New York Air was a startup airline that served the 'Big Apple' in the early and mid-1980s. Based out of the city's LaGuardia Airport (LGA), it was a subsidiary of the wider 'Texas Air Corporation' holding company. Let's take a look back at the story of this interesting carrier, which sported an instantly-recognizable red livery. You may also remember that this color scheme featured an apple design on the tail.
Formed to compete with Eastern Air Lines
New York Air came into existence in September 1980, when its parent company, the Texas Air Corporation, announced plans for a low-cost startup in the northeast of the US. It was able to do so following the deregulation of the airline industry in the country, as government intervention would no longer prevent the expansion of the Texas Air Corporation. Deregulation came about in October 1978.
New York Air's initial plans were to run a shuttle service between the three key East Coast cities of Boston, New York City, and Washington DC. This would compete with Eastern Air Lines' 'Eastern Shuttle' brand, with the flights scheduled to operate on an hourly basis. It looked to get ahead of its competition by adding aspects like free drinks and snacks, reportedly known as 'The Flying Nosh.'
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The carrier had a fast start, and it took the startup just 90 days for the airline's first President, Neal Meehan, to find and train a team of staff, and New York Air commenced operations in December 1980. Unfortunately, just five passengers were onboard the first flight from LaGuardia to Washington National (DCA). Nonetheless, it soon found its feet, and had achieved a 62% load factor by April 1981.
New York Air's fleet
Over the course of its seven-year history, New York Air operated various US-built narrowbody jetliners. According to data from ATDB.aero, the least numerous of these was the Boeing 737-300. New York Air flew just nine of these single-aisle twinjets in its final years on lease from Continental Airlines. This single-digit figure accounted for a proportion of just under 18% of its 51-aircraft all-time fleet.
At the more numerous end of the scale, New York Air also flew two different rear-engined designs from McDonnell Douglas. The most common of these was the MD-82, of which it flew 22 examples, with a further five canceled acquisitions for the type. The carrier received its first MD-82 aircraft back in the summer of 1984.
As far as smaller rear-engined twinjets were concerned, 20 of New York Air's 51 all-time aircraft (just under 40%) were examples of the McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30. The carrier leased many of its DC-9s from Texas International Airlines, but some came from foreign operators, such as Swissair and Air Canada. The DC-9 was the only design that remained in New York Air's fleet for its entire history.
Merged into Continental Airlines
New York Air endured a turbulent few years, losing millions of dollars with Meehan ultimately resigning as President in July 1982. Nonetheless, his replacement, Micahel Levine, was able to steady the ship by reworking New York Air as a full-service carrier. With a consolidated network and a new model, it registered a profit for the first time in 1983. Further positive growth continued throughout the mid-1980s.
However, the carrier's story ultimately came to an end in 1987 when the Texas Air Corporation saw it necessary to merge New York Air into Continental Airlines. This helped Continental, which Texas Air Corporation also owned, become the third-largest US airline. New York Air ceased operations in February 1987, bringing an eventful six and a half years to an end for the carrier.
What are your memories of New York Air? Did you ever fly with this 1980s startup carrier? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments!
Source: ATDB.aero