Compass Airlines (North America)
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| Compass Airlines | ||
|---|---|---|
| IATA DH |
ICAO --- |
Callsign --- |
| Founded | 2006 | |
| Hubs | Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport Memphis Int'l Airport |
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| Frequent flyer program | WorldPerks | |
| Member lounge | WorldClubs | |
| Alliance | SkyTeam | |
| Fleet size | 1 (36 orders) | |
| Destinations | 1 | |
| Parent company | Northwest Airlines | |
| Headquarters | Chantilly, Virginia | |
| Key people | Bill Lange, VP Safety; Robert Coulter, DO; Steve Sargent, Chief Pilot; Jose Cordova, Dir QC and Chief Inspector; Robert Recchio, Dir MX | |
| Website: compassairline.com | ||
Compass Airlines is a new subsidiary to Northwest Airlines that currently flies Bombardier CRJ-200 jets between Minneapolis/St. Paul and Washington Dulles. During the concept phase, the subsidiary was known as "NewCo".
Compass was formed due to a contract dispute between Northwest and its pilot's union. Due to the scope clause in the pilot contracts, intended to protect pilot jobs and pay, the type of midsized jets available to the airline, and seat capacity of those jets, was affected by the contract. Northwest would be unable to operate smaller aircraft as a way to avoid paying the existing wage rates.
In order to avert this problem, Northwest bought the operating certificate of defunct Independence Air on March 10, 2006, for $2 million , in order to establish a new feeder airline to Detroit, Minneapolis/St.Paul, and Washington Dulles Airport.
Compass will operate Embraer 175 aircraft.[1] The aircraft orders are not a direct replacement for the aging Douglas DC-9 aircraft, but lower the cost per available seat mile. The maximum number of seats that Compass can operate is 76 seats due to the Northwest pilots contract that is to protect the jobs of many mainline pilots.
While the order and delivery of these aircraft are pending, a single CRJ-200 with as many as up to four are in service to preserve the airline's operating certificate.
On September 28, 2006, Compass Airlines officially received approval from the United States Department of Transportation to begin operations.
On April 5, 2007, Compass Airlines received FAA certification to begin commercial passenger operations with a CRJ-200. The airline anticipates beginning scheduled service between Washington Dulles and Minneapolis on May 2.[1]
[edit] Fleet
| Aircraft | Total | Passengers (First/Economy) |
Routes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Embraer 175 | (36 orders) (36 options) |
76 (12/64) | Northwest Airlink Service | To be operated by Compass Entry into service: Mid-2007 |
| CRJ-200 |
1 |
50 |
Northwest Airlink Service | Operated by Compass |
[edit] References
- ^ Northwest Announces Orders for Seventy-Two Aircraft (Official Press Release: October 5, 2005)
[edit] External Links
| Northwest Airlink Carriers | ||
|---|---|---|
| Mesaba Airlines • Pinnacle Airlines Future Carriers: Compass Airlines Former Carriers: Fischer Brothers Aviation • Northeast Express Regional Airlines • Pacific Island Aviation • Simmons Airlines |
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