Shuttle America

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Shuttle America Airlines

IATA S5	ICAO TCF	Callsign SHUTTLECRAFT
Founded		1995
Hubs		Port Columbus International Airport Indianapolis International Airport O'Hare International Airport
Frequent flyer program		SkyMiles (Delta Connection) Mileage Plus (United Express)
Member lounge		Crown Room Club (Delta Connection) Red Carpet Club (United Express)
Alliance		SkyTeam (Delta Connection) Star Alliance (United Express)
Fleet size		43
Destinations		See below
Parent company		Republic Airways Holdings
Headquarters		Indianapolis, Indiana
Key people		Bryan Bedford (CEO)
Website: http://www.shuttleamerica.com

Shuttle America is a regional airline based in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. It feeds United Airlines flights at Chicago, Denver, and Washington as United Express, and feeds Delta Air Lines flights at Atlanta, New York, and Salt Lake City as Delta Connection.

1 History
2 Destinations
- 2.1 Operated as United Express
- 2.2 Operated as Delta Connection
3 Fleet
4 Incidents
5 External links
6 References

[edit] History

Shuttle America was established in 1995 and began operations on 12 November 1998 ^[1] as a low-fare commuter airline, headquartered in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, the location of Hartford's Bradley International Airport. Shuttle America's first route was Hartford, Connecticut to Buffalo, New York. Shuttle America got much publicity for their launch because of their "super-low $29 fares". Shuttle America's first aircraft was a new 50-seat Bombardier Dash 8 Q300 with leather seats and a very creative and patriotic paint scheme. Shuttle America had rapid growth in its first year, adding more aircraft and destinations.^{[citation needed]}

In 1999 Shuttle America made a move to reach the Boston market. Instead of choosing the busy Logan Airport in East Boston, Shuttle America chose a nearby regional airport, Hanscom Field. Located in Bedford, Massachusetts, just 12 miles west of Boston, it was a great place to operate a regional airline. With free parking, rental cars, covenience to I-95, and other bonuses, it became known as "Hassle-free Hanscom Field". From Hanscom, Shuttle America served Buffalo, New York-LGA, NY, Trenton, NJ, and Greensboro, NC via Trenton. Though Hanscom Field was not the headquaders of Shuttle America, it had become the buisiest and most successful destination of the small airline.^{[citation needed]}

Just before the September 11, 2001 attacks, Shuttle America went into bankruptcy and was purchased by Wexford Holdings LLC., who at the time also owned Chautauqua Airlines. Shuttle America then started flying as US Airways Express in a codeshare agreement, adding service to US Airways' hub in Philadelphia, PA. Shuttle America also added seasonal service to Martha's Vineyard, MA. At the same time, Shuttle America was transitioning to the smaller Dash 8-100 and started taking deliveries of all the former Chautauqua Saab 340's. The Dash 8-100's were a temporary stop gap measure to allow for the spool up of the Saab 340 fleet. The Dash 8-100's were leased from Allegheny Airlines. The Dash 8-300's were sold to various airlines including LIAT and Piedmont Airlines. In 2002, Shuttle America moved its headquarters to Fort Wayne, IN. The Bankruptcy led Shuttle America to transition from a local independent Airline to a nationwide regional partner with major airlines. In spring 2005, it was purchased by Republic Airways Holdings.^{[citation needed]}

Shuttle America currently has three crew member bases: Columbus, OH; Chicago, IL; and Indianapolis, IN. Its fleet comprises Embraer 170 jetliners with a two-cabin seating configuration, allowing for 6 seats in First Class and 64 seats in coach. These aircraft were initially operated by sister company Chautauqua Airlines, but Chautauqua was forced to transfer their 170s to Shuttle America after the pilots' union at American Airlines claimed the aircraft violated a "scope clause" regulating the size of regional aircraft operated by airlines that also operate under the American Airlines brand.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Destinations

^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Operated as United Express

[edit] Operated as Delta Connection

[edit] Fleet

As of August 2006 the Shuttle America fleet includes ^[2] :

45 Embraer E-170-100SE

[edit] Incidents

On February 18, 2007, Shuttle America flight 6448 skidded off the runway and crashed through a fence while landing on runway 28 at 3:14pm at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport at the end of the Delta Connection flight from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. None of the 70 passengers and four crew on board the Embraer 170 were reported injured.^[3]