Compass Airlines (North America)
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| Compass Airlines | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
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| IATA CP |
ICAO CPZ |
Callsign COMPASS ROSE |
| Founded | 2006 | |
| Hubs | Minneapolis/Saint Paul International Airport Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport Memphis International Airport |
|
| Frequent flyer program | WorldPerks | |
| Member lounge | WorldClubs | |
| Alliance | SkyTeam | |
| Fleet size | 20 (+16 orders) | |
| Destinations | 27 | |
| Parent company | Northwest Airlines | |
| Headquarters | Chantilly, Virginia | |
| Key people | John Bendoraitis (President) | |
| Website: compassairline.com | ||
Compass Airlines is a regional airline based in Chantilly, an area in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, USA. It is a subsidiary of Northwest Airlines that began flying a single Bombardier CRJ-200LR aircraft under the Northwest Airlink brand between Minneapolis/St. Paul and Washington, D.C. on May 2, 2007. Its main base is Minneapolis/St. Paul. On August 21, 2007, it began flying two Embraer 175 76-passenger aircraft, with a planned fleet of 36 aircraft by December, 2008.
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[edit] History
Compass Airlines was formed as a result of a contract dispute between Northwest Airlines and its pilots union, the Airline Pilots Association (ALPA), due to a "scope clause" in the Northwest pilot contract, intended in its collective bargaining agreement to protect jobs and pay of those flying aircraft of 76 passenger seats or less.
In order to adapt to the agreement, and fulfill a need to serve the regional markets with smaller, more efficient aircraft and a cost-effective labor force, Northwest bought the operating certificate of bankrupt Independence Air on March 10, 2006, for $2 million. As a result, Compass' operations are limited to 76-seat aircraft or less, due to the language in the pilot contract at the mainline carrier. (During the concept phase, the subsidiary was known as "NewCo".) It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Northwest.
On September 28, 2006, Compass Airlines officially received approval from the United States Department of Transportation to begin operations. On April 5, 2007, Compass Airlines received FAA certification to begin commercial passenger operations with a CRJ-200[1]
Compass' aircraft are not a direct replacement for the aging Douglas DC-9 aircraft flown by Northwest. However, they have a lower cost per available seat mile, making them more efficient to operate.
The Embraer-175 aircraft has a two-class configuration, with 12 first-class and 64 economy-class seats.
On May 2, 2007, the company announced their first successful revenue flight with the Canadair 50-seat CRJ, from Washington Dulles airport to Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport.[2], which maintained the operating certificate. Compass announced Embraer operations on August 21, 2007.
Compass Airlines has bases (Flight Crews and Maintenance) in Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN, Detroit, MI and Memphis, TN.
The flight attendants at Compass attempted to organize and affiliate with the Association of Flight Attendants in January, 2008. [3]
[edit] Destinations
- Further information: Northwest Airlink destinations
[edit] Current
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Florida
- Illinois
- Kentucky
- Minnesota
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Montana
- Nebraska
- New Jersey
- North Carolina
- Pennsylvania
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Virginia
- Wisconsin
[edit] Fleet
The Compass Airlines fleet includes the following aircraft as of April 2008:
| Aircraft | Total | Passengers (First/Economy) |
Routes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Embraer 175LR | 20 (16 orders) |
76 (12/64) | Northwest Airlink |
[edit] Maintenance Operations
In September, 2007, Compass announced that construction of a new hangar at Louisville International Airport in Louisville, KY, to be completed by the fall of 2008. The new hangar will have three aircraft bays to service its new fleet of 76-seat Embraer E-175 regional jet aircraft.
The project is planned to be about 136,000 square feet, and will be built on 4.8 acres.
The $9.9 million project is expected to create about 70 full-time jobs with an annual payroll of $3.1 million. The jobs will include skilled mechanics, management and technical-services employees.
The Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority in Frankfort granted the airline preliminary approval for $2 million in state tax incentives for up to 10 years just for using their city as their hangar location.[4]
[edit] Incidents
- On May 8, 2008 Compass Airlines Flight 2040 bound for Regina, Saskatchewan from Minneapolis with 74 passengers and 4 crew on board was forced to land in Fargo, North Dakota after a fire broke out in the restroom. The plane landed at 11:00 pm; no injuries to passengers were reported. A week after the incident, 19-year-old flight attendant Eder Rojas was charged with starting the fire.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ Compass Airlines Receives DOT & FAA Approval To Begin Operations (USA Today: April 6, 2007)
- ^ Northwest Airlines' Subsidiary Compass Takes Off (New York Times: May 2, 2007)
- ^ Compass Airlines Flight Attendants Fail To Affiliate With AFA
- ^ Compass Airlines To Build Hangar In Louisville (Business First: September 14, 2007)
- ^ Angry flight attendant charged with setting fire on plane (CNN: May 15, 2008)
[edit] External links
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