Enplaned: Accurate incorporation record
{{Short description|1975–1986 airline centered on Upstate New York State}}
{{about||the defunct passenger airline from the 1940s|Empire Airlines (1944-1952)|the current passenger airline|Empire Airlines}}
{{Infobox airline
| airline = Empire Airlines
| image = Empire Airlines 1976-1985 logo.jpg
| image_size =
| alt =
| IATA = UR
| ICAO = EMP
| callsign = EMPIRE
| founded = 27 December 1974<ref>[https://opencorporates.com/companies/us_ny/358726 OpenCorporates.com incorporation record for Empire Airlines]</ref>
| commenced = {{start date|1975|9|22|df=y}}
| ceased = {{end date|1986|5|1|df=y}} <br> <small>(merged into [[Piedmont Airlines (1948–89)|Piedmont]])</small>
| aoc =
| bases = [[Oneida County Airport]]
| hubs = [[Syracuse Hancock International Airport|Syracuse]], [[New York State|New York]]
| secondary_hubs =
| focus_cities =
| frequent_flyer =
| lounge =
| alliance =
| subsidiaries =
| fleet_size =
| destinations =
| company_slogan =
| parent =
| num_employees =
| headquarters =
| key_people = Paul Quackenbush
| revenue =
| operating_income =
| net_income =
| profit =
| assets =
| equity =
| website =
}}
'''Empire Airlines''' was a [[regional airline]] serving the [[Northeastern United States]] beginning in 1976. Empire accepted an purchase offer from [[Piedmont Airlines (1948–1989)|Piedmont Airlines]] in October 1985, the transaction closed in 1986 and after a brief period, Empire was merged into Piedmont. Piedmont was later merged into [[US Airways|USAir]] in 1989, which in turn bought [[American Airlines]] in 2015.
Founded by Paul Quackenbush, Empire Airlines began with a base at the [[Oneida County Airport]] serving [[Utica, New York|Utica]] and [[Rome, New York]]. Much of its early growth came by picking up routes abandoned by [[Allegheny Airlines]] (the future USAir) as it concentrated on service to larger cities. Empire expanded throughout the early 1980s to destinations in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states.
For a time, Empire aircraft also provided connecting passenger feeder service as a [[codeshare agreement|"banner carrier"]] for [[Pan American World Airways]] (Pan "*****") operating as '''[[Pan "*****" Express]]''' at [[John F. Kennedy International Airport|New York–JFK International Airport]] (JFK). In early 1983, Empire was operating Pan "*****" Express service with [[Fokker F28]] twin jets between New York-JFK and Buffalo, Ithaca, Rochester, Syracuse and Utica/Rome in New York;<ref>http://www.departedflights.com, Feb. 1, 1983 Pan "*****" domestic route map including Empire Airlines/Pan "*****" Express routes</ref> Pan "*****" was operating an international and domestic passenger hub at JFK at the time.
Toward the end of its existence Empire announced plans to phase out its [[Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner|Swearingen Metro II]] turboprop fleet and become an all-jet regional airline. Coinciding with this was a decision to reduce their presence in Utica and relocate their headquarters and most of their operations to [[Syracuse Hancock International Airport]] (SYR) which also served as a hub for the airline.
==History==
Empire was founded in the 1975 as '''Oneida County Aviation''',<ref>{{cite web | url = https://airlinehistory.co.uk/airline/oneida-county-aviation/ | title = Oneida County Aviation | publisher = Airline History | access-date = 4 March 2020}}</ref> a small carrier based in Utica. After the passage of the [[Airline Deregulation Act]] in 1978, the airline saw potential to grow a hub operation at larger nearby Syracuse using a fleet of 80-seat [[Fokker F28 Fellowship]] twin jets and smaller 19-seat Swearingen Metro II propjets. Empire acquired additional F28s from Philadelphia-based [[Altair Airlines]] after that airline shut down in 1982. In addition to hub flights at Syracuse, Empire offered direct flights from other medium-sized Mid-Atlantic cities like Rochester and Buffalo to major business centers like New York and Boston. Empire was named [[Air Transport World]] Regional Airline of the Year for 1984.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Norwood|first=Tom|title=Deregulation Kockouts : round one|publisher=Airways|year=1996|isbn=0965399303|pages=35}}</ref>
[[File:Fokker F28-4000 N119UR Empire.Piedmont LGA 27.04.86 edited-4.jpg|thumb|Empire F28 in Piedmont livery with Empire titles]]
Empire's success attracted the attention of Piedmont Airlines, a pre-deregulation "local service carrier" based in North Carolina. After deregulation, Piedmont expanded into the Northeast, starting with a [[airline hub|hub]] opened at [[Baltimore–Washington International Airport]] in about 1982. Piedmont and Empire announced a definitive merger agreement on 2 October 1985, the purchase closed February 1, 1986, and Piedmont merged Empire into itself on 1 May 1986, which resulted in additional Fokker F28 jets being added to the Piedmont fleet.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/190635563 ''Piedmont agrees to purchase Empire Airlines for $40 million'', The Greenville News, October 3, 1985]</ref><ref>[https://www.departedflights.com/PI85reportcover.html Piedmont Aviation 1985 Annual Report, accessed April 23, 2024]</ref><ref name=":0" /> Syracuse joined Baltimore (BWI), Charlotte (CLT), and Dayton (DAY), OH as hubs in Piedmont's system. In about 1987, Piedmont opened an extension to the south concourse at Syracuse Hancock Airport to handle additional growth.
The dominant pre-deregulation local-service carrier in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, [[USAir]], saw Piedmont's growth into the Northeast as a threat to its lucrative and often previously monopoly routes from medium-size cities such as Rochester, Syracuse and Buffalo. As part of the industry-wide consolidation of 1986–1987, USAir bought Piedmont in 1987. USAir operated Piedmont as a separate unit, including the old Empire Syracuse hub and F28 jets previously operated by Empire and then Piedmont, until Piedmont was completely merged into USAir in August 1989. By the early 1990s the old Empire Airlines hub was gone, its connecting traffic moved mostly to USAir's key hubs in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. USAir subsequently changed its name to [[US Airways]] which in turn was merged into [[American Airlines]] in 2015.
==Destinations served==
* [[New York (state)|New York]]
**[[Utica, New York|Utica]] ([[Oneida County Airport]])* - hub, later focus city
** [[Albany, New York|Albany]] ([[Albany International Airport]])
** [[Binghamton, New York|Binghamton]] ([[Greater Binghamton Airport|Broome County Airport]])
** [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]] ([[Buffalo Niagara International Airport]])
** [[Elmira, New York|Elmira]] ([[Elmira Corning Regional Airport]])
** [[Islip (town), New York|Islip]] ([[Long Island MacArthur Airport]])
** [[Ithaca, New York|Ithaca]] ([[Ithaca Tompkins International Airport|Tompkins County Airport]])
** [[New York City]] ([[John F. Kennedy International Airport]] & [[LaGuardia Airport]])
** [[Niagara Falls, New York|Niagara Falls]] ([[Niagara Falls International Airport]])
** [[Rochester, New York|Rochester]] ([[Greater Rochester International Airport]])
**[[Rome, New York|Rome]] ([[Griffiss International Airport]])
**[[Syracuse, New York|Syracuse]] ([[Syracuse Hancock International Airport]]) - focus city, later hub
**[[White Plains, New York|White Plains]] ([[Westchester County Airport]])
* [[Connecticut]]
** [[Hartford, Connecticut|Hartford]] ([[Bradley International Airport]])
*[[Maryland]]
**[[Baltimore, Maryland|Baltimore]] ([[Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport]])
* [[Massachusetts]]
** [[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston]] ([[Logan International Airport]])
* [[Michigan]]
** [[Detroit]] ([[Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport]])
* [[New Jersey]]
** [[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]] ([[Newark Liberty International Airport]])
* [[Ohio]]
** [[Cleveland, Ohio|Cleveland]] ([[Cleveland Hopkins International Airport]])
* [[Ontario]], Canada
** [[Ottawa]] ([[Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport]])
*[[Quebec]], Canada
**[[Montreal]], ([[Montréal–Trudeau International Airport|Montreal-Dorval International Airport]])
* [[Rhode Island]]
** [[Providence, Rhode Island|Providence]] ([[T. F. Green Airport]])
* [[Vermont]]
** [[Burlington, Vermont|Burlington]] ([[Burlington International Airport]])
* [[District of Columbia]]
** [[Washington, D.C.]] ([[Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport]])
''Those airports marked with an asterisk (*) are no longer served by commercial air service.''
{{inc-transport|date=August 2008}}
==Fleet==
* [[Piper Aztec]] - 1 (1975–1976)
* [[Piper PA-31 Navajo]] - 3 (1975–1979)
* [[Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner|Swearingen Metroliner II]] - 6 (1977–1985)
* [[Fokker F28 Fellowship]] - 13 (1980–1986)
==See also==
* [[List of defunct airlines of the United States]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
{{commons category|Empire Airlines (1976-1985)}}
* [http://www.usairways.com/en-US/aboutus/pressroom/history/empire.html US Airways: A Heritage Story]
* [http://www.airtimes.com/cgat/usb/empire/gal/urgal.htm AirTimes.com Timetable History]
{{Portal bar|Companies|Aviation}}
{{Airlines of the United States}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Empire Airlines (1975-1986)}}
[[Category:Companies based in Oneida County, New York]]
[[Category
efunct companies based in Syracuse, New York]]
[[Categoryefunct companies based in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Economy of the Northeastern United States]]
[[Categoryefunct airlines of the United States]]
[[Category:Airlines established in 1975]]
[[Category:Airlines disestablished in 1986]]
[[Category:1975 establishments in New York (state)]]
Okumaya devam et...
{{Short description|1975–1986 airline centered on Upstate New York State}}
{{about||the defunct passenger airline from the 1940s|Empire Airlines (1944-1952)|the current passenger airline|Empire Airlines}}
{{Infobox airline
| airline = Empire Airlines
| image = Empire Airlines 1976-1985 logo.jpg
| image_size =
| alt =
| IATA = UR
| ICAO = EMP
| callsign = EMPIRE
| founded = 27 December 1974<ref>[https://opencorporates.com/companies/us_ny/358726 OpenCorporates.com incorporation record for Empire Airlines]</ref>
| commenced = {{start date|1975|9|22|df=y}}
| ceased = {{end date|1986|5|1|df=y}} <br> <small>(merged into [[Piedmont Airlines (1948–89)|Piedmont]])</small>
| aoc =
| bases = [[Oneida County Airport]]
| hubs = [[Syracuse Hancock International Airport|Syracuse]], [[New York State|New York]]
| secondary_hubs =
| focus_cities =
| frequent_flyer =
| lounge =
| alliance =
| subsidiaries =
| fleet_size =
| destinations =
| company_slogan =
| parent =
| num_employees =
| headquarters =
| key_people = Paul Quackenbush
| revenue =
| operating_income =
| net_income =
| profit =
| assets =
| equity =
| website =
}}
'''Empire Airlines''' was a [[regional airline]] serving the [[Northeastern United States]] beginning in 1976. Empire accepted an purchase offer from [[Piedmont Airlines (1948–1989)|Piedmont Airlines]] in October 1985, the transaction closed in 1986 and after a brief period, Empire was merged into Piedmont. Piedmont was later merged into [[US Airways|USAir]] in 1989, which in turn bought [[American Airlines]] in 2015.
Founded by Paul Quackenbush, Empire Airlines began with a base at the [[Oneida County Airport]] serving [[Utica, New York|Utica]] and [[Rome, New York]]. Much of its early growth came by picking up routes abandoned by [[Allegheny Airlines]] (the future USAir) as it concentrated on service to larger cities. Empire expanded throughout the early 1980s to destinations in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states.
For a time, Empire aircraft also provided connecting passenger feeder service as a [[codeshare agreement|"banner carrier"]] for [[Pan American World Airways]] (Pan "*****") operating as '''[[Pan "*****" Express]]''' at [[John F. Kennedy International Airport|New York–JFK International Airport]] (JFK). In early 1983, Empire was operating Pan "*****" Express service with [[Fokker F28]] twin jets between New York-JFK and Buffalo, Ithaca, Rochester, Syracuse and Utica/Rome in New York;<ref>http://www.departedflights.com, Feb. 1, 1983 Pan "*****" domestic route map including Empire Airlines/Pan "*****" Express routes</ref> Pan "*****" was operating an international and domestic passenger hub at JFK at the time.
Toward the end of its existence Empire announced plans to phase out its [[Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner|Swearingen Metro II]] turboprop fleet and become an all-jet regional airline. Coinciding with this was a decision to reduce their presence in Utica and relocate their headquarters and most of their operations to [[Syracuse Hancock International Airport]] (SYR) which also served as a hub for the airline.
==History==
Empire was founded in the 1975 as '''Oneida County Aviation''',<ref>{{cite web | url = https://airlinehistory.co.uk/airline/oneida-county-aviation/ | title = Oneida County Aviation | publisher = Airline History | access-date = 4 March 2020}}</ref> a small carrier based in Utica. After the passage of the [[Airline Deregulation Act]] in 1978, the airline saw potential to grow a hub operation at larger nearby Syracuse using a fleet of 80-seat [[Fokker F28 Fellowship]] twin jets and smaller 19-seat Swearingen Metro II propjets. Empire acquired additional F28s from Philadelphia-based [[Altair Airlines]] after that airline shut down in 1982. In addition to hub flights at Syracuse, Empire offered direct flights from other medium-sized Mid-Atlantic cities like Rochester and Buffalo to major business centers like New York and Boston. Empire was named [[Air Transport World]] Regional Airline of the Year for 1984.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Norwood|first=Tom|title=Deregulation Kockouts : round one|publisher=Airways|year=1996|isbn=0965399303|pages=35}}</ref>
[[File:Fokker F28-4000 N119UR Empire.Piedmont LGA 27.04.86 edited-4.jpg|thumb|Empire F28 in Piedmont livery with Empire titles]]
Empire's success attracted the attention of Piedmont Airlines, a pre-deregulation "local service carrier" based in North Carolina. After deregulation, Piedmont expanded into the Northeast, starting with a [[airline hub|hub]] opened at [[Baltimore–Washington International Airport]] in about 1982. Piedmont and Empire announced a definitive merger agreement on 2 October 1985, the purchase closed February 1, 1986, and Piedmont merged Empire into itself on 1 May 1986, which resulted in additional Fokker F28 jets being added to the Piedmont fleet.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/190635563 ''Piedmont agrees to purchase Empire Airlines for $40 million'', The Greenville News, October 3, 1985]</ref><ref>[https://www.departedflights.com/PI85reportcover.html Piedmont Aviation 1985 Annual Report, accessed April 23, 2024]</ref><ref name=":0" /> Syracuse joined Baltimore (BWI), Charlotte (CLT), and Dayton (DAY), OH as hubs in Piedmont's system. In about 1987, Piedmont opened an extension to the south concourse at Syracuse Hancock Airport to handle additional growth.
The dominant pre-deregulation local-service carrier in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, [[USAir]], saw Piedmont's growth into the Northeast as a threat to its lucrative and often previously monopoly routes from medium-size cities such as Rochester, Syracuse and Buffalo. As part of the industry-wide consolidation of 1986–1987, USAir bought Piedmont in 1987. USAir operated Piedmont as a separate unit, including the old Empire Syracuse hub and F28 jets previously operated by Empire and then Piedmont, until Piedmont was completely merged into USAir in August 1989. By the early 1990s the old Empire Airlines hub was gone, its connecting traffic moved mostly to USAir's key hubs in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. USAir subsequently changed its name to [[US Airways]] which in turn was merged into [[American Airlines]] in 2015.
==Destinations served==
* [[New York (state)|New York]]
**[[Utica, New York|Utica]] ([[Oneida County Airport]])* - hub, later focus city
** [[Albany, New York|Albany]] ([[Albany International Airport]])
** [[Binghamton, New York|Binghamton]] ([[Greater Binghamton Airport|Broome County Airport]])
** [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]] ([[Buffalo Niagara International Airport]])
** [[Elmira, New York|Elmira]] ([[Elmira Corning Regional Airport]])
** [[Islip (town), New York|Islip]] ([[Long Island MacArthur Airport]])
** [[Ithaca, New York|Ithaca]] ([[Ithaca Tompkins International Airport|Tompkins County Airport]])
** [[New York City]] ([[John F. Kennedy International Airport]] & [[LaGuardia Airport]])
** [[Niagara Falls, New York|Niagara Falls]] ([[Niagara Falls International Airport]])
** [[Rochester, New York|Rochester]] ([[Greater Rochester International Airport]])
**[[Rome, New York|Rome]] ([[Griffiss International Airport]])
**[[Syracuse, New York|Syracuse]] ([[Syracuse Hancock International Airport]]) - focus city, later hub
**[[White Plains, New York|White Plains]] ([[Westchester County Airport]])
* [[Connecticut]]
** [[Hartford, Connecticut|Hartford]] ([[Bradley International Airport]])
*[[Maryland]]
**[[Baltimore, Maryland|Baltimore]] ([[Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport]])
* [[Massachusetts]]
** [[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston]] ([[Logan International Airport]])
* [[Michigan]]
** [[Detroit]] ([[Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport]])
* [[New Jersey]]
** [[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]] ([[Newark Liberty International Airport]])
* [[Ohio]]
** [[Cleveland, Ohio|Cleveland]] ([[Cleveland Hopkins International Airport]])
* [[Ontario]], Canada
** [[Ottawa]] ([[Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport]])
*[[Quebec]], Canada
**[[Montreal]], ([[Montréal–Trudeau International Airport|Montreal-Dorval International Airport]])
* [[Rhode Island]]
** [[Providence, Rhode Island|Providence]] ([[T. F. Green Airport]])
* [[Vermont]]
** [[Burlington, Vermont|Burlington]] ([[Burlington International Airport]])
* [[District of Columbia]]
** [[Washington, D.C.]] ([[Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport]])
''Those airports marked with an asterisk (*) are no longer served by commercial air service.''
{{inc-transport|date=August 2008}}
==Fleet==
* [[Piper Aztec]] - 1 (1975–1976)
* [[Piper PA-31 Navajo]] - 3 (1975–1979)
* [[Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner|Swearingen Metroliner II]] - 6 (1977–1985)
* [[Fokker F28 Fellowship]] - 13 (1980–1986)
==See also==
* [[List of defunct airlines of the United States]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
{{commons category|Empire Airlines (1976-1985)}}
* [http://www.usairways.com/en-US/aboutus/pressroom/history/empire.html US Airways: A Heritage Story]
* [http://www.airtimes.com/cgat/usb/empire/gal/urgal.htm AirTimes.com Timetable History]
{{Portal bar|Companies|Aviation}}
{{Airlines of the United States}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Empire Airlines (1975-1986)}}
[[Category:Companies based in Oneida County, New York]]
[[Category
efunct companies based in Syracuse, New York]][[Category
efunct companies based in New York (state)]][[Category:Economy of the Northeastern United States]]
[[Category
efunct airlines of the United States]][[Category:Airlines established in 1975]]
[[Category:Airlines disestablished in 1986]]
[[Category:1975 establishments in New York (state)]]
Okumaya devam et...