History
Before the Airline Deregulation Act in 1978, most major US air carriers maintained close relationships with independent regional carriers to feed passengers from smaller markets into larger cities, and, in turn, onto larger legacy carriers. In the post-regulation era, the hub-and-spoke system gained prominence, and to feed traffic from smaller markets to these newly established hubs, the major carriers outsourced regional operations to these smaller carriers. These relationships included the use of code sharing, shared branding, and listing regional partners in the computer reservations systems of the mainline carrier.
American Eagle commenced service on November 1, 1984, when Metroflight Airlines (a wholly owned subsidiary of Metro Airlines) became the first operator to join the network.[9] The first American Eagle-branded flight was operated by Metro that day from Fayetteville, Arkansas, to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), using a Convair 580 turboprop aircraft.[10] Metroflight also operated de Havilland Canada DHC-6 commuter turboprop aircraft on American Eagle flights serving DFW.[11] Chaparral Airlines was the second operator to join the network, beginning American Eagle flights on December 1, 1984.[9] Other operators later contracted by American Airlines to fly the American Eagle banner during this time included Air Midwest, Air Virginia (later AVAir), Command Airways, Simmons Airlines, and Wings West.
On September 15, 1986, Executive Airlines joined the American Eagle system. With hub operations at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the addition of Executive Airways to the American Eagle family opened an extensive inter-island network throughout the Caribbean.
Between 1987 and 1989, AMR Corp. (parent corporation of American Airlines) gradually acquired most of its regional carriers, starting with Simmons Airlines. By 1991, AMR had consolidated its wholly owned regional carriers into four entities: Executive Airlines, Flagship Airlines, Simmons Airlines, and Wings West.[12] AMR would later purchase the assets of bankrupt Metro Airlines in 1993. At this point, AMR owned all of the airlines that were operating for American Eagle.
On May 15, 1998, Flagship Airlines and Wings West merged into Simmons Airlines, with the new entity named American Eagle Airlines. Along with Executive Airlines, these would be the only operators using the American Eagle brand name for the next fourteen years.[12]
After American Airlines acquired Trans World Airlines (TWA) in 2001, it retained contracts with the carriers that operated under the Trans World Express banner, which included Chautauqua Airlines, Corporate Airlines, and Trans States Airlines. However, instead of being integrated into the American Eagle brand, these carriers operated under a separate regional brand known as AmericanConnection. This brand name was used for thirteen years before being discontinued in 2014.
2010s developments
As part of its restructuring and emergence from chapter 11 bankruptcy, AMR announced it would contract American Eagle flying to carriers outside its wholly owned subsidiaries. On November 15, 2012, SkyWest Airlines and ExpressJet Airlines, both subsidiaries of SkyWest, Inc. began operations for American Eagle.[13] On August 1, 2013, Republic Airways, a subsidiary of Republic Airways Holdings, commenced flying operations under the American Eagle branding as part of a 12-year capacity purchase agreement to operate Embraer 175 aircraft for American Eagle.[14]
On September 12, 2012, AMR announced the discontinuation of the AmericanConnection brand, and the integration of all operations into the American Eagle brand.[15] However, Chautauqua Airlines, a subsidiary of Republic Airways Holdings, and the only operator of AmericanConnection flights at the time of the announcement, opted not to renew its contract.
