National Airlines (N7)
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| National Airlines | ||
|---|---|---|
| IATA N7 |
ICAO ROK |
Callsign Red Rock |
| Founded | 1999 | |
| Hubs | McCarran International Airport | |
| Fleet size | 19 | |
| Destinations | 12 | |
| Headquarters | Las Vegas, Nevada | |
| Key people | Michael Conway (President and CEO | |
| Website: www.nationalairlines.com (defunct) | ||
National Airlines (IATA: N7, ICAO: ROK, and Callsign: Red Rock) was a Las Vegas based low fare airline. The airline was created to bring tourists to Las Vegas. As a result, it offered service to a limited number of cities with high traffic to Las Vegas. The airline operated a fleet of 19 aircraft, all of which were Boeing 757-200s in a two-class configuration.
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[edit] History
Hoping to attract more visitors from the East Coast, Harrah's Entertainment and the former Rio Hotel & Casino, Inc., each contributed $15 million toward the start-up costs of National Airlines in July, 1998.
On May 27, 1999, the airline started service, becoming the third airline in the United States to use the National Airlines name. Michael Conway became President and CEO of the company. However, from its inception in 1999, the company fought an uphill battle against rising fuel costs and an economic recession. In response, National Airlines filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on December 6, 2000.
Like many other airlines at the time, the new National found itself in financial trouble after 9/11, and only 41 months after its inaugural flight left Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport on May 27, 1999, the bankrupt airline ceased all operations on November 6, 2002.
As of the day of National's grounding on November 6, 2002, the airline had carried 1.85 million passengers through McCarran (January - November, 2002), and was the airport's fourth-largest carrier based on passenger volume. Departing McCarran International Airport at 4:20 P.M., National Airlines Flight 354 was the carrier's last to leave the Las Vegas hub.
[edit] Destinations
At the time National Airlines was grounded, the airline provided service to 12 destinations throughout the United States:
[edit] United States
[edit] California
[edit] District of Columbia
See Virginia for Washington, D.C. service
[edit] Florida
[edit] Illinois
[edit] New Jersey
[edit] New York
[edit] Nevada
[edit] Pennsylvania
[edit] Texas
[edit] Virginia
[edit] Washington
[edit] Fleet
At the time the airline was grounded, National had 19 aircraft in its fleet consisting of:
| Aircraft | Total | Passengers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 757-200 | 19 | 197 | National's cabins provided coach seats at 33" and first class at 40", bigger than most legacy carriers at the time. |
