Colgan Air -
Colgan Air -General
Release
Manassas, Virginia—July 2000—If you have not heard of Colgan Air, you will. Colgan Air is a family-owned and -operated regional commuter airline which was founded by Charles J. Colgan and his son, Michael Colgan. It was Colgan’s dream. Today, Colgan employs more than 300 people and flies more than 10,000 passengers every month to fourteen destinations in nine states. The airline became a US Airways Express carrier in December 1999 and is growing rapidly — adding routes, purchasing new aircraft, refining its operations and enhancing its operating efficiency. And, through its community service and public relations strategies, Colgan is increasingly quickly becoming associated with convenience, safety and outstanding service.
Colgan Air—particularly with its new US Airways Express carrier designation—is making some of the east coast’s more remote areas of the country more accessible than ever. US Airways hub-and-spoke structure—which serves a total of 218 destinations worldwide includes 38 states in the U.S., Bermuda, Cancun, Grand Cayman, Montego Bay, Nassau, San Juan, St. Thomas, St. Maarten, St. Croix and the Canadian destinations of Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Hamilton and London (Ontario) and trans-Atlantic destinations: Frankfurt, London, Madrid, Munich, Paris and Rome—is now readily accessible to commuters and travelers from all of Colgan Air’s gateway communities.
Bar Harbor, Maine is one of America’s most enduring resorts; it is also a five-hour drive from Boston. Colgan Air flies three times daily between Boston’s Logan Airport and Augusta, Rockland and Bar Harbor, Maine—and in less than one hour. Rutland is a small eastern Vermont city ripe for economic development as a regional gateway serving the Green Mountain State’s booming tourism business, particularly the ski market. Enter Colgan Air. Colgan flies four daily flights between Boston and Rutland State Airport. Business travelers and skiers share the Beechcraft 1900—briefcases and snowboards are equally as welcome on board. The alternative is a five-hour interstate drive from Boston.
Colgan’s fleet comprises seven pressurized, air conditioned turboprop jet-engined Beechcraft 19-passenger and Saab 34-passenger aircraft. With an impeccable safety record, Colgan has vanquished the myth that smaller, regional aircraft are unsafe or uncomfortable—in fact, regional airlines’ safety records compare highly favorably other classes of passenger aircraft. It is a fact that regional airline passengers are nearly 100 times safer flying a regional airline’s aircraft than making the same trip by car. Regional airlines carry more than 150,000 passengers every day and make more than 12,500 daily departures from more than 500 US airports, connecting small and medium-sized communities with larger cities and connecting hubs.
The new Saab aircraft were a significant enhancement to the Colgan fleet and to US Airways Express’ airlift. “The introduction of these 34-passenger Saab 340B aircraft into Colgan Air’s fleet will provide new opportunities for US Airways Express to better serve our customers with new or improved air service,” said Thomas M. Hanley, vice president of US Airways Express Division. Colgan’s acquisition of the Saab 340 aircraft is intended to fulfill the future requirements of the airline’s recently announced expanded role as a US Airways Express carrier. The Saab 340B provides for passenger comfort in a spacious stand-up cabin equipped with a lavatory and staffed by a flight attendant.
Since 1970, starting with one Beech 99, Colgan Air has safely and profitably operated regional airline equipment. The Colgan family has successfully maintained consistent profitability each year in one of the most competitive industries in the United States. Colgan Air has thrived through its dedication to providing safe and dependable air transportation to its loyal—and growing—customer base.
