The Trenton Times, 10/25/01

Carrier gets new wings

By ANITA T. SHAFFER
Times Business Editor

EWING -- Shuttle America yesterday formally launched its new partnership
with US Airways, with a retooled flight schedule for Trenton Mercer Airport
and new service from suburban Boston to Philadelphia.

But there were no outward signs of the startup airline that made its debut
in February 1999.

Shuttle America, which is seeking to emerge from bankruptcy protection,
remains a corporate entity, but its planes are flying under a US Airways
Express logo and its reservations are handled by the larger Arlington,
Va.-based carrier.

"They're our planes, our pilots and we are a totally independent airline,"
said Mark Cestari, spokesman for Shuttle America, which is headquartered in
Windsor Locks, Conn. "It's like a franchise agreement."

He said the planes are flying under the US Airways colors to give a
consistent look for the service, whose selling points include passengers'
ability to hook up with other US Airways flights.

Shuttle America also is beginning its new partnership with smaller aircraft.

The carrier started with a 50-seat turboprop aircraft. Now, the company is
using 37-seat DeHavilland Dash-8 turboprops. There currently are three
planes in its fleet.

Cestari said the larger planes were turned back over to the leasing company
after the airline encountered financial turbulence earlier this year.

The smaller planes were more readily available and seemed a more prudent
choice after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that have devastated the airline
industry, Cestari said.

He said the ability to offer more frequent flights was more important.

Another change has been higher fares. Shuttle America began as a discount
carrier with fares to suburban Boston as low as $49 one way.

Now, its lowest round-trip fare from Ewing to Hanscom Field in Bedford,
Mass., is $198 and requires a Saturday night stay, Cestari said.

"We managed to lose almost $20 million the past three years with the old
fare structure and clearly we had to adjust the business plan to make money,
stay in business," he said.

The company, which employs 225 people, is offering six round-trip flights
daily from Trenton Mercer Airport to Hanscom Field.

That's down from seven the carrier was offering.

The flights leave Ewing at 6:30 a.m., 10:05 a.m., 1:45 p.m., 3:45 p.m., 5:25
p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, with one less flight on weekends.

As of yesterday, Shuttle America also is flying five round-trips daily
between Philadelphia and Hanscom Field.

© New Jersey Online
© 2001 The Times
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