US Airways Express is not one airline; it is many. Several individual airline companies or airline holding companies operate under the name US Airways Express while providing regional or commuter service for US Airways. Service favors short distance flights from major US Airways hubs to smaller, regional airports. It should not be confused, however, with US Airways shuttle, which runs flights between major cities in the Northeast and is directly owned by US Airways.
US Airways Express began in 1967 under the original name of Allegheny Commuter with an initial route from Baltimore to Hagerstown. Allegheny Commuter provided commuter service for Allegheny Airlines, the airline company that would become US Airways. Allegheny Airlines became USAir in 1979 and in 1996 eventually changed its name to US Airways.
Based on data released at the end of the second quarter of 2009, the entire fleet size of all participating US Airways Express airlines is 305 with 129 destinations served. As of April 2009, the total daily flights number 1,936, with the vast majority originating from Charlotte/Douglass International Airport (335 flights) or Philadelphia International Airport (285 flights).
US Airways Express is made up of eight separate airlines or airline holding companies. They are PSA Airlies, Piedmont Airlines, Mesa Airlines, Chatauque Airlines, Republic Airlines, Air Wisconsin, Colgan Air and Trans States Airlines. The most common aircraft among the group is the Canadair Regional CRJ-200, which represents 115 of the 309 total aircraft in service, and is used by Air Wisconsin, Mesa Airlines and PSA Airlines.
In addition to the CRJ200, which holds 50 passengers, the fleet includes nine other jet engine or turbo propeller planes. The largest in the fleet are the CRJ900 and the Ebraer 175 Reginal Jet, which which both hold 86 passengers. The other aircraft include the CRJ 700, the Embraer 170, the Embraer 145, the Dash-8 (100 & 200), the Dash-8 (300), the SAAB 340 and the Beech 1900D, the smallest aircraft with a capacity of 19 passengers.
Like any airline, US Airways Express unfortunately has a history of accidents, however, they have been relatively small in severity. On January 8, 2003, a flight leaving Charlotte/Douglas International Airport crashed after takeoff, killing all 21 on board. On January 3, 1992 a USAir Express flight crashed when it was landing at Adirondack Regional Airport. There were four people on board; two died and two suffered serious injuries.
