Aeroamerica
Encyclopedia
Aeroamerica, Inc. was founded as a US
supplemental carrierUS non-scheduled airline as classified by the United States Congress
in 1963 in 1973. It was headquartered at Seattle Boeing Field
, Washington. In 1975 the airline established an overseas base at Tegel Airport in what used to be West Berlin
prior to German reunification
. Berlin Tegel was the main operating base from 1975 until '79. Aeroamerica ceased operations in 1982.
Aeroamerica was incorporated
in August 1973. On 9 January 1974, the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) certificated Aeroamerica as a commercial airline operator. This was followed by the Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) transferring Standard Airways's dormant Air Operator Certificate (AOC) to the newly formed airline.
jetliners. One of these was sourced from Aer Lingus
while the remaining five were all ex-Braniff examples. (Aeroamerica's first aircraft had actually been delivered the year before, the same month the company had been incorporated.)
Aeroamerica's Boeing 720s were configured in a 149-seat, single-class seating arrangement. Although Aeroamerica applied similar colour scheme
s featuring the same basic shapes to most of its aircraft, the actual colour combination differed on each individual plane.
Aeroamerica's female flight attendant
s wore "hot pants"
.
GAC Corp to exit the West Berlin charter market in October 1974, Aeroamerica acquired that airline's West Berlin traffic rights.
and the Canary Islands
from the start of the 1975 summer season. Aeroamerica had taken over this contract from Modern Air. The decision to supply whole-plane charter airline seats to West Berlin's foremost package tour operator
enabled the airline to take advantage of the fact that all airlines other than those headquartered in the US
, the UK
and France
— the airlines of the three Western victorious powers of World War II
— were banned from West Berlin.
By 1975, all commercial operations were brand
ed Aeroamericathis resulted in phasing out the Air Club brand used for flights operated by Aeroamerica's sister company Air Club International..
-based fleet had doubled to six aircraft. These included four Boeing 720s as well as a Boeing 707
-120B and a BAC One-Eleven
400. The latter had originally belonged to American Airlines
. During the summer of 1976, the bulk of Aeroamerica's activities increasingly centred on Berlin Tegel, making it West Berlin's leading charter airline at the time.
, which by that time focused on Berlinaccounting for 30% of all charter operations at Tegel as well as worldwide ad hoc charters and temporary aircraft leases, gradually declined.
German
flight attendants voted in favour of strike action
in a ballot
held by the German Salaried Employees' Union
Deutsche Angestellten Gewerkschaft (DAG) in German. They demanded pay parity with their colleagues working for Pan Am
's Internal German Services (IGS) division and employment contracts governed by local labour law
to bring them in line with their unionised counterparts at other Allied airlines that employed their flight attendants locallyapart from Pan Am's local IGS flight attendants, these included local flight attendants at British Airways
and Dan-Air
(in contrast, local Laker Airways
flight attendants' employment contracts were not governed by these conditions as the company did not recognise unions in any part of its business). The company countered these demands by arguing that the nature of its business required flight attendants to be stationed anywhere, involving frequent postings to overseas stations at short notice to cover global ad hoc and lease commitments. It furthermore argued that adopting other Allied airlines' local employment conditions and pay for its own flight attendants would restrict operational flexibility and increase costs, that this would undermine its ability to compete globally and that the worldwide nature of its operations made all flight attendants' employment conditions subject to American
labour law as well as CAB and FAA regulations to comply with US legal requirements. Initially, the airline was able to maintain its full flying programme at the beginning of the busy summer holiday period despite staff not showing up for work, following the first week of unsuccessful negotiations between Aeroamerica's local management and the DAG union. However, the conflict escalated during the second week when the local management dismissed without notice two flight attendants who had picket
ed a Tegel-bound flight in Brussels
. As the conflict was still unresolved by the end of July and threatened to disrupt the holiday plans of thousands of West Berliners during the peak month of August, management attempted to break the flight attendants' strike by temporarily reducing the number of flight attendants from four to three per aircraft as well as by hiring contract labour from an unnamed UK airlinelocal West Berlin media reports at the time alleged that Laker Airways was the unnamed UK airline supplying contract labour to Aeroamerica to help it break its flight attendants' strike. As these developments further aggravated the already tense standoff between the airline and its flight attendants' union, the latter sought to increase pressure on the company to settle the dispute by airing its members' grievancies in public. It alleged that Aeroamerica's policy of only complying with minmum FAA requirements resulted in overworking flight attendants, putting lives of crew and passengers at risk in case of an emergency. Despite the negative publicity, management refused to return to the negotiating table and the strike eventually collapsed as the peak summer season drew to a close by the end of August. Following the end of the labour unrest at the company, the FAA subjected Aeroamerica to an unannounced safety audit later the same year. The airline's management alleged that the FAA's move had been prompted by a dismissed flight attendant's act of revenge.
- and subleases Aeroamerica had concluded with other airlines partially compensated for the loss of business at its Berlin base. Aeroamerica's wet-/sublease customers included Egyptair
, Kıbrıs Türk Hava Yolları
(KTHY) — the Northern Cyprus flag carrier
, Laker Airways
, Libyan Arab Airlines
, Pakistan International Airlines
and Saudia
. For instance, the 1977 Kıbrıs wet lease, which ran for several years, entailed the stationing of a fully crewed Boeing 720 at Ercan to operate the Turkish
carrier's scheduled route to Istanbul
.
. In August of that year, Aeroamerica commenced its first-ever fully fledged scheduled air service between Seattle-Tacoma
and Spokane
. The company's new scheduled passenger flights were an immediate success. The following year, the firm prepared to launch additional scheduled services linking Seattle-Tacoma and Portland, Oregon, with Honolulu.
, announced that it would not be renewing the five-year contract it had signed with the airline in late 1974, citing reliability issues as the main reason for its decision.
Aeroamerica closed its Berlin base in November 1979, at the end of the summer season.
scheduled operator, beginning with a weekly service linking Miami with Berlin via Brussels or Amsterdam
from the start of the following year's summer season.
over unpaid bills concerning the former Berlin operation, as well as the seizure of one of the company's aircraft at Tegel Airport.
seeking protection from creditor
s while reorganising the business under the bankruptcy court's supervision.
On 30 June 1980, the FAA suspended Aeroamerica's AOC.
In July 1982, Aeroamerica commenced scheduled services between Seattle and Reno
with Boeing 707s.
aircraft.
Aeroamerica and its sister company Air Club International, which was formed in 1970 as Club International and had operated its first commercial flight across the Atlantic
to Amsterdam with an ex-TWA
Boeing 707 in 1971, claimed to be the world's largest operators of Boeing
"executive aircraft"
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
supplemental carrierUS non-scheduled airline as classified by the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
in 1963 in 1973. It was headquartered at Seattle Boeing Field
Boeing Field
Boeing Field, officially King County International Airport , is a two-runway airport owned and run by King County, Washington, USA. In promotional literature, the airport is frequently referred to as KCIA, but this is not the airport identifier. The airport has some passenger service, but is mostly...
, Washington. In 1975 the airline established an overseas base at Tegel Airport in what used to be West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
prior to German reunification
German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
. Berlin Tegel was the main operating base from 1975 until '79. Aeroamerica ceased operations in 1982.
Formation
Seattle businessman Arthur Joël Eisenberg was the founder and owner of Aeroamerica, Inc.Aeroamerica was incorporated
Incorporation (business)
Incorporation is the forming of a new corporation . The corporation may be a business, a non-profit organisation, sports club, or a government of a new city or town...
in August 1973. On 9 January 1974, the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) certificated Aeroamerica as a commercial airline operator. This was followed by the Federal Aviation Administration
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
(FAA) transferring Standard Airways's dormant Air Operator Certificate (AOC) to the newly formed airline.
Start of operations
Aeroamerica commenced commercial operations in 1974 with six second-hand Boeing 720Boeing 720
The Boeing 720 is a four-engine narrow-body short- to medium-range passenger jet airliner. Developed by Boeing in the late 1950s from the Boeing 707, the 720 has a shorter fuselage and less range...
jetliners. One of these was sourced from Aer Lingus
Aer Lingus
Aer Lingus Group Plc is the flag carrier of Ireland. It operates a fleet of Airbus aircraft serving Europe and North America. It is Ireland's oldest extant airline, and its second largest after low-cost rival Ryanair...
while the remaining five were all ex-Braniff examples. (Aeroamerica's first aircraft had actually been delivered the year before, the same month the company had been incorporated.)
Aeroamerica's Boeing 720s were configured in a 149-seat, single-class seating arrangement. Although Aeroamerica applied similar colour scheme
Aircraft livery
Aircraft livery is a paint scheme applied to an aircraft, generally to fuselage, wings, empennage , or jet engines. Most airlines have a standard paint scheme for their aircraft fleet, usually prominently displaying the airline logo or name. From time to time special liveries are introduced, for...
s featuring the same basic shapes to most of its aircraft, the actual colour combination differed on each individual plane.
Aeroamerica's female flight attendant
Flight attendant
Flight attendants or cabin crew are members of an aircrew employed by airlines primarily to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers aboard commercial flights, on select business jet aircraft, and on some military aircraft.-History:The role of a flight attendant derives from that of similar...
s wore "hot pants"
Shorts
Shorts are a bifurcated garment worn by both men and women over their pelvic area, circling the waist, and covering the upper part of the legs, sometimes extending down to or even below the knee, but not covering the entire length of the leg. They are called "shorts" because they are a shortened...
.
Overseas expansion
Following the decision of US supplemental carrier Modern Air's parent companyParent company
A parent company is a company that owns enough voting stock in another firm to control management and operations by influencing or electing its board of directors; the second company being deemed as a subsidiary of the parent company...
GAC Corp to exit the West Berlin charter market in October 1974, Aeroamerica acquired that airline's West Berlin traffic rights.
Establishment of West Berlin base
On 23 October 1974, the day of the new terminal pre-inauguration at West Berlin's Tegel Airport, Aeroamerica stationed its first Boeing 720 at Tegel for crew familiarisation flights. This aircraft was painted in a basic Braniff colour scheme modified with a white Air Club International style cheatline and a black Berliner Flug Ring inscription by the main door. By March 1975, a further two Boeing 720s arrived at the airline's new Berlin Tegel base to fulfill a five-year charter contract the company had concluded with Berliner Flugring, at the time West Berlin's leading package tour operator, to undertake a series of short- to medium-haul inclusive tour (IT) charter flights to the MediterraneanMediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
and the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
from the start of the 1975 summer season. Aeroamerica had taken over this contract from Modern Air. The decision to supply whole-plane charter airline seats to West Berlin's foremost package tour operator
Tour operator
A tour operator typically combines tour and travel components to create a holiday. The most common example of a tour operator's product would be a flight on a charter airline plus a transfer from the airport to a hotel and the services of a local representative, all for one price. Niche tour...
enabled the airline to take advantage of the fact that all airlines other than those headquartered in the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
— the airlines of the three Western victorious powers of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
— were banned from West Berlin.
By 1975, all commercial operations were brand
Brand
The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...
ed Aeroamericathis resulted in phasing out the Air Club brand used for flights operated by Aeroamerica's sister company Air Club International..
Attainment of leadership in West Berlin charter market
By 1976, the size of the airline's BerlinBerlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
-based fleet had doubled to six aircraft. These included four Boeing 720s as well as a Boeing 707
Boeing 707
The Boeing 707 is a four-engine narrow-body commercial passenger jet airliner developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. Its name is most commonly pronounced as "Seven Oh Seven". The first airline to operate the 707 was Pan American World Airways, inaugurating the type's first commercial flight on...
-120B and a BAC One-Eleven
BAC One-Eleven
The British Aircraft Corporation One-Eleven, also known as the BAC-111, BAC-1-11 or BAC 1-11, was a British short-range jet airliner of the 1960s and 1970s...
400. The latter had originally belonged to American Airlines
American Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...
. During the summer of 1976, the bulk of Aeroamerica's activities increasingly centred on Berlin Tegel, making it West Berlin's leading charter airline at the time.
Decline
From 1977, the airline's businessBusiness
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
, which by that time focused on Berlinaccounting for 30% of all charter operations at Tegel as well as worldwide ad hoc charters and temporary aircraft leases, gradually declined.
Labour troubles
On 1 July 1977, 96% of Aeroamerica's unionisedTrade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
flight attendants voted in favour of strike action
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
in a ballot
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
held by the German Salaried Employees' Union
German Salaried Employees' Union
The German Salaried Employees' Union, in German Deutsche Angestellten-Gewerkschaft was an independent trade union based in Hamburg...
Deutsche Angestellten Gewerkschaft (DAG) in German. They demanded pay parity with their colleagues working for Pan Am
Pan American World Airways
Pan American World Airways, commonly known as Pan Am, was the principal and largest international air carrier in the United States from 1927 until its collapse on December 4, 1991...
's Internal German Services (IGS) division and employment contracts governed by local labour law
Labour law
Labour law is the body of laws, administrative rulings, and precedents which address the legal rights of, and restrictions on, working people and their organizations. As such, it mediates many aspects of the relationship between trade unions, employers and employees...
to bring them in line with their unionised counterparts at other Allied airlines that employed their flight attendants locallyapart from Pan Am's local IGS flight attendants, these included local flight attendants at British Airways
British Airways
British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...
and Dan-Air
Dan-Air
Dan-Air was a leading private, independentindependent from government-owned corporations airline based in the United Kingdom....
(in contrast, local Laker Airways
Laker Airways
Laker Airways was a wholly private, British independentindependent from government-owned corporations airline founded by Sir Freddie Laker in 1966. It originally was a charter airline flying passengers and cargo worldwide...
flight attendants' employment contracts were not governed by these conditions as the company did not recognise unions in any part of its business). The company countered these demands by arguing that the nature of its business required flight attendants to be stationed anywhere, involving frequent postings to overseas stations at short notice to cover global ad hoc and lease commitments. It furthermore argued that adopting other Allied airlines' local employment conditions and pay for its own flight attendants would restrict operational flexibility and increase costs, that this would undermine its ability to compete globally and that the worldwide nature of its operations made all flight attendants' employment conditions subject to American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
labour law as well as CAB and FAA regulations to comply with US legal requirements. Initially, the airline was able to maintain its full flying programme at the beginning of the busy summer holiday period despite staff not showing up for work, following the first week of unsuccessful negotiations between Aeroamerica's local management and the DAG union. However, the conflict escalated during the second week when the local management dismissed without notice two flight attendants who had picket
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
ed a Tegel-bound flight in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
. As the conflict was still unresolved by the end of July and threatened to disrupt the holiday plans of thousands of West Berliners during the peak month of August, management attempted to break the flight attendants' strike by temporarily reducing the number of flight attendants from four to three per aircraft as well as by hiring contract labour from an unnamed UK airlinelocal West Berlin media reports at the time alleged that Laker Airways was the unnamed UK airline supplying contract labour to Aeroamerica to help it break its flight attendants' strike. As these developments further aggravated the already tense standoff between the airline and its flight attendants' union, the latter sought to increase pressure on the company to settle the dispute by airing its members' grievancies in public. It alleged that Aeroamerica's policy of only complying with minmum FAA requirements resulted in overworking flight attendants, putting lives of crew and passengers at risk in case of an emergency. Despite the negative publicity, management refused to return to the negotiating table and the strike eventually collapsed as the peak summer season drew to a close by the end of August. Following the end of the labour unrest at the company, the FAA subjected Aeroamerica to an unannounced safety audit later the same year. The airline's management alleged that the FAA's move had been prompted by a dismissed flight attendant's act of revenge.
Overseas leases
The short-term wetWet lease
Aircraft leases are a number of types of leases used by airlines and other aircraft operators. Airlines lease aircraft from other airlines or leasing companies for two main reasons; to operate aircraft without the financial burden of buying them, and to provide temporary increase in capacity...
- and subleases Aeroamerica had concluded with other airlines partially compensated for the loss of business at its Berlin base. Aeroamerica's wet-/sublease customers included Egyptair
EgyptAir
EgyptAir is the flag carrier airline of Egypt and a member of Star Alliance. The airline is based at Cairo International Airport, its main hub, operating scheduled passenger and freight services to more than 75 destinations in the Middle East, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas...
, Kıbrıs Türk Hava Yolları
Kibris Türk Hava Yollari
Cyprus Turkish Airlines Limited ) was a Turkish Cypriot airline that was the flag carrier for the Turkish-occupied northern part of Cyprus, and was based in the Turkish sector of Nicosia...
(KTHY) — the Northern Cyprus flag carrier
Flag carrier
A flag carrier is a transportation company, such as an airline or shipping company, that, being locally registered in a given country, enjoys preferential rights or privileges, accorded by the government, for international operations. It may be a state-run, state-owned or private but...
, Laker Airways
Laker Airways
Laker Airways was a wholly private, British independentindependent from government-owned corporations airline founded by Sir Freddie Laker in 1966. It originally was a charter airline flying passengers and cargo worldwide...
, Libyan Arab Airlines
Libyan Arab Airlines
Libyan Airlines , known as Libyan Arab Airlines over several decades, is the national flag carrier airline of Libya. Based in Tripoli, it operates scheduled passenger and cargo services within Libya and to Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, the majority of which leave from Tripoli...
, Pakistan International Airlines
Pakistan International Airlines
Pakistan International Airlines Corporation commonly known as PIA, is the flag carrier airline of Pakistan. The airline has its head office on the grounds of Jinnah International Airport in Karachi. and operates scheduled services to 24 domestic destinations and 38 international destinations in 27...
and Saudia
Saudi Arabian Airlines
Saudi Arabian Airlines is the flag carrier airline of Saudi Arabia, based in Jeddah. It operates domestic and international scheduled flights to over 90 destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Europe and North America...
. For instance, the 1977 Kıbrıs wet lease, which ran for several years, entailed the stationing of a fully crewed Boeing 720 at Ercan to operate the Turkish
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
carrier's scheduled route to Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
.
Entry into US domestic scheduled market
Aeroamerica acquired additional second-hand Boeing 720s and 707s during 1978 to enable it to exploit new business opportunities created by US airline deregulationAirline deregulation
Airline deregulation is the process of removing entry and price restrictions on airlines affecting, in particular, the carriers permitted to serve specific routes. In the United States, the term usually applies to the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978...
. In August of that year, Aeroamerica commenced its first-ever fully fledged scheduled air service between Seattle-Tacoma
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
The Seattle–Tacoma International Airport , also known as Sea–Tac Airport or Sea–Tac , is an American airport located in SeaTac, Washington, at the intersections of State Routes 99 and 509 and 518, about west of Interstate 5...
and Spokane
Spokane
Spokane is a city in the U.S. state of Washington.Spokane may also refer to:*Spokane *Spokane River*Spokane, Missouri*Spokane Valley, Washington*Spokane County, Washington*Spokane-Coeur d'Alene-Paloos War*Spokane * USS Spokane...
. The company's new scheduled passenger flights were an immediate success. The following year, the firm prepared to launch additional scheduled services linking Seattle-Tacoma and Portland, Oregon, with Honolulu.
Logistical and reliability problems
The increasingly far-flung nature of the airline's operations overstretched its small fleet. This was compounded by the fleet's advanced age. The combination of these two factors resulted in growing reliability problems.Closure of West Berlin base
In January 1979, Berliner Flugring, Aeroamerica's main overseas business partnerBusiness partner
Business partner is a term used to denote a commercial entity with which another commercial entity has some form of alliance. This relationship may be a highly contractual, exclusive bond in which both entities commit not to ally with third parties...
, announced that it would not be renewing the five-year contract it had signed with the airline in late 1974, citing reliability issues as the main reason for its decision.
Aeroamerica closed its Berlin base in November 1979, at the end of the summer season.
Adoption of new corporate strategy
Following its decision to exit the West Berlin charter market, Aeroamerica adopted a new strategy that sought to refocus the airline as a low-fare transatlanticTransatlantic flight
Transatlantic flight is the flight of an aircraft across the Atlantic Ocean. A transatlantic flight may proceed east-to-west, originating in Europe or Africa and terminating in North America or South America, or it may go in the reverse direction, west-to-east...
scheduled operator, beginning with a weekly service linking Miami with Berlin via Brussels or Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
from the start of the following year's summer season.
Growing financial problems and suspension of operations
As a result of growing financial difficulties, Aeroamerica voluntarily surrendered its operating permit during an informal meeting with the FAA at the end of 1979. This action on the airline's part in turn resulted in legal action brought against it by an aircraft lessor and British AirwaysBritish Airways
British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...
over unpaid bills concerning the former Berlin operation, as well as the seizure of one of the company's aircraft at Tegel Airport.
Reorganisation under Chapter 11
The CAB's subsequent decision to revoke the firm's exempt permit effectively grounded Aeroamerica, resulting in a filing under Chapter 11 of the US bankruptcy codeBankruptcy Code
Bankruptcy Code may refer to:*Bankruptcy in Canada*Bankruptcy in the United States or Title 11 of the United States Code *Bankruptcy in China*Bankruptcy in the United Kingdom...
seeking protection from creditor
Creditor
A creditor is a party that has a claim to the services of a second party. It is a person or institution to whom money is owed. The first party, in general, has provided some property or service to the second party under the assumption that the second party will return an equivalent property or...
s while reorganising the business under the bankruptcy court's supervision.
On 30 June 1980, the FAA suspended Aeroamerica's AOC.
Resumption of operations
On 19 August 1980, the FAA agreed to restore Aeroamerica's AOC following a joint representation by the airline and its official creditors' committee. However, Aeroamerica's operations continued to be plagued by financial and maintenance issues.In July 1982, Aeroamerica commenced scheduled services between Seattle and Reno
Reno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
with Boeing 707s.
Company closure
The airline finally ceased operations during the latter half of 1982, when the FAA grounded it for a maintenance violation regarding the operation of a non-airworthyAirworthiness
Airworthiness is a term used to describe whether an aircraft has been certified as suitable for safe flight. Certification is initially conferred by a Certificate of Airworthiness from a National Airworthiness Authority, and is maintained by performing required maintenance actions by a licensed...
aircraft.
Aircraft operated
Aeroamerica operated the following aircraft types:- BAC One-ElevenBAC One-ElevenThe British Aircraft Corporation One-Eleven, also known as the BAC-111, BAC-1-11 or BAC 1-11, was a British short-range jet airliner of the 1960s and 1970s...
- Boeing 707Boeing 707The Boeing 707 is a four-engine narrow-body commercial passenger jet airliner developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. Its name is most commonly pronounced as "Seven Oh Seven". The first airline to operate the 707 was Pan American World Airways, inaugurating the type's first commercial flight on...
- Boeing 720Boeing 720The Boeing 720 is a four-engine narrow-body short- to medium-range passenger jet airliner. Developed by Boeing in the late 1950s from the Boeing 707, the 720 has a shorter fuselage and less range...
- Douglas DC-7Douglas DC-7The Douglas DC-7 is an American transport aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1953 to 1958. It was the last major piston engine powered transport made by Douglas, coming just a few years before the advent of jet aircraft such as the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8.-Design and...
- McDonnell-Douglas DC-8Douglas DC-8The Douglas DC-8 is a four-engined narrow-body passenger commercial jet airliner, manufactured from 1958 to 1972 by the Douglas Aircraft Company...
- Rockwell Aero Commander.
Aeroamerica and its sister company Air Club International, which was formed in 1970 as Club International and had operated its first commercial flight across the Atlantic
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
to Amsterdam with an ex-TWA
Trans World Airlines
Trans World Airlines was an American airline that existed from 1925 until it was bought out by and merged with American Airlines in 2001. It was a major domestic airline in the United States and the main U.S.-based competitor of Pan American World Airways on intercontinental routes from 1946...
Boeing 707 in 1971, claimed to be the world's largest operators of Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
"executive aircraft"
Business jet
Business jet, private jet or, colloquially, bizjet is a term describing a jet aircraft, usually of smaller size, designed for transporting groups of up to 19 business people or wealthy individuals...
.