US Airways shutting down express carrier
PITTSBURGH (AP) – US Airways is shutting down express carrier MidAtlantic Airways after less than four years and laying off 368 workers, including 290 in Philadelphia. MidAtlantic Airways will stop operating May 28, the company said Thursday. Seventy-eight workers will be laid off in Pittsburgh, with the rest of the cuts coming in Philadelphia.
The express service, intended as a feeder airline for US Airways, was launched with great promise in May 2002, when Potomac Air was revived and renamed. Based in Pittsburgh, the division flew Embraer 170 regional jets with 72 seats to six Eastern U.S. destinations.
The closing of the regional jet unit had been expected. US Airways sold the assets of MidAtlantic to Indianapolis commuter carrier Republic Airways during its last bankruptcy.
Potomac Air was created in late 2000 and began flying in early 2001 from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. At its peak, it served 15 destinations in the Northeast. Potomac Air operations were halted following the Sept. 11 attacks and the closure of Reagan National.
AP-ES-03-31-06 1046EST