regional Jets". American Airlines Press Release. December 12, 2013. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
- ^ "Fleet | PSA Airlines". www.psaairlines.com. Retrieved 2020-05-18.
- ^ "Accident: PSA Airlines CRJ2 at Charleston on Jan 19th 2010, overran runway on takeoff". The Aviation Herald. Retrieved 20 January 2010.