Air New Orleans was an airline based in Birmingham, Alabama that was conceived as a commuter air carrier to provide scheduled passenger service to cities throughout the Southeastern United States from Texas to Florida.[1] The airline was founded in 1981 in Panama City, Florida and operated scheduled passenger service between 1981 and 1988.[2]
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| Founded | 1981 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ceased operations | 1988 | ||||||
| Hubs | New Orleans International Airport Birmingham International Airport | ||||||
| Destinations | Southeastern United States | ||||||
| Headquarters | Birmingham, Alabama (1986-1988) Panama City, Florida (1981-1986) | ||||||
History
editDespite its name, the airline's original headquarters was in Panama City, Florida with some executive offices being located in New Orleans.[1] However, in 1986, the airline moved its headquarters to Birmingham, Alabama, and was located there until its closure in 1988.[1]
In June 1986, Air New Orleans was operating service as a Continental Express air carrier via a code sharing agreement with Continental Airlines in order to provide passenger feed in and out of New Orleans (MSY) flown with British Aerospace BAe Jetstream 31 and Beechcraft C99 commuter turboprops.[3][4] By early 1987, Air New Orleans was operating Continental Express service between New Orleans and Birmingham, AL (BHM), Gulfport, MS (GPT), Fort Walton Beach, FL (VPS), Jacksonville, FL (JAX), Mobile, AL (MOB), Orlando, FL (MCO), Panama City, FL (PFN), Pensacola, FL (PNS) and Tallahassee, FL (TLH) according to the Feb. 1, 1987 Continental Airlines system timetable.[5]
By January 1988, the airline would file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and would subsequently cease operation on June 17, 1988.[2]
Fleet
edit- 8 – Beechcraft C99 turboprops[6]
- 5 – Piper Aircraft twin piston engine commuter[6]
- 4 – British Aerospace BAe Jetstream 31 turboprops[6]
- ? – GAF Nomad
Accidents and incidents
edit- On May 26, 1987, a Continental Express flight, operated by Air New Orleans with a British Aerospace BAe Jetstream 31 commuter propjet (Registration N331CY) flying as flight 2962, crash landed just after takeoff from New Orleans International Airport. The plane crashed into eight lanes of traffic on U.S. 61[7] adjacent to the airfield and subsequently injured two persons on the ground. Of the 11 occupants on board, there were zero fatalities.[8] The cause of the crash was attributed to pilot error, including failing to follow checklists.[9][10]
Destinations served
editAir New Orleans served the following destinations at various times during its existence with not all of these destinations being served at the same time:
- Louisiana
- Mississippi
- Alabama
- Florida
- Fort Lauderdale (Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport)[11]
- Ft. Myers (Southwest Florida International Airport)[11]
- Fort Walton Beach (Okaloosa Regional Airport)[11] (now Northwest Florida Regional Airport co-located on Eglin Air Force Base)
- Jacksonville (Jacksonville International Airport)[11]
- Miami (Miami International Airport)[11]
- Orlando (Orlando International Airport)[11]
- Panama City (Panama City-Bay County International Airport)[11]
- Pensacola (Pensacola Regional Airport)[11]
- Sarasota (Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport)[11]
- Tallahassee (Tallahassee Regional Airport)[11]
- Tampa (Tampa International Airport)[11]
- West Palm Beach (Palm Beach International Airport)[11]
- Texas
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c "La.-based commuter airline moving to Birmingham". The Baton Rouge Advocate. 1986-01-05. pp. 4B.
- ^ a b "Air New Orleans closes down; 95 jobs eventually will go". The Baton Rouge Advocate. 1988-06-18. pp. 7B.
- ^ "Continental to expand low-fare travel". The Baton Rouge Advocate. 1986-06-20. pp. 11D.
- ^ http://www.departedflights.com. Feb. 1, 1987 Continental Airlines timetable
- ^ Feb. 1, 1981 Continental Airlines Employee System Timetable
- ^ a b c "Air New Orleans may buy 4 planes". The Baton Rouge Advocate. 1986-01-26. pp. 7B.
- ^ "ASN Aircraft accident British Aerospace 3101 Jetstream 31 N331CY New Orleans International Airport, LA (MSY)".
- ^ Kent, Jennifer C. (1987-05-27). "Plane bounces into traffic at Kenner; 13 hurt". The Baton Rouge Advocate. pp. 1A.
- ^ "Crash blamed on pilot error". The Baton Rouge Advocate. 1988-04-13. pp. 16C.
- ^ "Aircraft Accident Report - Air New Orleans, DBA Continental Express Flight 962, British Aerospace 3101 (Jetstream 31) N331CY, New Orleans International Airport, Kenner, Louisiana, May 26, 1987". NTRL.ntis.gov. 1988. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
The report describes an accident in which an emergency landing was made because of severe yawing and engine torque fluctuation during climbout. It reviews evidence indicating that the probable cause of the accident was breakdown of the flightcrew coordination, which resulted in their failure to comply with the Before Takeoff Checklist and advance the RPM levels to the high RPM position, and the flightcrew's failure to diagnose and remedy engine oscillations on initial climbout. Crew training and checklist design are discussed and a safety recommendation is made to the Federal Aviation Administration regarding criteria for the type size of the checklist.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y "Air New Orleans". AirTimes: A Collector's Guide to Airline Timetables. Archived from the original on 22 October 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-26.
External links
edit- Air New Orleans Timetables at Airtimes.com
- NTSB accident report of Flight 2962
