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Hughes Airwest

May 04, 2023

Hughes Airwest (IATA: RW, ICAO: -, Call sign: Hughes-Air) was a regional airline in the western United States, backed by Howard Hughes' Summa Corporation. Its original name in 1968 was Air West and the air carrier was owned by Nick Bez. Hughes Airwest flew routes in the western U.S. and to several destinations in Mexico and Canada; its headquarters were on the grounds of San Francisco International Airport (SFO) in unincorporated San Mateo County, California.[2]

Hughes Airwest
IATA ICAO Callsign
RW - HUGHES-AIR
FoundedApril 17, 1968 (1968-04-17)
(as Air West)
Commenced operations1970 (1970)
(as Hughes Airwest)
Ceased operationsOctober 1, 1980 (1980-10-01)
(acquired by Republic Airlines)[1]
HubsSan Francisco
Secondary hubs
HeadquartersSan Mateo County, California, U.S.
Key people

With distinctive all-yellow aircraft, the company slogan was Top Banana in the West;[3][4][5] Hughes Airwest was purchased by Republic Airlines on October 1, 1980.[1][6]

History

On April 17, 1968, three "local service" airlines in the western U.S. merged to form Air West:[7][8][9]

The initial Air West fleet included Boeing 727-100s, Douglas DC-9s, Fairchild F-27s, and Piper Navajos. The first new addition to the Air West fleet was a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30, which had been ordered by Bonanza Air Lines.

Hungry for another adventure in the airline industry, TWA's former owner Howard Hughes sought the airline in 1968,[10][11] and the US$90 million deal was finalized in April 1970.[12][13][14] Renamed Hughes Air West, its call sign became "Hughes Air," and the airline expanded to several cities in the western United States, Canada, and Mexico. With the new yellow paint scheme, unveiled in September 1971, the airline began calling itself Hughes Airwest, two words instead of the initial three.

The airline participated in some movies in the 1970s, notably The Gauntlet with Clint Eastwood and Sondra Locke in 1977. Eastwood's character arrives in Las Vegas from Phoenix on the airline and when he phones the airport for flight departure times, Locke's character sarcastically called the airline, "Air Worst." Also in 1977, the airline was operating service from both Burbank (BUR) and Orange County (SNA) to Denver (DEN) via an interchange flight agreement with the original Frontier Airlines.[15] Hughes Airwest soon introduced its own jet service to Denver from a number of locations.

Like other local service airlines in the 1970s, Hughes Airwest eliminated many stops and opened longer routes. Service expanded to resorts in Mexico; domestic routes didn't reach east of Utah and Arizona until Denver, Des Moines, Milwaukee, and Houston Hobby Airport were added in 1978. When it ended F-27 turboprop flights in 1979, Hughes Airwest became an all-jet airline with 727-200s, DC-9-10s, and DC-9-30s.

In September 1979, the airline was grounded for two months by a walkout by their ticket agents, reservations handlers, and office employees, who had been without a contract for over a year.[16][17][18] During 1979, several airlines showed interest in buying Hughes Airwest, including Alaska and Allegheny, with the latter soon becoming USAir.[19] The strike was resolved in late October and flights resumed in November. Four months later they were the target of a buyout by Republic Airlines,[20] which was finalized on October 1, 1980, for $38.5 million.[1][21][22] Minneapolis-based Republic had formed in July 1979 via the merger of North Central Airlines and Southern Airways, the first under airline deregulation.[23][24][25]

Republic was acquired by Northwest Airlines in 1986,[26][27] which merged into Delta Air Lines in 2010.

Revenue Passenger-Miles (Millions) (Sched Service Only)
Pacific/RW Bonanza West Coast Empire
1951 26 7 11 9
1955 47 23 35 (merged WC)
1960 103 64 93
1965 138 170 122
1970 893 (merged 1968)
1975 1497

Corporate affairs

The original headquarters were in two buildings in downtown San Mateo, California, on the San Francisco peninsula.

Its new headquarters were located in San Mateo.[28] The airline scheduled the move to a new headquarters in late August 1973; the complex was on a hill overlooking San Mateo and San Francisco Bay. The airline relocated two departments from the offices at San Francisco International Airport: flight control and reservations.[29]

Livery

 
The Air West color scheme prior to conversion to Sundance Yellow and Universal Blue

Hughes Airwest's planes were recognizable by their banana-yellow fuselage and tail colors.[30] Their airplanes were often dubbed "flying bananas" and the airline launched an advertising campaign with the catchphrase "Top Banana in the West."[3][4][5][31] Most nicknames given to Hughes Airwest airplanes in aviation books and magazines have to do with bananas. Apart from their all-yellow scheme, the airplanes also featured a blue logo on the vertical stabilizer (tail) that resembled three diamonds connected (possibly a reference to the initials of Howard Hughes). The name Hughes Airwest, in stylized lettering, was featured unconventionally below the front passenger windows.

This livery was devised by the southern California design firm of Mario Armond Zamparelli,[32][33] following the crash of Flight 706 in June 1971, caused by a mid-air collision with a U.S. Marine Corps F-4B jet fighter near Duarte, California.[34][35] In late 1971, the company launched a new marketing campaign which included new colors and repainted planes.[36][37][38] The cabin windows also had a metallized PET film coating originally,[39] but this proved too costly to maintain. Zamparelli also designed the uniforms of the flight attendants in the new colors, primarily in Sundance Yellow trimmed with Universe Blue.[40][41]

 
Hughes Airwest DC-9s in 1979

After the sale in October 1980 the all-yellow paint scheme was gradually replaced by Republic's white with blue and green trim, and the mallard "Herman the Duck."[6][22]

Fleet

Air West and Hughes Airwest operated the following aircraft types at various times during their existence:[42]

Hughes Airwest fleet
Aircraft Total Introduced Retired Notes
Boeing 727-193 3 1968 1972
Boeing 727-200 11 1976 1980
Douglas C-47A Skytrain 7 1968 1969
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-14 5 1970 1980
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-15RC 12 1973 1980
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31 30 1970 1980
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 2 1971 1980
Fairchild F-27 34 1968 1980
Piper PA-31 Navajo 4 1968 1970

Destinations

Air West in July 1968

This is a list of destinations taken from the Air West system timetable dated July 1, 1968 when the merger to form Air West became effective.[43] Cities served with jets are noted in bold. Air West was operating Boeing 727-100, Douglas DC-9-10, and McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 jets, as well as Fairchild F-27 turboprops and small Piper Navajo twin props at this time. The majority of the destinations on this list that did not have jet service were served with F-27 twin turboprops.

ARIZONA:

CALIFORNIA:

  • Bakersfield (BFL)
  • Blythe (BLH)
  • Burbank (BUR): Bob Hope Airport
  • Chico (CIC)
  • Crescent City (CEC)
  • El Centro (IPL)
  • Eureka/Arcata (ACV)
  • Fresno (FAT)
  • Inyokern (IYK)
  • Lake Tahoe (TVL)
  • Long Beach (LGB): Long Beach Airport

IDAHO:

  • Boise (BOI) - Hub
  • Burley/Rupert (BYI)
  • Idaho Falls (IDA)
  • Lewiston (LWS)
  • Pocatello (PIH)
  • Twin Falls (TWF)
  • Sun Valley/Hailey/Ketchum (SUN)

MONTANA:

  • Great Falls (GTF)
  • Kalispell (FCA)

NEVADA:

OREGON:

  • Albany/Corvallis (CVO)
  • Astoria/Seaside (AST)
  • Baker (BKE)
  • Eugene (EUG)
  • Klamath Falls (LMT)
  • Medford (MFR)

UTAH:

WASHINGTON:

  • Aberdeen/Hoquiam (HQM)
  • Ephrata/Moses Lake (EPH)
  • Olympia (OLH)
  • Pasco/Kennewick/Richland (PSC)
  • Pullman (PUW)
  • Seattle (SEA): Seattle-Tacoma Airport - Hub
  • Spokane (GEG)
  • Tacoma (TIW)
  • Walla Walla (ALW)
  • Wenatchee (EAT)
  • Yakima (YKM)

CANADA:

MEXICO:

  • La Paz (LAP)
  • Mazatlan (MZT)
  • Puerto Vallarta (PVR)
  • Guadalajara (GDL)
  • Guaymas (GYM)

Hughes Airwest in September 1980

In 1980, Hughes Airwest was an all-jet airline operating Boeing 727-200, Douglas DC-9-10, and McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 aircraft. The timetable for September 1 lists service to:[44]

ARIZONA:

CALIFORNIA:

COLORADO:

IDAHO:

  • Boise (BOI) - Hub
  • Idaho Falls
  • Lewiston
  • Pocatello
  • Twin Falls

IOWA:

  • Des Moines

MONTANA:

  • Kalispell

NEVADA:

OREGON:

TEXAS:

UTAH:

WASHINGTON:

WISCONSIN:

  • Milwaukee

CANADA:

MEXICO:

  • Manzanillo
  • Mazatlan
  • Puerto Vallarta

Accidents and incidents

Hughes Airwest Flight 706

Main article: Hughes Airwest Flight 706

On the evening of Sunday, June 6, 1971, Hughes Airwest Flight 706, a Douglas DC-9-31 collided in mid-air with a U.S. Marine Corps F-4B fighter over southern California near Duarte, killing all 49 people on the Hughes West airliner, and everyone except the radar intercept officer of the F-4. Flight 706 had departed Los Angeles, California, for Seattle, Washington, with five intermediate stops, the first in Salt Lake City.

1972 hijacking

Two months after the hijacking by D. B. Cooper of Northwest Orient flight 305, Hughes Airwest was the target of a copycat hijacker in early 1972.[45][46][47] After boarding Flight 800 at McCarran airport in Las Vegas in late morning on Thursday, January 20, 23-year-old Richard Charles LaPoint claimed he had a bomb while the plane was on the taxiway and demanded $50,000 cash, two parachutes, and a helmet.[48] When these demands were met, 51 Reno-bound passengers and two flight attendants were released; the DC-9 departed eastward toward Denver, followed by two F-111 aircraft of the U.S. Air Force from nearby Nellis AFB.[49] The parachutes were high-visibility and equipped with emergency locator devices.

Without a coat and in cowboy boots, the hijacker bailed out from the lower aft door over the treeless plains of northeastern Colorado in mid-afternoon. He was apprehended a few hours later,[47][50] with minor injuries and very cold.[48][51][52] The plane, with two pilots and a flight attendant on board, landed safely at Denver's Stapleton airport at 2:55 p.m. MST.[46] Facing potential death penalty charges for air piracy,[53] the Vietnam veteran, a former U.S. Army paratrooper,[54] was sentenced to forty years, but served less than eight and was released from a halfway house in 1979.[48] He died at age 60 in New Hampshire in 2008.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Republic Airlines takes over Hughest Airwest on Oct. 1". Deseret News. UPI. September 18, 1980. p. 10B.
  2. ^ "World Airline Directory." Flight International. April 28, 1979. 1379.
  3. ^ a b "Now, "Top Banana" service". Deseret News. Salt Lake City, Utah). (advertisement). June 29, 1976. p. 16A.
  4. ^ a b "Top Banana in the West". Deseret News. (advertisement). June 22, 1976. p. back.
  5. ^ a b "Go Bananas to Reno". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). (advertisement). March 1, 1977. p. 23.
  6. ^ a b "Herman is in, the Big Yellow Banana is out". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). September 30, 1980. p. 1B.
  7. ^ "Air West merger legally complete". Tri-City Herald. (Washington). Associated Press. April 18, 1968. p. 3.
  8. ^ Campbell, Thomas W. (April 28, 1968). "Another merger: now it's Air West". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 21.
  9. ^ "Air West's service said deteriorating". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. October 2, 1968. p. 4A.
  10. ^ "Hughes may buy Air West". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). UPI. August 12, 1968. p. 6C.
  11. ^ Arnold, Patrick (July 31, 1974). "Hughes charged with stock fraud". Youngstown Vindicator. (Ohio). Associated Press. p. 1.
  12. ^ "Air West purchase almost completed". Ellensburg Daily Record. (Washington). UPI. April 2, 1970. p. 8.
  13. ^ "Hughes completes dealings for airline". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). UPI. April 3, 1970. p. 3A.
  14. ^ "Air West taken over by Hughes". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). Associated Press. April 4, 1970. p. 2.
  15. ^ http://www.departedflights.com, 1977 Frontier Airlines Annual Report, route map
  16. ^ "Airwest strike effect minimal". Spokane Daily Chronicle. September 11, 1979. p. 5.
  17. ^ "No talks in Airwest strike". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Associated Press. September 29, 1979. p. 2A.
  18. ^ "Hughes Airwest flights resume after strike". News and Courier. Charleston, SC. Associated Press. November 11, 1979. p. 2A.
  19. ^ "Airwest entertains offers to sell". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Associated Press. October 1, 1979. p. 1B.
  20. ^ "Republic looking at Airwest". Milwaukee Journal. (Los Angeles Times). March 12, 1980. p. 17.
  21. ^ "Republic Airlines get CAB approval for Hughes merger". Milwaukee Sentinel. UPI. September 13, 1980. p. 7, part 2.
  22. ^ a b "Hughes name changes". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. October 1, 1980. p. A23.
  23. ^ "North Central, Southern Airlines merger gets final OK from Carter". Milwaukee Sentinel. UPI. June 5, 1979. p. 5-part 2.
  24. ^ "Carter okays airline merger". Pittsburgh Press. UPI. June 5, 1979. p. A-14.
  25. ^ "Carter okays merger of 2 airlines". Youngstown Vindicator. (Ohio). Associated Press. June 5, 1979. p. 21.
  26. ^ "Northwest-Republic merger creates third-largest carrier". Miami News. Associated Press. August 1, 1986. p. 9A.
  27. ^ "Two airlines get approval for merger". Eugene Register-Guard. August 1, 1986. p. 1C.
  28. ^ Standard & Poor's Register of Corporations, Directors and Executives, Volume 3. Standard & Poor's, 1976. p. 638. "Hughes Air Corp d/b/a Hughes Airwest Airlines, 3125 Clearview Way, San Mateo, Cal."
  29. ^ "'Big Move' under way to new international headquarters in San Mateo." () Hughes Airwest newsletter. August 1973. Vol. 5, No. 8. p. 1.
  30. ^ Hughes promoted their new colors as "Sundance Yellow" and "Universe Blue." The blue has sometimes been described as purple, but this is an optical illusion when viewed on the yellow expanse of aircraft hull. Since these were not standards-compliant color names, the exact color values are uncertain, and can only be approximated by examining color photographs of Hughes Airwest aircraft.
  31. ^ AOPA Pilot. July 2011. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  32. ^ "Mario Armond Zamparelli".
  33. ^ "Mario Armond Zamparelli".
  34. ^ "L.A. jetliner, fighter crash in air; 50 die". Modesto Bee. Associated Press. June 7, 1971. p. A-1.
  35. ^ "'Airliner hit us,' survivor says after mid-air collision". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Associated Press. June 8, 1971. p. 6.
  36. ^ "Airwest makes colorful changes". Deseret News. Oct 27, 1971. p. B-5.
  37. ^ "Profit seen by Airwest". Spokane Daily Chronicle. November 22, 1971. p. 5.
  38. ^ (PDF). (Twin Falls, ID) Times-News. November 26, 1971. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 12, 2013.
  39. ^ "New look is first step in '72 marketing program" (PDF). Hughes Air Corp. (co. newsletter). October 1971. p. 1.
  40. ^ "Airlines new stewardess uniforms". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). (photo). November 23, 1971. p. 26.
  41. ^ . Museum of Flight. Archived from the original on June 15, 2014. Retrieved January 11, 2013.
  42. ^ "Air West fleet". aerobernie.bplaced.net. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  43. ^ http://www.timetableimages.com, July 1, 1986 Air West system timetable
  44. ^ http://www.departedflights.com, Sept. 1, 1980 Hughes Airwest system timetable
  45. ^ "Nab skyjacker after leap". Chicago Tribune. Associated Press. January 21, 1972. p. 1, sec. 1.
  46. ^ a b "Hijacker caught after parachuting over Colorado with $50,000 in cash". Lewiston Daily Sun. (Maine). Associated Press. January 21, 1972. p. 1.
  47. ^ a b "This hijacker fails". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). UPI. January 21, 1972. p. A1.
  48. ^ a b c Miniclier, Kit (January 21, 2001). . Denver Post. Archived from the original on April 24, 2014. Retrieved February 16, 2013.
  49. ^ Taylor, Daniel L. (January 21, 1972). "Parachutist hijacker captured". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). UPI. p. 3A.
  50. ^ "Chuting hijacker caught by police". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. January 21, 1972. p. 1.
  51. ^ "Hijacker with $50,000 loot captured after bailing out". Milwaukee Journal. January 21, 1972. p. 1.
  52. ^ "Hijacker foiled; tracked by jets". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). Associated Press. January 21, 1972. p. 19.
  53. ^ "Hijack figure held without bail". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. January 22, 1972. p. 1.
  54. ^ "Ex-paratrooper is charged with piracy in hijack bid". Chicago Tribune. Associated Press. January 22, 1972. p. 5, sec. 1.

External links

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hughes Airwest.
  • Hughes Airwest enthusiast site — hughesairwest.com

May 04, 2023
hughes, airwest, iata, icao, call, sign, hughes, regional, airline, western, united, states, backed, howard, hughes, summa, corporation, original, name, 1968, west, carrier, owned, nick, flew, routes, western, several, destinations, mexico, canada, headquarter. Hughes Airwest IATA RW ICAO Call sign Hughes Air was a regional airline in the western United States backed by Howard Hughes Summa Corporation Its original name in 1968 was Air West and the air carrier was owned by Nick Bez Hughes Airwest flew routes in the western U S and to several destinations in Mexico and Canada its headquarters were on the grounds of San Francisco International Airport SFO in unincorporated San Mateo County California 2 Hughes AirwestIATA ICAO CallsignRW HUGHES AIRFoundedApril 17 1968 1968 04 17 as Air West Commenced operations1970 1970 as Hughes Airwest Ceased operationsOctober 1 1980 1980 10 01 acquired by Republic Airlines 1 HubsSan FranciscoSecondary hubsBoise ID Las VegasLos AngelesPhoenix Sky HarborPortland OR Salt Lake CitySeattle BoeingSeattle TacomaHeadquartersSan Mateo County California U S Key peopleHoward Hughes owner Russell V Stephenson president Air West Fairchild F 27A in 1970at San Francisco International Airport With distinctive all yellow aircraft the company slogan was Top Banana in the West 3 4 5 Hughes Airwest was purchased by Republic Airlines on October 1 1980 1 6 Contents 1 History 2 Corporate affairs 2 1 Livery 3 Fleet 4 Destinations 4 1 Air West in July 1968 4 2 Hughes Airwest in September 1980 5 Accidents and incidents 5 1 Hughes Airwest Flight 706 5 2 1972 hijacking 6 See also 7 References 8 External linksHistory EditOn April 17 1968 three local service airlines in the western U S merged to form Air West 7 8 9 Pacific Air Lines which previously operated as Southwest Airways when it was founded in 1941 was based in San Francisco flew along the coast and California s Central Valley linking cities from Medford Oregon to southern California Pacific operated Boeing 727 100s and Fairchild F 27s in 1968 Bonanza Air Lines routes reached west from its Phoenix base to southern California and north to Las Vegas Reno and Salt Lake City Bonanza flew Douglas DC 9 10s and Fairchild F 27s in 1968 with a DC 9 30 on order delivered after the merger West Coast Airlines based at Boeing Field in Seattle served the Pacific Northwest Idaho Utah Montana and northern California West Coast operated DC 9 10s F 27s and Piper Navajos in 1968 The initial Air West fleet included Boeing 727 100s Douglas DC 9s Fairchild F 27s and Piper Navajos The first new addition to the Air West fleet was a McDonnell Douglas DC 9 30 which had been ordered by Bonanza Air Lines Hungry for another adventure in the airline industry TWA s former owner Howard Hughes sought the airline in 1968 10 11 and the US 90 million deal was finalized in April 1970 12 13 14 Renamed Hughes Air West its call sign became Hughes Air and the airline expanded to several cities in the western United States Canada and Mexico With the new yellow paint scheme unveiled in September 1971 the airline began calling itself Hughes Airwest two words instead of the initial three The airline participated in some movies in the 1970s notably The Gauntlet with Clint Eastwood and Sondra Locke in 1977 Eastwood s character arrives in Las Vegas from Phoenix on the airline and when he phones the airport for flight departure times Locke s character sarcastically called the airline Air Worst Also in 1977 the airline was operating service from both Burbank BUR and Orange County SNA to Denver DEN via an interchange flight agreement with the original Frontier Airlines 15 Hughes Airwest soon introduced its own jet service to Denver from a number of locations Like other local service airlines in the 1970s Hughes Airwest eliminated many stops and opened longer routes Service expanded to resorts in Mexico domestic routes didn t reach east of Utah and Arizona until Denver Des Moines Milwaukee and Houston Hobby Airport were added in 1978 When it ended F 27 turboprop flights in 1979 Hughes Airwest became an all jet airline with 727 200s DC 9 10s and DC 9 30s In September 1979 the airline was grounded for two months by a walkout by their ticket agents reservations handlers and office employees who had been without a contract for over a year 16 17 18 During 1979 several airlines showed interest in buying Hughes Airwest including Alaska and Allegheny with the latter soon becoming USAir 19 The strike was resolved in late October and flights resumed in November Four months later they were the target of a buyout by Republic Airlines 20 which was finalized on October 1 1980 for 38 5 million 1 21 22 Minneapolis based Republic had formed in July 1979 via the merger of North Central Airlines and Southern Airways the first under airline deregulation 23 24 25 Republic was acquired by Northwest Airlines in 1986 26 27 which merged into Delta Air Lines in 2010 Revenue Passenger Miles Millions Sched Service Only Pacific RW Bonanza West Coast Empire1951 26 7 11 91955 47 23 35 merged WC 1960 103 64 931965 138 170 1221970 893 merged 1968 1975 1497Corporate affairs EditThe original headquarters were in two buildings in downtown San Mateo California on the San Francisco peninsula Its new headquarters were located in San Mateo 28 The airline scheduled the move to a new headquarters in late August 1973 the complex was on a hill overlooking San Mateo and San Francisco Bay The airline relocated two departments from the offices at San Francisco International Airport flight control and reservations 29 Livery Edit The Air West color scheme prior to conversion to Sundance Yellow and Universal Blue Hughes Airwest s planes were recognizable by their banana yellow fuselage and tail colors 30 Their airplanes were often dubbed flying bananas and the airline launched an advertising campaign with the catchphrase Top Banana in the West 3 4 5 31 Most nicknames given to Hughes Airwest airplanes in aviation books and magazines have to do with bananas Apart from their all yellow scheme the airplanes also featured a blue logo on the vertical stabilizer tail that resembled three diamonds connected possibly a reference to the initials of Howard Hughes The name Hughes Airwest in stylized lettering was featured unconventionally below the front passenger windows This livery was devised by the southern California design firm of Mario Armond Zamparelli 32 33 following the crash of Flight 706 in June 1971 caused by a mid air collision with a U S Marine Corps F 4B jet fighter near Duarte California 34 35 In late 1971 the company launched a new marketing campaign which included new colors and repainted planes 36 37 38 The cabin windows also had a metallized PET film coating originally 39 but this proved too costly to maintain Zamparelli also designed the uniforms of the flight attendants in the new colors primarily in Sundance Yellow trimmed with Universe Blue 40 41 Hughes Airwest DC 9s in 1979 After the sale in October 1980 the all yellow paint scheme was gradually replaced by Republic s white with blue and green trim and the mallard Herman the Duck 6 22 Fleet EditAir West and Hughes Airwest operated the following aircraft types at various times during their existence 42 Hughes Airwest fleet Aircraft Total Introduced Retired NotesBoeing 727 193 3 1968 1972Boeing 727 200 11 1976 1980Douglas C 47A Skytrain 7 1968 1969McDonnell Douglas DC 9 14 5 1970 1980McDonnell Douglas DC 9 15RC 12 1973 1980McDonnell Douglas DC 9 31 30 1970 1980McDonnell Douglas DC 9 32 2 1971 1980Fairchild F 27 34 1968 1980Piper PA 31 Navajo 4 1968 1970Destinations EditAir West in July 1968 Edit This is a list of destinations taken from the Air West system timetable dated July 1 1968 when the merger to form Air West became effective 43 Cities served with jets are noted in bold Air West was operating Boeing 727 100 Douglas DC 9 10 and McDonnell Douglas DC 9 30 jets as well as Fairchild F 27 turboprops and small Piper Navajo twin props at this time The majority of the destinations on this list that did not have jet service were served with F 27 twin turboprops ARIZONA Grand Canyon GCN Kingman IGM Page PGA Phoenix PHX Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport Hub Prescott PRC Tucson TUS Yuma YUM CALIFORNIA Bakersfield BFL Blythe BLH Burbank BUR Bob Hope Airport Chico CIC Crescent City CEC El Centro IPL Eureka Arcata ACV Fresno FAT Inyokern IYK Lake Tahoe TVL Long Beach LGB Long Beach Airport Los Angeles LAX Los Angeles International Airport Hub Marysville Yuba City MYV Monterey MRY Oakland OAK Oakland International Airport Ontario ONT Ontario International Airport Oxnard Ventura OXR Palmdale Lancaster WJF Palm Springs PSP Paso Robles San Luis Obispo PRB Redding Red Bluff RDD Riverside RAL Sacramento SMF San Diego SAN Lindbergh Field San Francisco SFO San Francisco International Airport Hub amp airline headquarters San Jose SJC Norman Y Mineta San Jose International Airport Santa Ana aka Orange County SNA John Wayne Airport Santa Barbara SBA Santa Barbara Municipal Airport Santa Maria SMX Santa Rosa STS Stockton SCK Vandenberg Air Force Base VBG IDAHO Boise BOI Hub Burley Rupert BYI Idaho Falls IDA Lewiston LWS Pocatello PIH Twin Falls TWF Sun Valley Hailey Ketchum SUN MONTANA Great Falls GTF Kalispell FCA NEVADA Las Vegas LAS McCarran International Airport Hub Reno RNO OREGON Albany Corvallis CVO Astoria Seaside AST Baker BKE Eugene EUG Klamath Falls LMT Medford MFR North Bend Coos Bay OTH Ontario ONO Portland PDX Portland International Airport Hub Redmond Bend RDM Roseburg RBG UTAH Cedar City CDC Salt Lake City SLC Salt Lake City International Airport HubWASHINGTON Aberdeen Hoquiam HQM Ephrata Moses Lake EPH Olympia OLH Pasco Kennewick Richland PSC Pullman PUW Seattle SEA Seattle Tacoma Airport Hub Spokane GEG Tacoma TIW Walla Walla ALW Wenatchee EAT Yakima YKM CANADA Calgary Alberta YYC Calgary International AirportMEXICO La Paz LAP Mazatlan MZT Puerto Vallarta PVR Guadalajara GDL Guaymas GYM Hughes Airwest in September 1980 Edit In 1980 Hughes Airwest was an all jet airline operating Boeing 727 200 Douglas DC 9 10 and McDonnell Douglas DC 9 30 aircraft The timetable for September 1 lists service to 44 ARIZONA Grand Canyon GCN Phoenix PHX Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport Hub Tucson TUS CALIFORNIA Burbank BUR Bob Hope Airport Eureka Arcata Fresno Los Angeles LAX Los Angeles International Airport Hub Oakland OAK Oakland International Airport Ontario ONT Ontario International Airport Palm Springs Redding Red Bluff Sacramento San Diego SAN Lindbergh Field San Francisco SFO San Francisco International Airport Hub amp airline headquarters San Jose SJC Norman Y Mineta San Jose International Airport Santa Ana aka Orange County SNA John Wayne AirportCOLORADO Denver DEN Stapleton International AirportIDAHO Boise BOI Hub Idaho Falls Lewiston Pocatello Twin FallsIOWA Des MoinesMONTANA KalispellNEVADA Las Vegas LAS McCarran International Airport Hub RenoOREGON Eugene Klamath Falls Portland PDX Portland International Airport Redmond BendTEXAS Houston HOU William P Hobby AirportUTAH Salt Lake City SLC Salt Lake City International Airport HubWASHINGTON Pasco Kennewick Richland Tri Cities Airport Seattle SEA Seattle Tacoma International Airport Hub Spokane YakimaWISCONSIN MilwaukeeCANADA Calgary Alberta YYC Calgary International Airport Edmonton Alberta YEG Edmonton International AirportMEXICO Manzanillo Mazatlan Puerto VallartaAccidents and incidents EditHughes Airwest Flight 706 Edit Main article Hughes Airwest Flight 706 On the evening of Sunday June 6 1971 Hughes Airwest Flight 706 a Douglas DC 9 31 collided in mid air with a U S Marine Corps F 4B fighter over southern California near Duarte killing all 49 people on the Hughes West airliner and everyone except the radar intercept officer of the F 4 Flight 706 had departed Los Angeles California for Seattle Washington with five intermediate stops the first in Salt Lake City 1972 hijacking Edit Two months after the hijacking by D B Cooper of Northwest Orient flight 305 Hughes Airwest was the target of a copycat hijacker in early 1972 45 46 47 After boarding Flight 800 at McCarran airport in Las Vegas in late morning on Thursday January 20 23 year old Richard Charles LaPoint claimed he had a bomb while the plane was on the taxiway and demanded 50 000 cash two parachutes and a helmet 48 When these demands were met 51 Reno bound passengers and two flight attendants were released the DC 9 departed eastward toward Denver followed by two F 111 aircraft of the U S Air Force from nearby Nellis AFB 49 The parachutes were high visibility and equipped with emergency locator devices Without a coat and in cowboy boots the hijacker bailed out from the lower aft door over the treeless plains of northeastern Colorado in mid afternoon He was apprehended a few hours later 47 50 with minor injuries and very cold 48 51 52 The plane with two pilots and a flight attendant on board landed safely at Denver s Stapleton airport at 2 55 p m MST 46 Facing potential death penalty charges for air piracy 53 the Vietnam veteran a former U S Army paratrooper 54 was sentenced to forty years but served less than eight and was released from a halfway house in 1979 48 He died at age 60 in New Hampshire in 2008 See also EditList of defunct airlines of the United StatesReferences Edit a b c Republic Airlines takes over Hughest Airwest on Oct 1 Deseret News UPI September 18 1980 p 10B World Airline Directory Flight International April 28 1979 1379 a b Now Top Banana service Deseret News Salt Lake City Utah advertisement June 29 1976 p 16A a b Top Banana in the West Deseret News advertisement June 22 1976 p back a b Go Bananas to Reno Spokane Daily Chronicle Washington advertisement March 1 1977 p 23 a b Herman is in the Big Yellow Banana is out Lewiston Morning Tribune Idaho September 30 1980 p 1B Air West merger legally complete Tri City Herald Washington Associated Press April 18 1968 p 3 Campbell Thomas W April 28 1968 Another merger now it s Air West Lewiston Morning Tribune Idaho p 21 Air West s service said deteriorating Eugene Register Guard Oregon Associated Press October 2 1968 p 4A Hughes may buy Air West Deseret News Salt Lake City Utah UPI August 12 1968 p 6C Arnold Patrick July 31 1974 Hughes charged with stock fraud Youngstown Vindicator Ohio Associated Press p 1 Air West purchase almost completed Ellensburg Daily Record Washington UPI April 2 1970 p 8 Hughes completes dealings for airline Eugene Register Guard Oregon UPI April 3 1970 p 3A Air West taken over by Hughes Spokane Daily Chronicle Washington Associated Press April 4 1970 p 2 http www departedflights com 1977 Frontier Airlines Annual Report route map Airwest strike effect minimal Spokane Daily Chronicle September 11 1979 p 5 No talks in Airwest strike Lewiston Morning Tribune Associated Press September 29 1979 p 2A Hughes Airwest flights resume after strike News and Courier Charleston SC Associated Press November 11 1979 p 2A Airwest entertains offers to sell Lewiston Morning Tribune Associated Press October 1 1979 p 1B Republic looking at Airwest Milwaukee Journal Los Angeles Times March 12 1980 p 17 Republic Airlines get CAB approval for Hughes merger Milwaukee Sentinel UPI September 13 1980 p 7 part 2 a b Hughes name changes Spokesman Review Associated Press October 1 1980 p A23 North Central Southern Airlines merger gets final OK from Carter Milwaukee Sentinel UPI June 5 1979 p 5 part 2 Carter okays airline merger Pittsburgh Press UPI June 5 1979 p A 14 Carter okays merger of 2 airlines Youngstown Vindicator Ohio Associated Press June 5 1979 p 21 Northwest Republic merger creates third largest carrier Miami News Associated Press August 1 1986 p 9A Two airlines get approval for merger Eugene Register Guard August 1 1986 p 1C Standard amp Poor s Register of Corporations Directors and Executives Volume 3 Standard amp Poor s 1976 p 638 Hughes Air Corp d b a Hughes Airwest Airlines 3125 Clearview Way San Mateo Cal Big Move under way to new international headquarters in San Mateo Archive Hughes Airwest newsletter August 1973 Vol 5 No 8 p 1 Hughes promoted their new colors as Sundance Yellow and Universe Blue The blue has sometimes been described as purple but this is an optical illusion when viewed on the yellow expanse of aircraft hull Since these were not standards compliant color names the exact color values are uncertain and can only be approximated by examining color photographs of Hughes Airwest aircraft AOPA Pilot July 2011 a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a Missing or empty title help Mario Armond Zamparelli Mario Armond Zamparelli L A jetliner fighter crash in air 50 die Modesto Bee Associated Press June 7 1971 p A 1 Airliner hit us survivor says after mid air collision Lewiston Morning Tribune Associated Press June 8 1971 p 6 Airwest makes colorful changes Deseret News Oct 27 1971 p B 5 Profit seen by Airwest Spokane Daily Chronicle November 22 1971 p 5 Airwest unveils bright new look PDF Twin Falls ID Times News November 26 1971 p 7 Archived from the original PDF on March 4 2016 Retrieved January 12 2013 New look is first step in 72 marketing program PDF Hughes Air Corp co newsletter October 1971 p 1 Airlines new stewardess uniforms Spokesman Review Spokane Washington photo November 23 1971 p 26 Pre flight Primp Hughes Airwest Flight Attendant Uniforms Museum of Flight Archived from the original on June 15 2014 Retrieved January 11 2013 Air West fleet aerobernie bplaced net Retrieved February 20 2021 http www timetableimages com July 1 1986 Air West system timetable http www departedflights com Sept 1 1980 Hughes Airwest system timetable Nab skyjacker after leap Chicago Tribune Associated Press January 21 1972 p 1 sec 1 a b Hijacker caught after parachuting over Colorado with 50 000 in cash Lewiston Daily Sun Maine Associated Press January 21 1972 p 1 a b This hijacker fails Deseret News Salt Lake City Utah UPI January 21 1972 p A1 a b c Miniclier Kit January 21 2001 Skyjacker a Colorado oddity Denver Post Archived from the original on April 24 2014 Retrieved February 16 2013 Taylor Daniel L January 21 1972 Parachutist hijacker captured Eugene Register Guard Oregon UPI p 3A Chuting hijacker caught by police Spokesman Review Spokane Washington Associated Press January 21 1972 p 1 Hijacker with 50 000 loot captured after bailing out Milwaukee Journal January 21 1972 p 1 Hijacker foiled tracked by jets Spokane Daily Chronicle Washington Associated Press January 21 1972 p 19 Hijack figure held without bail Lewiston Morning Tribune Idaho Associated Press January 22 1972 p 1 Ex paratrooper is charged with piracy in hijack bid Chicago Tribune Associated Press January 22 1972 p 5 sec 1 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hughes Airwest Hughes Airwest enthusiast site hughesairwest comPortals San Francisco Bay Area Companies Aviation Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Hughes Airwest amp oldid 1147837650, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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