US Airways – The End of an ErAA

The #AvGeek in me could not help but look at ExpertFlyer this morning. My mission – to see if the schedule change that converted former US Airways flights to American Airlines flights went through.

That’s just one US Airways market, but it looks like US Airways will be officially over on the morning of October 17, 2015 as planned. For what it’s worth, I attempted to book some of these flights on aa.com, but at the moment the website is defaulting to connections via DFW so things are still settling down with the schedule change.

I once called US Airways the country’s most underrated airline, something that drew a dare from fellow BA blogger Points, Miles, and Martinis to actually write a post saying that. 🙂 I never quite got around to that, but this really is the end of an era in more ways than one.

My first frequent flyer account was with Piedmont Airlines. I joined their program in December 1987, the date which now shows as my AAdvantage join date. By 1989, I had amassed enough miles for a redemption. Being an aviation fan, and definitely a Piedmont Airlines fan, I wanted to take one last flight with them before they merged with the company then called US Air. I booked a coach flight to LAX. When arriving at the airport I asked if award tickets could be upgraded, and the agent said yes. I handed over 60 bucks and he handed me two first class boarding passes. My flight from Fayetteville, NC to Charlotte was aboard a 737-300, a relatively new airplane at the time, but my connection was really where it was at – a brand new 767-200ER. Woot! I still have a drinking glass and the menu from that flight. I was ruined for life at age 19!

I suppose it is fitting that the airline that got me started in aviation is now merging with the one I wound up working for. The end of an era indeed. Just something on my mind on Sunday morning.

-MJ, July 19, 2015