JDiver

For me, it was the vestiges of HP / America West "Cactus", memories of my friends René B. the HP FA and Kathy S. the US FA, (soon enough to be an AA FA as that bit gets implemented) and the few times I flew on US. The elimination of once-proud names of airlines (I flew many of them, from AirCal, Branniff, Eastern to Pan Am, PSA, TWA, Western to a lot in the middle), has become routine - but we all tend to mourn and reminisce about our predilection airlines.

As the US Airways brand and codes disappears, mostly October of this year, I'm seeing these grow.
NEWS: AA - US Res. System Merger Jul - Oct; US code / brand ends when over

Frequent Business Traveler: Photo Essay: A Tribute to US Airways.

June 25, 2015, Brian Sumers posted "How Many Planes Have American Airlines and US Airways painted?" here. His chart below.

Let's see what else comes about, and if you wish, share with us.

CLTUSCAPTIVE

I made a thread a few years ago that may be relevant: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/us-ai...usairways.html

JDiver

Thanks!

CMK10

I've been flying US Airways and US Air for a long time. I grew up just outside New York City and I had grandparents in Winston-Salem. To me, US will always be the airline of the southeast. Our yearly LGA and sometimes EWR-GSO trips led to some classic aircraft in the 1990's that I always associate with US: DC-9-30s, 737-400s, Fokker-100s. Once LGA-GSO was cancelled and my UM brother and I were rebooked LGA-DCA-GSO with both flights being on mainline aircraft.

More recently I will remember US Airways as a dependable airline for affordalbe last minute and/or one-way fares. There were many trips I took on them that I wouldn't have been able to fly had US not had the fare I needed.

On the HP side, I went to Arizona State and have found memories flying on the $39 one-ways from PHX to the LA Area, San Diego and Las Vegas. Upgrades were pretty easy on the short sectors even as a Silver and I had enjoyable flights drinking Jack and Pepsi and watching the Cranium trivia they used to play on the IFE. Especially on those ancient 757s they'd gotten from Eastern and Northwest.

PaulRO

Further back was Piedmont, which I often flew National to Ottawa, late 70s, early 80s.
The inflight magazine had a map of Europe which showed the border twixt England and Scotland. But not twixt England and Wales.
I complained to the owner of Piedmont, with some jocular name like Jim.
Within weeks, the map was changed, the world was wiser, and Piedmont a customer richer.
Cymru.

airplanegod

My first memory of them goes back to May 2001. I was five years old and it was my first vacation to Florida. Flew LGA-RSW and back on a MetroJet 737-200. I remember the flight going down (my first one) fondly because even though it was a LCC (didn't know that at the time of course), I was offered snacks galore by the friendly FA's. I also remember going into the cockpit mid-flight (first and last times as the events four months after that flight would change this) and the fact I was scared by the toilet flushing, lol.

My next time flying them wouldn't come until January 2014, when I flew on the 737-400 and 767-200. Between 2014 and 2015, I flew on them numerous times, mainline and express. Through mainline and express, I got to "log" many new aircraft types including the 737-200, 737-400, 767-200, CRJ-200, CRJ-900, E175, and the A330-300 (although I flew on numerous other US aircraft). I don't think with my many flights with them i've ever encountered a rude employee.

While I certainly missed the opportunity to fly on and will miss other airlines that have left us such as Pan Am, Eastern, TWA, Continental, Northwest, this is my first time losing an airline that has played an important part of my love for aviation and passion for the airline industry. Unfortunately while I believe I flew with them for my last time in April, they will be in my heart forever.

US Airways, the spirit and it's people who have helped it grow will truly live on, just the physical airline itself won't be around anymore.

rove312

About my first memory in life was a flight on Lake Central, which was absorbed into Allegheny, precursor to US (keeping the AL code for some time). I had a couple of years in South Carolina as a frequent user of Piedmont.

ElmhurstNick

My first business trip was on Piedmont back in 1988 while I was in graduate school, ORD-CLT-HTS. I had no idea that a B1900 was so small and did not have a bathroom on board. Fun times...

Piedmont767

I think this will be a very good thread, so thank you JDiver.

This post is a long account of my favorite memory of Piedmont/US Airways...

I was born in the United Kingdom, I have a British father and an American mother. My mother was from Winston-Salem and when I was 7, my parents decided to move back to the US. By this point, Piedmont had just started non-stop service to London Gatwick and LGW-CLT would be my first ever flight. On August 1st 1987, we drove from a town outside of London down to Gatwick airport, I remember it was a beautiful morning with the sun rising, no clouds, just blue sky. And as we drove past Heathrow, I heard the roar of an airplane, a British Airways 747-200. I still have the picture of that 747, which I snapped on my Polaroid camera.

To "celebrate" our new life back in the US, we flew Piedmont's Business Class, on N603P, the Pride of Piedmont, a 767-201ER. The 5-across cabin, 2-1-2 with blue-striped seats. My mother and I were sitting on the two seats on the right hand side of the cabin, whilst my father's seat was the lone centre seat, all three of us in the second row. IRC there were 5 rows of seats. There was a little amenity kit with eye-shades, ear-plugs, comb etc, there was a big comfy pillow and a plush, warm blanket.

After take-off the IFE started up, with a massive screen on the centre bulkhead, the headphones were really comfortable and for a 7 year old boy it was like being in a movie theatre! But the food was perhaps the highlight of that flight for me. I remember that all the food was brought out by serving carts, there was roast beef that the flight attendant would carve for you in front of your very eyes, but what was even more impress was a two-tier chocolate gateau which was impressive for a 7 year old and I remember before landing there was a snack service, I can't remember what it was but we served chocolate-covered strawberries as a 'dessert'. I remember seeing Charlotte and North Carolina for the first time, thinking it was so green. I think we landed on 36R before taxing over to the C concourse. That was my very first flight ever, and that's what got my hooked on flying. I flew between CLT and LGW many times on Piedmont in coach as an unaccompanied minor. And I loved it, every summer and every-other Christmas (with my parents during the holidays) I would fly over to the United Kingdom.

I remember when USAir merged with Piedmont and when USAir operated as British Airways for a bit. But what I really remember is when D-concourse was built at CLT. Due to those many flights on Piedmont and USAir, a I decided to become a flight attendant.

So thank you US Airways, you have given me a life-time of memories and I will for sure, miss you. Goodbye Cactus.

IcHot

Here's the recipe for a drink to toast to. You can look up the name of the cocktail if you wish.

1/2 oz vodka
1/2 oz rum
1/2 oz tequila
1/2 oz gin
1/2 oz Blue Curacao liqueur
2 oz sweet and sour mix
2 oz 7-Up® soda

CMK10

A few nostalgic pictures from my files:



Posters like this showed up at airports after the mid-2000's emergence from bankruptcy. Pictured at PVD - March, 2007



America West CRJ-900. Pictured at SAN - February, 2006



Classic HP Lineup with US hiding in the back. Pictured at PHX - April, 2006



The old Low A HP Club - Pictured at PHX - March, 2006



Arrival into DCA - November, 2006







Speaking of DCA - January, 2007



IFE on a still America West A-320 - Pictured April, 2006



Classic HP Service - Pictured April, 2006

radiowell

During the past decade (00's), my primary residences were in PHX, PHL and PIT, which made me a HP/US "captive." Went through some rough times as a consumer during the merger, especially at PIT. Despite the grumblings/moaning/groaning about US on this forum, I found them to be very good in the last 5 years or so. ALL the credit goes to the crews that made it happen; amazed that they were able to overcome the hurdles imposed on them.

Special shout out to ex-HP and ex-Piedmont crews!

LPCJr

I've always enjoyed the "city photos" that they have hanging up in the gate areas. I'm sure these will eventually disappear. The Tampa Bay one has the Skyway Bridge, and Seattle has the Space Needle. Two places I enjoy and so I always enjoy seeing the pictures in PHL. They have a bunch in BOS as well, and I suspect elsewhere.

JDiver

Wow! Thanks for sharing. Those are very cool stories and photos.

I used to fly HP to PHX (and secondarily to LAS) to work and to connect to work sites.

PresRDC

I pretty much have nothing but positive memories of flying US.

Like CMK10, I grew-up outside NYC and US was a common carrier for our flights to DCA to visit family and for many of my flights to/from college, routing HPN-PIT-SBN (racking up many flights on the F100s and the Do-328Js).

My warmest memory of US was when my mother in law was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2010 and we needed to make many last minute trips between BDL and SAV/HHH in the two months between her diagnosis and when she died. I never felt that US was gouging the prices on our last minute tickets and it was always easy to secure a Move Up upgrade between BDL and CLT, which was nice to have a little added comfort before or after the difficult visits with my mother-in-law.