Hanscom News: Shuttle America

6/11/04 Boston Business Journal, Herald, Bedford Minuteman: US Airways Express carrier Shuttle America is discontinuing all service at Hanscom Field. The company cited increased competition, weak market conditions and rising fuel prices. Meanwhile, Boston-Maine Airways said they may increase operations.
4/18/04 Globe: Shuttle America is considering switching its fleet from turboprops to jets.
3/8/04 Shuttle America, Globe: Shuttle America decides to continue its Hanscom to Trenton service indefinitely and compete with Boston-Maine Airways.
2/12/04 Lowell Sun, Bedford Minuteman: Shuttle America decides to extend service at Hanscom through May 31, citing "consumer demand." Meanwhile Massport's agenda is clearly to attract airlines to use Hanscom.
2/3/04 WBZ Radio, Globe, Herald, Bedford Minuteman, Lowell Sun, Lexington Minuteman: Shuttle America plans to discontinue all operations at Hanscom Field on April 30, 2004.
9/22/02 Globe: Shuttle America is dropping its Hanscom to Philadelphia service and now only flies to Trenton from Hanscom. Boston-Maine Airways now lists service to six cities from Hanscom but admits that demand for its services has been light, averaging about one passenger per flight in July and August.
8/13/02 Trenton Times: Shuttle America claims it is not being affected by the US Airways bankruptcy filing.
8/1/02 Bedford Minuteman: Save Our Heritage wonders why Shuttle America is still at Hanscom, given the lackluster demand for their services.
7/25/02 Bedford Minuteman: Shuttle America's director of marketing, Mark Cestari, is leaving the firm.
7/21/02 Globe: Shuttle America is scuttling its service to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, claiming lackluster demand. It will also trim service to Trenton and Philadelphia.
6/25/02 fortwayne.com, Globe: Shuttle America will relocate its headquarters and add service to Fort Wayne, Indiana by Sept. 1. Some question if this means a shift westward in their expansion plans.
5/17/02 New Haven Register: Shuttle America is considering moving its headquarters to New Haven and part of its maintenance operations to Tweed-New Haven Airport.
4/18/02 Globe: Shuttle America cancelled their fledgling service to White Plains, N.Y., from Hanscom , after one of its aircraft crashed into a fence and was badly damaged.
4/11/02 Trenton Times: Shuttle America would like to expand operations at Trenton Airport but US Airways wants them to stick to profitable routes.
3/31/02 Globe: Save Our Heritage will soon ask the FAA to reconsider its March 18 approval of Shuttle America's operating specifications for Westchester County Airport.
3/7/02 Shuttle America, Bedford Minuteman, Globe: Shuttle America plans to add flights between Hanscom and Martha�s Vineyard and Nantucket beginning on May 24, contradicting statements made a week earlier that the airline was in a holding pattern at Hanscom.
3/3/02 Globe: After launching service to White Plains, N.Y., on March 18, Shuttle America says it will be in a holding pattern at Hanscom Field while beefing up operations in Pittsburgh.
2/17/02 Globe: Shuttle America resumed service from Hanscom Field to LaGuardia Airport last week, but so far the service has been erratic with numerous cancelled flights.
2/10/02 HFAC: Mark Cestari responds to questions about what information Shuttle America is and is not willing to disclose about its future plans at Hanscom.
1/15/02 Trenton Times: Shuttle America pilot aborts flight.
1/11/02 Herald, Lowell Sun: Shuttle America plans to provide 5 daily flights from Hanscom to suburban New York's Westchester County Airport starting in March.
12/1/01 Globe: A US bankruptcy judge in Hartford approved Shuttle America's plan to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. It plans to resume daily flights in January to New York's LaGuardia Airport, and it expects to be flying 17 turboprop
planes by the spring.
11/25/01 Globe, Bedford Minuteman: Shuttle America plans to restart daily service from Hanscom to New York's LaGuardia Airport on January 6.
11/4/01 Globe: The US Bankruptcy Court in Hartford will rule on Shuttle America's reorganization plan on Nov. 29.
10/21/01 Globe, Trenton Times: Shuttle America's three new planes have ''US Airways Express'' in large letters on their sides, with only a small decal by the door indicating that they are flying for Shuttle America. The planes are smaller 37 seat aircraft, and fares charged by Shuttle America will increase.
10/14/01 Globe: Shuttle America's affiliation with US Airways last week flew into a storm of criticism from opponents of commercial air service at Hanscom Field.
10/9/01 Shuttle America, US Airways, AP, Globe, Lexington Minuteman: Shuttle America will become a US Airways Express carrier on Oct 24, operating six flights per day between Hanscom Field and Trenton/Mercer Airport, and five roundtrip flights each business day between Hanscom Field and US Airways' hub in Philadelphia.
9/16/01 Globe: Shuttle America will use cash from its bankruptcy bailout to lease two planes and restore some of its suspended flights from Hanscom Field.
9/14/01 Trenton Times: Two weeks ago, Shuttle America officials were ebullient about their airline's prospects, announcing that a Connecticut investment firm had been found that would lead the airline out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Yesterday, however, the nation's uncertainty about air travel in the wake of Tuesday's terrorist attacks left company spokesman Mark Cestari unable to guarantee the 3-year-old airline's survival.
9/14/01 Herald: Airlines are generally offering blanket refunds to customers whose flights were canceled after Tuesday's terrorist attacks. The one exception has been bankrupt commuter airline Shuttle America.
8/30/01 Herald, Shuttle America: A Connecticut investment firm, Wexford Capital LLC, is proposing to buy Shuttle America out of bankruptcy, and keep the carrier flying out of Hanscom Field under a reorganization plan filed yesterday. The federal bankruptcy court subsequently approved sublease agreements for two turbo-prop planes, which the carrier has said it will use to reinstate more flights out of Bedford's Hanscom Field.
8/29/01 Herald: Bankrupt airline Shuttle America Inc. says a financial backer has agreed to buy the regional carrier, pending court approval, and expects to name the prospective buyer in court filings in Hartford today.
6/3/01 Globe: Raytheon, Mitre, Haartz Corp, and Alpha Industries go on record saying that they use commerical flights from Hanscom Field when it is convenient for them.
5/8/01 Trenton Times: Shuttle America claims to be "a week away" from announcing a new deal to recapitalize the bankrupt airline.
5/4/01 AP: Bankrupt Shuttle America suspended its single remaining flight to LaGuardia on May 1.
4/18/01 Globe & Herald, Concord Journal, Metrowest Daily News: More coverage of the Shuttle America bankruptcy and the Midway and Pan Am interest in adding service at Hanscom. Also read the Trenton newspapers' version of this news.
4/17/01 Shuttle America: Shuttle America filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection today, although it says it is in negotiations with an investment group for $20 million in new capital, and it will continue its current flight operations.
4/8/01 Globe: Shuttle America is looking to borrow $2 million to keep operations alive. They are down to 13 daily flights at Hanscom, although some of the cutbacks are due to aircraft maintenance and are temporary.
3/28/01 Herald: Shuttle America is behind on their rent on their hub at Trenton, New Jersey. They have reduced the number of flights between Hanscom and LaGuardia to two a day, dropping down to one a day on March 31. See also 3/24/01 Trenton Times.
3/28/01 Herald: Shuttle America is considering options to "recapitalize the airline" because of financial troubles.
2/18/01 Globe: Shuttle America has announced that they are "leveling off and settling in," and not planning any new routes in 2001.
12/7/00 Lowell Sun, Concord Journal: On December 5th, a Shuttle America flight from LaGuardia had trouble opening its landing gear. It had to be diverted to Logan. En route, the pilot eventually got the nose wheel to deploy.
11/30/00 Concord Journal: On November 28^th, a request for a temporary injunction against flights to LaGuardia was denied.
11/2/00 Concord Journal, Herald: Amid a large group of protesters, Shuttle America began flights between Hanscom and LaGuardia on November 1, 2000. ShhAir and Save Our Heritage are leading an appeal of the FAA's decision in federal court.

10/29/00 Herald, Metrowest Daily News: The FAA approved gave approval to Shuttle America to begin service to LaGuardia.
10/21/00 Globe: The FAA plans to approve Shuttle America flights to LaGuardia next week.
Newsday reports that LaGuardia is too busy to handle any additional traffic. The airport has banned additional flights during peak hours. In a similar story , CNN reported that LaGuardia is in crisis because existing flights already meet or exceed the airport's capacity.
10/4/00 Globe, Lexington Minuteman: Shuttle America will add 5 additional flights out of Hanscom on October 23, regardless of whether they get approval to fly to LaGuardia.
7/20/00 Bedford Minuteman: Kay Tiffany of ShhAir noted that Shuttle America's DASH-8 airplanes are almost as loud as 737's.
7/19/00 Globe, Bedford Minuteman: Shuttle America is selling tickets to LaGuardia before getting FAA approval.
7/00 Globe: Marty Meehan is trying to stop Shuttle America from selling those tickets.
6/00 Globe: Shuttle America began promoting their planned service to LaGuardia on July 10.
6/00 Globe: Shuttle America is discontinuing service from Buffalo to Albany, even as it looks to expand service out of Hanscom.
6/00 NY Times: New York City mayor Rudolph Giulani and Queens borough president Claire Shulman filed suit to prevent increased flights to LaGuardia.
Read Closing Pandora's Box, a column by the ShhAir board that appeared in the local papers the week of May 18, 2000.
5/4/00 Globe, Concord Journal: On April 14, the Department of Transportation granted approval for Shuttle America and U.S. Airways to fly to LaGuardia. The FAA is now reviewing the applications.
4/6/00 Concord Journal: Shuttle America applies to add flights to LaGuardia!
3/16/00 Concord Journal: In a recent Channel 5 TV "Chronicle" program, Shuttle America spokesman Mark Cestari called airline opponents "hysterical." Several ShhAir officials respond in this letter to the editor.
12/23/99 Concord Journal: Shuttle America announced in December that they will establish a permanent local crew base at Hanscom.
11/11/99 Concord Journal: Shuttle America has been selling out flights. On November 10, 1999, they increased from 4 to 10 round-trips per day out of Hanscom.
9/30/99 Lexington Minuteman: Despite a large rally, Shuttle America began flying out of Hanscom on September 28, 1999.
Judge Herman Smith, Jr. of Middlesex Superior Court, denied an injunction sought by the four HATS towns that would have stopped the flights.