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MetroJet (American airline)

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This article is about the 1998–2001 US Airways brand. For other uses, see Metrojet (disambiguation).
MetroJet
IATA ICAO Call sign
US USA US AIR
FoundedJune 1, 1998;
26 years ago (1998-06-01)
Ceased operationsDecember 2001;
23 years ago (2001-12)
(re-integrated into US Airways)
HubsBaltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport
Frequent-flyer programDividend Miles
Parent companyUS Airways
HeadquartersCrystal City, Virginia, U.S.
Key peopleS. Michael Scheeringa (Vice President)

MetroJet was a no-frills airline brand operated as a wholly owned division of US Airways from 1998 until 2001.

History

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A MetroJet Boeing 737-200

After the conclusion of painstaking labor negotiations in 1997, US Airways sought to head off burgeoning competition from low-cost carriers in its strongest region, the Northeastern United States.[1] Competitor Southwest Airlines was encroaching from its base in the west as were Delta Express and AirTran Airways from the South.[2] Like them it would offer a single class of service, operate a single type of aircraft, which consisted of the Boeing 737-200, and fly a limited network, based at the airline's Baltimore hub. Like similar projects from traditional carriers, including Continental Lite, Delta Express, and Shuttle by United, it would participate in the parent airline's frequent flyer program and other systems.[3]

MetroJet was launched on June 1, 1998, flying from its base at Baltimore-Washington International Airport to Cleveland, Ohio, Providence, Rhode Island, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Manchester, New Hampshire.[4] It began with five dedicated aircraft, repainted in a distinctive livery with a red and gray fuselage, and the traditional blue tail with the US Airways logo.[3] It was slated for a measured expansion over the next two years that eventually included flights from Washington Dulles International Airport and several point-to-point operations,[5][6] with an emphasis on connecting Northeastern passengers to destinations in Florida.[7]

MetroJet operations did not improve US Airways's loss-making record. Many of MetroJet's passengers were cannibalized from other US Airways operations, such as its major presence at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Its aircraft were among the oldest and least fuel efficient in US Airways's fleet, and like its parent its labor costs were among the highest in the industry. Meanwhile, it faced cutthroat competition with Southwest, its main competitor at BWI.[8] In an October 28, 2001 interview with Business Travel News, CEO David Siegel revealed that MetroJet's average cost per available seat mile was 8 cents, compared to 6 cents for Southwest and 10 cents for mainline US Airways.

After the September 11, 2001 attacks, US Airways was disproportionately affected by Washington National Airport's extended closure. The resulting financial disaster precipitated the closure of the airline's MetroJet network, which led to the closing of the subsidiary's primary operating base at Baltimore-Washington International Airport and the furloughing of thousands of employees.

US Airways invoked a force majeure clause in its labor contracts to close the operation, announced on September 24.[9][10] The airline also largely ended its Baltimore hub, which it had inherited from an earlier merger with Piedmont Airlines.[11] Once the largest carrier there, its number of scheduled flights had fallen by 60 percent by the time the last MetroJet 737 was retired in December.[citation needed]

Destinations

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Fleet

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MetroJet fleet included:

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Zuckerman, Laurence (1999-01-21). "American and US Airways Report Weak Fourth Quarters". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-04-06.
  2. ^ Swoboda, Frank (1998-02-05). "US AIRWAYS TO LAUNCH NEW SERVICE". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2022-04-06.
  3. ^ a b "Low-cost MetroJet in, old US Airways out at BWI". Biz Journals. Retrieved 2022-04-06.
  4. ^ Piorko, Janet (1998-06-17). "Business Travel; U S Airways' low-fare Metro Jet service is an effort to beat Southwest Airlines at its own game". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-04-06.
  5. ^ "U.S. Airways MetroJet Service Comes to Dulles". mwaa.com. Retrieved 2022-04-06.
  6. ^ Swoboda, Frank (1998-12-05). "US AIRWAYS EXPANDS METROJET TO DULLES". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2022-04-06.
  7. ^ "US Airways Adds MetroJet Points, Names New Executives | Aviation Week Network". aviationweek.com. Retrieved 2022-04-06.
  8. ^ "US Airways trying to fly out of danger". Baltimore Sun. 14 April 2002. Retrieved 2022-04-06.
  9. ^ "AIRLINES FACING BUMPY RIDE". Sun Sentinel. 25 September 2001. Retrieved 2022-04-06.
  10. ^ Alex, Keith L.; er (2001-09-23). "U.S. Airways to Close MetroJet". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2022-04-06.
  11. ^ "US Air plan to cut MetroJet would deliver blow to BWI". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2022-04-06.

Further reading

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to MetroJet (United States).
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