Art by Esteban Lerin
Founded in late 1974 by Paul Quackenbush as Oneida County Aviation, the airline was based at the Utica-Rome metropolitan area in Oneida County and operated under the trade name Empire Airlines.
The company achieved remarkable success during the era of North American airline deregulation. It grew through its own resources, earning industry recognition and pursuing its stated goal of becoming "the premier airline of New York State." Empire managed to break even or remain profitable despite aggressive competition from much larger, well-capitalized carriers, the turbulence of the early deregulation era, and several years of substantial expansion.
At Utica-Rome metropolitan area in Oneida County
The airline capitalized on the withdrawal of legacy legacy carriers from Upstate New York and the collapse of other newly arrived competitors. It frequently tapped capital markets to finance its growth.
What set Empire apart was that, upon receiving its CAB (Civil Aeronautics Board) certification, it immediately ordered two Fokker F28-4000 aircraft. The first entered service on September 15, 1980, routing between Utica/Rome and New York City (N106UR, cn. 11149). It also deployed the F-28s on routes from Utica/Rome to Syracuse.
By July 1982, Empire was operating F-28 flights from Montreal to Detroit, New York, Rochester, Utica/Rome, and Washington. From New York, it flew to Albany, Boston, Detroit, Ithaca, Montreal, Rochester, Syracuse, and Utica/Rome. By August 1983, Long Island MacArthur/Islip was added to the network.
According to the April 1984 timetable, F-28 flights were operating from Elmira/Corning to Montreal, New York/Newark, Rochester, Syracuse, Utica/Rome, Washington, and White Plains. From Hartford/Springfield, F-28 services reached Albany, Binghamton Endicott/Johnson City, Buffalo/Niagara Falls, Elmira/Corning, Ithaca, Montreal, New York/Newark, Rochester, Syracuse, Utica/Rome, and White Plains. Meanwhile, flights from Ithaca/Cortland operated to Albany, Baltimore, Binghamton Endicott/Johnson City, Boston, Buffalo/Niagara Falls, Detroit, Elmira/Corning, and Hartford/Springfield.
1981 Empire Airlines route system
On October 1, 1984, Empire Airlines announced new jet service to Cleveland and Ottawa, Canada.
In terms of capacity, Empire’s 80-seat F-28s, featuring a 33-inch seat pitch, were comparable to modern regional jets, yet they offered cabin comfort on par with the DC-9. Empire passengers would sometimes mistake the F-28 for a DC-9.
Following the bankruptcy of Altair Airlines in 1982, Empire purchased the failed carrier's six F-28 Mk.4000s in 1983. Two integrating them into the fleet during the first half of 1983 and four in Dec1983. The Altair aircraft were acquired under favorable terms from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which had backed the aircraft's financing through a loan guarantee program. Empire was the sole bidder for the aircraft, purchasing them for $28.9 million—$10 million less than what the FAA paid to cover the guarantee. The acquisition also included three spare engines. Thus, Empire Airlines progressively expanded its F-28 fleet.
Empire Airlines innoved by signing a cooperative agreement with Pan Am known as "Empire Pan Am Express." Launching on December 15, 1982, the partnership initially encompassed joint ticketing—including Empire printing boarding passes for Pan Am flights and vice versa—as well as mileage accrual in Pan Am’s frequent flyer program. This not only generated additional traffic for Empire but also helped differentiate it from other small carriers at a time when the Pan Am brand still carried significant weight.
Throughout the first half of the 1980s, Empire expanded to destinations across New York State, most neighboring states (including Maryland and the nation's capital in Washington D.C.), and Ottawa and Montreal in Canada. It also established a hub operation in Syracuse.
Major changes came in the summer of 1985. In July, the airline announced the relocation of its headquarters from Utica/Rome to Syracuse, driven largely by the convenience of co-locating with its hub operations. At the time, Empire recorded 77 daily departures out of Syracuse. In August, alongside a decision to purchase two brand-new F-28s for delivery before year-end (N119UR and N120UR), Empire announced the retirement of its five Metro turboprops to become an all-jet operator. This brought its Fellowship fleet to fifteen aircraft—all factory-new except for the second-hand airframes acquired from Altair.
In 1984, Empire Airlines advertised itself as the leading carrier connecting New York's five airports (LaGuardia, Newark, John F. Kennedy, White Plains, and Islip) with Central New York.
In late September 1985, Empire announced it had received a buyout offer from an undisclosed airline. On October 2, Piedmont Airlines announced an agreement to acquire Empire. The acquisition allowed Piedmont to accelerate its expansion into New York State, which had begun earlier in 1985 with service from Baltimore to Buffalo and Rochester. Other key assets for Piedmont included Empire’s presence at high-profile airports like New York/LaGuardia and Boston/Logan. Empire’s fleet integrated seamlessly into Piedmont's, as the latter already operated the F-28.
The transaction closed on February 1, 1986. After operating as a separate subsidiary for three months—during which Empire's aircraft wore Piedmont’s basic livery with "Empire" titles—the airline fully merged into Piedmont on May 1, 1986.
Piedmont, in turn, merged into USAir in 1989, which, many years later, merged with American Airlines in 2015.
Empire Airlines F-28 Fleet
*msn. 11149 N106UR dd 02Aug1980.
*msn. 11159 N107UR dd. 17Nov1980.
*msn. 11181 N109UR dd. 02Apr1982.
*msn. 11182 N110UR dd. 22Apr1982.
*msn.11173 N108UR dd. Oct1982.
*msn. 11167 N510 dd. 01Jun1983.
*msn. 11168 N512 dd. 01Jun1983.
*msn. 11152 N504 dd. 13Dec1983.
*msn. 11156 N505 dd. 13Dec1983.
*msn. 11161 N509 dd. 13Dec1983.
*msn. 11169 N513 dd. 13Dec1983.
*msn. 11222 N117UR dd. 05Mar1985.
*msn. 11224 N118UR dd. 28Apr1985.
*msn. 11226 N119UR dd. 02Oct1985.
*msn. 11231 N120UR dd. 18Dec1985.
