Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your America West Airlines shopping experience:

1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the America West Airlines offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of America West Airlines at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.

2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about

3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a America West Airlines? Wrong! If the America West Airlines is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.

4. Questions - Got a question about America West Airlines then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....

5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling America West Airlines? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about America West Airlines and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.

6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your America West Airlines wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.

7. Feedback - happy with your America West Airlines then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.

8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the America West Airlines site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site

9. Contact - got a question about America West Airlines, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.

10. Payment - ready to pay for your America West Airlines, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.

{{Infobox_Airline |airline=America West Airlines|logo=America West logo.png|logo_size=194px|fleet_size=145|destinations=95|IATA=HP|ICAO=AWE|callsign=CACTUS|parent=America West Holdings)|headquarters=[Tempe, Arizona, Arizona ([CEO), Derek Kerr (CFO)]
McCarran International Airport|alliance=None until merger, but now [Star Alliance' ten major [airlines. The airline was based in Tempe, Arizona, and is now a part of US Airways Group.

At the time of its integration into US Airways, the airline maintained two hubs, one at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, Arizona, Arizona, and at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was the second largest low-cost carrier airline in the US. America West provided service to approximately 100 destinations in the US, Canada, and Mexico. Service to Europe was provided through code share arrangements.

As of March 2005, America West operated a #Fleet of 140 aircraft with its only maintenance base in Phoenix.

On May 19, 2005, America West Holdings Corporation announced it would merge with the Arlington County, Virginia based US Airways Group. The new entity is named US Airways Group and is headquartered in America West's former corporate offices. The merger was completed on September 27, 2005, and America West now operates under the US Airways brand. A merger of the two airlines' Federal Aviation Administration operating certificates occurred on September 25, 2007, ending the 24-year history of America West Airlines.

Beginning January, 2006, all America West flights were branded as US Airways, along with most signage at airports and any other printed material, though many flights were described as "operated by America West." Apart from two heritage aircraft, the only America West branding present on aircraft are the seat covers and flight attendant uniforms.

History The early years

One of the 1980s' greatest business success stories, the airline was established in February 1981 and started on August 1, 1983 using three Boeing 737 aircraft flying out of their base in Phoenix, Arizona with Ed Beauvais as CEO. At the start, passengers could buy tickets on board the aircraft.

The airline quickly expanded, with 11 737s operating flights to 13 cities, developing a secondary hub in Las Vegas, Nevada by the end of 1983, and in 1984 grew to 21 aircraft and 23 cities.

America West was one of the first airlines to use extensive "cross-utilization", in which employees were trained in a variety of airline jobs, such as pilots trained in dispatch, and both baggage handlers and flight attendants being trained as gate agents. America West also started as a "full service" airline, in contrast with Southwest Airlines, the discount air carrier competing in many of the same markets. America West also utilized an aggressive employee stock ownership program, in which new employees were required to invest 20% of their salary in company stock, providing a steady flow of cash as the company grew.



In 1985, America West had grown to the point that no more gate space was available at Sky Harbor International Airport. While the new Terminal 4 at Sky Harbor was approved in 1986, it became apparent that additional gates would be needed before Terminal 4 was completed, and a temporary concourse was added to the southwest corner of the Airport's Terminal 3, adding six gates (eventually a total of 11 gates by 1990) for the use of America West.

The airline's rapid growth continued in 1986, with the airline greatly expanding its fleet, primarily with Boeing 757s purchased from Northwest Airlines after Northwest bought out Republic Airlines (1979-1986), as well as the acquisition of a number of De Havilland Canada Dash 8 aircraft for local service from Phoenix and Las Vegas.

Also in 1986, the airline started running red-eye flights from Las Vegas to increase aircraft utilization.

The rapid growth of America West resulted in large operating losses for the airline, and by 1986 the company was on the verge of bankruptcy. Originally slated to occupy the vast majority of the gates in the under-construction Terminal 4, America West had to reduce its commitment to the city of Phoenix to just 28 gates, with the growing Southwest Airlines agreeing to lease the remainder of Terminal 4. Despite revenue problems, America West continued its growth, with a rebuffed attempted buyout of Eastern Air Lines "shuttle" division in 1988.

As 1989 opened the airline explored destinations beyond the United States, America West filed with Department of Transportation for a Phoenix to Sydney route, to connect with now defunct Ansett Airlines. However the proposal was rejected and the Reagan Administration awarded the route to another airline.

In 1989, the airline leased four Boeing 747 aircraft (formerly operated by KLM), offering service to Hawaii and Nagoya, Japan, as well as an expansion of service to many Mexico destinations.

In 1990, the airline moved into the new Terminal 4 and also took the delivery of several Airbus A320 aircraft that were destined for the now-defunct Braniff (1983-1990). The A320s were sold to America West at a steep discount. Braniff had assumed the Airbus A320 order after purchasing the original order rights from Pan American World Airways, another troubled carrier.

Despite these developments, the airline continued to lose money. The operating expenses at the new Terminal 4 were much higher than previous expenses in Terminal 3's temporary concourse. The Nagoya, Japan route was essentially a bust (the planes were flying with almost no passengers), with extremely low ticket sales. Finally, concerns about stability in the Gulf States in the lead-up to the Persian Gulf War lead to increasing fuel costs. This combination forced America West to file for bankruptcy in June, 1991.

Bankruptcy America West operated in bankruptcy from 1991 to 1994. As part of its restructuring, the employee stock became worthless, the Hawaii and Nagoya routes were scrapped (and the 747s sold), and the airline's fleet was heavily pared down to 87 aircraft. All of the Dash 8 aircraft were sold, and America West's service to local markets was contracted to Mesa Airlines, which began conducting operations as "America West Express."

The bankruptcy forced a number of changes on the management side as well. Founder and CEO Ed Beauvais was removed as CEO, but remained on the board of directors, while Mike Conway, who had been with the airline since its start, was appointed as the new CEO, although he in turn would leave the airline in 1994, replaced by A. Maurice Myers. America West's Flight Attendants also unionized in 1993, a move which ended the cross-utilization between Customer service representative, flight attendants, and ground agents. Many maintenance and training functions that were previously operated by America West in-house were also outsourced during the bankruptcy.

Reorganization Finally, in 1994 America West managed to secure a reorganization that allowed it to come out of bankruptcy, with a large portion of the airline owned by a partnership including Mesa Airlines and Continental Airlines, which resulted in code-sharing agreements with these airlines.

To help reinvigorate the airline as it emerged from bankruptcy, a number of consumer-visible changes occurred, including a new color scheme and logo (used until the merger with US Airways), new livery, E-ticket, and online ticket purchasing (in 1996). The airline continued ordering Airbus A320 aircraft, and gradually started retiring its older Boeing Boeing 737 aircraft.

In 1990s, America West Airlines opened an east coast hub at Port Columbus International Airport in Columbus, Ohio. Chautauqua Airlines was used to provide commuter and regional flights. An America West Club was provided for the hub.

In 2000s America West Airlines received a loan of $380 million from the Air Transportation Stabilization Board. As of April 2005, the remaining balance on the loan was $300 million. On October 19, 2005, the loan was repaid when the debt was refinanced with other lenders.

In February of 2003, America West Airlines announced plans to close the Port Columbus International Airport hub. The closure was completed later that year reducing the number of scheduled flights from near 50 a day to only 4.

America West Airlines, in conjunction with SkyMedia International, pioneered advertising space inside the cabin of the aircraft as an additional revenue source to help bring costs down. The companies developed FAA approved tray-table advertising.

2005 and Beyond- US Airways

With the merger of the holding companies, described above, major changes happened at America West. Changes that already occurred included:

Destinations Fleet All outstanding America West orders have been transferred to the merged entity, US Airways.{| class="toccolours sortable" border="1" cellpadding="3" style="border-collapse:collapse"|+ America West Airlines Fleet|- bgcolor=lightgrey!Aircraft!Total!Passengers
(First/Economy)!Notes|-|Airbus A319-100|55|150 (12/138)||-|[Boeing 737#737-300|27|134 (8/126)||-|Boeing 757#757-200|12|190 (14/176)||}

Aircraft counts accurate as of 2006, according to FAA records.

Dividend Miles The airline had a frequent flyer program called FlightFund. In 2006, FlightFund was merged into the US Airways Dividend Miles program.

Partner airlines or programs for Dividend Miles (formerly FlightFund) include:



US Airways Club The airline's airport lounge is called the US Airways Club and includes 21 lounges in 16 major airports around the world. Club membership has several levels, including:

Locations {||- valign="top"|| | |}

Codeshare agreements America West has codeshare agreements with the following airlines as of January 2007:



Former codeshare agreements

Other commercial interests America West has promotional partnerships with the Phoenix Suns National Basketball Association team, the 2001 World Series champion Arizona Diamondbacks baseball team and the Arizona Cardinals National Football League team.

In 1992, America West paid $26 million for the 30-year naming rights of the Phoenix Suns home court, which it named America West Arena. As part of the merger with US Airways, the arena is now called US Airways Center.This is not to be confused with the USAir Arena in Landover MD, which was home to the Washington Wizards and Capitals from 1973-1997. The arena was formerly the Capital Centre and was razed in 2002. It has been replaced by a shopping center, Boulevard at the Capital Centre.

Incidents and accidents America West has had several in-flight incidents on its aircraft, but has never had an accident resulting in a fatality. One accident has resulted in a hull loss (aircraft written off).

{| class="wikitable"! Flight! Date! Aircraft! Location! Descriptions! Injuries|-| America West Flight 556| Flight halted by [Transportation Security Administration and local police after a tip that the pilots appeared to be drunk. Sobriety tests showed pilots were legally intoxicated. Pilots were eventually sentenced to prison for operating an aircraft while intoxicated.]| Pilot failed to maintain directional control during landing, causing the aircraft to veer off the side of the runway onto the dirt infield, and the nose gear strut to collapse. Aircraft was written off. NTSB brief| 1 serious, 9 minor|}

References

{{Infobox_Airline |airline=America West Airlines|logo=America West logo.png|logo_size=194px|fleet_size=145|destinations=95|IATA=HP|ICAO=AWE|callsign=CACTUS|parent=America West Holdings)|headquarters=[Tempe, Arizona, Arizona ([CEO), Derek Kerr (CFO)]
McCarran International Airport|alliance=None until merger, but now [Star Alliance' ten major [airlines. The airline was based in Tempe, Arizona, and is now a part of US Airways Group.

At the time of its integration into US Airways, the airline maintained two hubs, one at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, Arizona, Arizona, and at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was the second largest low-cost carrier airline in the US. America West provided service to approximately 100 destinations in the US, Canada, and Mexico. Service to Europe was provided through code share arrangements.

As of March 2005, America West operated a #Fleet of 140 aircraft with its only maintenance base in Phoenix.

On May 19, 2005, America West Holdings Corporation announced it would merge with the Arlington County, Virginia based US Airways Group. The new entity is named US Airways Group and is headquartered in America West's former corporate offices. The merger was completed on September 27, 2005, and America West now operates under the US Airways brand. A merger of the two airlines' Federal Aviation Administration operating certificates occurred on September 25, 2007, ending the 24-year history of America West Airlines.

Beginning January, 2006, all America West flights were branded as US Airways, along with most signage at airports and any other printed material, though many flights were described as "operated by America West." Apart from two heritage aircraft, the only America West branding present on aircraft are the seat covers and flight attendant uniforms.

History The early years

One of the 1980s' greatest business success stories, the airline was established in February 1981 and started on August 1, 1983 using three Boeing 737 aircraft flying out of their base in Phoenix, Arizona with Ed Beauvais as CEO. At the start, passengers could buy tickets on board the aircraft.

The airline quickly expanded, with 11 737s operating flights to 13 cities, developing a secondary hub in Las Vegas, Nevada by the end of 1983, and in 1984 grew to 21 aircraft and 23 cities.

America West was one of the first airlines to use extensive "cross-utilization", in which employees were trained in a variety of airline jobs, such as pilots trained in dispatch, and both baggage handlers and flight attendants being trained as gate agents. America West also started as a "full service" airline, in contrast with Southwest Airlines, the discount air carrier competing in many of the same markets. America West also utilized an aggressive employee stock ownership program, in which new employees were required to invest 20% of their salary in company stock, providing a steady flow of cash as the company grew.



In 1985, America West had grown to the point that no more gate space was available at Sky Harbor International Airport. While the new Terminal 4 at Sky Harbor was approved in 1986, it became apparent that additional gates would be needed before Terminal 4 was completed, and a temporary concourse was added to the southwest corner of the Airport's Terminal 3, adding six gates (eventually a total of 11 gates by 1990) for the use of America West.

The airline's rapid growth continued in 1986, with the airline greatly expanding its fleet, primarily with Boeing 757s purchased from Northwest Airlines after Northwest bought out Republic Airlines (1979-1986), as well as the acquisition of a number of De Havilland Canada Dash 8 aircraft for local service from Phoenix and Las Vegas.

Also in 1986, the airline started running red-eye flights from Las Vegas to increase aircraft utilization.

The rapid growth of America West resulted in large operating losses for the airline, and by 1986 the company was on the verge of bankruptcy. Originally slated to occupy the vast majority of the gates in the under-construction Terminal 4, America West had to reduce its commitment to the city of Phoenix to just 28 gates, with the growing Southwest Airlines agreeing to lease the remainder of Terminal 4. Despite revenue problems, America West continued its growth, with a rebuffed attempted buyout of Eastern Air Lines "shuttle" division in 1988.

As 1989 opened the airline explored destinations beyond the United States, America West filed with Department of Transportation for a Phoenix to Sydney route, to connect with now defunct Ansett Airlines. However the proposal was rejected and the Reagan Administration awarded the route to another airline.

In 1989, the airline leased four Boeing 747 aircraft (formerly operated by KLM), offering service to Hawaii and Nagoya, Japan, as well as an expansion of service to many Mexico destinations.

In 1990, the airline moved into the new Terminal 4 and also took the delivery of several Airbus A320 aircraft that were destined for the now-defunct Braniff (1983-1990). The A320s were sold to America West at a steep discount. Braniff had assumed the Airbus A320 order after purchasing the original order rights from Pan American World Airways, another troubled carrier.

Despite these developments, the airline continued to lose money. The operating expenses at the new Terminal 4 were much higher than previous expenses in Terminal 3's temporary concourse. The Nagoya, Japan route was essentially a bust (the planes were flying with almost no passengers), with extremely low ticket sales. Finally, concerns about stability in the Gulf States in the lead-up to the Persian Gulf War lead to increasing fuel costs. This combination forced America West to file for bankruptcy in June, 1991.

Bankruptcy America West operated in bankruptcy from 1991 to 1994. As part of its restructuring, the employee stock became worthless, the Hawaii and Nagoya routes were scrapped (and the 747s sold), and the airline's fleet was heavily pared down to 87 aircraft. All of the Dash 8 aircraft were sold, and America West's service to local markets was contracted to Mesa Airlines, which began conducting operations as "America West Express."

The bankruptcy forced a number of changes on the management side as well. Founder and CEO Ed Beauvais was removed as CEO, but remained on the board of directors, while Mike Conway, who had been with the airline since its start, was appointed as the new CEO, although he in turn would leave the airline in 1994, replaced by A. Maurice Myers. America West's Flight Attendants also unionized in 1993, a move which ended the cross-utilization between Customer service representative, flight attendants, and ground agents. Many maintenance and training functions that were previously operated by America West in-house were also outsourced during the bankruptcy.

Reorganization Finally, in 1994 America West managed to secure a reorganization that allowed it to come out of bankruptcy, with a large portion of the airline owned by a partnership including Mesa Airlines and Continental Airlines, which resulted in code-sharing agreements with these airlines.

To help reinvigorate the airline as it emerged from bankruptcy, a number of consumer-visible changes occurred, including a new color scheme and logo (used until the merger with US Airways), new livery, E-ticket, and online ticket purchasing (in 1996). The airline continued ordering Airbus A320 aircraft, and gradually started retiring its older Boeing Boeing 737 aircraft.

In 1990s, America West Airlines opened an east coast hub at Port Columbus International Airport in Columbus, Ohio. Chautauqua Airlines was used to provide commuter and regional flights. An America West Club was provided for the hub.

In 2000s America West Airlines received a loan of $380 million from the Air Transportation Stabilization Board. As of April 2005, the remaining balance on the loan was $300 million. On October 19, 2005, the loan was repaid when the debt was refinanced with other lenders.

In February of 2003, America West Airlines announced plans to close the Port Columbus International Airport hub. The closure was completed later that year reducing the number of scheduled flights from near 50 a day to only 4.

America West Airlines, in conjunction with SkyMedia International, pioneered advertising space inside the cabin of the aircraft as an additional revenue source to help bring costs down. The companies developed FAA approved tray-table advertising.

2005 and Beyond- US Airways

With the merger of the holding companies, described above, major changes happened at America West. Changes that already occurred included:

Destinations Fleet All outstanding America West orders have been transferred to the merged entity, US Airways.{| class="toccolours sortable" border="1" cellpadding="3" style="border-collapse:collapse"|+ America West Airlines Fleet|- bgcolor=lightgrey!Aircraft!Total!Passengers
(First/Economy)!Notes|-|Airbus A319-100|55|150 (12/138)||-|[Boeing 737#737-300|27|134 (8/126)||-|Boeing 757#757-200|12|190 (14/176)||}

Aircraft counts accurate as of 2006, according to FAA records.

Dividend Miles The airline had a frequent flyer program called FlightFund. In 2006, FlightFund was merged into the US Airways Dividend Miles program.

Partner airlines or programs for Dividend Miles (formerly FlightFund) include:



US Airways Club The airline's airport lounge is called the US Airways Club and includes 21 lounges in 16 major airports around the world. Club membership has several levels, including:

Locations {||- valign="top"|| | |}

Codeshare agreements America West has codeshare agreements with the following airlines as of January 2007:



Former codeshare agreements

Other commercial interests America West has promotional partnerships with the Phoenix Suns National Basketball Association team, the 2001 World Series champion Arizona Diamondbacks baseball team and the Arizona Cardinals National Football League team.

In 1992, America West paid $26 million for the 30-year naming rights of the Phoenix Suns home court, which it named America West Arena. As part of the merger with US Airways, the arena is now called US Airways Center.This is not to be confused with the USAir Arena in Landover MD, which was home to the Washington Wizards and Capitals from 1973-1997. The arena was formerly the Capital Centre and was razed in 2002. It has been replaced by a shopping center, Boulevard at the Capital Centre.

Incidents and accidents America West has had several in-flight incidents on its aircraft, but has never had an accident resulting in a fatality. One accident has resulted in a hull loss (aircraft written off).

{| class="wikitable"! Flight! Date! Aircraft! Location! Descriptions! Injuries|-| America West Flight 556| Flight halted by [Transportation Security Administration and local police after a tip that the pilots appeared to be drunk. Sobriety tests showed pilots were legally intoxicated. Pilots were eventually sentenced to prison for operating an aircraft while intoxicated.]| Pilot failed to maintain directional control during landing, causing the aircraft to veer off the side of the runway onto the dirt infield, and the nose gear strut to collapse. Aircraft was written off. NTSB brief| 1 serious, 9 minor|}

References



US Airways | America West Airlines - Official Site
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Provides information on the history and development of the American West.

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