Air Wisconsin
Encyclopedia
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
based at Outagamie County Regional Airport
Outagamie County Regional Airport
Outagamie County Regional Airport is a county-owned, public-use airport in Outagamie County, Wisconsin, United States. It is the fourth busiest commercial airport in Wisconsin. It is located just ouside of Appleton, Wisconsin, in the town of Greenville....
in the town of Greenville
Greenville, Wisconsin
Greenville is a town located in south central Outagamie County, Wisconsin, United States. It is one of 18 communities that form the basis of the Fox Cities, the third largest metropolitan area in Wisconsin. The population was 6,844 at the 2000 census, however 2008 estimates place the population at...
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, near Appleton
Appleton, Wisconsin
Appleton is a city in Outagamie, Calumet, and Winnebago Counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is situated on the Fox River, 30 miles southwest of Green Bay and 100 miles north of Milwaukee. Appleton is the county seat of Outagamie County. The population was 78,086 at the 2010 census...
. Air Wisconsin is the largest privately held regional airline in the United States. It operates regional jet
Regional jet
A Regional jet , is a class of short to medium-range turbofan powered airliners.-History:The term "Regional jet" describes a range of short to medium-haul turbofan powered aircraft, whose use throughout the world expanded after the advent of Airline Deregulation in the United States in...
flights as US Airways Express
US Airways Express
US Airways Express is an airline brand name, rather than a fully certified airline, and as such, the US Airways Express name is used by several individually owned airlines or airline holding companies which provide regional airline and commuter service for US Airways.Operations are conducted from...
under contract to US Airways
US Airways
US Airways, Inc. is a major airline based in the U.S. city of Tempe, Arizona. The airline is an operating unit of US Airways Group and is the sixth largest airline by traffic and eighth largest by market value in the country....
, serving 69 cities in the US and Canada with hubs at Philadelphia International Airport
Philadelphia International Airport
Philadelphia International Airport is a major airport in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, and is the largest airport in the Delaware Valley region and in Pennsylvania...
and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is a public airport located south of downtown Washington, D.C., in Arlington County, Virginia. It is the commercial airport nearest to Washington, D.C. For many decades, it was called Washington National Airport, but this airport was renamed in 1998 to...
.
The airline is also a ground-handler for United Express
United Express
United Express is a brand name under which eight regional airlines operate feeder flights for United Airlines. They primarily connect smaller cities with United's domestic hub airports and “focus cities,” although they offer some point-to-point service such as Sacramento to Eureka.As of Sept...
at over 30 locations.
History
Mississippi Valley Airlines
Mississippi Valley Airlines , was a regional air carrier serving the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. Originally founded as Gateway Aviation, the carrier was initially based in La Crosse, Wisconsin and began scheduled flight operations on July 22, 1968 between La Crosse Municipal...
and continued to operate under the Air Wisconsin name. In 1990 it acquired Denver-based Aspen Airways
Aspen Airways
Aspen Airways was a former airline carrier and regional affiliate of United Express and based in Hangar 5 in Stapleton International Airport in Denver, Colorado...
and was itself bought by United Airlines
United Airlines
United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees (which includes the entire holding company United Continental...
a year later. Air Wisconsin pioneered the concept of code-sharing with United Express
United Express
United Express is a brand name under which eight regional airlines operate feeder flights for United Airlines. They primarily connect smaller cities with United's domestic hub airports and “focus cities,” although they offer some point-to-point service such as Sacramento to Eureka.As of Sept...
and rapidly became the nation's largest regional airline
Regional airline
Regional airlines are airlines that operate regional aircraft to provide passenger air service to communities without sufficient demand to attract mainline service...
in the 1980s.
United Airlines sold Air Wisconsin to CJT Holdings in 1993. Air Wisconsin was then renamed Air Wisconsin Airlines Corporation or AWAC because UAL retained the rights to the Air Wisconsin name. In February 1998 it acquired the assets of Mountain Air Express
Mountain Air Express
Mountain Air Express or "MAX" for short was a short-lived commuter airline founded in 1996. It flew Dornier 328 turboprops under a code-share agreement with Western Pacific Airlines. It served such smaller communities as Aspen, CO and Casper, WY from its hub in Colorado Springs, CO. In 1997 both...
and expanded operations in the west. It flew as a feeder for AirTran Airways
AirTran Airways
AirTran Airways, a subsidiary of the Dallas, Texas-based Southwest Airlines, is an American low-cost airline headquartered in Orlando, Florida. AirTran operates over 650 daily flights , primarily in the eastern and midwestern United States...
under the name AirTran JetConnect
AirTran JetConnect
AirTran JetConnect was the brand for AirTran Airways former regional airline service, which flew regional jet aircraft from AirTran's hub in Atlanta...
, but this relationship was discontinued in July 2004. Even after significant concessionary givebacks
Givebacks
Givebacks is a Trade union term for the reduction or elimination of previously won benefits.-History:1978: The first known publication of the term giveback in relation to organized labor negotiations was in the New York Times...
by all unions, Air Wisconsin was unable to secure a long-term deal providing service for United Airlines. United ended its contract with AWAC in April 2005, and the last flight under the United code operated on April 16, 2006.
The company invested $175 Million into US Airways to gain routes on US Airways Express. During the last 3 years AWAC has been unable to acquire any extra routes. AWAC now flies exclusively as US Airways Express from bases in Philadelphia and Washington DC. Air Wisconsin handles ground operations for United Express in 30 cities. It employed 2,294 staff as of March 2007.
Crew Bases
Pilots and Flight Attendants share crew bases at the following locations:- Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
(Philadelphia International AirportPhiladelphia International AirportPhiladelphia International Airport is a major airport in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, and is the largest airport in the Delaware Valley region and in Pennsylvania...
) - Arlington, Virginia (Ronald Reagan Washington National AirportRonald Reagan Washington National AirportRonald Reagan Washington National Airport is a public airport located south of downtown Washington, D.C., in Arlington County, Virginia. It is the commercial airport nearest to Washington, D.C. For many decades, it was called Washington National Airport, but this airport was renamed in 1998 to...
) - Norfolk, VirginiaNorfolk, VirginiaNorfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
(Norfolk International AirportNorfolk International Airport-Baggage Claims:Southwest Airlines #1,Delta Airlines #2,US Airways | American Airlines #3,Continental Airlines|United Express #5- Facilities and aircraft :...
) - New York, New York (LaGuardia AirportLaGuardia AirportLaGuardia Airport is an airport located in the northern part of Queens County on Long Island in the City of New York. The airport is located on the waterfront of Flushing Bay and Bowery Bay, and borders the neighborhoods of Astoria, Jackson Heights and East Elmhurst. The airport was originally...
) - Raleigh/DurhamRaleigh, North CarolinaRaleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
(Raleigh-Durham International AirportRaleigh-Durham International AirportRaleigh-Durham International Airport is a public international airport located 4.5 miles northeast of the town of Morrisville in suburban Wake County, North Carolina, United States. The airport covers and operates three runways, providing direct service to 40 domestic and international...
)
Fleet
The Air Wisconsin fleet includes the following aircraft as of January 2010:| Aircraft | Total | Passengers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canadair CRJ-200LR Bombardier CRJ200 The Bombardier CRJ100 and CRJ200 are a family of regional airliner manufactured by Bombardier, and based on the Canadair Challenger business jet.-Development:... |
70 | 50 | operated as US Airways Express US Airways Express US Airways Express is an airline brand name, rather than a fully certified airline, and as such, the US Airways Express name is used by several individually owned airlines or airline holding companies which provide regional airline and commuter service for US Airways.Operations are conducted from... |
Aircraft Maintenance
Air Wisconsin performs CRJ maintenance activities at the following locations:- Milwaukee, WisconsinMilwaukee, WisconsinMilwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
(General Mitchell International AirportGeneral Mitchell International AirportGeneral Mitchell International Airport is a county-owned public airport located five miles south of the central business district of Milwaukee, a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States....
) - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia International Airport)
- Norfolk, Virginia (Norfolk International Airport)
- Columbia, South Carolina (Columbia Metropolitan AirportColumbia Metropolitan AirportColumbia Metropolitan Airport is the main airport for Columbia, South Carolina. The airport lies five miles southwest of Columbia's central business district, in Lexington County.-Airlines and destinations:...
)
Air Wisconsin also contracts aircraft maintenance with Bombardier Aerospace
Bombardier Aerospace
Bombardier Aerospace is a division of Bombardier Inc. and is the third-largest airplane manufacturer in the world. It is headquartered in Dorval, Quebec, Canada.- History :...
(DCA) and ExelTech Aerospace (YUL).
Incidents and accidents
| Flight | Date | Aircraft | Routing | Location | Description | Injuries | Probable Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 29, 1972 | DHC-6 | Chicago, IL- - Appleton, WI |
near Appleton, WI | While approaching Outagamie County Regional Airport Outagamie County Regional Airport Outagamie County Regional Airport is a county-owned, public-use airport in Outagamie County, Wisconsin, United States. It is the fourth busiest commercial airport in Wisconsin. It is located just ouside of Appleton, Wisconsin, in the town of Greenville.... , Flight 671 was involved in a midair collision over Lake Winnebago Lake Winnebago Lake Winnebago is a freshwater lake in eastern Wisconsin, United States. It is the largest lake entirely within the state.-Statistics:... with North Central Airlines North Central Airlines North Central Airlines was founded as Wisconsin Central Airlines in 1944 in Clintonville, Wisconsin. It was headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.-Early history:... Flight 290 (Green Bay Green Bay, Wisconsin Green Bay is a city in and the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, located at the head of Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It has an elevation of above sea level and is located north of Milwaukee. As of the 2010 United States Census,... -Oshkosh Oshkosh Oshkosh may refer to:Places in the United States* Oshkosh, Wisconsin, a city and the largest place with the name* Oshkosh , Wisconsin* Oshkosh Township, Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota* Oshkosh, Nebraska... -Milwaukee-Chicago Chicago Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles... ; both planes crashed into the lake and sank |
13 fatal (5 on Flight 290) |
Pilots of both flights failed to see and avoid the others' aircraft | |
| Flight 965 |
June 12, 1980 | Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner The Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner or the Fairchild Aerospace Metro is a 19-seat, pressurised, twin turboprop airliner first produced by Swearingen Aircraft and later by Fairchild at a plant in San Antonio, Texas, United States.... |
Appleton, WI- - Lincoln, NE |
near Valley, NE | The aircraft suffered a multiple engine failure after entering a thunderstorm. The amount of water ingested into the engine caused a power interruption and a loss of control; plane hit the ground nose-down and right wing-down; plane skidded and ended inverted | 13 fatal, 2 serious |
Improper in-flight decisions by captain, complete failure of 2 engines |
| Flight 3758 |
December 16, 2007 | CRJ 200 | Philadelphia, PA- |
T. F. Green Airport T. F. Green Airport T. F. Green Airport , also known as Theodore Francis Green State Airport, is a public airport located in Warwick, six miles south of Providence, in Kent County, Rhode Island, USA. Dedicated in 1931, the airport was named for former Rhode Island governor and longtime senator Theodore F. Green... |
Miscommunication between the first officer and captain resulted in the first officer idling the engines on final approach. Soon a 2000ft rate of descent developed, the captain attempted to salvage the landing and stalled the aircraft. The aircraft touched down at a 9 degree bank, collapsed the landing gear and the aircraft skidded to a halt left of the runway. | 0 injuries | The captain’s attempt to salvage the landing from an instrument approach which exceeded stabilized approach criteria, resulting in a high sink rate, likely stall, and hard landing which exceeded the structural limitations of the airplane |