Wright Airlines

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Wright Air Lines
Wright Air Lines Logo, February 1982.svg
IATA ICAO Callsign
FW WRT WRIGHT
Commenced operations1966
Ceased operations1984
Focus citiesCleveland, Detroit
HeadquartersCleveland, Ohio
Key peopleGerald Weller
Websitenone, defunct airline

Wright Air Lines, founded in Cleveland, Ohio in 1966, is regarded as the first United States regional airline. The airline was based in Cleveland at Burke Lakefront Airport and filed for protection under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in September 1984 and its assets liquidated within a year.[1]

History[]

A Wright Convair 600 at Port Columbus International Airport (November 1982)

The founder and first president of the airline was Gerald Weller. This regional airline was the first to be financed through the sale of stock on Wall Street.[2]

Wright was also considered a commuter airline with scheduled departures operated at one-hour intervals between cities such as Cleveland and Detroit with no advance reservations required.[3]

During its existence, Wright Airlines had these acquisitions and mergers:

After each of these mergers, the Wright name was retained.

According to its February 1, 1982, system timetable, Wright was operating Convair 600 turboprop aircraft on all of its scheduled passenger flights and was serving Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport, Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, Cincinnati, Columbus and Dayton in Ohio; Detroit City Airport and Detroit Metropolitan Airport in Michigan; and Louisville in Kentucky.[4] Wright had expanded its route system by 1984 (see below) following the merger with Aeromech Airlines.

Livery[]

The aircraft livery of the airline varied, and through its existence was either orange and tan on white, blue and tan on white, or dark orange, orange and tan on white.

Destinations in 1984[]

According to its October 1, 1984 system timetable, Wright was serving the following destinations:[5]

  • Beckley, WV (BKW)
  • Bluefield/Princeton, WV (BLF)
  • Clarksburg/Fairmont, WV (CKB)
  • Cincinnati, OH (CVG)
  • Cleveland, OH (CLE) – Cleveland Hopkins International Airport – Focus city
  • Cleveland, OH (BKL) – Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport – Home base
  • Columbus, OH (CMH)
  • Dayton, OH (DAY)
  • Detroit, MI (DET) – Detroit City Airport
  • Detroit, MI (DTW) – Detroit Metropolitan Airport
  • Elkins, WV (EVN)
  • Greensboro/High Point, NC (GSO)
  • Huntington/Ashland, WV (HTS)
  • Louisville, KY (SDF)
  • Morgantown, WV (MGW)
  • Pittsburgh, PA (PIT) – Hub
  • Syracuse, NY (SYR)
  • Washington, DC (DCA) – Washington National Airport

Fleet[]

The airline flew a wide range of aircraft types at various times during its existence which were selected according to the specific route and projected number of passengers on each route:

Wright acquired the EMB-110P1 aircraft when it purchased Aeromech October 1, 1983.[6]

Safety record[]

The airline had a good safety record with few accidents or incidents. None are known to have been fatal accidents.

Similarly named but non-related airlines[]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "U.S. Airline Bankruptcies". Airlines for America. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
  2. ^ Tighe, Lori (April 22, 2000). "Gerald Weller took isle tours to new heights; dies at 80". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
  3. ^ Martin, David W. (September 23, 2001). "Mistakes by the Lake". Cleveland Scene.
  4. ^ "Wright Airlines Timetable". Airline Timetable Images. February 1, 1982. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
  5. ^ "Wright Airlines October 1, 1984 System Timetable". Departed Flights. October 1, 1984. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
  6. ^ "Wright Airlines". Archived from the original on October 25, 2009. Retrieved July 8, 2018.


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