Benutzer:Frank Murmann/Metro Airlines

Dieser Artikel (Metro Airlines) ist im Entstehen begriffen und noch nicht Bestandteil der freien Enzyklopädie Wikipedia.

Wenn du dies liest: Der Text kann teilweise in einer Fremdsprache verfasst, unvollständig sein oder noch ungeprüfte Aussagen enthalten. Wenn du Fragen zum Thema hast, nimm am besten Kontakt mit dem Autor Frank Murmann auf.

Wenn du diesen Artikel überarbeitest: Bitte denke daran, die Angaben im Artikel durch geeignete Quellen zu belegen und zu prüfen, ob er auch anderweitig den Richtlinien der Wikipedia entspricht (siehe Wikipedia:Artikel). Nach erfolgter Übersetzung kannst du diese Vorlage entfernen und den Artikel in den Artikelnamensraum verschieben. Die entstehende Weiterleitung kannst du schnelllöschen lassen. Importe inaktiver Accounts, die länger als drei Monate völlig unbearbeitet sind, werden gelöscht.

Vorlage:Importartikel/Wartung-2021-05

Metro Airlines
Datei:Metro Airlines Logo 1974.svg
IATA-Code:	HY
ICAO-Code:	MTR
Rufzeichen:	METRO
Gründung:	1969
Betrieb eingestellt:	1993
Sitz:	Houston, Texas Grapevine, Texas
Heimatflughafen:	Clear Lake City STOLport Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport
Allianz:	American Eagle
Flottenstärke:
Ziele:
Metro Airlines hat den Betrieb 1993 eingestellt. Die kursiv gesetzten Angaben beziehen sich auf den letzten Stand vor Einstellung des Betriebes.

Metro Airlines (ehemals Houston Metro Airlines) war eine US-amerikanische Regionalfluggesellschaft. Das Unternehmen hatte seinen Sitz ursprünglich in Houston, zog später aber nach Grapewine im Norden von Texas um. Die Airline war auf dem Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport stationiert. Durch die Übernahme mehrerer anderer Fluggesellschaften entwickelte sich Metro Airlines schließlich zu einer Airline-Holding, zu der neben Metro Airlines selbst unter anderem Eastern Metro Express mit Sitz in Atlanta gehörte. Die Airline führte auch Flüge für American Eagle durch. Im Jahr 1993 meldete das Unternehmen Insolvenz an und die Aktiva der Gesellschaft wurden von Simmons Airlines aufgekauft.

Geschichte

Die Airline wurde im Jahr 1969 gegründet, um mehrere Städte im Einzugsgebiet von Houston mit Houston zu verbinden. Houston Metro Airlines baute den Clear Lake City STOLport mit einer 2.500 ft (762 m) langen Start- und Landebahn sowie einem Passagierterminal und einem Wartungshangar am Rand von Clear Lake City – einem ehemaligen Vorort von Houston, der heute zum Stadtgebiet gehört – in der Nähe des NASA Johnson Space Center. Die erste Verbindung führte von Clear Lake City zum Houston Intercontinental Airport. Anfang 1970 nahm die Airline eine weitere Verbindung zwischen dem Houston Intercontinental Airport und dem William P. Hobby Airport auf. Der Flugplan vom 1. Februar 1970 enthielt 24 Hin- und Rückflüge zwischen dem Clear Lake City STOLport und dem Houston Intercontinental Airport sowie 14 Hin- und Rückflüge zwischen dem William P. Hobby Airport und dem Houston Intercontinental Airport pro Woche. Laut dem Official Airline Guide vom Februar 1976 führte die Airline bereits 22 Hin- und Rückflüge pro Tag zwischen Clear Lake City und dem Houston Intercontinental Airport durch. Später kamen noch Verbindungen zwischen verschiedenen Zielen im Südosten und Süden von Texas zum George Bush Intercontinental Airport hinzu. Zeitweise flog die Airline auch zwischen Laredo und San Antonio. Zunächst wurden alle Strecken mit Maschinen vom Typ de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter geflogen, da der Clear Lake City STOLport speziell für dieses Muster gebaut wurde. Das Netz wurde später auf Verbindungen nach Lafayette und Lake Charles ausgeweitet, die mit den größeren Short 330 bedient wurden. Die Short 330 wurde ebenfalls auf der Strecke vom Houston Intercontinental Airport nach Beaumont/Port Arthur eingesetzt.

In 1972 the airline carried between 90,000 and 100,000 passengers per year. It displayed a profit of $156,510 U.S. dollars in an eight-month period.

In 1978 Metro entered the "stand up widebody cabin age" when the first orders for five (5) Short 330 twin turboprops were announced. [1] These Irish-manufactured aircraft would be used to complement the Twin Otters already in use on higher demand routes as well as new service to Lafayette, LA and Lake Charles, LA and offered far more comfortable seating for passengers. The addition of the 30 passenger Short 330 turboprops required Metro to make provisions for flight attendants and also resulted in the carrier joining the ranks of the regional airline industry via its use of larger aircraft. The company was also independently operating flights from the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport (DFW) at this time with DHC-6 Twin Otter and Short 330 aircraft with services to several destinations in east Texas with some of these flights continuing on to or originating from Houston Intercontinental (IAH). These Twin Otter and Short 330 passenger services into DFW were flown by the Metroflight Airlines division which would eventually operate American Eagle flights. Metroflight also independently served several destinations in Oklahoma and north Texas from Dallas/Ft. Worth and Oklahoma City (OKC).

In 1982 Metro purchased fourteen (14) Convair 580 aircraft from the original Frontier Airlines. These 50 passenger twin turboprops were then used to initiate the first ever American Eagle service via a new code sharing passenger feed agreement with American Airlines. The Convair 580 aircraft were operated by the Metroflight Airlines division which also flew DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft on American Eagle services.

Metro Airlines operated out of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport via its wholly owned Metroflight division under the American Eagle brand beginning on November 1, 1984. In 1985 the airline announced that it would end service to Houston Intercontinental Airport (now George Bush Intercontinental Airport). Royale Airlines, a commuter/regional air carrier based in Louisiana, then assumed many of the routes that were previously operated by Metro into Houston. However, in 1987 Royale declared bankruptcy and ceased all scheduled passenger flight operations.

Acquisitions and subsidiaries

Metro Airlines spun off its certificated airline, being Metro Airlines, and formed an airline holding company. Among the commuter and regional air carriers acquired or created by Metro were:

• Brockway Air - acquired in the summer of 1989, Metro changed Brockway's name to Metro Air Northeast, and operated as a banner carrier codeshare partner flying as TWExpress on behalf of Trans World Airlines (TWA).
• Chaparral Airlines - purchased in 1987 by Metro Airlines; its aircraft were merged into the operations of wholly owned subsidiary Metroflight for "the American Eagle codeshare branded banner flying". Chaparral had operated American Eagle service primarily from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) on behalf of American Airlines before being merged into Metroflight.
• Metro Express II - spun off from the original Metro Airlines for "the Eastern Express codeshare branded banner flying". This regional airline was based in Atlanta, GA and operated as Eastern Metro Express flying British Aerospace BAe Jetstream 31 and de Havilland Canada DHC-8-100 Dash 8 twin turboprop aircraft. Eastern Metro Express provided passenger feed at the Eastern Air Lines hub located at Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport (ATL).
• Sunaire - name changed to Aviation Associates. This commuter air carrier operated as Eastern Express in the Caribbean flying de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter turboprops and providing passenger feed at the Eastern Air Lines hub located at the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU). Service was flown to St. Croix (STX), St. Thomas (STT), Tortola, BVI (EIS), Virgin Gorda, BVI (VIJ), Mayaguez, PR (MAZ), and St. Maarten, N.A. (SXM), and other short haul destinations in the Caribbean. The Eastern Express service was primarily operated from San Juan although point-to-point flights between various other islands were flown as well. The Twin Otter was well suited for flights into Virgin Gorda as the airport runway on this island was an unpaved sand and gravel airstrip at the time.
• Eastern Metro Express - Metro also operated feeder services as Eastern Express for Eastern Air Lines to and from Houston Intercontinental Airport (IAH) during the mid-1980s flying de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter turboprops. Destinations served on a nonstop basis from IAH by this Eastern Express service included Beaumont/Port Arthur, TX (BPT); Clear Lake City, TX (CLC), Lake Charles, LA (LCH); Longview, TX (GGG); Sugar Land, TX (SGR); Tyler, TX (TYR); and Victoria, TX (VCT). Metro was also operating Eastern Express service at this time from San Antonio International Airport (SAT) with service to Laredo, TX (LRD)

Bankruptcy

Vorlage:Unreferenced section In 1991 Metro went into Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization and then in May 1993 Metro Airlines went completely out of business. The airline assets were promptly purchased and renamed by AMR Corporation whom were already involved with Metro Airlines by way of the "banner carrier" codeshare flying that Metro performed for AMR via its Metroflight division with these services being created cooperatively by the legacy carrier, being American Airlines, and the regional, being Metro subsidiary Metroflight, as American Eagle during the mid-1980s. Under AMR many of Metroflight's assets found their way over to Simmons Airlines.

Houston Metro's original home, being the Clear Lake City STOLport located in the Houston area near the NASA Johnson Space Center, was abandoned and subsequently demolished in order to make way for suburban development. There is currently no trace of this pioneering airfield to be seen.

In later years, Continental Express, a regional airline and a regional airline brand; and at that time survivor of the post-deregulation and highly controversial Houston based Texas Air Corporation Continental Airlines and Eastern Air Lines acquisition years, operated scheduled passenger air service from Ellington Field (EFD) near the former site of the Clear Lake City STOLport. Much like the original Houston Metro, and subsequent Eastern Metro Express short hop operations by amicable partner Metro Airlines; short hop Continental Express flights commenced during the 1980s, utilizing ATR-42 and Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia turboprops and then Embraer ERJ-135 regional jets to transport connecting passengers across the city to Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH). However, this service was finally discontinued as well.

Destinations

Houston Metro and Metro

These destinations were served by Houston Metro Airlines during and after its name change to Metro Airlines from its Clear Lake, City headquarters, with de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter turboprops and/or with Short 330 turboprops:

• Beaumont/Port Arthur, TX (BPT)
• Brazoria County, TX (Brazosport) (LBX)*
• Clear Lake City, TX STOLport (CLC)**
• Corpus Christi, TX (CRP)
• Galveston, TX (GLS)
• Houston, TX (IAH)* - Hub
• Lafayette, LA (LFT)
• Lake Charles, LA (LCH)
• Lake Jackson, TX (LJN)**
• Laredo, TX (LRD)
• San Antonio, TX (SAT)
• Sugarland/Houston, TX Hull Field (SGR)*
• Victoria, TX (VCT)

* Renamed Airports

Brazoria County Airport (LBX), Houston Intercontinental Airport (IAH), Hull Field (SGR)

** Permanently Deactivated Airports

Clear Lake City STOLport (CLC), Lake Jackson (LJN)

Destinations on behalf of American, Eastern and Trans World Airlines

Metroflight destinations d/b/a American Airlines Metroflight

These destinations were initially served independently by the Metroflight division with de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft:

• Altus, OK (AXS)
• Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX (DFW) - Hub
• Enid, OK (WDG)
• Houston, TX (IAH)
• Lawton, OK (LAW)
• Longview, TX (GGG)
• Lufkin, TX (LUF)
• McAlester, OK (MLC)
• Nacogdoches, TX (OCH)
• Oklahoma City, OK (OKC) - Hub
• Paris, TX (PRX)
• Ponca City, OK (PNC)
• Stillwater, OK (SWO)
• Tyler, TX (TYR)
• Wichita Falls, TX (SPS)

Metroflight would later operate codeshare services for American Airlines flying Convair 580 turboprops as American Eagle.

Metro Express II destinations d/b/a Eastern Metro Express

These destinations were served with British Aerospace BAe Jetstream 31 turboprops and/or with de Havilland Canada DHC-8-100 Dash 8 turboprops:

• Albany, GA (ABY)
• Asheville, NC (AVL)
• Atlanta, GA (ATL) - Hub
• Augusta, GA (AGS)
• Bristol/Kingsport/Johnson City (TRI, the Tri-Cities Regional Airport serving this area in TN and VA)
• Chattanooga, TN (CHA)
• Columbus, GA (CGS)
• Dothan, AL (DHN)
• Ft. Walton Beach, FL (VPS)
• Gulfport/Biloxi, MS (GPT)
• Hilton Head Island, SC (HHH)
• Huntsville, AL (HSV)
• Knoxville, TN (TYS)
• Lexington, KY (LEX)
• Macon, GA (MCN)
• Moultrie, GA (MGR) (one flight a day)
• Montgomery, AL (MGM)
• Myrtle Beach, SC (MYR)
• Panama City, FL (PFN, airport now closed)
• Wilmington, NC (ILM)

Aviation Associates destinations d/b/a Eastern Express

After the acquisition of the airlines "Sunaire" and the subsequent name change to "Aviation Associates," de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 250 & 300 turboprops served the following destinations:

• San Juan, PR (SJU) - Hub
• Mayaquez, PR (MAZ)
• Ponce, PR (PSE)
• St. Croix, USVI (STX) - Hub
• St. Thomas, USVI (STT)
• Tortola/Beef Island, BVI (EIS)
• Virgin Gorda, BVI (VIJ)
• St. Maarten, N.A. (SXM)

Metro (Houston, TX division) - Destinations d/b/a Eastern Express

Many of these destinations were served previously to Metro Airlines marketing alliance with Eastern Airlines and formerly utilizing the original carriers very own DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft:

• Beaumont/Port Arthur, TX (BPT);
• Clear Lake City, TX (CLC),
• Lake Charles, LA (LCH);
• Longview, TX (GGG);
• Sugar Land, TX (SGR);
• Tyler, TX (TYR); and
• Victoria, TX (VCT).

Metro was also operating Eastern Express service at this time from San Antonio International Airport (SAT) with service to Laredo, TX (LRD)

Metro Air Northeast destinations d/b/a TWExpress

After the acquisition of the airline "Brockway Air" and its subsequent name change to "Metro Air Northeast," Beech-1900C and Saab-340A commuter aircraft served the following destinations upon TWA's TWExpress network:

• See Brockway Air Destinations

Fleet

• British Aerospace BAe Jetstream 31 (flown by Eastern Metro Express on behalf of Eastern Air Lines and based in Atlanta, GA)
• Beechcraft Model 99
• de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter (originally operated by Houston Metro and later by Metro and Metroflight. Also operated as Eastern Express in the Caribbean and in feeder services from both Houston Intercontinental Airport and San Antonio International Airport as Eastern Express on behalf of Eastern Air Lines)
• de Havilland Canada DHC-8-100 Dash 8 (flown by Eastern Metro Express on behalf of Eastern Air Lines and based in Atlanta, GA)
• Short 330
• Convair 580 (aircraft were branded and operated as American Eagle flights)

Accidents and incidents

• Beechcraft 99 crashed upon takeoff from Galveston in 1974.
• Short 330 destroyed by a tornado at Beaumont, Texas on May 20, 1983.

See also

• List of defunct airlines of the United States

References

Vorlage:Portal bar Vorlage:Airlines of the United States Vorlage:American Airlines Group [[Category:Defunct regional airlines of the United States]] [[Category:Defunct airlines of the United States]] [[Category:Companies based in Grapevine, Texas]] [[Category:Defunct companies based in Texas]] [[Category:American Airlines]] [[Category:Airlines established in 1969]] [[Category:1969 establishments in Texas]] [[Category:1993 disestablishments in Texas]]