Great Lakes Airlines (OTCQB: GLUX, OTCQB: GLUX), is an American regional airline operating domestic scheduled and charter services. Corporate headquarters are located in Cheyenne, Wyoming, with hubs at Denver International Airport, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, and Los Angeles International Airport.
As of November 2013 Great Lakes Airlines received $58,299,575 in annual Federal subsidies for Essential Air Services that they provided to rural airports in the U.S.
Great Lakes Airlines was also recently featured in an article published by Business Week stating that Great Lakes was one of the worst paying Airlines in the country, with a first officer's starting salary averaging around $14,000 a year.
History
The airline was established by Doug Voss and Ivan Simpson and started operations on April 5, 1977. It began scheduled services on October 12, 1981, with flights between Spencer, Iowa, and Des Moines, Iowa. In February 1988, Great Lakes acquired Alliance Airlines, adding six cities around Lake Michigan to the route network. In the following years it continued to expand and in February 1992 signed a codesharing agreement with United Airlines. On January 19, 1994, the airline went public trading on the NASDAQ stock exchange. In October 1995, Great Lakes began operating under the Midway Connection banner at Raleigh/Durham through a marketing agreement with Midway Airlines, but this ceased in 1997. Prior to the relocation of the headquarters to Cheyenne, Great Lakes was headquartered in Summit Township, Clay County, Iowa, by Spencer Municipal Airport and near the city of Spencer.
Its status with United Express was downgraded to a codeshare agreement in 2001 and on May 1, 2001, it became an independent carrier. Great Lakes has code sharing agreements with United Airlines
The airline added service to a new hub serving Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 7, 2010. Also the airline created a hub at Minneapolis, Minnesota, on March 17, 2012 and which closed on January 31, 2014. The Las Vegas hub was closed in April 2013.
Destinations
Great Lakes Airlines serves 20 of its destinations through the Essential Air Service program and is the largest Essential Air Service provider in the United States. Great Lakes Airline also offers service to 6 non EAS Communities.
Fleet
Great Lakes Airlines operates two types of aircraft in its fleet. Great Lakes is the world's largest single operator of the Beechcraft 1900.
As of October 2012, the Great Lakes Airlines fleet includes the following aircraft:
Accidents and incidents
- On November 16, 1996, United Express Flight 5925 operated by Great Lakes Airlines, a Beechcraft 1900 collided with a King Air during landing at Quincy Regional Airport. The ten passengers and two crew members onboard were killed. The pilots of the King Air were blamed for failing to effectively monitor both the common frequency and to scan for traffic.
- On August 19, 1998, United Express flight 1605 operated by Great Lakes Airlines, a Beechcraft 1900 was substantially damaged. Shortly after the airplane took off, the crew heard a loud noise and felt a slight vibration from the left propeller. They returned and landed. It was discovered that the propeller erosion shield had debonded and a portion had penetrated the passenger cabin just aft of the airstair door, knocked ajar Seat 1A Passenger Service Unit, ricocheted off the ceiling, and penetrated the inner window pane at Seat 2C. One passenger was injured.
References
External links
- Great Lakes Airlines
- Greatlakesav.com (Archive)
Interesting Informations
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