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Allegheny Airlines#Allegheny Commuter

{{Short description|Defunct airline of the United States (1952–1979)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2023}}

{{Infobox airline

| airline = Allegheny Airlines

| logo = Allegheny_Airlines_Logo,_June_1966.svg

| logo_size = 200

| alt =

| IATA = AL

| ICAO = ALO

| callsign = ALLEGHENY

| founded = {{start date|1939|03|07}}
{{small|(as All American Aviation)}}

| commenced = {{start date|1953|01|01}}
{{small|(as Allegheny Airlines)}}

| ceased = {{end date|1979|10|28}}
{{small|(expanded and renamed to USAir)}}

| aoc =

| bases =

| hubs = {{ubl|class=nowrap

| Allegheny County {{small|(1946–1951)}}

| Pittsburgh {{small|(1951–1979)}}}}

| secondary_hubs =

| focus_cities =

| frequent_flyer =

| lounge =

| alliance =

| subsidiaries =

| fleet_size =

| destinations =

| company_slogan =

| parent = US Airways Group

| headquarters = Crystal City, Virginia, U.S.

| key_people = Ed Colodny (President & CEO)

| website =

}}

Allegheny Airlines was a local service carrier, a scheduled airline that operated out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1952 to 1979, with routes primarily located in the Eastern United States.{{Cite web |url=http://www.departedflights.com/AL040179.html |title = Allegheny Airlines April 1, 1979 Route Map}} It was the forerunner of USAir that was subsequently renamed US Airways, which itself merged with American Airlines. Its headquarters were at Washington National Airport in Arlington County, Virginia."World Airline Directory". Flight International. April 22, 1978. [https://web.archive.org/web/20190709003739/https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1978/1978%20-%200638.html p. 1134].

History

Allegheny Airlines began as All American Aviation Company providing mail delivery starting on March 7, 1939.{{cite journal|title=none|journal=Air Progress|date=August 1989|page=62|author=Nick Komons}} It was founded by du Pont family brothers Richard C. du Pont and Alexis Felix du Pont Jr.

=Allegheny before 1979=

File:Allegheny Airlines CV-580 N5828.jpg

File:Allegheny Airlines BAC 1-11 N1132J 1.jpg

File:Allegheny Airlines DC-9 N969VJ.jpg

File:Allegheny Airlines Nord 262 N26210.jpg

File:Allegheny Airlines BAC 1-11 N1549.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".Moody's Transportation Manual 1964

In 1953, Allegheny's network blanketed Pennsylvania, reaching from Newark, New Jersey, to Cleveland, Ohio, and Huntington, West Virginia. 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 1960, Allegheny headquarters were in Washington, D.C."World Airline Directory". Flight International. 8 April 1960. [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1960/1960%20-%200492.html 492].

In 1965, Allegheny announced it would add the first jet aircraft type to its fleet—the Douglas DC-9-10—which the airline stated would be placed into service in 1966.{{cite web|url=http://www.timetableimages.com/i-uz/us6506a.jpg|access-date=23 April 2023|website=timetableimages.com|title=Time Table}} Allegheny then added other jets, notably the McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30, which the company named the "Vistajet". Later jets included Boeing 727-100s and 727-200s and McDonnell Douglas DC-9-50s.{{Cite web|url=http://www.departedflights.com/ALhello727.html|title = ALhello727}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.departedflights.com/ALnewdc95075.html|title=ALnewdc95075|website=www.departedflights.com|accessdate=23 April 2023}} 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, which began with Henson Airlines in 1967.

As deregulation dawned, Allegheny, looking to shed its regional image, changed its name to USAir on October 28, 1979.{{Cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=9XYUAAAAIBAJ&pg=4437,7427487&dq=us+air+allegheny&hl=en|title=Allegheny Asks New Name|access-date=23 April 2023}}{{Dead link|date=August 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

class="wikitable"

|+ Revenue passenger-miles (millions)

|+(sched. service only)

AlleghenyMohawkLake Central
style="text-align:right;"

! scope="row" | 1951

| 30

165
style="text-align:right;"

! scope="row" | 1955

| 56

4917
style="text-align:right;"

! scope="row" | 1960

| 131

11636
style="text-align:right;"

! scope="row" | 1965

| 289

34895
style="text-align:right;"

! scope="row" | 1970

| 1683

566(merged 1968)
style="text-align:right;"

! scope="row" | 1975

| 3272

(merged 1972)

=USAir and US Airways=

After Allegheny Airlines rebranded itself as USAir, the company retained its earlier name for its Allegheny Commuter service until 1989 when it became USAir 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 Short 360. It had three Fokker F27s, and was the last US operator of passenger F27s. After replacing much of its Short fleet with de Havilland Canada DHC-8 Dash 8s and retiring the F27s, Suburban merged with another wholly owned USAir subsidiary, Pennsylvania Airlines, which was headquartered at Harrisburg International Airport near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The combined airline retained the historic Allegheny Airlines name until it was merged with another wholly owned subsidiary, Piedmont Airlines."[http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/MapItDrawServlet?geo_id=06000US4204345120&_bucket_id=50&tree_id=420&context=saff&_lang=en&_sse=on Lower Swatara township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606043311/http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/MapItDrawServlet?geo_id=06000US4204345120&_bucket_id=50&tree_id=420&context=saff&_lang=en&_sse=on |date=June 6, 2011 }}." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on March 2, 2010."World Airline Directory." Flight International. March 16–22, 2004. [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/2004/2004-09%20-%200085.html?search=%22aviacsa%22 83]. The subsequent airline retained the Piedmont Airlines name. 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 Activities Dash 8 fleet were incorporated into a regional airline, Piedmont Airlines, in 2004.

File:Airbus A321-231 (N579UW, cn 6100) (3-2-2024).jpg

{{As of|2023|October|df=}}, an American Airlines Airbus A321, registered N579UW, is painted in Allegheny colors.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}} It recently was on an Airbus A319 registered N745VJ, before being repainted into standard American livery in March 2023 and US Airways also operated this aircraft with a retro Allegheny Airlines paint scheme.

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.{{cite web|url=http://www.departedflights.com/routemaps2b.html|title=routemaps2b|website=www.departedflights.com}}{{cite web|url=http://articles.philly.com/1993-02-18/news/25957025_1_passengers-from-small-cities-dawson-ransome-flights|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224112400/http://articles.philly.com/1993-02-18/news/25957025_1_passengers-from-small-cities-dawson-ransome-flights|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 24, 2013|title=Archives - Philly.com|website=The Philadelphia Inquirer}}

=Allegheny Airlines=

{{Incomplete list|date=May 2015}}

{{div col}}

{{Div col end}}

=Canada=

= Allegheny commuter =

{{div col}}

{{Div col end}}

Historic fleet

File:CLT 11-09-08 N745VJ (3020361154).jpg in Allegheny livery in 2012]]

File:Douglas DC-9-30 Allegheny N993VJ.png, circa 1970]]

File:Allegheny N1136J late.png, circa 1979]]

class="toccolours" border="1" cellpadding="3" style="border-collapse:collapse;margin:1em auto;"

|+ Allegheny Airlines fleet

style="background:white;"

!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 November 14, 1955, an Allegheny Airlines Martin 2-0-2 was undertaking training flights at Wilmington Airport in New Castle County, Delaware, when the No. 1 engine caught fire during a single engine approach. On landing, the left main landing gear collapsed, and the aircraft was withdrawn from service and used for spare parts.{{Cite web|url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19551114-0|title = ASN Aircraft accident Martin 2-0-2 N172A Wilmington-Newcastle County Airport, DE (ILG)}}
  • On December 1, 1959, Allegheny Airlines Flight 371, a Martin 2-0-2, crashed into a mountain on approach to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, United States. There were 25 fatalities.Eastwood/Roach 1991, pages 267-269{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19591201-0|title=ASN Aircraft accident Martin 2-0-2 N174A Williamsport-Lycoming County Airport, PA (IPT)|first=Harro|last=Ranter|website=aviation-safety.net}}
  • 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.{{cite news|title=Stewardess is Swept Through Plane Door|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1962/10/20/archives/stewardess-is-swept-through-plane-door-air-stewardess-falls-to.html|access-date=August 20, 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=October 20, 1962}} This incident inspired James Dickey's poem "Falling".{{cite book|last1=Dickey|first1=James|title=Self-Interviews|url=https://archive.org/details/selfinterviews00dick|url-access=registration|date=1970|publisher=Doubleday|location=New York}}
  • On November 2, 1963, an Allegheny Airlines Martin 2-0-2 was damaged beyond repair under unknown circumstances while taxiing at Newark International Airport.{{Cite web|url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19631102-0|title = ASN Aircraft accident Martin 2-0-2 N177A Newark International Airport, NJ (EWR)}}
  • 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 on board were killed, but 23 were injured.
  • On November 29, 1966, Allegheny Airlines Flight 305, operated by a Convair 440, suffered a complete electrical failure on takeoff from Capital City Airport in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The pilots attempted to abort the takeoff, but the reversers did not work, and the aircraft overran the runway, striking an approach light tower. The cause of the failure was later determined to be an improperly installed heater.{{Cite web|url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19661129-0|title = ASN Aircraft accident Convair CV-440 N3414 Harrisburg Airport, PA (HAR)}}
  • 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.{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19681224-0|title=ASN Aircraft accident Convair CV-580 N5802 Bradford Airport, PA (BFD)|first=Harro|last=Ranter|website=aviation-safety.net}}
  • 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.{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19690106-0|title=ASN Aircraft accident Convair CV-580 N5825 Bradford Airport, PA (BFD)|first=Harro|last=Ranter|website=aviation-safety.net}}
  • 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 two crew members were killed; two passengers and one crew member survived. Pilot error was the cause of the crash.{{cite web|url=http://libraryonline.erau.edu/online-full-text/ntsb/aircraft-accident-reports/AAR72-20.pdf|title=NTSB Report Allegheny Airlines, Inc., Allison Prop Jet Convair 340/440, N5832, New Haven, Connecticut, June 7, 1971}}
  • On June 23, 1976, Allegheny Airlines Flight 121, a DC-9, crashed on the runway due to windshear at Philadelphia International Airport. There were 86 injuries and no fatalities.{{cite web|url=http://www.airdisaster.com/reports/ntsb/AAR78-02.pdf|title=NTSB Report AAR-78-2 Allegheny Airlines, Inc., Douglas DC-9, N994VJ, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, June 23, 1976|access-date=2012-10-25|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121004135948/http://www.airdisaster.com/reports/ntsb/AAR78-02.pdf|archive-date=2012-10-04}}
  • 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.{{cite web|url=https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAR7902.pdf|title=NTSB report of Flight 453 crash}}
  • On February 12, 1979, Allegheny Airlines Flight 561, a Nord 262 bound for Washington-National Airport crashed shortly after takeoff from North Central West Virginia Airport because of snow on the aircraft's wing and empennage surfaces. Two died out of the 25 passengers and crew on board.{{ASN accident|id=19790212-0|title=N29824|accessdate= August 25, 2023}}

See also

Notes

{{reflist}}

References

{{Refbegin}}

  • {{cite book|last1=Eastwood|first1=Tony|last2=Roach|first2=John|title=Piston Engine Airliner Production List|year=1991|publisher=The Aviation Hobby Shop|location=West Drayton, England|isbn=0-907178-37-5}}

{{Refend}}

External links

{{Commons category}}

  • [http://timetableimages.com/ttimages/us.htm Timetableimages.com] has timetables from the 1950s and 1960s showing where Allegheny flew and what it cost
  • [http://www.mcglaun.com/1969.htm Allegheny Airlines Flight 853] memorial website by Dan McGlaun on the September 9, 1969, crash near Indianapolis

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Category:Airlines established in 1952

Category:Airlines disestablished in 1979

Category:Companies based in Pittsburgh

Category:Defunct companies based in Pennsylvania

Category:US Airways Group

Category:American companies established in 1952

Category:Defunct regional airlines of the United States

Category:Airlines based in Pennsylvania