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Aviation History
1989
1989 - 0033.PDF
A tale of two regionals After three years of struggling to L\ maintain its independence and JL \. viability, Presidential Airways looks as if it may provide one of the independent success stories in the USA. The regional carrier has had a fight on its hands since owner Hap Pareti put his ideas into practice in 1985. The number of smaller airlines in the USA in difficulties seemed to indicate that his plan to build a niche airline was, at best, idealistic, and probably doomed to failure. Industry sceptics looked as if they were being proved right when a succession of poor decisions and financial problems put Presidential in a tenuous position. But in its • agreement with United Airlines and' its success in the last year or so, Presidential's figures have revealed a turnaround. The airline's confidence in its future is exemplified by its recent order for 16 Dash 8-300s. The $180 million -300 acquisition is the first order for the Boeing Canada -300 series in the USA, and signals a bold move by Presidential to extend its operating network. With seven Jetstream 31s and eight BAe 146 aircraft (and a- Beech 1900, which is due to be phased out), Presidential caters predom inantly for the business traveller. The airline operates 66 daily Dulles departures to 25 cities in the eastern United States and the mid-Atlantic. Pareti says that the Dash 8-300s will allow Emma Stynes reports from Washington on Presidential Airways, one of America's few remaining independent regionals, and discovers how life has changed for regional Henson Airlines since its take-over by USAir late last year. Top The BAe 146 is the largest aircraft in Presiden tial's fleet. Above Harold "Hap" Pareti is deter mined to keep Presidential independent of the mega-carriers the airline to explore routes not covered by the present United Express/United Airlines feeder network. He says that there are already routes within the United Express network where the demand is becoming too large for the Jetstreams but is not yet large enough to justify employing the 146s. Presidential's turboprops began their regional commuter airline career in 1971 with Colgan Airways. The latter was purchased by Presidential in August 1986. The airline's United Express commuter turbroprop network serves Allentown/Beth lehem/Easton and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (Pennsylvania); Binghamton and White Plains (New York); Clarksburg/Fairmont, Elkins, and Morgantown (West Virginia); and Hot Springs, Lynchburg, Newport News/Hampton/Williamsburg, Roanoke, and Shenandoah Valley (Virginia). The airline also operates its BAe 146 jets on one of its commuter routes from Bing hamton, as well as from Albany and Islip/ "Long Island in New York; Florida routes from West Palm Beach, Melbourne, and Daytona Beach; Alabama routes from Huntsville/ Decatur, Mobile, and Birtningham; Maryland routes from Worcester and Pascagoula; South Carolina routes from Greenville/Spartanburg and Columbia; and one route from Knoxville, Tennessee. •LIGHTINTERNATIONAL, 7 January 1989 31
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