Pan Am Express was a brand name for a code sharing passenger feed service operated by other airlines on behalf of Pan American World Airways (Pan Am). It was founded in the early 1980s, and lasted until the demise of Pan Am in 1991."Pan Am to Eliminate 2,500 Jobs," The New York Times
History
In 1980, Pan American World Airways acquired National Airlines, thus obtaining a domestic route network in the U.S. for the first time in its history. In order to provide connecting passenger service to smaller destinations, the creation of a feeder network soon became necessary.
For this task, a number of airlines flying narrow body jet equipment and/or turboprop aircraft were contracted via code sharing agreements:
Air Atlanta (from 1984 to 1987) Emerald Air (from 1981 until 1985) Empire Airlines (until 1985) Pacific Express Presidential Airways (only during 1987) Republic Airlines (until 1986)
The focus of the Pan Am Express network was put on feeding into Pan Am's hub at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). The northeastern U.S. was particularly well covered, but there were also feeder service flights operated in Arizona, California, Florida and Texas as well as the midwestern and southern U.S.
In 1987, Pan Am acquired Ransome Airlines, which was subsequently renamed Pan Am Express and began operating under the banner and aircraft livery of Pan Am."BUSINESS PEOPLE; Planner for Pan Am Heads Commuter Unit," The New York TimesFlight International: The new world of Pan American. Published on August 23, 1986. Online: It fully concentrated on serving the JFK hub and also operated a second feeder network in Europe, offering regional flights out of Berlin Tegel Airport.Flight Global: Berlin's commuter market grows. Published on April 2, 1988. Online: Pan Am Express also operated flights between Los Angeles (LAX) and San Diego (SAN) which were not linked to any other smaller destinations in the regional network. When Pan Am declared bankruptcy in early 1991 and was forced to sell its New York hub to Delta Air Lines, Pan Am Express continued to operate the northeast regional system and the Miami system for Pan Am until the brand was shut down together with its parent on December 4, 1991. On that date, Ransome / Pan Am Express was sold to Trans World Airlines and began operating the same system for TWA from December 5, 1991 until November 1995 when TWA shut down this operation.
Route network Between 1983 and 1991, the Pan Am Express branding was used on flights to the following destinations in the United States, Canada and the Bahamas:Pan American World Airways 1985 route map, at airchive.comPan American World Airways May 1991 route map, at airchive.com +LocationUS State/CountryAirportStart Endoperated byLittle RockArkansasClinton National AirportRepublic AirlinesPan Am ExpressPhoenixArizonaPhoenix Sky Harbor International AirportRepublic AirlinesLos AngelesCaliforniaLos Angeles International AirportPan Am ExpressSan DiegoCaliforniaSan Diego International AirportRepublic AirlinesPan Am ExpressHartford CountyConnecticutBradley International AirportEmpire AirlinesPan Am ExpressDaytona BeachFloridaDaytona Beach International AirportPan Am ExpressFort MyersFloridaSouthwest Florida Regional AirportPan Am ExpressKey WestFloridaKey West International AirportPan Am ExpressMelbourneFloridaMelbourne Orlando International AirportPan Am ExpressMiamiFloridaMiami International Airport (hub)Air AtlantaPan Am ExpressNaplesFloridaNaples Municipal AirportPan Am ExpressSarasotaFloridaSarasota–Bradenton International AirportPan Am ExpressWest Palm BeachFloridaPalm Beach International AirportPan Am ExpressAtlantaGeorgiaHartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International AirportAir Atlanta, Republic AirlinesChicagoIllinoisO'Hare International AirportRepublic AirlinesFort WayneIndianaFort Wayne International AirportRepublic AirlinesIndianapolisIndianaIndianapolis International AirportRepublic AirlinesSouth BendIndianaSouth Bend Regional AirportRepublic AirlinesBaltimoreMarylandBaltimore–Washington International AirportPan Am ExpressBostonMassachusettsLogan International AirportPan Am ExpressDetroitMichiganDetroit Metropolitan Airport (focus city)Republic AirlinesGrand RapidsMichiganKent County International AirportRepublic AirlinesKalamazooMichiganKalamazoo County AirportRepublic AirlinesMinneapolisMinnesotaMinneapolis–Saint Paul International AirportRepublic AirlinesKansas CityMissouriKansas City International AirportRepublic AirlinesSt. LouisMissouriSt. Louis Lambert International AirportRepublic AirlinesAlbanyNew YorkAlbany International AirportEmerald Airlines, Pan Am ExpressBinghamtonNew YorkEdwin A. Link Field-Broome County AirportEmerald AirlinesBuffaloNew YorkBuffalo Niagara International AirportEmerald Airlines, Empire Airlines, Pan Am ExpressElmiraNew YorkElmira Corning Regional AirportEmerald AirlinesIthacaNew YorkIthaca Tompkins Regional AirportEmerald Airlines, Empire AirlinesNew York CityNew YorkJohn F. Kennedy International Airport (hub)LaGuardia AirportRochesterNew YorkGreater Rochester International AirportEmerald Airlines, Empire Airlines, Pan Am ExpressSyracuseNew YorkSyracuse Hancock International AirportEmerald Airlines, Empire Airlines, Pan Am ExpressUticaNew YorkOneida County AirportEmerald Airlines, Empire AirlinesAkronOhioAkron-Canton AirportRepublic AirlinesCincinnatiOhioCincinnati/Northern Kentucky International AirportRepublic AirlinesColumbusOhioPort Columbus International AirportRepublic AirlinesDaytonOhioDayton International AirportRepublic AirlinesEriePennsylvaniaErie International AirportRepublic AirlinesPhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaPhiladelphia International AirportRepublic Airlines, Pan Am ExpressPittsburghPennsylvaniaPittsburgh International AirportPan Am ExpressProvidenceRhode IslandT.F. Green AirportEmpire AirlinesPan Am ExpressMemphisTennesseeMemphis International AirportAir Atlanta, Republic AirlinesNashvilleTennesseeNashville International AirportRepublic AirlinesAustinTexasRobert Mueller Municipal AirportEmerald AirlinesDallasTexasDallas/Fort Worth International AirportRepublic AirlinesHoustonTexasGeorge Bush Intercontinental AirportEmerald AirlinesRepublic AirlinesMcAllenTexasMcAllen-Miller International AirportEmerald AirlinesSan AntonioTexasSan Antonio International AirportEmerald AirlinesBurlingtonVermontBurlington International AirportEmerald AirlinesNorfolkVirginiaNorfolk International AirportPresidential Airways, Pan Am ExpressSeattleWashingtonSeattle–Tacoma International AirportRepublic AirlinesGreenbrier CountyWest VirginiaGreenbrier Valley AirportAtlanta Airlines, Pan Am ExpressAppletonWisconsinOutagamie County Regional AirportRepublic AirlinesGreen BayWisconsinAustin Straubel International AirportRepublic AirlinesMadisonWisconsinMadison Municipal AirportRepublic AirlinesMilwaukeeWisconsinGeneral Mitchell International AirportRepublic AirlinesWashington, D.C.Washington Dulles International AirportPresidential AirwaysFreeportBahamasGrand Bahama International AirportPan Am ExpressGovernor's HarbourBahamasGovernor's Harbour AirportPan Am ExpressMarsh HarbourBahamasMarsh Harbour AirportPan Am ExpressNassauBahamasLynden Pindling International AirportPan Am ExpressNorth EleutheraBahamasNorth Eleuthera AirportPan Am ExpressRock SoundBahamasRock Sound International AirportPan Am ExpressTreasure CayBahamasTreasure Cay AirportPan Am ExpressHamiltonOntario, CanadaJohn C. Munro Hamilton International AirportPan Am Express
In Europe, the following destinations were served:
+LocationCountryAirportStart EndInnsbruckAustriaInnsbruck AirportSalzburgAustriaSalzburg AirportViennaAustriaVienna International AirportCopenhagenDenmarkCopenhagen AirportStrasbourgFranceStrasbourg International Airport(West) Berlin(West) GermanyBerlin Tegel Airport (hub)Bremen(West) GermanyBremen AirportDortmund(West) GermanyDortmund AirportDüsseldorf(West) GermanyDüsseldorf AirportHamburg(West) GermanyHamburg AirportHanover(West) GermanyLangenhagen AirportKiel(West) GermanyKiel AirportWesterland(West) GermanySylt AirportOsloNorwayFornebu AirportStockholmSwedenStockholm Arlanda AirportBaselSwitzerlandEuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg
Fleet
The following aircraft types were used on Pan Am Express flights: AircraftAirlineATR 42 - turbopropPan Am ExpressBAe 146-100 - whisper jet Pan Am ExpressBoeing 727 - jetAir Atlanta, Republic AirlinesConvair CV-580 - turbopropRepublic Airlinesde Havilland Canada DHC-7 Dash 7 - turboprop Pan Am ExpressFairchild Hiller FH-227 - turbopropEmerald AirlinesFokker F28 Fellowship - jetEmpire AirlinesMcDonnell Douglas DC-9 - jetEmerald Airlines, Republic AirlinesJetstream 31 - turboprop Pan Am Express
See also List of defunct airlines of the United States
References
Further reading