Lone Star Airlines
Encyclopedia
Lone Star Airlines was an American regional airline that operated both domestic and international flights. For much of the airline's life its headquarters were located in the Fort Worth Stockyards
in Fort Worth, Texas
. The airline's largest hub was located at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport
.
as Exec Express Inc. by Philip Trenary (later President of Pinnacle Airlines
), the company moved its headquarters to Fort Worth, Texas
in 1987. Exec Express Inc. operating as Exec Express Commuter Airlines later became Exec Express II Inc. and eventually operated under the d/b/a's of Lone Star Airlines and Aspen Mountain Air. In order to have both names on the same ticket stock a third d/b/a was created "Aspen Mountain Air/Lone Star Airlines" The airline became an American Airlines
(AMR Corporation) and Frontier Airlines
code sharing partner. In 1996 Professional Pilot magazine selected Lone Star Airlines to receive the Regional Airline Teamwork Award. By 1997 the airline was serving 21 cities in 8 states Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, Tennessee, and Texas. International non-stop service to Mexico was provided from DFW International Airport. Federal EAS subsidies approximated 20% of total revenues in 1996. Total revenues were projected to exceed $24 million in 1997.
STL
DEN
EAS (Essential Air Service) Communities,
Lone Star Airlines and Flight Safety International ("FlightSafety") pioneered a new pilot hiring practice. Pilot applicants who met Lone Star Airlines initial hiring requirements, were first interviewed, screened and tested by FlightSafety. Upon review of these results, Lone Star Airlines would select pilots for company interviews and subsequent job offers contingent upon the pilot's successful completion of flight training at one of FlightSafety's flight simulator training centers.
ICAO Airline Code: LSS
DOT Certificate ID: EQGA
Call Sign: Lonestar
Fort Worth Stockyards
The Fort Worth Stockyards is a historic district that is located in Fort Worth, Texas, north of the central business district. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Fort Worth Stockyards Historic District in 1976...
in Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
. The airline's largest hub was located at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport
Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is located between the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas, and is the busiest airport in the U.S. state of Texas...
.
History
Lone Star was founded in 1984 in Stillwater, OklahomaStillwater, Oklahoma
Stillwater is a city in north-central Oklahoma at the intersection of U.S. 177 and State Highway 51. It is the county seat of Payne County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 45,688. Stillwater is the principal city of the Stillwater Micropolitan Statistical...
as Exec Express Inc. by Philip Trenary (later President of Pinnacle Airlines
Pinnacle Airlines
Pinnacle Airlines, Inc. is an American regional airline, which is a subsidiary of Pinnacle Airlines Corp., and operates as Delta Connection for Delta Air Lines...
), the company moved its headquarters to Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
in 1987. Exec Express Inc. operating as Exec Express Commuter Airlines later became Exec Express II Inc. and eventually operated under the d/b/a's of Lone Star Airlines and Aspen Mountain Air. In order to have both names on the same ticket stock a third d/b/a was created "Aspen Mountain Air/Lone Star Airlines" The airline became an 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...
(AMR Corporation) and Frontier Airlines
Frontier Airlines
Frontier Airlines, Inc., is an American airline headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The carrier, which is a subsidiary and operating brand of Republic Airways Holdings, operates flights to 83 destinations throughout the United States, Mexico, and Costa Rica and maintains hubs at...
code sharing partner. In 1996 Professional Pilot magazine selected Lone Star Airlines to receive the Regional Airline Teamwork Award. By 1997 the airline was serving 21 cities in 8 states Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, Tennessee, and Texas. International non-stop service to Mexico was provided from DFW International Airport. Federal EAS subsidies approximated 20% of total revenues in 1996. Total revenues were projected to exceed $24 million in 1997.
Hubs and destinations
DFW- From the airline's main hub of operations at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport direct flights were operated to:
-
- Aspen; Colorado
- Pensacola; Florida
- Natchez; Louisiana
- Knoxville; Tennessee
-
-
-
- Columbia and Joplin; Missouri
- Santa Fe and Roswell/Ruidoso; New Mexico
-
-
- ARKANSAS
- Camden, El Dorado, Harrison, Hot Springs, Jonesboro, and Mountain Home
- ARKANSAS
-
- TEXAS
- Alpine, Brownwood, Del Rio, Lufkin/Nacadoches, Paris, Temple and Texarkana
- TEXAS
-
- OKLAHOMA
- Altus, Enid, McAlester, and Ponca City; Oklahoma
- OKLAHOMA
-
- MEXICO
- ChihuahuaChihuahua, ChihuahuaThe city of Chihuahua is the state capital of the Mexican state of Chihuahua. It has a population of about 825,327. The predominant activity is industry, including domestic heavy, light industries, consumer goods production, and to a smaller extent maquiladoras.-History:It has been said that the...
, HermosilloHermosilloHermosillo is a city and municipality located centrally in the northwestern Mexican state of Sonora. It is the capital and main economic center for the state and region. It contains almost all of the state's manufacturing and has thirty percent of its population...
, SaltilloSaltilloSaltillo is the capital city of the northeastern Mexican state of Coahuila and the municipal seat of the municipality of the same name. The city is located about 400 km south of the U.S. state of Texas, and 90 km west of Monterrey, Nuevo León....
and TorreónTorreónTorreón is a city and seat of the surrounding municipality of the same name in the Mexican state of Coahuila. As of 2010, the city's population was 608,836 with 639,629 in the municipality. The metropolitan population, including Matamoros, Coahuila, and Gómez Palacio and Lerdo in adjacent Durango,...
- Chihuahua
- MEXICO
STL
- From St Louis, Missouri direct flights were operated to:
- Bloomington, Muncie, Terre Haute (IN); Harrison, Hot Springs, Mountain Home (AR); and Joplin, (MO).
DEN
- From Denver, ColoradoDenver, ColoradoThe City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
direct flights were operated to:- Aspen, (CO) and Bozeman, (MT).
EAS (Essential Air Service) Communities,
- Arkansas
- Camden, El Dorado, Harrison, Hot Springs and Jonesboro.
- Indiana
- Terre Haute
- Oklahoma
- Enid and Ponca City
- Texas
- Brownwood, Paris and Temple
Aircraft
- The airline began service with Piper PA-31 NavajoPiper PA-31 NavajoThe Piper PA-31 Navajo is a family of cabin-class, twin-engine aircraft designed and built by Piper Aircraft for the general aviation market, most using Lycoming engines. It was also licence-built in a number of Latin American countries. Targeted at small-scale cargo and feeder liner operations and...
aircraft. Later, Dornier Do 228Dornier Do 228The Dornier 228 is a twin-turboprop STOL utility aircraft, manufactured by Dornier GmbH from 1981 until 1998. In 1983, Hindustan Aeronautics bought a production licence and manufactures the 228 for the Asian market sphere. Approximately 270 Do 228 were built at Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany and...
and Beechcraft Model 99Beechcraft Model 99|-See also:-External links:*...
s were added. These aircraft were retired as the airline began taking deliveries of the Fairchild Metro IIIFairchild Swearingen MetrolinerThe 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....
, Fairchild Metro 23 and the Dornier 328Dornier 328|-See also:- References :* Swanborough, Gordon. "Dornier 328: A Daimler for Commuters". Air International, March 1992, Vol. 42 No. 3. pp. 123–128. ISSN 0306-5634....
.
- The relatively high operating costs of the Dornier 328 were minimized by operating it on long range flights thus reducing the number of takeoffs, landings and engine starts per hour. During its operation, Lone Star was recognized by Dornier for operating the longest stage lengths of any Dornier operator.
- APALS (Autonomous Precision Approach Landing System). Lone Star Airlines became Lockheed Martin's APALS launch customer in 1996. The intent of the system was to provide precision approach capabilities at airports that did not have the equipment and procedures to support a precision approach. APALS equipped aircraft would be able to safely and successfully operate into and from airports under conditions not available to other aircraft.
Training
Following the introduction of Metro III aircraft, Lone Star Airlines incorporated state of the art, full motion aircraft flight simulators into its training program.Lone Star Airlines and Flight Safety International ("FlightSafety") pioneered a new pilot hiring practice. Pilot applicants who met Lone Star Airlines initial hiring requirements, were first interviewed, screened and tested by FlightSafety. Upon review of these results, Lone Star Airlines would select pilots for company interviews and subsequent job offers contingent upon the pilot's successful completion of flight training at one of FlightSafety's flight simulator training centers.
Operating Authority
Besides domestic scheduled passenger service, Lone Star Airlines was granted authority to operate passenger service to the following additional areas:-
-
- Caribbean Islands & Haiti ----- 1993 ------ Extended Overwater
- Mexico Operations ------------- 1994 ------ International Service
- Aspen, Colorado --------------- 1995 ------ Special Use Airport
- Rifle, Colorado --------------- 1995 ------ Special Use Airport
- South America ----------------- 1996 ------ International Service
-
History
- In the 1980s,
- Exec Express primarily operated federally subsidized EAS (Essential Air ServiceEssential Air ServiceEssential Air Service is a U.S. government program enacted to guarantee that small communities in the United States, which, prior to deregulation, were served by certificated airlines, maintained commercial service. Its aim is to maintain a minimal level of scheduled air service to these...
) routes feeding DFW from Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas. For a brief period in 1987 & 1988 the company provided direct service to Houston, San Antonio and AustinAustinAustin is the capital of the U.S. state of Texas.Austin may also refer to:-In the United States:*Austin, Arkansas*Austin, Colorado*Austin, Chicago, Illinois*Austin, Indiana*Austin, Minnesota*Austin, Nevada*Austin, Oregon...
(TX) from a hub at Fort Worth Meacham International AirportFort Worth Meacham International AirportFort Worth Meacham International Airport is an airport in Fort Worth, Texas. The airport is located at the intersection of Interstate 820 and U.S. Business Highway 287 in northwest Fort Worth, near the downtown business district...
.
- Exec Express primarily operated federally subsidized EAS (Essential Air Service
- 1988 and beyond
- Exec Express II greatly expanded the number of routes, adding operations in Indiana, Louisiana and Missouri with new EAS destinations as well as unsubsidized destinations such as Alpine and Nacogdoches, Texas; Natchez, Louisiana; and Joplin, Missouri. A major maintenance base was established in Hot Springs, Ar. and the company began operating under the d/b/a Lone Star Airlines. With the addition of the high speed Dornier 328 aircraft in 1994, the company was able to operate long range (over 600 miles) non stop flights from DFW to locations in Mexico, ColoradoColoradoColorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, TennesseeTennesseeTennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, and FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.
- Exec Express II greatly expanded the number of routes, adding operations in Indiana, Louisiana and Missouri with new EAS destinations as well as unsubsidized destinations such as Alpine and Nacogdoches, Texas; Natchez, Louisiana; and Joplin, Missouri. A major maintenance base was established in Hot Springs, Ar. and the company began operating under the d/b/a Lone Star Airlines. With the addition of the high speed Dornier 328 aircraft in 1994, the company was able to operate long range (over 600 miles) non stop flights from DFW to locations in Mexico, Colorado
- 1993
- With the interest and assistance of investors in Mexico, the airline began preparations for service to several destinations in Mexico and ordered the Dornier 328 to service these routes as well as some of its domestic routes. The peso was devalued shortly after operations commenced. Demand for service to Saltillo and Hermosillo was weak and service was discontinued shortly after it began. Torreón and Chihuahua City were more successful.
- 1995
- The airline decided to add service to Knoxville, Tennessee and Aspen, Colorado. Scheduled airline operations into Aspen, require special authorization from the FAA. Following extensive coordination and assistance from Daimler Benz / Dornier, Honeywell Avionics, Aspen city and airport authorities, aeronautical engineers, the FAA and others; qualifications, procedures and training were established; special operating authority was granted and direct service between DFW and Aspen commenced.
- Late 1996
- Having demonstrated its ability to successfully service the Aspen community, the airline was acquired by Peak International, an aviation group out of Aspen, Colorado. funded largely by Skico and the Crown family. Colorado service then began operating under the d/b/a of Aspen Mountain Air (AMA) and the focus of Aspen service was changed from Dallas / Aspen to Denver / Aspen in direct competition with United Airlines. By late 1997, the airline was expanding rapidly; adding additional aircraft and destinations. New destinations included, Pensacola, Fl; Bozeman, MT and Sante Fe, New Mexico. The headquarters were relocated from the Fort Worth Stockyards to Grand Prairie, Texas.
- 1998
- In concluding its response to AMA's request for an exemption to limits on its fleet expansion, the DOT (United States Department of TransportationUnited States Department of TransportationThe United States Department of Transportation is a federal Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with transportation. It was established by an act of Congress on October 15, 1966, and began operation on April 1, 1967...
) wrote: "Notwithstanding AMA's expectations that its expanded operations would prove profitable, they were not and, despite the infusion of funds from its owner, the carrier's financial situation deteriorated until, on August 7, 1998 AMA filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection." The airline was liquidated in October 1998. Some of the assets and crews went to Air WisconsinAir WisconsinAir Wisconsin Airlines Corporation is an airline based at Outagamie County Regional Airport in the town of Greenville, Wisconsin, United States, near Appleton. Air Wisconsin is the largest privately held regional airline in the United States...
. Some of the routes were taken over by Big Sky AirlinesBig Sky AirlinesBig Sky Airlines was an American regional airline that operated from 1978 to 2008. Headquartered in Billings, Montana, United States. Big Sky was wholly owned by Big Sky Transportation Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of MAIR Holdings....
- In concluding its response to AMA's request for an exemption to limits on its fleet expansion, the DOT (United States Department of Transportation
Misc
IATA Airline Code: ADICAO Airline Code: LSS
DOT Certificate ID: EQGA
Call Sign: Lonestar
- In 1960 an air carrier named "Lone Star Airlines" operated three Martin passenger aircraft between Dallas and Houston. The flight attendants wore "hot pants". The operation lasted only six months.
- A Lone Star Airlines Fairchild Metro III aircraft was provided and featured in "Angie (film)", starring Geena Davis and released in 1994. The Captain assigned for transport and liaison was Jonathan Smith.
- The airline briefly operated an Embraer Brazilia EMB-120RT aircraft while awaiting delivery of the Dornier 328 aircraft.
- The airline traditionally held an annual Christmas party and provided dedicated aircraft to gather employees throughout their system for the event.
- Lone Star logo and artwork were created by Ed Tavender. http://www.linkedin.com/pub/ed-tavender/6/92b/701
- Dornier aircraft production was acquired from Daimler Benz by Fairchild Aircraft.
- In 1998 AMA did wet lease two Metro aircraft from Merlin Express, an aircraft operating division of Fairchild Aircraft later Fairchild-Dornier Aircraft acquired by M7 AerospaceM7 AerospaceM7 Aerospace LP is an aerospace company with its headquarters on the property of San Antonio International Airport in San Antonio, Texas.M7 is the successor organization to Fairchild-Dornier Aviation, having bought much of that firm's assets out of bankruptcy. M7 occupies the...
- Aspen Mountain Air/Lone Star Airlines operations were separate and distinct from Mountain Air ExpressMountain Air ExpressMountain 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...
, "MAX"; an air carrier that operated Dornier 328 aircraft from Colorado Springs, Colorado and affiliated with Western Pacific AirlinesWestern Pacific AirlinesWestern Pacific Airlines, or WestPac, took up service on April 28, 1995 using eight Boeing 737-300 jets. The low-cost airline was formed in 1994 under the name Commercial Air but the name was changed to Western Pacific for marketing reasons. Edward Gaylord of Gaylord Entertainment Company was...
.
- Former executives of Aspen Mountain Air founded Aspen Executive Jet in 2003. "AEXJet" was based in Aspen, Colorado, and served nine major metropolitan regions throughout the U.S., including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, South Florida, Dallas, Houston, Austin and Atlanta.
External links
- Air Transport Intelligence; Aspen Mountain Air; http://www.rati.com/ALLANDING_1700.htm
- Abilene TX, City Council Work Session Jan 8, 1998 ; http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:aRaOXTkY0xcJ:www.abilenetx.com/Agendas/Council/1998/1998-01-08.htm+Exec+Express+d/b/a+Aspen+Mountain+Air&cd=10&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-a
See also
- Dornier 328Dornier 328|-See also:- References :* Swanborough, Gordon. "Dornier 328: A Daimler for Commuters". Air International, March 1992, Vol. 42 No. 3. pp. 123–128. ISSN 0306-5634....
- Dornier FlugzeugwerkeDornier FlugzeugwerkeDornier Flugzeugwerke was a German aircraft manufacturer founded in Friedrichshafen in 1914 by Claudius Dornier. Over the course of its long lifespan, the company produced many notable designs for both the civil and military markets.-History:...
- Fairchild Aircraft
- Martin 4-0-4Martin 4-0-4|-See also:-Bibliography:* Andrade, John. U.S. Military Aircraft Designations and Serials since 1909. Leicester, UK: Midland Counties Publications, 1979, pp. 95, 217. ISBN 0-904597-22-9....
- Horizon AirHorizon AirHorizon Air Industries, Inc. is a regional low-cost airline based in SeaTac, Washington, United States. It is the eighth largest regional airline in the USA, serving 52 cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico....
- Pinnacle AirlinesPinnacle AirlinesPinnacle Airlines, Inc. is an American regional airline, which is a subsidiary of Pinnacle Airlines Corp., and operates as Delta Connection for Delta Air Lines...
- Skyway AirlinesSkyway AirlinesSkyway Airlines is an American ramp and aircraft ground handling services and catering company based in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. Until April 5, 2008, it operated as a regional airline under the business name Midwest Connect, feeding Midwest Airlines's hub at General Mitchell International Airport with...
- Western Pacific AirlinesWestern Pacific AirlinesWestern Pacific Airlines, or WestPac, took up service on April 28, 1995 using eight Boeing 737-300 jets. The low-cost airline was formed in 1994 under the name Commercial Air but the name was changed to Western Pacific for marketing reasons. Edward Gaylord of Gaylord Entertainment Company was...