Silver Airways

Silver Airways LLC., is a United States regional airline with its headquarters in Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport in unincorporated Broward County, Florida, near Fort Lauderdale. It was founded in 2010 with assets from the former Gulfstream International Airlines,[3] and currently operates around 100 daily scheduled flights to ten cities in Florida, one city in Alabama and eight destinations in the Bahamas, with hubs at Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and Tampa.

Silver Airways

IATA ICAO Callsign 3M SIL SILVER WINGS
Founded	May 21, 2011
Commenced operations	December 15, 2011
AOC #	29GA010N
Hubs	Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport Orlando International Airport Tampa International Airport
Focus cities	Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport
Subsidiaries	Seaborne Airlines
Fleet size	25
Destinations	25
Parent company	Versa Capital Management LLC
Headquarters	Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport, Broward County, Florida, United States
Key people	Steve Rossum (Chief Executive Officer)[1] Pedro Motta (Senior Vice President Commercial) [2]
Website	silverairways.com

As of November 2013 Silver Airways received $20,515,042 in annual Federal subsidies for Essential Air Services that it provided to rural airports in the United States.[4]

History

On November 4, 2010, Gulfstream International Airlines filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection.[5] In May 2011, Victory Park Capital bought the assets of Gulfstream International Group, including 21 of Gulfstream's Beechcraft 1900D aircraft from Raytheon Aircraft Credit Corporation.[6]

Saab 340B at Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport

On December 15, 2011, the airline was re-branded as Silver Airways. That same day, they took delivery of one of six recently purchased Saab 340B+ aircraft.[6]

In the first half of 2012, Silver Airways made several moves to turn the company around. Its maintenance facilities were moved from Fort Lauderdale to Gainesville Regional Airport, taking over the former Eclipse Aviation facility that had remained vacant since 2009.[7] It purchased six more Saab 340B+ aircraft bringing the Saab fleet to 12.[8] Scheduled service on the Saabs started on the Florida and Bahamas routes. Shortly after, routes from Gainesville Regional Airport to Orlando International Airport and Tampa International Airport began.[9] Silver Airways expanded their network numerous times in the second half of 2012. First, Washington Dulles International Airport started scheduled service to destinations in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Virginia. Its Florida route network expanded to Jacksonville.[10] Service began from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to destinations in Mississippi and Alabama.[11] On August 7, 2012, Silver Airways made national news headlines when one of its flights landed at the wrong airport.[12]

On February 11, 2013, Victory Park Capital announced it had hired industry veteran Dave Pflieger to strengthen and grow the airline.[13] On June 28, 2013, Silver Airways announced that it would cease Montana operations over the next few months.[14] The announcement came on the heels of the Department of Transportation's (DOT) decision to eliminate subsidized service in two key Montana communities, Lewistown and Miles City. Service ended after the last flights on July 15, 2013 for Lewistown and Miles City.[14] To ensure no interruption of service and a smooth transition for the flying public in the remaining Montana markets serviced by Silver Airways, Silver continued its operations in those communities until such time as the DOT awarded the routes to another airline and the new carrier started service to those communities.[14] In September 2013, Silver Airways announced an expansion of its intra-Florida and Florida-Bahamas network.[15] In 2013, Silver Airways was named one of the Top 10 Best U.S. Airlines in the Condé Nast Traveler's 26th annual Readers' Choice Awards.[16]

In the first half of 2014, Silver Airways made several network changes. It ended Beechcraft 1900 operations in Cleveland's EAS network.[17] Then, Silver Airways closed much of its Atlanta network and redeployed its aircraft to other markets.[18] In February 2014, the airline and its owners, Victory Park Capital, announced they had obtained up to $73 million in additional financing from GB Credit Partners, LLC, the investment management affiliate of Gordon Brothers Group and Crystal Financial LLC.[19] In February 2014, Silver Airways announced it planned to exit its Cleveland Network, retire its Beech 1900Ds, and strengthen its core network and Saab 340B Plus fleet.[20] In March 2014, Silver Airways completed its first ever IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA).[21] In May 2014, Silver announced a new partnership with JetBlue.[22] In May 2014, Silver Airways announced it was a new stand-alone airline after the launch of its own independent reservations system, CEO Dave Pflieger described the airline as a hybrid carrier, part start-up, part turnaround, both independent and a partner to a larger airline (United). He also noted that it was "rationalizing" its fleet and network and "only flying where it makes sense", so the airline could not only meet but exceed guests' expectations and continue to grow the airline.[23]

In January 2015, Silver Airways added Panama City, Florida to its list of destinations, by starting services to Orlando and Tampa from the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport. It also announced the launch of a direct service between Jacksonville and Tampa.[24] On February 27, 2015, Silver Airways previewed its new maintenance headquarters at Orlando International Airport. The project is a complete renovation that will be home to a 38,000 square-foot maintenance, repair and overhaul facility that includes two large aircraft hangars each capable of housing three to four aircraft, as well as office space. Silver Airways has committed to a long-term 30-year lease from the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority to headquarter its new maintenance facility in Orlando.[25] In August 2015, Silver Airways ended its Gainesville service, several months after missing and restructuring payments on its Gainesville maintenance hangar.[26]

On March 2, 2016, Silver Airways filed an application with the U.S. Department of Transportation to provide service from five Florida cities to ten Cuban cities.[27][28] However, later, Silver Airways was only granted nine Cuban cities, being denied the Havana route.[29][30][31] On June 2, 2016, Silver Airways, Great Lakes Airlines & Frontier Airlines announced a partnership for recruiting pilots.[32] On September 13, 2016, it was announced that a majority stake of Silver Airways has been acquired by a private equity firm Versa Capital Management LLC in Philadelphia.[33]

On August 1, 2017, Silver Airways announced an order for 20 ATR-42-600 aircraft, with options for up to 30 more.

On April 23, 2018, Silver Airways announced the acquisition of Seaborne Airlines, a San Juan based airline serving the Caribbean.[34]

In late 2019 Silver Airways created a codeshare partnership with Delta Air Lines and American Airlines to provide single ticket booking with baggage transfers to destinations in the Caribbean. Under this agreement the Delta designator code (DL) and American (AA) will be available on Silver Airways (3M) for 150-180 weekly flights.[35][36]

Facilities

The airline headquarters are located in Suite 201 of the 1100 Lee Wagener Boulevard building on the property of Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport in unincorporated Broward County, Florida,[3][37][38] near Fort Lauderdale. Previously its headquarters were in Dania Beach, Florida,[37][39] also near Fort Lauderdale.[40] The airline also maintains a maintenance facility at Orlando International Airport in a facility previously utilized by Comair.[41]

Destinations

The airline operates or has previously operated to the following destinations:[42]

City	Airport	IATA Code	Destinations	Notes
United States
Alabama
Huntsville	Huntsville International Airport	HSV	Orlando
Florida
Fort Lauderdale	Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport	FLL	Freeport George Town Governor's Harbour Key West Marsh Harbour North Eleuthera Orlando Pensacola South Bimini Tallahassee Tampa	Hub
Key West	Key West International Airport	KYW	Fort Lauderdale Orlando Tampa
Orlando	Orlando International Airport	MCO	Fort Lauderdale Huntsville Key West Marsh Harbour North Eleuthera Pensacola	Hub
Pensacola	Pensacola International Airport	PNS	Fort Lauderdale Key West Orlando Tampa
Tallahassee	Tallahassee International Airport	TLH	Fort Lauderdale Orlando
Tampa	Tampa International Airport	TPA	Fort Lauderdale Key West Marsh Harbour Nassau Pensacola Tallahassee	Hub
West Palm Beach	Palm Beach International Airport	PBI	Treasure Cay (Seasonal)	Seasonal
Maine
Bar Harbor	Hancock County-Bar Harbor Airport	BHB	Boston (Seasonal)	Essential Air Service
Massachusetts
Boston	Logan International Airport	BOS	Bar Harbour (Seasonal)
South Carolina
Charleston	Charleston International Airport	CHS	Fort Lauderdale Orlando Tampa	New service postponed
Bahamas
Bimini	South Bimini Airport	BIM	Fort Lauderdale
Freeport	Grand Bahama International Airport	FPO	Fort Lauderdale
George Town	Exuma International Airport	GGT	Fort Lauderdale
Governor's Harbour	Governor's Harbour Airport	GHB	Fort Lauderdale
Marsh Harbour	Marsh Harbour Airport	MHH	Fort Lauderdale Orlando Tampa
Nassau	Lynden Pindling International Airport	NAS	Tampa
North Eleuthera	North Eleuthera Airport	ELH	Fort Lauderdale Orlando
Treasure Cay	Treasure Cay Airport	TCB	Key West (Seasonal)	Seasonal
Caribbean
Anguilla
The Valley	Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport	AXA	San Juan
British Virgin Islands
Tortola	Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport	EIS	San Juan
Dominica
Portsmouth	Douglas–Charles Airport	DOM	San Juan
Dominican Republic
Santiago de los Caballeros	Cibao International Airport	STI	San Juan
Puerto Rico
San Juan	Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport	SJU	Dominica Santiago St. Croix St. Kitts St. Maarten St. Thomas The Valley Tortola	Hub
United States Virgin Islands
St. Croix	Henry E. Rohlsen Airport	STX	Saint Thomas San Juan
St. Thomas	Cyril E. King Airport	STT	Saint Croix San Juan
Sint Maarten
Philipsburg	Princess Juliana International Airport	SXM	San Juan
St. Kitts and Nevis
Basseterre	Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport	SKB	San Juan

Former Destinations

City	Airport	IATA Code	Destinations	Notes
United States
Alabama
Birmingham	Birmingham–Shuttlesworth International Airport	BHM	Jacksonville New Orleans
Muscle Shoals	Northwest Alabama Regional Airport	MSL	Atlanta	Essential Air Service | SeaPort Airlines awarded contract
Georgia
Atlanta	Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport	ATL	Greenville Hattiesburg Lewisburg Macon Meridian Muscle Shoals Tupelo
Macon	Middle Georgia Regional Airport	MCN	Atlanta Orlando	EAS Community | Silver requested to terminate service, citing new crew requirements and low passenger count from the lack of codeshare agreements.[43][44] | Contour Airlines awarded AEAS contract.
Florida
Daytona Beach	Daytona Beach International Airport	DAB	Fort Lauderdale
Fort Walton Beach	Destin–Fort Walton Beach Airport	VPS	Orlando (Seasonal)
Gainesville	Gainesville Regional Airport	GNV	Atlanta Orlando Tampa
Jacksonville	Jacksonville International Airport	JAX	Birmingham Fort Lauderdale Marsh Harbour Pensacola Tampa
Panama City	Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport	ECP	Orlando Tampa
Montana
Billings	Billings Logan International Airport	BIL	Glasgow Glendive Havre Lewistown Miles City Sidney Wolf Point	Former Hub
Glasgow	Glasgow Valley County Airport	GGW	Billings	EAS Community | Cape Air awarded contract[45]
Glendive	Dawson Community Airport	GDV	Billings	EAS Community | Cape Air awarded contract
Havre	Havre City–County Airport	HVR	Billings	EAS Community | Cape Air awarded contract
Lewistown	Lewistown Municipal Airport	LWT	Billings	Former EAS Community | Community exceeded $1,000 subsidy cap. Offered a petition, however, withdrew petition for reconsideration.[46]
Miles City	Miles City Airport	MLS	Billings	Former EAS Community | Community exceeded $1,000 subsidy cap. Offered a petition, however, withdrew petition for reconsideration.
Sidney	Sidney–Richland Municipal Airport	SDY	Billings	EAS Community | Cape Air awarded contract
Wolf Point	L. M. Clayton Airport	OLF	Billings	EAS Community | Cape Air awarded contract
Mississippi
Greenville	Mid Delta Regional Airport	GLH	Atlanta	EAS Community | Contract awarded to SeaPort Airlines
Hattiesburg/Laurel	Hattiesburg–Laurel Regional Airport	PIB	Atlanta	EAS Community | Contract awarded to ExpressJet[47]
Meridian	Meridian Regional Airport	MEI	Atlanta	EAS Community | Contract awarded to ExpressJet[47]
Tupelo	Tupelo Regional Airport	TUP	Atlanta	EAS Community | Contract awarded to SeaPort Airlines
New York
Jamestown	Chautauqua County-Jamestown Airport	JHW	Washington-Dulles	EAS Community | Contract awarded to Sun Air Express
Ohio
Cleveland	Cleveland Hopkins International Airport	CLE	Bradford DuBois Franklin Jamestown Lewisburg Parkersburg	Former Hub
Pennsylvania
Altoona	Altoona–Blair County Airport	AOO	Washington-Dulles	EAS Community | Contract awarded to Sun Air Express[48]
Bradford	Bradford Regional Airport	BFD	Cleveland	EAS Community | Contract awarded to Sun Air Express[49]
DuBois	DuBois Regional Airport	DUB	Cleveland	EAS Community | Contract awarded to Southern Airways Express[50]
Franklin	Venango Regional Airport	FKL	Cleveland	Former EAS Community | Contract awarded to Sun Air Express
Johnstown	Johnstown–Cambria County Airport	JST	Washington-Dulles	EAS Community | Contract awarded to Southern Airways Express
West Virginia
Beckley	Raleigh County Memorial Airport	BKW	Washington-Dulles	EAS Community | Contour Airlines awarded AEAS contract
Lewisburg	Greenbrier Valley Airport	LWB	Atlanta Washington-Dulles	EAS Community | Contract awarded to ViaAir[51]
Morgantown	Morgantown Municipal Airport	MGW	Washington-Dulles	EAS Community | Contract awarded to Southern Airways Express
Parkersburg	Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport	PKB	Cleveland Parkersburg	EAS Community | Contour Airlines awarded AEAS contract
Virginia
Washington	Dulles International Airport	IAD	Altoona Clarksburg DuBois Johnstown Lewisburg Morgantown Parkersburg Shenanadoah Valley	Former Hub

Interline and codeshare agreements

Silver Airways does not participate in any major global airline alliances, but the airline has interline and codeshare agreements with several airlines. Many of these airlines are members of global airline alliances.

• Air Canada (Star Alliance)[52]
• Alaska Airlines (Oneworld)
• American Airlines (Oneworld)
• All Nippon Airways (Star Alliance)
• Avianca (Star Alliance)[53]
• Azul Brazilian Airlines
• Bahamasair
• Delta Air Lines (SkyTeam)
• JetBlue Airways
• United Airlines (Star Alliance)

Fleet

Silver Airways ATR 42-600

The Silver Airways fleet consists of the following aircraft:[54]

Aircraft	In service	Orders	Passengers	Notes
ATR 42-600	7[55]	9[56]	46	Options for additional 30. Deliveries to take place from March 2018 to early 2020.[57][58]
ATR 72-600	3	1[59]	70	Deliveries from 2018 to early 2020. Existing ATR 42 orders can be converted to ATR 72 depending on demand.[57][58]
Saab 340	15	—	34	To be replaced by ATR 42 and ATR 72 from 2018 to 2020.
Total	25	10

Historical Fleet

• Beechcraft 1900

References

1. "Silver Airways announces new CEO, $1.1B fleet investment". South Florida Business Journal. 2017-08-01. Retrieved 2020-02-24.
2. "Silver Airways Appoints Pedro Motta Senior Vice President Commercial to Lead Airline's Continued Growth and Expansion Throughout Florida, Bahamas, Caribbean and Beyond". Silver Airways. 2019-03-18. Retrieved 2020-02-24.
3. Pike, Joe (December 15, 2011). "Caribbean, The Bahamas, flights, 987654 | Travel Agent Central". www.travelagentcentral.com. Retrieved 2016-06-20.
4. "Subsidized EAS web report for non-Alaska communities" (PDF). www.dot.gov. November 2013. Retrieved 2016-06-20.
5. Yu, Roger (November 5, 2010). "Gulfstream International files for bankruptcy protection". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on March 24, 2012. Retrieved 2016-06-20.
6. "Gulfstream International Airlines Rebrands as Silver Airways". www.victoryparkcapitaladvisors.com. December 15, 2011. Archived from the original on April 26, 2012. Retrieved 2016-06-20.
7. Clark, Anthony (February 29, 2012). "Silver Airways will offer flights connecting Gainesville to Orlando and Tampa starting April 15". Gainesville.com. Retrieved 2016-06-20.
8. Satchell, Arlene (March 12, 2012). "Silver Airways to acquire six more Saab340 aircraft – Travel – Sun-Sentinel". blogs.sun-sentinel.com. Retrieved 2016-06-20.
9. Murphy, David. "Silver Airways brings cheap Tampa, Orlando flights from Gainesville". The Independent Florida Alligator. Retrieved 2016-06-20.
10. "Regional carrier Silver Airways adds new routes in select Florida and national markets". tribunedigital-sunsentinel. Retrieved 2016-06-20.
11. "Silver Airways expands service at Hartsfield-Jackson". Aviation.ca. Retrieved 2016-06-20.
12. Cooper, Aaron. "Plane lands at wrong airport in West Virginia, FAA investigating - CNN.com". CNN. Retrieved 2016-06-20.
13. Cooper, Aaron. "Air Transport World". atwonline. Retrieved 2013-02-12.
14. Falstad, Jan. "Silver Airways won't bid on Montana EAS contract". The Billings Gazette. Retrieved 2016-06-20.
15. "Top Florida Airline adds new nonstop service in West Palm Beach". www.travelandtourworld.com. Retrieved September 6, 2013.
16. "Silver Airways named one of top 10 airlines by Conde Nast Traveler". Biz Buzz. 2013-11-12. Retrieved 2016-06-20.
17. Suttell, Scott (2014-02-14). "Silver Airways to exit Cleveland market". Crain's Cleveland Business. Retrieved 2016-06-20.
18. Bevan, Shaun (April 15, 2014). "Silver Airways to launch new route from Key West to Orlando - South Florida Business Journal". South Florida Business Journal. Retrieved 2016-06-20.
19. "Silver Airways completes recapitalization". www.thebahamasinvestor.com. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
20. "Silver Airways to drop the Cleveland hub, will retire the Beech 1900Ds". worldairlinenews.com. 2014-02-15. Retrieved May 15, 2014.
21. "Silver Airways successfully completes IATA Operational Safety Audit". www.eturbonews.com. 2014-02-15. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
22. "Flights on Silver Airways Now Eligible for TrueBlue Frequent-Flyer Points". www.airlinesanddestinations.com. 2014-02-15. Retrieved May 6, 2014.
23. "The Growing Pains of 3-Year Old Niche Carrier Silver Airlways". skift.com. Retrieved May 6, 2014.
24. Drum, Bruce (2015-01-19). "Silver Airways to add Panama City, Florida as its newest destination, will also add Charleston, SC". World Airline News. Retrieved 2016-06-20.
25. "Photo Release -- Silver Airways Previews New Maintenance Headquarters at Orlando International Airport". GlobeNewswire News Room. 2015-02-27. Retrieved 2016-06-20.
26. Clark, Anthony (2015-07-08). "Silver Airways to end Gainesville service next month". Gainesville Sun. Retrieved 2015-10-23.
27. "Silver Airways Applies For Service From Florida To Cuba". Miami CBS. 2016-03-02. Retrieved 2016-06-20.
28. Reiser, Emon (March 2, 2016). "Cuba flights: Silver Airways applies for commercial routes to Cuba - South Florida Business Journal". South Florida Business Journal. Retrieved 2016-06-20.
29. Werley, Jensen (July 8, 2016). "Silver Airways snubbed from Havana flights - Jacksonville Business Journal". Jacksonville Business Journal. Retrieved 2016-08-01.
30. Perez, Maria (July 7, 2016). "Florida cities selected for commercial flights to Havana, but not Fort Myers". Napes Daily News. Retrieved 2016-08-01.
31. "USA to Havana Flights Approved for 8 Airlines". Havana Times.org. July 8, 2016. Retrieved 2016-08-01.
32. http://flygreatlakes.com/news/2016/doc_files/Frontier%20-%20Great%20Lakes%20-%20Silver%20-%20Pilot%20Program%20-%20Press%20Release%2006-02-16.pdf
33. Satchell, Arlene (September 13, 2016). "Silver Airways gets new majority owner". SunSentinel. Retrieved 2016-10-20.
34. "Silver Airways Acquires Seaborne Airlines to Create Leading Independent Airline Serving the Caribbean, Bahamas, Florida, and Beyond". Silver Airways. 2018-04-23. Retrieved 2020-02-24.
35. "Silver Airways and Delta Air Lines Announce Codeshare Partnership". MarketWatch. Retrieved 2019-11-20.
36. "Silver Airways and American Airlines Announce Codeshare Partnership". The Daily Times. Retrieved 2019-11-20.
37. "Contact Us". www.gulfstreamair.com. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved 2016-06-20.
38. "Tenant Directory - Silver Airways". www.broward.org. Archived from the original on December 27, 2011. Retrieved 2016-06-20.CS1 maint: unfit url (link)
39. "Dania Beach city, Florida Archived 2009-08-26 at the Wayback Machine." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on May 21, 2009.
40. Pasztor, Andy; Carey, Susan (2009-05-25). "FAA Probes Trainer of Commuter Pilots". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2016-06-20.
41. Dineen, Caitlin (March 4, 2015). "Silver Airways maintenance headquarters to open in Orlando soon". OrlandoSentinel.com. Retrieved 2016-06-20.
42. "Route Map". www.silverairways.com. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
43. "Regulations.gov". www.regulations.gov. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
44. "Silver Airways seeks to leave Macon service". August 18, 2014. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
45. "Regulations.gov". www.regulations.gov. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
46. "Regulations.gov". www.regulations.gov. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
47. "Regulations.gov". www.regulations.gov. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
48. "Regulations.gov". www.regulations.gov. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
49. "Regulations.gov". www.regulations.gov. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
50. "Regulations.gov". www.regulations.gov. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
51. "Regulations.gov". www.regulations.gov. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
52. Airways, Silver (January 27, 2017). "Silver Airways and Air Canada Introduce Interline Agreement". Silver Aiways. Retrieved 2017-01-27.
53. Tribune, Aviation (July 16, 2016). "Silver Airways Launches First International Codeshare with Avianca". Aviation Tribune. Retrieved 2016-08-01.
54. "Federal Aviation Administration - Airline Certificate Information - Detail View". av-info.faa.gov. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
55. "Silver Airways Launches ATR-600 Operations (+Video)". 2019-04-22.
56. "ATR Books Berjaya Buy, Converts Silver Airways Order". ainonline.com. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
57. "Article". Silverairways.com. Retrieved 2017-08-29.
58. "North American Breakthrough for ATR". Airliner World (October 2017): 13.
59. "Planemaker ATR lauds U.S. 'comeback' with Silver Airways order".

External links

• Silver Airways