USA3000 Airlines
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| Founded | 2001[1] | ||||||
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| Ceased operations | January 30, 2012 | ||||||
| Fleet size | 2 (at closure) | ||||||
| Destinations | 2 (at closure)[1] | ||||||
| Parent company | Apple Vacations | ||||||
| Headquarters | Newtown Township, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||
| Key people |
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| Website | www | ||||||
Brendan Airways, LLC, doing business as USA3000 Airlines, was a U.S. airline headquartered in Newtown Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania.[3][4][5] It operated both scheduled and charter service with a fleet of five Airbus A320 aircraft. The airline's last flight departed on January 30, 2012.
History
[edit]Launch & Apple Vacation Charters: 2000–2002
[edit]USA 3000 Airlines began operations with one Airbus A320. The inaugural flight on December 28, 2001, flew from Philadelphia to Cancun. By early 2002, USA 3000 Airlines exclusively operated charter flights, from Philadelphia, Newark, Hartford and Columbus, with two aircraft. A third aircraft was added to the fleet in 2002 and based at Chicago O’Hare International Airport.[6]
Expansion & Scheduled service: 2003–2007
[edit]In order for USA 3000 to generate additional revenue, the existing charter flights were also offered as scheduled, allowing passengers to book flights without purchasing an Apple Vacation package.
In 2003, additional scheduled service was launched from northeastern U.S. cities to Florida, Bermuda, and throughout the Caribbean. Scheduled domestic destinations eventually included Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, St. Petersburg/Clearwater, Orlando, Melbourne, Florida, and Sarasota. Northern cities or "Gateway cities" included Newark, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Detroit, Chicago (O'Hare), and St. Louis. Additionally, USA 3000 offered seasonal service from Hartford, Boston, and Milwaukee.
By late 2004, USA 3000 Airlines operated 12 permanent A320 aircraft, plus 2 additional seasonal aircraft leased from Thomas Cook Airlines.
Cutbacks & Military Charters: 2008–2012
[edit]In early 2008, it was announced that USA 3000 Airlines would be pulling out of Newark Liberty Airport due to increased competition from discount carriers.
By Summer 2008, USA3000 Airlines began a major reduction of its Florida service, closing all stations except Fort Myers. USA3000 has cited record-high fuel prices as reason for the service cuts. According to former USA 3000 COO Angus Kinnear, "Florida has some of the lowest domestic air fares in the country and only Fort Myers fetches ticket prices high enough to make money with oil at $125 a barrel." In the same announcement, the airline confirmed the continuation of its remaining scheduled service, with a strong focus on maintaining the more profitable international routes.[7] However seasonal service was restored in late 2008 to St. Petersburg/Clearwater Airport from Chicago (O'Hare) due to a decrease in oil prices, reduction in flights by competitors, and a demonstration of customer support.[8]
In November 2008, Steven Harfst was named CEO.[9]
In January 2009, USA 3000 submitted a Statement of Intent to the United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) based at Scott Air Force Base to be certified into the country's Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF). USA 3000 became a certified CRAF air carrier, and was able to bid on the military's domestic and short-range international charters. USA 3000 also sought “Ad Hoc” charter opportunities to improve aircraft utilization and enhanced their website to improve sales, customer service, and ancillary revenue opportunities.
USA 3000 ended all of its services from Detroit and Milwaukee in April 2009.[10] citing poor demand and the economic downturn. USA 3000 also ended service from Baltimore and Pittsburgh later that summer for the same reasons.[11] However, those services were later offered seasonally, with USA3000 restoring service to Detroit in October 2009.
The Fort Myers crew base closed in March 2010. However, flight schedules from Southwest Florida International Airport were not impacted, according to the USA 3000 CEO.[12]
In 2011, USA 3000 operated a fleet of 5 Airbus A320 aircraft.
In November 2011, Apple Vacations decided to dissolve USA 3000 Airlines. Apple Vacations subsequently used other carriers such as Frontier Airlines, Sun Country Airlines, AirTran Airways, Alaska Airlines and Aeroméxico to transport its customers to the Caribbean and Central America.[13][14]
The airline's last scheduled flight arrived on January 30, 2012. The airline intended to serve all existing charters through September 2012.
As of February 1, 2019 USA3000 still retains their website, not showing much but a basic WordPress page.[15]
Destinations
[edit]
The last destinations USA3000 Airlines operated to were, Cancún and St. Louis.
Destinations terminated prior to closure:
- Aruba – Oranjestad
- Bahamas – Nassau
- Bermuda – Bermuda
- Costa Rica – Liberia
- Dominican Republic – La Romana, Puerto Plata, Punta Cana, Santo Domingo
- Jamaica – Montego Bay
- Mexico – Acapulco, Cozumel, Huatulco, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, Puerto Vallarta, San Jose del Cabo
- St. Lucia – Vieux Fort
- United States – Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Buffalo, Charlotte, Chicago (O'Hare), Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus (OH), Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Hartford, Lansing, Melbourne (FL), Milwaukee, New York City (JFK), Newark, Orlando, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Richmond, Sarasota, St. Petersburg/Clearwater, Washington D.C. (Dulles)
Fleet
[edit]At the time of closure USA3000 Airlines had 2 aircraft in its fleet consisting of 2 Airbus A320-200s.
| Aircraft | Total | Orders | Passengers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A320-200 | 2 | 0 | 168 | All transferred to VivaColombia |
- As of February 2011, USA3000's average fleet age was 8.7 years old.[16]
- USA3000 Airlines flew a fleet composed solely of Airbus A320 jet aircraft that were configured with 168 seats in a single-class configuration.
- Most planes were new, delivered from Airbus.
See also
[edit]
Similarly named airlines
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "About Us". USA3000 Airlines. Archived from the original on 6 December 2002. Retrieved 26 December 2008.
- ^ "USA3000 Airlines appoints president and CEO". eTurboNews, Inc. 2008-10-22. Retrieved 26 December 2008.
- ^ "uipl_3002c2a3.html." United States Department of Labor. Retrieved on May 26, 2009.
- ^ "Contact us. Archived 2010-07-27 at the Wayback Machine" USA3000 Airlines. Retrieved on October 1, 2010. "Head Office Mailing Address USA3000 Airlines 335 Bishop Hollow Rd Newtown Square, PA 19073"
- ^ "Newtown Township, Delaware County, PA". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2012-10-17. Retrieved 2010-10-01.
- ^ "2004 Completion Plan Updates" (PDF). Chicago Airport System. 24 March 2004. pp. 18–20. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 October 2011. Retrieved 2011-12-05.
- ^ Huettel, Steve (2008-05-18). "USA 3000 to end service at St. Petersburg-Clearwater airport". TampaBay.com. St. Petersburg Times. Archived from the original on 11 February 2012. Retrieved 26 December 2008.
- ^ "USA3000 Resumes Service to St. Petersburg/Tampa Bay!" (PDF). Press release, St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport (Press release). Pinellas County. 23 October 2008. Retrieved 26 December 2008.
- ^ "USA 3000 Airlines Inc. Announces Management Changes". Archived from the original on September 29, 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2008.
- ^ "USA3000 Suspends DTW Routes in April 2009". Detroit Free Press. 4 February 2009. Archived from the original on 2013-12-20.
- ^ Ryan Sharrow (15 May 2008). "USA 3000 stopping BWI flights to Florida". Baltimore Business Journal. BizJournals.com. Retrieved 2011-12-05.
- ^ Kevin Ozebek (23 February 2010). "USA 3000 jobs flying out of Lee County". WBBH-TV. 2First. Retrieved 2011-12-05.
- ^ Ken Leister (9 November 2011). "USA3000 Airlines to halt operations at Lambert". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Stltoday.com. Retrieved 2011-12-05.
- ^ "Apple Vacations & Sun Country Airlines Announce New Air Service from Lansing | bocaratoncityonline.com". Archived from the original on 2012-11-11. Retrieved 2013-02-17.
- ^ "USA3000 Airlines | An American Airline Company".
- ^ USA3000 Airlines Fleet Age
External links
[edit]