Word: airing
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...have it: the fantasy of one day sitting behind the wheel of an expensive sports car or climbing into the cockpit of a jet. Many outgrow the urge, but Kevin Stamper went out and bought a brand-new Boeing 737 and then, for the fun of it, launched Pro Air, his very own little airline...
...Air is turning out to be a lot more than a grown man's toy. For every stumble that giant Northwest has made at its fortress hub at Detroit's Metropolitan Airport, two-year-old Pro Air has been there waiting to gobble up another dissatisfied customer. This year Pro Air, which now has four 737s, could quadruple its revenue passenger-miles, the industry's standard volume measure, to 600 million miles, from 150 million in 1998. On a recent morning, Stamper gushed like a new father as he watched dozens of passengers milling about Pro Air...
These days, the airport is filled with Detroiters who are defecting to Pro Air because of walk-up fares that are as much as 85% cheaper than Northwest's. For instance, an unreserved seat to Indianapolis, Ind., cost $578 round trip before Pro Air came to town with its deal of $138. Northwest was forced to match. Also aiding Pro Air's cause are hassle-free fares--no advance booking or Saturday-night stays required--to New York City; Philadelphia; Chicago; Baltimore, Md.; Orlando, Fla; Atlanta; and Indianapolis. "We're on the edge of a revolution out here," boasts Stamper...
...Air may be the first of a new wave of discount airlines essentially created by the megacarriers, which have jacked up business fares 35% in the past three years. Such increases explain why Pro Air was able to sign corporate titans DaimlerChrysler and General Motors to five-year deals, providing unlimited flights at a flat rate. Waiting to take wing are 20 new airline companies that are applying to the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Transportation for certification...
...become Time's Detroit bureau chief, leaving Manhattan, and the New York Times, behind. "It's an interesting time to be back here," she reports. "There actually seems to be momentum rather than just talk about rejuvenating the city." One of the companies contributing to that motion is Pro Air, an upstart airline that Christian profiles in this issue...