(24 LAS departures were between midnight and 01:40) The July 1990 timetable shows 182 weekday departures from Phoenix non-stop to 46 airports, and 132 departures from Las Vegas to 39 airports. Annual revenue reached a billion dollars, the threshold for the Department of Transportation to categorize America West as a major airline. Braniff had purchased the order rights from Pan Am, another troubled carrier, and the A320s were sold to America West at a steep discount. In 1990 America West moved into the new Terminal 4 at Phoenix and took delivery of several Airbus A320s originally destined for now-defunct Braniff Airways. The airline also expanded narrow body jet service to Mexican destinations. The 747 was the only wide body aircraft operated by America West. In 1989 America West leased four Boeing 747-200s (formerly operated by KLM) and began non-stop 747 flights between Phoenix and Honolulu, Hawaii and non-stop between Honolulu and Nagoya, Japan. The proposal was rejected, and the Reagan Administration awarded the route to another airline. America West pilots and other employees were paid wages far below those of competitors īoeing 737-112 at San Jose International Airport in 1993Īs they explored destinations beyond the United States, America West filed with Department of Transportation for a Phoenix to Sydney route to connect with Ansett Airlines in Australia. America West used an aggressive employee stock ownership program, in which new employees were required to invest 20% of their salary in company stock, providing a steady flow of cash as the company grew. America West started as a "full-service" airline, in contrast with Southwest Airlines, the discount air carrier competing in many markets. Īmerica West was one of the first airlines to use extensive "cross-utilization", in which employees were trained in a variety of airline jobs, such as pilots trained in dispatch, and both baggage handlers and flight attendants trained as gate agents. America West requested that the construction include an auxiliary power facility and an underground cavity to accommodate a future rail station, to which the airport ultimately agreed. Ĭonfident in its expansion, the increasingly dominant carrier at Phoenix Sky Harbor influenced the development of Terminal 4. The June 1984 timetable shows 71 weekday departures from Phoenix, non-stop to 18 cities from 1985 to 1986, it built-up a second hub at Las Vegas. The airline quickly expanded, with 11 737s flying to 13 cities in 1984, America West's fleet grew to 21 aircraft flying to 23 cities. In the early years, passengers could purchase their tickets on the aircraft. The airline was established in February 1981 and began operations August 1, 1983, using three leased Boeing 737s flying out of its base in Phoenix, Arizona (PHX), with Ed Beauvais, a well-known airline industry consultant, as CEO. The US Airways brand continued until October 17, 2015, when American Airlines retired the name.ĭe Havilland Canada DHC-8 Dash 8 series 100 in 1991 As part of a merger between American Airlines and US Airways in February 2013, which led to American becoming the world's largest airline, the call sign and ICAO code name was later retired on April 8, 2015, when the FAA granted a single operating certificate for both US Airways and American Airlines. The merged airline used America West's "CACTUS" callsign and ICAO code "AWE", but retained the US Airways name. Regional jet and turboprop flights were operated on a code sharing basis by Mesa Airlines and Chautauqua Airlines as America West Express.īeginning in January 2006, all America West flights were branded as US Airways, along with most signage at airports and other printed material, though many flights were described as "operated by America West." Apart from two heritage aircraft, the only remaining America West branding on aircraft were found on some seat covers and bulkheads. In September 2005, the airline had 140 aircraft, with a single maintenance base at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport. America West served about 100 cities in the US, Canada, and Mexico flights to Europe were on codeshare partners. The airline acquired US Airways in 2005 but took on the name of US Airways. Their main hub was at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, with a secondary hub at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas. airline still operating under its original operating certificate. At the time of its acquisition of US Airways, America West had the unique distinction of being the only post-deregulation U.S. America West Airlines was a major American airline, founded in 1981, with service commencing in 1983, and having reached US$1 billion in annual revenue in 1989, headquartered in Tempe, Arizona.
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