Command Airways
Encyclopedia
Command Airways was a regional airline
based at the Dutchess County Airport
in Wappinger, New York
, just outside Poughkeepsie
where it began operations in 1965 as Mid-Hudson Airlineshttp://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/dd1.htm.
In 1984 it began transitioning into operating in affiliation with American Airlines, much like AmericanConnection
does today. By maintaining independent management and separate ownership, it continued to do business in its own colors
as Command Airways, although its fleet was primarily dedicated for American Airlines operations. This permitted Command to gain marketing presence associated only usually with much larger airline carriers.
Command was the first airline to carry the American Eagle brand when it became a part of the American Eagle
system which included repainting their entire fleet under the American Eagle banner. This rebranding process of regional airlines commenced circa 1985 and accelerated when American Airlines parent company
began purchasing a number of smaller regional carriers after the Bankruptcy ( Dec 1987) of one of it affiliate partners named Avairhttp://www.jetphotos.net/img/1/3/5/7/85169_1105756753.jpg, which was operating similarly to Command Airways.
AMR Corporation the parent company of American Airlines, purchased Command Airways in 1988http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DEEDC1E3DF937A25755C0A96E948260 and renamed it Flagship Airlines. This and other AMR affiliate and subsidiary airlines and Flagship Airlines flew under the American Eagle banner before all parties began being referred to more simply as American Eagle in 1991.
Command/Flagship Airways was operated separately until all AMR subsidiary regional carriers excluding Executive Airlines
were merged together into a commonly certificated carrier name American Eagle Inc. in late 1998, utilizing the former Simmons Airlines two letter IATA Code.
During its existence, Command Airways operated the Beech 99, DeHavilland Canada Twin Otter, Shorts 330
, Shorts 360-300 and ATR-42 airliner
s. Command was the first U.S. airline to operate both the Shorts 330 http://www.scripophily.com/webcart/vigs/commandairpicture.jpg starting in 1976 and the ATR-42 beginning in 1986.
Its hub was at the Dutchess County Airport in Poughkeepsie, which no longer has scheduled commercial airline service today.
Those articles marked with an asterisk (*) are no longer served by commercial airline service.
Regional airline
Regional airlines are airlines that operate regional aircraft to provide passenger air service to communities without sufficient demand to attract mainline service...
based at the Dutchess County Airport
Dutchess County Airport
Dutchess County Airport is a county-owned public-use airport located on State Route 376 in the Town of Wappinger, Dutchess County, New York, United States, four miles south of the central business district of Poughkeepsie. It is sometimes called Poughkeepsie Airport, which gives it the code POU...
in Wappinger, New York
Wappinger, New York
Wappinger is a town of in Dutchess County, New York in the United States. The population was 26,274 at the 2000 census. The name is derived from the Wappani Indians that inhabited the area...
, just outside Poughkeepsie
Poughkeepsie (city), New York
Poughkeepsie is a city in the state of New York, United States, which serves as the county seat of Dutchess County. Poughkeepsie is located in the Hudson River Valley midway between New York City and Albany...
where it began operations in 1965 as Mid-Hudson Airlineshttp://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/dd1.htm.
In 1984 it began transitioning into operating in affiliation with American Airlines, much like AmericanConnection
AmericanConnection
AmericanConnection is a brand name used by Chautauqua Airlines in the operation of passenger air service as a regional affiliate of American Airlines at its Chicago hub...
does today. By maintaining independent management and separate ownership, it continued to do business in its own colors
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...
as Command Airways, although its fleet was primarily dedicated for American Airlines operations. This permitted Command to gain marketing presence associated only usually with much larger airline carriers.
Command was the first airline to carry the American Eagle brand when it became a part of the American Eagle
American Eagle Airlines
American Eagle Airlines is a brand name used by American Eagle Airlines, Inc. , based in Fort Worth, Texas, and Executive Airlines based in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in the operation of passenger air service as regional affiliates of American Airlines. All three airlines are wholly owned subsidiaries...
system which included repainting their entire fleet under the American Eagle banner. This rebranding process of regional airlines commenced circa 1985 and accelerated when American Airlines parent company
Parent 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...
began purchasing a number of smaller regional carriers after the Bankruptcy ( Dec 1987) of one of it affiliate partners named Avairhttp://www.jetphotos.net/img/1/3/5/7/85169_1105756753.jpg, which was operating similarly to Command Airways.
AMR Corporation the parent company of American Airlines, purchased Command Airways in 1988http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DEEDC1E3DF937A25755C0A96E948260 and renamed it Flagship Airlines. This and other AMR affiliate and subsidiary airlines and Flagship Airlines flew under the American Eagle banner before all parties began being referred to more simply as American Eagle in 1991.
Command/Flagship Airways was operated separately until all AMR subsidiary regional carriers excluding Executive Airlines
Executive Airlines
Executive Airlines, Inc. is an airline headquartered in Carolina, Puerto Rico.Executive Airlines operates an extensive inter-island network in the Caribbean and to the Bahamas and the USA in American Eagle colors. Its main base is Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, San Juan. In addition,...
were merged together into a commonly certificated carrier name American Eagle Inc. in late 1998, utilizing the former Simmons Airlines two letter IATA Code.
During its existence, Command Airways operated the Beech 99, DeHavilland Canada Twin Otter, Shorts 330
Shorts 330
|-See also:-Bibliography:* Barnes C.H. and James Derek N. Shorts Aircraft since 1900. London: Putnam, 1989. ISBN 0-85177-819-4.* Donald, David, ed. The Encyclopedia of Civil Aircraft. London: Aurum, 1999. ISBN 1-85410-642-2....
, Shorts 360-300 and ATR-42 airliner
Airliner
An airliner is a large fixed-wing aircraft for transporting passengers and cargo. Such aircraft are operated by airlines. Although the definition of an airliner can vary from country to country, an airliner is typically defined as an aircraft intended for carrying multiple passengers in commercial...
s. Command was the first U.S. airline to operate both the Shorts 330 http://www.scripophily.com/webcart/vigs/commandairpicture.jpg starting in 1976 and the ATR-42 beginning in 1986.
Its hub was at the Dutchess County Airport in Poughkeepsie, which no longer has scheduled commercial airline service today.
Former Destinations
- New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
- PoughkeepsiePoughkeepsie (city), New YorkPoughkeepsie is a city in the state of New York, United States, which serves as the county seat of Dutchess County. Poughkeepsie is located in the Hudson River Valley midway between New York City and Albany...
(Dutchess County AirportDutchess County AirportDutchess County Airport is a county-owned public-use airport located on State Route 376 in the Town of Wappinger, Dutchess County, New York, United States, four miles south of the central business district of Poughkeepsie. It is sometimes called Poughkeepsie Airport, which gives it the code POU...
)* - hub - AlbanyAlbany, New YorkAlbany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
(Albany International AirportAlbany International AirportAlbany International Airport is a public use airport located six nautical miles northwest of the central business district of Albany, in Albany County, New York, United States. It is owned by the Albany County Airport Authority....
) - BinghamtonBinghamton, New YorkBinghamton is a city in the Southern Tier of New York in the United States. It is near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the confluence of the Susquehanna and Chenango Rivers...
(Greater Binghamton AirportGreater Binghamton AirportGreater Binghamton Airport is a medium-sized regional airport located in Maine, New York that serves the Southern Tier of New York, primarily Broome and Tioga counties....
) - IthacaIthaca, New YorkThe city of Ithaca, is a city in upstate New York and the county seat of Tompkins County, as well as the largest community in the Ithaca-Tompkins County metropolitan area...
(Ithaca Tompkins Regional AirportIthaca Tompkins Regional Airport-Bus:TCAT Route 32 travels to the Commons and Cornell University Monday through Friday, As of 2010, Route 72 serves the airport on weekends.-Taxi:Ithaca Dispatch operates a taxi stand at the airport, although it may be necessary to call in advance, especially during peak hours...
) - New York (John F. Kennedy International AirportJohn F. Kennedy International AirportJohn F. Kennedy International Airport is an international airport located in the borough of Queens in New York City, about southeast of Lower Manhattan. It is the busiest international air passenger gateway to the United States, handling more international traffic than any other airport in North...
) - 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...
) - White PlainsWhite Plains, New YorkWhite Plains is a city and the county seat of Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located in south-central Westchester, about east of the Hudson River and northwest of Long Island Sound...
(Westchester County AirportWestchester County AirportWestchester County Airport is a county-owned public-use airport in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located three nautical miles northeast of the central business district of White Plains, in the towns of Harrison, North Castle and Rye Brook.It serves the areas of...
)
- Poughkeepsie
- MassachusettsMassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
- Boston (Logan International AirportLogan International AirportGeneral Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport is located in the East Boston neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts . It covers , has six runways, and employs an estimated 16,000 people. It is the 19th busiest airport in the United States.Boston serves as a focus city for JetBlue Airways...
) - PittsfieldPittsfield, MassachusettsPittsfield is the largest city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Its area code is 413. Its ZIP code is 01201...
(Pittsfield Municipal AirportPittsfield Municipal AirportPittsfield Municipal Airport, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, is a public airport owned and operated by the city of Pittsfield. It has two runways, averages 133 flights per day, and has approximately 57 aircraft based on its field....
)*
- Boston (Logan International Airport
- New HampshireNew HampshireNew Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
- LebanonLebanon, New HampshireAs of the census of 2000, there were 12,568 people, 5,500 households, and 3,178 families residing in the city. The population density was 311.4 people per square mile . There were 5,707 housing units at an average density of 141.4 per square mile...
(Lebanon Municipal Airport)
- Lebanon
- VermontVermontVermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
- BurlingtonBurlington, VermontBurlington is the largest city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the shire town of Chittenden County. Burlington lies south of the U.S.-Canadian border and some south of Montreal....
(Burlington International AirportBurlington International AirportBurlington International Airport is a joint-use public and military airport in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. It is owned by the City of Burlington...
)
- Burlington
- VirginiaVirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
- ManassasManassas, VirginiaThe City of Manassas is an independent city surrounded by Prince William County and the independent city of Manassas Park in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Its population was 37,821 as of 2010. Manassas also surrounds the county seat for Prince William County but that county...
(Manassas Regional AirportManassas Regional AirportManassas Regional Airport , also known as Harry P. Davis Field, is a city-owned public-use airport located four nautical miles southwest of the central business district of Manassas, in a section of Manassas that was carved out of Prince William County specifically for the purpose of containing...
)*
- Manassas
Those articles marked with an asterisk (*) are no longer served by commercial airline service.