CommutAir

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

CommutAir is a regional airline based in Plattsburgh, New York, USA. It operates under the name Continental Connection for Continental Airlines. Its main base is Clinton County Airport, Plattsburgh, NY. It flies mainly out of Logan International Airport in Boston, and Hopkins International Airport in Cleveland to destinations in the Northeast and Midwest United States.

Contents 1 Code Data 2 History 3 Future Expansion Plans 4 Services 5 Fleet 6 References 7 External links

[edit] Code Data

• IATA Code: C5
• ICAO Code: UCA
• Callsign: Commutair

[edit] History

The airline was established in 1989 and started operations on August 1, 1989. It had a marketing affiliation with US Airways since its inception, but changed affiliations to Continental Airlines in December 2000, when the codeshare agreement with US Airways expired. In July 2001 the company announced plans to downsize their fleet and workforce by approximately half and begin a reorganization of the airline. In early 2002 the company began a "micro-hub" operation based in Albany, New York. At its high point in 2003 and 2004 the hub served the following cities: Allentown, Harrisburg, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Burlington, Manchester, Portland, Bangor, Providence, Islip, Hartford/Springfield, White Plains, Ottawa and Montreal all with a fleet of Raytheon Beech 1900Ds.

In January 2003 CommutAir announced an agreement with Continental to feed the latters Cleveland, Ohio hub. Service was commenced on March 16, 2003 with service to Kalamazoo, MI and Elmira, NY. Two cities were added the following month and by August 2003 CommutAir served 12 cities from the Cleveland hub.

[edit] Future Expansion Plans

On September 12, 2006, a memo was released to the general public which announced that Commutair would be acquiring sixteen Bombardier Q-200 "Dash 8" aircraft. The following memo ^[1] from their corporate website outlines the initial plans:

Plattsburgh, N.Y. September 12, 2006 - Champlain Enterprises, Inc., dba CommutAir/“Continental Connection” announced today that it has signed a lease agreement with Horizon Airlines of Seattle, Washington for sixteen Bombardier Q-200 series aircraft, including maintenance and training support as well as spare parts. The aircraft will be delivered beginning in January 2007 and will be placed into service for Continental Airlines (NYSE:CAL) at its Cleveland hub. The Q-200 is a modern 37-passenger turboprop manufactured in Ontario, Canada. It is powered by an advanced series of Pratt & Whitney engines designed to produce significant fuel savings over similar-sized jet aircraft. In addition to its fuel efficiency, the Q- 200 employs a revolutionary noise and vibration suppression system which dampens cabin noise for enhanced passenger comfort. The aircraft features a spacious cabin with overhead bins, lavatory and in-flight service. The new aircraft will enable CommutAir to significantly broaden its current scheduled passenger airline service under the name “Continental Connection” pursuant to its agreement with Continental Airlines.

[edit] Services

CommutAir operates services to the following domestic scheduled destinations (As of October 2006):

• Indiana
  • Fort Wayne (Fort Wayne International Airport)
  • South Bend (South Bend Regional Airport)
• Kentucky
  • Covington/Cincinnati, Ohio (Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport)
• Massachusetts
  • Boston (Logan International Airport hub)
• Michigan
  • Detroit (Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport)
  • Grand Rapids (Gerald R. Ford International Airport)
  • Flint (Bishop International Airport)
• New York
  • Albany (Albany International Airport)
  • Buffalo (Buffalo Niagara International Airport)
  • Elmira (Elmira-Corning Regional Airport)
  • Islip (Long Island MacArthur Airport)
  • Plattsburgh (Clinton County Airport)
  • Rochester (Greater Rochester International Airport)
  • Saranac Lake (Adirondack Regional Airport)
  • White Plains (Westchester County Airport)
• Ohio
  • Cleveland (Hopkins International Airport hub)
  • Toledo (Toledo Express Airport)
• Pennsylvania
  • Allentown (Lehigh Valley International Airport)
  • Erie (Erie International Airport)
  • Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh International Airport)
  • Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport)
• Vermont
  • Burlington (Burlington International Airport)
  • Rutland (Rutland State Airport)
• West Virginia
  • Charleston (Yeager Airport)

[edit] Fleet

The CommutAir fleet includes the following aircraft (as of August 2006):

• 17 Raytheon Beech 1900D Airliner ^[2]

[edit] References

1. ^ Dash 8 acquisition
2. ^ Flight International, 3-9 October 2006

[edit] External links

• CommutAir

v • d • e    Continental Connection Carriers

Cape Air • Colgan Air • CommutAir • Gulfstream International Airlines • RegionsAir Former Carriers: Presidential Airways • SkyWest

v • d • e    US Airways Express Carriers

Air Midwest • Air Wisconsin • Chautauqua Airlines • Colgan Air • Mesa Airlines • Piedmont Airlines • PSA Airlines • Republic Airlines • Trans States Airlines Former carriers: CCAir • CommutAir • Crown Airways • FloridaGulf Airlines • Jet Express • Liberty Express Airlines • Midway Airlines • Paradise Island Airlines • Potomac Air • Ransome Airlines • Shuttle America • Southern Jersey Airways • States West Airlines