A Look Back at 2014

The month of December is a great time to reflect on the past year and what it meant to each of us. Specifically for PSA, December celebrates the one year anniversary of multiple announcements made by (what is now) American Airlines Group that would seal the fate of large-scale growth and changes for PSA Airlines.

December 12, 2013 marked the announcement of the official merger of US Airways and American Airlines. Coinciding with this announcement, the newly-formed American Airlines Group announced an order of 30 Bombardier CRJ900 NextGen aircraft to be operated by PSA. At the time, PSA’s fleet consisted of 49 aircraft. News of the subsequent doubling of the airline corresponded with the unveiling of PSA’s new brand and logo to all employees and the public. The rest of December and 2013 was met with a great deal of excitement and even more preparations for the year to come.

Since last December’s announcement, PSA has hired nearly 700 employees, taken delivery of 15 CRJ900’s, been awarded the transfer of 47 additional aircraft, initiated the build of a new Operations Control Center in Dayton, and developed plans to further increase its presence in Dayton, Charlotte, and additional locations by way of new maintenance hangars and future crew bases. Over 600 employees have gone through training held in PSA’s Mark Zweidinger Professional Learning Center in biweekly training classes of 30 to 40 pilots and 20 to 30 flight attendants.

2014 also marked a change in leadership for PSA Airlines as Keith Houk retired from his position as PSA President after 25 years with US Airways. Dion Flannery transitioned into the role with experience in overseeing multiple regional airlines simultaneously as former president of US Airways Express.

In addition to growth milestones, this past year has been inundated with fun and celebratory events like the Delivery Ceremony of the 1st CRJ900 in Mirabel, Breaking Ground on the New OCC, and PSA’s Visit to the Embry-Riddle Daytona Campus. All the photos from these events and more can be viewed on PSA’s Flickr page.

So what can we expect from PSA in 2015? To start, the process of transferring the CR7’s is set to commence at the end of the second quarter. Accompanied by further network expansion, like moving into ORD, and important changes to our PSS in the fall, one thing is certain: 2014 has successfully set PSA on a path of growth and expansion that is set to continue throughout the upcoming year.