USAir & Allegheny Airlines History – Airline Employee Shop

USAir History

USAir grew out of a 1930s airmail experiment in western Pennsylvania, became Allegheny Airlines, and in 1979 took a new name that carried it through the PSA and Piedmont mergers into the 1990s. Here's the short history, plus the USAir collection and the Allegheny collection.

All American Aviation and the mail snatch (1937–1949)

The story begins with All American Aviation, controlled by Richard C. du Pont and built around an inventor's air mail pick-up system. Starting in 1939, bright red Stinson Reliants flew low over small towns in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia, snatching mail bags off a rope strung between two poles with a hook on a long boom, without ever landing. The Army adapted the system during World War II to pick up people and gliders. The last pick-up route flew in 1949, and the company became All American Airways, a passenger airline flying DC-3s.

Allegheny Airlines (1953–1979)

In 1953 the airline was renamed Allegheny Airlines. It entered the jet age with DC-9 "Vistajets" in 1966, bought Lake Central Airlines in 1968 and Mohawk Airlines in 1972, and pioneered the Allegheny Commuter network of small partner airlines feeding its hubs. Pittsburgh was home base.

A new name (1979)

On October 28, 1979, under CEO Edwin Colodny, Allegheny became USAir. The new name had tested well with passengers in a 1978 survey, and the fleet was repainted in bold new colors. USAir's main hub was Pittsburgh, and the company eventually moved its headquarters to Arlington, Virginia.

PSA, Piedmont and the USAir Shuttle

USAir grew quickly through mergers. It bought California's Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA), completing the merger in April 1988, and Piedmont Airlines, fully combined in August 1989. The Piedmont deal added hubs in Charlotte and Baltimore. In 1992 USAir took a stake in the former Trump Shuttle and renamed it the USAir Shuttle. Colodny retired in 1991, followed by Seth Schofield and then Stephen Wolf, under whom USAir became US Airways in 1997.

A few things collectors love

  • During the Piedmont merger, USAir tried a short-lived 1988 livery of bare polished metal with a burgundy "speedbird" on the tail.
  • American Airlines today flies an A321 painted in the Allegheny heritage livery.

Shop USAir and Allegheny

Browse USAir logo apparel, coffee mugs, coasters and tote bags in the USAir collection, and its roots in the Allegheny collection. Add an airline bag tag or key tag for a former USAir employee.

AirlineEmployeeShop.com sells USAir merchandise under license from American Airlines. This page is for historical interest.