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.
Initially, Empire's F-28s had their titles painted on the engine nacelles. 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.
