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Trans-Colorado Airlines was a United States airline based in
Colorado Springs Colorado Springs is the most populous city in El Paso County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 478,961 at the 2020 census, a 15.02% increase since 2010. Colorado Springs is the second-most populous c ...
,
Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...
. It operated from August 1980 until July 1988. The airline operated flights for
Continental Airlines Continental Airlines (simply known as Continental) was a major airline in the United States that operated from 1934 until it merged with United Airlines in 2012. It had ownership interests and brand partnerships with several carriers. Continen ...
under the
Continental Express Continental Express was the brand name used by a number of independently owned regional airlines providing commuter airliner and regional jet feeder service under agreement with Continental Airlines. In 2010 at the time of Continental's merger ...
banner beginning in 1986.


Early history

Trans-Colorado Airlines was incorporated on August 25, 1980, as Commuter Airlines of Colorado. Operations began on December 23, 1980, with one Swearingen Metro II. It served and was based in Gunnison, CO, with scheduled flights to and from
Stapleton International Airport Stapleton International Airport was a major airport in the western United States, and the primary airport of Denver, Colorado. It opened on October 17, 1929, and was replaced by the current Denver International Airport in 1995. It was a hub f ...
in
Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...
. The name was changed to Trans-Colorado Airlines Inc. by the summer of 1981. The company inaugurated service to
Montrose, CO Montrose is a List of cities and towns in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule municipality that is the county seat and the List of cities and towns in Colorado, most populous municipality of Montrose County, Colorado, United States. The ...
in May 1981 and acquired a second aircraft, a Metro III, in November 1981. On February 1, 1982, the airline acquired its second Metro III and, 1 month later, inaugurated service to Cortez, CO. The company acquired its third Metro III on Monday, May 2, 1983, and service began from Denver to Durango, CO on June 15, 1983. On December 16, 1983, service was extended to Albuquerque, NM with an Albuquerque-Durango-Gunnison route. On April 15, 1984, Trans-Colorado began service to
Colorado Springs Colorado Springs is the most populous city in El Paso County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 478,961 at the 2020 census, a 15.02% increase since 2010. Colorado Springs is the second-most populous c ...
, with an Albuquerque-Colorado Springs-Denver route. Its corporate headquarters and all maintenance activities were moved to Colorado Springs later that year. At the end of 1984, the company operated one Metro II and four Metro III aircraft. One year later, the company operated one Metro II and five Metro III airplanes. Service to Riverton, WY and Rock Springs, WY from Denver began in 1985 and Trans-Colorado planned to inaugurate new service to
Telluride, CO Telluride is the county seat and most populous town of San Miguel County, Colorado, San Miguel County in the southwestern portion of the U.S. state of Colorado. The town is a former silver mining camp on the San Miguel River (Colorado), San M ...
from Albuquerque for the 1985/1986 winter ski season however flights were operated through Cortez, CO instead. Service from Denver to Cheyenne, WY was added on April 7, 1986. On February 3, 1986, Trans-Colorado began service to Farmington, NM and Roswell, NM with routes from Denver to Farmington and from Albuquerque to Farmington and Roswell. All service at Albuquerque and Roswell ended on July 15, 1986, when the company initiated
Continental Express Continental Express was the brand name used by a number of independently owned regional airlines providing commuter airliner and regional jet feeder service under agreement with Continental Airlines. In 2010 at the time of Continental's merger ...
service at Denver.


Continental Express carrier

On July 15, 1986, Trans-Colorado became a
Continental Express Continental Express was the brand name used by a number of independently owned regional airlines providing commuter airliner and regional jet feeder service under agreement with Continental Airlines. In 2010 at the time of Continental's merger ...
carrier, serving
Continental Airlines Continental Airlines (simply known as Continental) was a major airline in the United States that operated from 1934 until it merged with United Airlines in 2012. It had ownership interests and brand partnerships with several carriers. Continen ...
flights at Denver. Under the terms of the agreement, Trans-Colorado flights were listed under the CO designation in airlines' computer reservation systems. In addition, Continental provided Trans-Colorado with ticketing, baggage handling and passenger boarding at Denver and Colorado Springs and with all passenger reservations through its own reservation system. Trans-Colorado was responsible for all aspects of the operations and all maintenance on the airplanes. New service began from Denver to
Casper, WY Casper is a city in and the county seat of Natrona County, Wyoming, United States. Casper is the List of municipalities in Wyoming, second-most populous city in the state after Cheyenne, Wyoming, Cheyenne, with the population at 59,038 as of th ...
, Gillette, WY, and Jackson Hole, WY, as well as to Rapid City, SD and Pierre, SD. Two 50-Passenger
Convair 580 The Convair CV-240 is an American airliner that Convair manufactured from 1947 to 1954, initially as a possible replacement for the ubiquitous Douglas DC-3. Featuring a more modern design with cabin pressurization, the 240 series made some inro ...
aircraft were leased from Sierra Pacific Airlines and painted in full
Continental Express Continental Express was the brand name used by a number of independently owned regional airlines providing commuter airliner and regional jet feeder service under agreement with Continental Airlines. In 2010 at the time of Continental's merger ...
colours. Trans-Colorado revised its schedule to provide feed to Continental at Denver and Colorado Springs. On January 1, 1987, Trans-Colorado returned to Albuquerque as Continental Express and reinstated its flights to Colorado Springs and Durango. On April 1, 1987, service was reinstated from Albuquerque to Farmington and Roswell and new service was added to Alamogordo, NM, Carlsbad, NM, El Paso, TX, and
Tucson, AZ Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson metropolitan s ...
all as Continental Express. An Albuquerque-Roswell-Carlsbad-El Paso route was started which was a route that Continental Airlines first operated in 1940. Alamogordo, NM was served from El Paso and one Convair 580 aircraft was used to provide service from Albuquerque to Tucson. The Convair 580 was also used on two Albuquerque-Farmington flights as well. All Continental Express routes from Denver were transferred to Rocky Mountain Airways on June 5, 1987, leaving only the Albuquerque flights operating as Continental Express. The Alamogordo, El Paso, and Tucson flights were very short lived and discontinued on June 15, 1987, along with the Convair 580. The remaining Albuquerque flights were then discontinued on July 31, 1987. Trans-Colorado records indicate that its load factor increased as a result of the arrangement, from 36.6% during the first 6 months of 1986, to 55.6% in August of the same year.


Agreement with Rocky Mountain Airways

Continental Airlines later purchased Rocky Mountain Airways, a regional operator considerably larger than Trans-Colorado, and was also based at Denver Stapleton. On May 13, 1987, Trans-Colorado entered into an agreement with Rocky Mountain Airways to provide it with flights under the Continental Express designation. Under the terms of the contract, which was in effect through February 28, 1988, Trans-Colorado provided Rocky Mountain with airplanes and crews for $400/block hour for flights operated from May 15, 1987, through December 31, 1987, and $357/block hour for flights operated from December 31, 1987, through February 28, 1988. A minimum of 245 block hours per aircraft per month was guaranteed, averaged over the period of the contract. In addition, Rocky Mountain paid Trans-Colorado a fee for its aircraft that were not leased and for aircraft that were not flown due to weather, air traffic control, and related factors. Rocky Mountain provided the flight schedules, ground handling, and support services for the flights. Flights were to be operated in accordance with Trans-Colorado policies and procedures. The contract specified that Trans-Colorado could neither be sold nor control of the voting stock transferred without the approval of Rocky Mountain. However, the contract stated that "Continental's withholding of consent will not be unreasonable....”


Financial troubles

In the early summer of 1987, Trans-Colorado began to experience serious financial difficulties. In a September 30 letter to a financial organization, a company official stated that "...the only cash that is paid out will be only that which is essential to fulfilling the requirements of the Continental contracts." On December 3, 1987, Trans-Colorado's chief executive, William Mueller, wrote employees that "We have begun working on our long term restructure plan, which deals with both creditors and revenue sources. Please hang in with us, as great strides have been taken the last few weeks to stabilize the Company, but we still have a lot of work to do." After the contract with Rocky Mountain expired, Trans-Colorado then moved its operations and maintenance facilities to
Houston, TX Houston ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the seat of Harris County, as well as the principal city of ...
, in anticipation of a contract to operate as a feeder to Continental Airlines though another wholly owned Continental subsidiary, Britt Airways. For several months, Trans-Colorado operated flights for Britt; however, no long-term contract materialized. In April 1988, Trans-Colorado filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection from its creditors. In July 1988, it ceased operations and voluntarily surrendered its operating certificate to the
Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is a Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government agency within the United States Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation that regulates civil aviation in t ...
. According to Trans-Colorado, the ending of operations happened "as a direct result of economic hardship imposed by Continental Airlines (Britt Airways, Continental Express) when they prematurely terminated our contract with them."


Destinations

According to its timetables between June 1, 1981, and April 1, 1987, Trans-Colorado served the following destinations:http://www.departedflights.com, Aug. 1, 1985 Trans-Colorado Airlines route map * Alamogordo, NM ( Alamogordo-White Sands Regional Airport) (ALM) * Albuquerque, NM (Hub) ( Albuquerque International Sunport) (ABQ) * Carlsbad, NM ( Cavern City Air Terminal) (CNM) * Cheyenne, WY (
Cheyenne Regional Airport Cheyenne Regional Airport – also known as Jerry Olson Field – is a civil-military airport a mile north of downtown Cheyenne, Wyoming, Cheyenne, in Laramie County, Wyoming, Laramie County, Wyoming. It is owned by the Cheyenne Regional Airp ...
) (CYS) * Colorado Springs, CO ( Colorado Springs Municipal Airport) (COS) – ''Location of company headquarters'' * Cortez, COTimetable from December 17, 1982 to April 10, 1983
''Trans-Colorado Airlines''
( Cortez Municipal Airport) (CEZ) *
Denver, CO Denver ( ) is a consolidated city and county, the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. It is located in the Western United States, in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains east of ...
(Hub) (
Stapleton International Airport Stapleton International Airport was a major airport in the western United States, and the primary airport of Denver, Colorado. It opened on October 17, 1929, and was replaced by the current Denver International Airport in 1995. It was a hub f ...
) (DEN) – ''Hub'' * Durango, CO ( Durango-La Plata County Airport) (DRO) * El Paso, TX ( El Paso International Airport) (ELP) * Farmington, NM ( Four Corners Regional Airport) (FMN) * Gunnison, CO/
Crested Butte Crested Butte is a prominent mountain summit in the Elk Mountains range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. The peak is in Gunnison National Forest, northeast by east ( bearing 59°) of the Town of Crested Butte in Gunnison County, C ...
( Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport) (GUC) *
Montrose, CO Montrose is a List of cities and towns in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule municipality that is the county seat and the List of cities and towns in Colorado, most populous municipality of Montrose County, Colorado, United States. The ...
( Montrose Regional Airport) (MTJ) * Riverton, WY (
Riverton Regional Airport Central Wyoming Regional Airport, formerly Riverton Regional Airport, is three miles northwest of Riverton, in Fremont County, Wyoming; it also serves nearby Lander, Wyoming. It is used for general aviation and sees one passenger airline. Serv ...
) (RIW) * Rock Springs, WY ( Sweetwater County Airport) (RKS) * Roswell, NM ( Roswell International Air Center) (ROW) *
Tucson, AZ Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson metropolitan s ...
(
Tucson International Airport Tucson International Airport is a civil-military airport owned by the City of Tucson south of downtown Tucson, in Pima County, Arizona, United States. It is the second busiest airport in Arizona, after Phoenix Sky Harbor International Air ...
) (TUS) The airline also served other destinations during its existence with its feeder service as a
Continental Express Continental Express was the brand name used by a number of independently owned regional airlines providing commuter airliner and regional jet feeder service under agreement with Continental Airlines. In 2010 at the time of Continental's merger ...
air carrier.


Fleet

* 2
Convair 580 The Convair CV-240 is an American airliner that Convair manufactured from 1947 to 1954, initially as a possible replacement for the ubiquitous Douglas DC-3. Featuring a more modern design with cabin pressurization, the 240 series made some inro ...
– painted in the livery of
Continental Express Continental Express was the brand name used by a number of independently owned regional airlines providing commuter airliner and regional jet feeder service under agreement with Continental Airlines. In 2010 at the time of Continental's merger ...
* 10
Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner The Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner (previously the Swearingen Metro and later Fairchild Aerospace Metro) is a 19-seat, Cabin pressurization, pressurized, twin-turboprop airliner first produced by Sino Swearingen Aircraft Corporation, Swearingen ...
Metro II and Metro III


Incidents and accidents

* Trans-Colorado Airlines Flight 2286: A Fairchild Metroliner III crashed near
Bayfield, Colorado Bayfield is a statutory town located in La Plata County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 2,838 at the 2020 United States census, a +21.65% increase since the 2010 United States Census. Bayfield is part of the Durango, CO Micr ...
on approach to Durango on January 19, 1988, operated under the
Continental Express Continental Express was the brand name used by a number of independently owned regional airlines providing commuter airliner and regional jet feeder service under agreement with Continental Airlines. In 2010 at the time of Continental's merger ...
brand. Both crew members and 7 of 15 passengers died. All but one of the surviving passengers were injured.


See also

*
List of defunct airlines of the United States The following is a list of defunct airlines of the United States. However, some of these airlines have ceased operations completely, changed identities and/or FAA certificates and are still operating under a different name (e.g. America West Ai ...


References

{{Continental Express Carriers Defunct airlines of the United States Airlines established in 1980 Airlines disestablished in 1988 1980 establishments in Colorado 1988 disestablishments in Colorado American companies established in 1980 American companies disestablished in 1988