Silver Airways LLC. is a

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

regional airline A regional airline is a general classification of airline which typically operates scheduled passenger air service, using regional aircraft, between communities lacking sufficient demand or infrastructure to attract mainline flights. In North ...

with its headquarters in

Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport is a major public airport in Broward County, Florida, United States. It is one of three airports serving the Miami metropolitan area. The airport is off Interstate 595 in Florida, Interstate 5 ...

Broward County Broward County ( , ) is a county in the southeastern part of Florida, located in the Miami metropolitan area. It is Florida's second-most populous county after Miami-Dade County and the 17th-most populous in the United States, with over 1.94 ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, near

Fort Lauderdale A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

. It was founded in 2011 with assets from the former

Gulfstream International Airlines Gulfstream International Airlines was a United States airline that operated from 1988 to 2010. The airline primarily operated codeshare flights for major airlines. In December 2010, the airline went bankrupt and its assets were sold. Silver Air ...

, and currently operates scheduled flights from its hubs in

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures rele ...

, and

Tampa Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough County ...

, Florida; and a smaller base in

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to: Places Argentina * San Juan Province, Argentina * San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province * San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province * San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

. It started flying on December 15, 2011. Silver Airways received $20,515,042 in annual Federal subsidies for

Essential Air Service Essential Air Service (EAS) is a U.S. government program enacted to guarantee that small communities in the United States, which had been served by certificated airlines prior to deregulation in 1978, maintained commercial service. Its aim is t ...

s that it provided to rural airports in the United States.

History

On November 4, 2010,

filed for

Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code (Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, whe ...

protection. In May 2011, Victory Park Capital bought the assets of Gulfstream International Group, including 21 of Gulfstream's

Beechcraft 1900D The Beechcraft 1900 is a 19-passenger, pressurized twin-engine turboprop regional airliner manufactured by Beechcraft. It is also used as a freight aircraft and corporate transport, and by several governmental and military organizations. With c ...

aircraft from Raytheon Aircraft Credit Corporation. The company had been operating as

Continental Connection Continental Connection was a brand name under which several commuter airline carriers and their holding companies operated services marketed exclusively by Continental Airlines. As such, all Continental Connection banner carrier services were ope ...

on behalf of Continental Airlines. Silver_Airways_Saab_340B

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 340 The Saab 340 is a Swedish twin-engine turboprop aircraft designed and initially produced by Saab AB and Fairchild Aircraft. It is designed to seat 30-36 passengers and, as of July 2018, there were 240 operational aircraft used by 34 different o ...

B+ aircraft. Upon the merger of Continental Airlines into

United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. (commonly referred to as United), is a major American airline headquartered at the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois.

on April 1, 2012, Silver operated as

United Express United Express is the brand name for the regional branch of United Airlines, under which six individually owned regional airlines operate short- and medium-haul feeder flights. On October 1, 2010, UAL Corporation and Continental Airlines merged t ...

until the affiliation with United ended in 2013. In the first half of 2012, Silver Airways made several moves to turn the company around. Its maintenance facilities were moved from

Gainesville Regional Airport Gainesville Regional Airport is a public airport three miles northeast of Gainesville, in Alachua County, Florida, United States. It is owned by Gainesville-Alachua Co. Auth. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 catego ...

, taking over the former

Eclipse Aviation The Eclipse Aviation Corporation was the Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States-based manufacturer of the Eclipse 500 very light jet (VLJ), and also at one time proposed developing the Eclipse 400 single-engined jet. The company was founded ...

facility that had remained vacant since 2009. It purchased six more Saab 340B+ aircraft bringing the Saab fleet to 12. Scheduled service on the Saabs started on the Florida and Bahamas routes. Shortly after, routes from Gainesville Regional Airport to

Orlando International Airport Orlando International Airport is a major public airport located 6 miles (10 km) southeast of Downtown Orlando, Florida. In 2021, it handled 19,618,838 passengers, making it the busiest airport in the state and seventh busiest airport i ...

and

Tampa International Airport Tampa International Airport is an international airport west of Downtown Tampa, in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States. The airport is publicly owned by Hillsborough County Aviation Authority (HCAA)., effective December 30, 2021. T ...

began. Silver Airways expanded their network numerous times in the second half of 2012. First,

Washington Dulles International Airport Washington Dulles International Airport , typically referred to as Dulles International Airport, Dulles Airport, Washington Dulles, or simply Dulles ( ), is an international airport in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Eastern United States, loc ...

started scheduled service to destinations in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

, and

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. Its Florida route network expanded to

Jacksonville Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

. Service began from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to destinations in

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

and

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

. On August 7, 2012, Silver Airways made national news headlines when one of its flights landed at the wrong airport. In Late 2011 Silver Airways began a new operation in

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

serving eight cities from a hub at Billings. Seven of the eight cities were served through government subsidies by way of

contracts. On February 11, 2013, Victory Park Capital announced it had hired industry veteran Dave Pflieger to strengthen and grow the airline. On June 28, 2013, Silver Airways announced that it would cease

operations over the next few months. 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. 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. In September 2013, Silver Airways announced an expansion of its intra-Florida and Florida-Bahamas network. In 2013, Silver Airways was named one of the Top 10 Best U.S. Airlines in the

Condé Nast Condé Nast () is a global mass media company founded in 1909 by Condé Montrose Nast, and owned by Advance Publications. Its headquarters are located at One World Trade Center in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan. The company's media ...

Traveler's 26th annual Readers' Choice Awards. In the first half of 2014, Silver Airways made several network changes. It ended Beechcraft 1900 operations in Cleveland's EAS network. Then, Silver Airways closed much of its Atlanta network and redeployed its aircraft to other markets. 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. 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. In March 2014, Silver Airways completed its first ever IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA). In May 2014, Silver announced a new partnership with JetBlue. 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. In January 2015, Silver Airways added

Panama City, Florida Panama City is a city in and the county seat of Bay County, Florida, United States. Located along U.S. Highway 98 (US 98), it is the largest city between Tallahassee and Pensacola. It is the more populated city of the Panama City–Lynn Ha ...

, to its list of destinations, by starting services to

and

from the

Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport is a public airport northwest of Panama City, Florida, United States, in Bay County. The airport is owned by the Panama City-Bay County Airport & Industrial District, and is north of Panama City ...

. It also announced the launch of a direct service between

and Tampa. 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 The Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA) is the governmental entity that operates Orlando International Airport (FAA ID: MCO) and Orlando Executive Airport (FAA ID: ORL) in Orlando, Florida. GOAA replaced the former City of Orlando Aviation ...

to headquarter its new maintenance facility in Orlando. In August 2015, Silver Airways ended its Gainesville service, several months after missing and restructuring payments on its Gainesville maintenance hangar. On March 2, 2016, Silver Airways filed an application with the

U.S. Department of Transportation The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT or DOT) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is headed by the secretary of transportation, who reports directly to the President of the United States and ...

to provide service from five Florida cities to ten Cuban cities. However, later, Silver Airways was only granted nine Cuban cities, being denied the Havana route. On June 2, 2016, Silver Airways,

Great Lakes Airlines Great Lakes Airlines was an American regional airline operating domestic scheduled and charter services. Corporate headquarters were in Cheyenne, Wyoming, with a hub at Denver International Airport. As of November 2013, Great Lakes Airlines ...

and

Frontier Airlines Frontier Airlines is a major ultra-low-cost U.S. airline headquartered in Denver, Colorado. It operates flights to over 100 destinations throughout the United States and 31 international destinations, and employs more than 3,000 staff. The ca ...

announced a partnership for recruiting pilots. 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. 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 Seaborne Virgin Island Inc, operating as Seaborne Airlines, is a FAR Part 121 airline headquartered in Carolina, Puerto Rico, near the territory's capital of San Juan. It operates a seaplane shuttle service between St. Croix and St. Thomas. O ...

, a San Juan-based airline serving the Caribbean. In November 2019, Silver Airways created a codeshare partnership with

Delta Air Lines Delta Air Lines, Inc., typically referred to as Delta, is one of the major airlines of the United States and a legacy carrier. One of the List of airlines by foundation date, world's oldest airlines in operation, Delta is headquartered in Atla ...

and

American Airlines American Airlines is a major airlines of the United States, major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the world when measured ...

to provide single ticket booking with baggage transfers to destinations in the Caribbean. In February 2020, Silver Airways announced new services to

Charleston International Airport Charleston International Airport is a joint civil-military airport located in North Charleston, South Carolina, United States. The airport is operated by the Charleston County Aviation Authority under a joint-use agreement with Joint Base Ch ...

from its hubs in Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, and Tampa, however due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

and its impacts on aviation, the services were initially postponed until November 2020 when service was started. In March 2020, the airline announced the introduction of its own services to its San Juan base previously acquired along with its subsidiary

, with routes from San Juan launching in phases between March and July 2020 as more of the airline's ATR 42-600 aircraft would be delivered. On November 9, 2021, Silver Airways began contract flying for

Amazon Air Amazon Air, operating under the callsign Prime Air, is a cargo airline operating exclusively to transport Amazon packages. In 2017, it changed its name from Amazon Prime Air to Amazon Air to differentiate themselves from their autonomous dron ...

with feeder flights from Albuquerque, New Mexico and Des Moines, Iowa to Amazon's hub at the

Fort Worth Alliance Airport Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport is a public airport north of the central business district of Fort Worth, Texas, United States. The airport is owned by the City of Fort Worth and managed by Alliance Air Services, a subsidiary of Hillw ...

near Fort Worth, Texas. Silver is using two

ATR-72-500 The ATR 72 is a twin-engine turboprop, short-haul regional airliner developed and produced in France and Italy by aircraft manufacturer ATR (french: Avions de transport régional or it, Aerei da Trasporto Regionale), a joint venture formed by ...

aircraft configured for airfreight operations and painted with Amazon's "Prime Air" logo.

Facilities

The airline headquarters are located in Suite 201 of the 1100 Lee Wagener Boulevard building on the property of

unincorporated Unincorporated may refer to: * Unincorporated area, land not governed by a local municipality * Unincorporated entity, a type of organization * Unincorporated territories of the United States, territories under U.S. jurisdiction, to which Congress ...

, Florida, near Fort Lauderdale. Previously its headquarters were in Dania Beach, Florida, also near Fort Lauderdale. The airline also maintains a maintenance facility at

in a facility previously utilized by Comair.

Destinations

Over its history, Silver Airways has domestically operated both scheduled commercial flights originating from its Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, and Tampa hubs in Florida, as well as

s based in Atlanta (Georgia), Billings (Montana), Boston (Massachusetts), Cleveland (Ohio), and Washington D.C. Internationally, the airline operates services between Florida and the Bahamas, and in March 2020 began its own operations based in San Juan (Puerto Rico) to surrounding destinations in the Caribbean, alongside those of its subsidiary

Interline and codeshare agreements

Silver Airways does not participate in any major global

airline alliance An airline alliance is an aviation industry arrangement between two or more airlines agreeing to cooperate on a substantial level. Alliances may provide marketing branding to facilitate travelers making inter-airline codeshare connections within c ...

s, but the airline has interline and

codeshare agreement A codeshare agreement, also known simply as codeshare, is a business arrangement, common in the aviation industry, in which two or more airlines publish and market the same flight under their own airline designator and flight number (the "airli ...

s with several airlines. Many of the following airlines are also members of global airline alliances: *

Avianca Avianca S.A. (acronym in Spanish for ''Aerovias del Continente Americano S.A.'', "Airways of the American Continent") is a Colombian airline. It has been the flag carrier of Colombia since December 5, 1919, when it was initially registered under ...

Air Canada Air Canada is the flag carrier and the largest airline of Canada by the size and passengers carried. Air Canada maintains its headquarters in the borough of Saint-Laurent, Montreal, Quebec. The airline, founded in 1937, provides scheduled and ...

Alaska Airlines Alaska Airlines is a major American airline headquartered in SeaTac, Washington, within the Seattle metropolitan area. It is the sixth largest airline in North America when measured by fleet size, scheduled passengers carried, and the numb ...

All Nippon Airways , also known as ANA (''Ē-enu-ē'') or is an airline in Japan. Its headquarters are located in Shiodome City Center in the Shiodome area of Minato ward of Tokyo. It operates services to both domestic and international destinations and had mo ...

Azul Brazilian Airlines Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras S/A (''Azul Brazilian Airlines''; or simply Azul) is a Brazilian carrier based in Barueri, a suburb of São Paulo. The company's business model is to stimulate demand by providing frequent and affordable air serv ...

Bahamasair Bahamasair Holdings Limited is an airline headquartered in Nassau. It is the national airline I888-393-I394 of The Bahamas and operates scheduled services to 32 domestic and regional destinations in the Caribbean and the United States from its b ...

JetBlue Airways JetBlue Airways Corporation (stylized as jetBlue) is a major American low cost airline, and the seventh largest airline in North America by passengers carried. The airline is headquartered in the Long Island City neighborhood of the New York ...

United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. (commonly referred to as United), is a major American airline headquartered at the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois.

Fleet

, The Silver Airways fleet consists of the following aircraft: ATR_42-600_-_Silver_Airways_-2

Historical fleet

References

External links

Official website
{{Continental Connection Carriers 2011 establishments in Florida Airlines established in 2011 Airlines based in Florida Companies based in Broward County, Florida Privately held companies based in Florida Regional Airline Association members Regional airlines of the United States American companies established in 2011