Allegheny Airlines
File:Alleghenyair70slogo.jpg | |||||||
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Founded | 1939 (as Allegheny Airlines) | ||||||
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Commenced operations | August 1957 | ||||||
Ceased operations | 1979 (Name change to USAir, later US Airways, now part of American Airlines) | ||||||
Hubs |
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Frequent-flyer program | AAdvantage | ||||||
Fleet size | 315 | ||||||
Destinations | 31 | ||||||
Parent company | US Airways | ||||||
Headquarters | Washington, D.C., U.S. Arlington, Virginia, U.S. | ||||||
Key people | Keith Houk (President) Ed Colodny (CEO and President) |
Allegheny Airlines (IATA: AL, ICAO: ALO, call sign: ALLEGHENY) was a U.S. airline that operated out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, from 1952 to 1979 with routes primarily located in the eastern U.S.[1] It was the forerunner of USAir which was subsequently renamed US Airways, now merged into American Airlines. Its headquarters were at Washington National Airport in Arlington County, Virginia.[2]
History
Allegheny Airlines began as All American Aviation Company providing mail delivery starting on 7 March 1939.[3] It was founded by du Pont family brothers Richard C. du Pont and Alexis Felix du Pont, Jr..
Allegheny before 1979
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![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b8/Allegheny_Airlines_DC-9_N969VJ.jpg/220px-Allegheny_Airlines_DC-9_N969VJ.jpg)
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![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/18/CLT_11-09-08_N745VJ_%283020361154%29.jpg/220px-CLT_11-09-08_N745VJ_%283020361154%29.jpg)
In 1949 the company was renamed All American Airways as it switched from air mail to passenger service. On 1 January 1953 it was again renamed, to Allegheny Airlines. Like other local service airlines, Allegheny was subsidized; in 1962 its revenue of $23.5 million included $6.5 million in "public service revenue".[4]
In 1960, Allegheny headquarters were in Washington, D.C.[5]
In 1953 Allegheny's network blanketed Pennsylvania, reaching Newark NJ to Cleveland and Huntington WV. It added Detroit (YIP) in 1956, Boston in April 1960, La Guardia in 1964, Norfolk in 1966, Toronto in 1967, and Louisville-Nashville-Memphis in 1968. The Lake Central Airlines merger in July 1968 added Chicago and St Louis, and the Mohawk Airlines merger in April 1972 added Montreal, Minneapolis and many New York cities. Houston in 1978, then Florida at the end of 1978 (TPA-MCO-PBI) and Phoenix in 1979.
In 1959 Allegheny debuted its first turbine airliner—a Convair 540, a Convair 340 with the piston engines replaced by Napier Elands. When Rolls-Royce bought Napier it dropped the Eland, so 540s in the United States reverted to piston; Allegheny's last 540 flights were in 1962. The airline bought new Fairchild F-27Js that the company named "Vistaliner". The F-27J was a U.S.-built version of the Fokker F27. The airline switched to General Motors/Allison turboprops in the Convair 580 which the carrier named the "Vistacruiser", the first CV580 flight was in June 1965. The last DC-3 flights were in 1962 and the last piston flights were in 1967.
In 1965 Allegheny announced it would add the first jet aircraft type to its fleet being the Douglas DC-9-10 which the airline stated would be placed into service in 1966.[6] Allegheny then added other jets, notably the McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 which the company named the "Vistajet". Later jets included Boeing 727-100s, 727-200s and McDonnell Douglas DC-9-50s.[7][8] The Mohawk merger added British Aircraft Corporation BAC One-Eleven jets to the fleet as well. Allegheny Airlines was also the first airline with a network of affiliated regional airlines, the Allegheny Commuter system.
As deregulation dawned, Allegheny, looking to shed its regional image, changed its name to USAir on October 28, 1979.[9]
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) |
USAir and US Airways
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a1/Douglas_DC-9-30_Allegheny_N993VJ.png/220px-Douglas_DC-9-30_Allegheny_N993VJ.png)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ac/Allegheny_N1136J_late.png/220px-Allegheny_N1136J_late.png)
After Allegheny Airlines rebranded itself as USAir, the company retained its earlier name for its Allegheny Commuter service until 1989 when it became US Airways Express.
Under USAir, which eventually renamed itself US Airways, the Allegheny name continued to be used by the parent company, keeping the trademark under US Airways' control. Suburban Airlines was originally headquartered at the Reading Airport in Reading, Pennsylvania, and flew a large fleet of Short 330s and Short 360s, being the launch customer for the Shorts 360. It had three Fokker F27s, and was the last US operator of passenger F27s. After replacing much of its Shorts fleet with de Havilland Canada DHC-8 Dash 8s, and retiring the F27s, it merged with another fully owned USAir subsidiary, Pennsylvania Airlines, headquartered at Harrisburg International Airport near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and the combined airline retained the historic name until its own merger with another wholly owned subsidiary, Piedmont Airlines.[10][11] After retiring earlier aircraft, Allegheny, before and after its mergers, mainly flew De Havilland Canada Dash 8s to 35 airports in the northeastern United States, and eventually Canada, from hubs at Boston and Philadelphia. Its activities and Dash 8 fleet were incorporated into a regional airline, Piedmont Airlines, in 2004.
As of March 2019[update] an American Airlines Airbus A319, registered N745VJ, is painted in Allegheny colors.[12][13]
Destinations
This is a list of cities served by Allegheny Airlines until October 1979. It does not include destinations served before that year. Allegheny flew to dozens more cities at some point, including Erie, Providence and the Wyoming Valley.[14][15]
Allegheny Airlines
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- Akron, Ohio - Akron–Canton Airport
- Albany, New York – Albany County Airport
- Allentown, Pennsylvania – Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton International Airport
- Baltimore, Maryland – Baltimore–Washington International Airport
- Binghamton, New York – Broome County Airport
- Boston, Massachusetts – Logan International Airport
- Bradford, Pennsylvania – Bradford Regional Airport
- Bridgeport, Connecticut – Igor I. Sikorsky Memorial Airport
- Buffalo, New York – Greater Buffalo-Niagara Falls International Airport
- Burlington, Vermont – Burlington International Airport
- Chicago, Illinois – O'Hare International Airport
- Cincinnati, Ohio – Greater Cincinnati International Airport
- Cleveland, Ohio – Hopkins International Airport
- Columbus, Ohio – Port Columbus International Airport
- Dayton, Ohio – James M. Cox International Airport
- Denver, Colorado – Stapleton International Airport
- Detroit, Michigan – Metro Airport
- DuBois, Pennsylvania – DuBois-Jefferson County Airport
- Elmira, New York – Chemung County Airport
- Erie, Pennsylvania – Erie International Airport
- Evansville, Indiana – Evansville Regional Airport
- Glens Falls, New York – Warren County Airport
- Harrisburg, Pennsylvania – Harrisburg International Airport
- Hartford, Connecticut – Bradley International Airport
- Hagerstown, Maryland – Hagerstown Regional Airport[citation needed]
- Huntington, West Virginia -Tri-State Airport
- Indianapolis, Indiana – Weir Cook Airport
- Islip, New York – Islip Airport
- Ithaca, New York – Tompkins County Airport
- Jamestown, New York – Chautauqua County-Jamestown Airport
- Keene, New Hampshire – Dillant–Hopkins Airport
- Kingsport, Tennessee – Tri-Cities Regional Airport
- Lima, Ohio – Lima Allen County Airport
- Louisville, Kentucky – Standiford Field
- Lock Haven, Pennsylvania – William T. Piper Memorial Airport
- Memphis, Tennessee – Memphis International Airport
- Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota – Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport
- Nashville, Tennessee – Berry Field
- Newark, New Jersey – Newark International Airport
- New Haven, Connecticut – Tweed New Haven Airport
- New Orleans, Louisiana – Moisant Field
- New York, New York – John F. Kennedy International Airport
- New York, New York – LaGuardia Airport
- Norfolk, Virginia - Norfolk International Airport
- Omaha, Nebraska – Eppley Airfield
- Parkersburg, West Virginia – Wood County Airport
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Philadelphia International Airport
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – Greater Pittsburgh International Airport
- Phoenix, Arizona – Sky Harbor International Airport
- Providence, Rhode Island – Theodore Francis Green State Airport
- Rochester, New York – Greater Rochester International Airport
- St. Louis, Missouri – Lambert Field
- Syracuse, New York – Hancock International Airport
- Toledo, Ohio – Toledo Express Airport
- Trenton, New Jersey – Mercer County Airport
- Utica, New York – Oneida County Airport
- Youngstown, Ohio – Youngstown–Warren Regional Airport
- Washington, District of Columbia – Washington National Airport
- Williamsport, Pennsylvania – Williamsport Regional Airport
- Worcester, Massachusetts – Worcester Regional Airport
- Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania – Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport
- Wilmington, Delaware – New Castle Airport
- York, Pennsylvania – Olmstead State Airport
Canada
Allegheny commuter
- Albany, New York – Albany County Airport
- Allentown, Pennsylvania – Lehigh Valley International Airport
- Altoona, Pennsylvania – Altoona–Blair County Airport
- Atlantic City, New Jersey – Bader Field
- Bloomington, Indiana – Monroe County Airport
- Boston, Massachusetts – Logan International Airport
- Burlington, Vermont – Burlington International Airport
- Charleston, West Virginia – Kanawha Airport
- Clarksburg, West Virginia – North Central West Virginia Airport
- Cleveland, Ohio – Cleveland Hopkins International Airport
- Danville, Illinois – Vermilion Regional Airport
- Dubois, Pennsylvania – DuBois Regional Airport
- Elkins, West Virginia – Elkins Randolph County Airport
- Franklin, Pennsylvania – Chess Lamberton Field
- Glens Falls, New York – Warren County Airport
- Hagerstown, Maryland – Hagerstown Regional Airport
- Harrisburg, Pennsylvania – Harrisburg International Airport
- Hartford, Connecticut – Bradley International Airport
- Hazleton, Pennsylvania – Hazleton Municipal Airport
- Islip, New York – Long Island MacArthur Airport
- Johnstown, Pennsylvania – Cambria County Airport
- Lafayette, Indiana – Purdue University Airport
- Lancaster, Pennsylvania – Lancaster Municipal Airport
- Lynchburg, Virginia – Preston Glenn Field
- Manchester, New Hampshire – Manchester-Boston Regional Airport
- Mansfield, Ohio – Mansfield Municipal Airport
- Massena, New York – Richards Field
- Millville, New Jersey – Millville Airport
- Morgantown, West Virginia – Walter L. Hart Field
- Muncie, Indiana – Johnson Field
- Newark, New Jersey – Newark Liberty International Airport
- New London, Connecticut – Trumbull Airport
- New York, New York – JFK Airport and La Guardia Airport
- North Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Northeast Philadelphia Airport
- Ocala, Florida- Ocala International Airport
- Ogdensburg, New York – Ogdensburg International Airport
- Plattsburgh, New York – Plattsburgh Airport
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – Greater Pittsburgh International Airport
- Portland, Maine – Portland International Jetport
- Providence, Rhode Island – T.F. Green Airport
- Reading, Pennsylvania – General Spaatz Airport
- Rutland, Vermont – Rutland State Airport
- Salisbury, Maryland – Wicomico Regional Airport
- Saranac Lake, New York – Saranac Lake Airport
- State College, Pennsylvania -Mid State Airport
- Syracuse, New York – Syracuse Hancock International Airport
- Terre Haute, Indiana – Hulman Field
- Trenton, New Jersey – Mercer County Airport
- Watertown, New York – Watertown Airport
- Wildwood/Cape May, New Jersey – Cape May County Airport
- Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Pennsylvania – Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport
Historic fleet
Aircraft | From | To | Number |
---|---|---|---|
Douglas DC-3 | 1953 | 1966 | 24 |
Martin 2-0-2 | 1955 | 1966 | 18 |
Convair 540 | 1959 | 1963 | 5 |
Convair 340 | 1960 | 1967 | 17 |
Convair 440 | 1962 | 1974 | 27 |
Fairchild F-27J / Fokker F27 | 1965 | 1974 | 27 |
Convair 580 | 1965 | 1978 | 40 |
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 | 1966 | 1979 | 89 |
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-50 | 1974 | 1978 | 8 |
Nord 262 | 1968 | 1977 | 13 |
Boeing 727-200 | 1970 | 1971 | 2 |
Boeing 727-100 | 1978 | 1979 | 11 |
British Aircraft Corp. BAC One-Eleven | 1972 | 1979 | 31 |
Mohawk 298 (Nord 262 version) | 1975 | 1979 | 9 |
Allegheny also briefly operated Douglas DC-9-10 aircraft.
Accidents and incidents
- On December 1, 1959, Allegheny Airlines Flight 371, a Martin 2-0-2, crashed into a mountain on approach to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, United States, 25 fatalities.[16][17]
- On October 19, 1962, an Allegheny Airlines flight attendant, Françoise de Moriere, fell to her death after being blown out a Convair 440 emergency exit door on a flight from Washington, D.C., to Providence, Rhode Island, during a scheduled descent into Hartford, Connecticut.[18] This incident inspired James Dickey's poem Falling.[19]
- On July 23, 1965, Allegheny Airlines Flight 604 crashed northeast of the Williamsport Regional Airport due to a right engine failure and subsequent failure to follow engine out procedures by the flight crew. None of the 40 occupants onboard were killed, but 23 were injured.
- On December 24, 1968, Allegheny Airlines Flight 736, a Convair 580, crashed on approach to Bradford, Pennsylvania, killing 20 of the 47 people on board.[20]
- On January 6, 1969, Allegheny Airlines Flight 737, a Convair 580, also crashed on approach to Bradford, Pennsylvania, killing 11 of the 28 people on board.[21]
- 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, Indiana, killing all 83 people aboard both aircraft.
- On June 7, 1971, Allegheny Airlines Flight 485, a Convair 580, en route from Washington, D.C., to New Haven, Connecticut (via New London, Connecticut) 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.[22]
- On June 23, 1976, Allegheny Airlines Flight 121, a DC-9, crashed on the runway in windshear at Philadelphia International Airport. There were 86 injuries and 0 fatalities.[23]
- On July 9, 1978, Allegheny Airlines Flight 453 crash-landed at Greater Rochester International Airport while arriving from Boston Logan International Airport. The BAC-111 aircraft was carrying 77 people, and there was one serious injury.[24]
See also
Notes
- ^ http://www.departedflights.com/AL040179.html
- ^ "World Airline Directory." Flight International. April 22, 1978. 1134.
- ^ Nick Komons (August 1989). "none". Air Progress: 62.
- ^ Moody's Transportation Manual 1964
- ^ "World Airline Directory." Flight International. 8 April 1960. 492.
- ^ http://www.timetableimages.com/i-uz/us6506a.jpg
- ^ http://www.departedflights.com/ALhello727.html
- ^ http://www.departedflights.com/ALnewdc95075.html
- ^ "Allegheny Asks New Name".
- ^ "Lower Swatara township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania Archived June 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on March 2, 2010.
- ^ "World Airline Directory." Flight International. March 16–22, 2004. 83.
- ^ [1] US Airways A319 in Allegheny livery-Airliners.net
- ^ "N745VJ | Airbus A319-112 | American Airlines | Roberto Balboa". JetPhotos. Retrieved 2019-05-15.
- ^ "routemaps2b". www.departedflights.com.
- ^ "Archives - Philly.com". articles.philly.com.
- ^ Eastwood/Roach 1991, pages 267-269
- ^ Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Martin 2-0-2 N174A Williamsport-Lycoming County Airport, PA (IPT)". aviation-safety.net.
- ^ "Stewardess is Swept Through Plane Door". The New York Times. October 20, 1962. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
- ^ Dickey, James (1970). Self-Interviews. New York: Doubleday.
- ^ Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Convair CV-580 N5802 Bradford Airport, PA (BFD)". aviation-safety.net.
- ^ Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Convair CV-580 N5825 Bradford Airport, PA (BFD)". aviation-safety.net.
- ^ "NTSB Report Allegheny Airlines, Inc., Allison Prop Jet Convair 340/440, N5832, New Haven, Connecticut, June 7, 1971" (PDF).
- ^ "NTSB Report AAR-78-2 Allegheny Airlines, Inc., Douglas DC-9, N994VJ, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, June 23, 1976" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-10-04. Retrieved 2012-10-25.
- ^ "NTSB report of Flight 453 crash" (PDF).
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
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Timetableimages.com has timetables from the 1950s and 1960s showing where Allegheny flew and what it cost
- Allegheny Airlines Flight 853 Memorial website by Dan McGlaun on the September 9, 1969, crash near Indianapolis