American Eagle to Stop Flying Turboprops from DFW
Posted/updated on: December 22, 2011 at 12:40 pm
FORT WORTH (AP/Staff) – East Texas will feel the effects after American Eagle announced plans to stop flying turboprop planes from its main hub in North Texas and switch to regional jets. The carrier, operating under bankruptcy protection, will replace turboprop planes at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport with Embraer 44-seat and 50-seat jets. American Eagle CEO Dan Garton on Tuesday notified employees of the changes, taking effect by Jan. 31, as the carrier seeks to streamline operations. The airline’s parent, Fort Worth-based AMR Corp., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last month.
American Eagle uses turboprop planes to serve airports within about an hour’s flight of DFW, including College Station, Longview, Lubbock, Killeen, San Angelo, Tyler, Waco and Wichita Falls. The turboprop planes will be returned to a leasing company. American Eagle last week stopped hiring new pilots.
In Longview, initial reaction is upbeat, according to KETK and the Longview News-Journal. Officials say the move actually restores a jet fleet taken away from Longview’s East Texas Regional Airport during the summer. Planes land and take off mornings and evenings Thursday through Monday at East Texas Regional and once on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. In addition to running smoother and quieter, jets also move faster, cutting the time commuters must factor into reaching connecting flights at DFW. “This creates some options,” Gregg County Judge Bill Stoudt said. “People may feel a lot more comfortable flying out of East Texas. My hope is that we can show that we can keep those jets full and add a third (daily) flight.”
