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Mesa Airlines history
Mesa Airlines company history timeline
1982: Mesa Shuttle begins flying between Farmington and Albuquerque, New Mexico.
In 1982, they began operating flights between the two cities and called their new airline Mesa Air Shuttle.
The following year, in 1983, their fledgling enterprise was incorporated, initially named Mesa Air Shuttle, Inc.
In 1984, the Civil Aeronautics Board awarded Mesa its first Essential Air Service (EAS) contract, to serve Roswell, Hobbs, and Carlsbad, winning the contract from Air Midwest.
Generating nearly $5 million in sales in 1985, the company embarked on a five-year period of prodigious growth, elevating itself to the top ranks of the regional/commuter airlines in the United States.
In 1986, Mesa forced a much larger airline company, Air Midwest, out of the New Mexico region, then, the following year, changed its name to Mesa Airlines, Inc., and became a publicly held corporation.
1987: Company goes public as Mesa Airlines, Inc.
That year, 1987, proved to be a busy year for Risley’s company, a year not without its disappointments.
Mesa continued to grow in 1987.
1988: Inc. magazine names Mesa one of the fastest-growing small companies in the United States.
In February 1990, Mesa acquired Aspen Airways' United Express Denver hub, routes, and assets, and negotiated a codeshare agreement with United Airlines.
The company posted a 39 percent increase in earnings from 1990, a 69 percent increase in revenues to $78 million, and a 50 percent increase in passengers from the previous year.
Mesa had many changes in 1991; acquiring Air Midwest, its Kansas City hub and a codeshare agreement with USAir Express in July, starting FloridaGulf Airlines serving Florida, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, and Louisiana from its Tampa hub under a USAir Express codeshare in December.
The following year, however, overshadowed 1991’s encouraging results and, in fact, overshadowed all of Mesa’s previous 12 years of existencein terms of growth.
Air Transport World named it Regional/Commuter Airline of the Year in 1993.
In 1993, Mesa's codeshare with Midwest Express expired.
Mesa's corporate holdings were renamed Mesa Air Group in December 1994.
In 1994, Mesa acquired Pittsburgh-based Crown Airways.
In March 1995, Mesa took delivery of its first two regional jets, the Fokker 70, a smaller version of the Fokker 100 jetliner.
In 1995, Mesa Holdings Corp was renamed Mesa Air Group, and Mesa Airlines was renamed Mountain West Airlines.
In 1996, the pilot groups of the six airlines were merged into one common seniority list, and under the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) representation, the pilots and Mesa negotiated and ratified a five-year collective bargaining agreement.
In efforts to reduce its exposure to the high costs and mounting losses, Mesa announced that it would reduce and terminate service from its Denver hub in September 1997.
1997: United Airlines dumps Mesa, instantly cutting revenues 40 percent.
When Mesa started taking deliveries of the CRJ in 1997, it returned to two Fokker 70 jets and placed the CRJs in service in Phoenix.
America West canceled its codeshare with Mesa in 1997.
Risley announced his retirement against this dismal backdrop in early 1998.
The company relocated its headquarters to Phoenix from Farmington, New Mexico, in late 1998, and soon afterward, a new corporate logo was unveiled that featured a red sun, which represented a new sun rising for Mesa.
WestAir ceased operations in 1998.
In 1998, Jonathan Ornstein was appointed CEO of Mesa Air Group.
In 1998, it negotiated a new codeshare with America West and expanded its existing one with USAir.
In 1999, Mesa arranged to purchase 36 Embraer 145 jets with options for 64 additional ERJs.
Mesa acquired CCAir and its USAir Express codeshare in 1999.
By 1999, Mesa returned to profitability.
In 2001, Mesa reestablished a codeshare agreement with Midwest Express for its Air Midwest Kansas City hub.
The Frontier codeshare ended in 2003.
The latest merger attempt was in 2003, when Mesa offered to acquire Atlantic Coast Airlines.
In 2004, Mesa Air Group met with Hawaiian Airlines and Aloha Airlines, both in bankruptcy at the time, and reviewed operational records and forecasts, but ultimately decided not to acquire or invest in either carrier.
In 2005, Mesa negotiated a codeshare agreement with Delta for Freedom Airlines to operate as a Delta Connection carrier.
In 2006, after Mesa announced plans for its "go!" sub-branded airline in Hawaii, Hawaiian Airlines sued to block the launch, claiming that Mesa had violated a confidentiality agreement.
In September 2007, the CFO of Mesa Air Group was placed on administrative suspension as irregularities were investigated during the Hawaiian Airlines case.
Aloha Airlines ceased operations in March 2008, and the Aloha Airlines suit was settled in November 2008.
In October 2009, it was announced Mesa Air Group's subsidiary "go!" would be taking over all of the Hawaii flying done by Mokulele Airlines and R.A.H.'s Shuttle America.
On January 5, 2010, Mesa Air Group filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in a New York City bankruptcy court.
The company emerged from bankruptcy protection on March 1, 2011, as a privately held company with a new board of directors and having eliminated 100 excess aircraft.
In December 2011, it was announced Mesa Air Group had divested itself of Mokulele's Cessna Caravan aircraft and operations.
In June 2012, Mesa began the process of dropping the "go! Mokulele" name and reverting to "go!".
"Mesa Airlines, Inc. ." International Directory of Company Histories. . Retrieved June 21, 2022 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/books/politics-and-business-magazines/mesa-airlines-inc
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Mesa Airlines competitors
| Company name | Founded date | Revenue | Employee size | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA Airlines | 1979 | $1.5B | 5,000 | 168 |
| ExpressJet Airlines | 1979 | - | 3,000 | - |
| Delta Air Lines | 1924 | $61.6B | 86,564 | 280 |
| Air Wisconsin Airlines | 1965 | $530.0M | 1,500 | 6 |
| Spirit Airlines | 1983 | $4.9B | 10,000 | 22 |
| ABX Air | 1980 | $1.5B | 700 | 31 |
| Southwest Airlines | 1967 | $27.5B | 58,803 | 51 |
| Envoy Aviation Group Inc. | 1987 | $14.3M | 1,096 | - |
| Trans States Holdings | 1982 | $13.0M | 47 | 33 |
| Frontier Airlines | 1994 | $3.8B | 5,481 | 52 |
Mesa Airlines history FAQs
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Mesa Airlines may also be known as or be related to Mesa Air Group, Mesa Air Group Inc, Mesa Air Group Inc., Mesa Air Group, Inc., Mesa Airlines, Mesa Airlines Inc and Mesa Airlines, Inc.