History
American Eagle began as a collection of regional carriers with contracts to carry the American Eagle brand name. The first American Eagle flight was operated by Metroflight Airlines, which was a spin-off company created by Metro Airlines, on November 1, 1984 from Fayetteville, Arkansas to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Metroflight utilized Convair 580 turboprop aircraft that had been formerly operated by Frontier Airlines. Other carriers that have flown in Eagle livery include Executive Airlines, Command Airways, Air Virginia, Simmons Airlines, Wings West Airlines and Chaparral Airlines.
Until 1987 these third-party carriers flew under contract with American Airlines to provide regional feed to its hubs. During 1987 and 1988 AMR Corp. acquired its regional carriers, starting with Simmons Airlines. By mid-1991 AMR had consolidated the number of carriers to four. The May 15, 1998 merger of Wings West and Flagship into Simmons (and the name change of Simmons to American Eagle) reduced the number of carriers flying as American Eagle under separate operating certificates to two: American Eagle Airlines, Inc. and Executive Airlines Inc.
During 2007, AMR began studying ways to spin American Eagle off into a separate company, including, but not limited to, the possibilities of selling the company to either stockholders or to an unaffiliated third party. In 2008, AMR said any plans had been put on hold until the airline industry stabilized after the worldwide financial crisis. In July 2011, AMR announced the spin-off of American Eagle but those plans were again put on hold when Parent AMR Corp. filed for bankruptcy in November 2011.
| Carrier | Eagle Service Began | Acquired By AMR | Eagle Service Ended | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metroflight Airlines (formerly Metro Airlines) | November 1, 1984 | May 28, 1993 | May 28, 1993 | Bankrupt; assets acquired by Simmons Airlines |
| AVAir (formerly Air Virginia) | May 15, 1985 | May 1988 | May 1988 | Bankrupt; assets acquired by Nashville Eagle |
| Simmons Airlines | October 1, 1985 | August 1, 1987 | May 15, 1998 | Merged with Flagship and Wings West to form American Eagle Airlines |
| Command Airways | April 27, 1986 | September 28, 1988 | June 1, 1991 | Merged into Nashville Eagle to form Flagship Airlines |
| Wings West | June 1986 | August 9, 1987 | May 15, 1998 | Merged into Simmons to form American Eagle Airlines, Inc. |
| Executive Airlines | November 1, 1986 | 1990 | Ending March 31, 2013 | |
| Nashville Eagle | January 1988 | January 1988 | June 1, 1991 | Merged with Command Airways to form Flagship Airlines |
| Flagship Airlines | June 1, 1991 | June 1, 1991 | May 15, 1998 | Formed by the merger of Command Airways into Nashville Eagle; merged into Simmons to form American Eagle Airlines, Inc. |
| American Eagle Airlines | May 15, 1998 | May 15, 1998 | Still Operating | Formed by the merger of Wings West and Flagship into Simmons |
- In January 1988, Nashville Eagle became AMR Corp.’s first and only start-up airline, using equipment acquired from Air Midwest.
- American Eagle launched its regional jet service in May 1998 using Embraer ERJ 145 aircraft.
- Business Express was acquired by AMR Eagle Holdings Corporation in March 1999, although it never flew under the American Eagle brand before being fully integrated into American Eagle Airlines, Inc. in December 2000.
Read more about this topic: American Eagle Airlines
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