Trans States Airlines traces its roots back to 1982 amid the formation of Resort Air, which was a commuter carrier based in St. Louis, Missouri. The company flew to several sites across Illinois and Missouri before entering into a deal with TWA to serve six airports in the form of Trans World Express.
Regional motives
The outfit officially became Trans States Airline in 1989 when it refreshed operations. During this period, new planes joined the fleet to replace Resort Air's Fairchild Swearingen Metroliners.
The experience of serving regional routes for TWA gave Trans States Airlines the confidence to expand in this field across the United States. Notably, the carrier began Californian services on behalf of USAir. Branded as USAir Express, the airline flew from LAX with BAe Jetstream aircraft until 2000. However, it wasn't just the West Coast where Trans States made a name for itself. It started East Coast codeshare feeder operations to New York JFK for Trans World Express and United Express in the mid-1990s.
It also partnered with Delta Air Lines before the century was over. Following TWA's merger with American Airlines in December 2001, all of Trans States' TWA operations were grouped under American Connection. The 2015 American merger with US Airways then saw these operations fly under American Eagle. The American Airlines operations lasted until 2018, but regional flights across the US under United Express lasted until 2020.
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Time to call it a day
There were already plans to cease operations before the pandemic. A memo sent to employees read:
“We have come to the extremely difficult decision that an organized and well-planned wind-down of the Trans States operation is the most viable course of action.”
The global health crisis ultimately forced the carrier to stop flying earlier than anticipated. On April 1st, 2020, services fully came to an end.
According to ch-aviation, Trans State Airlines held a total of 138 aircraft. The fleet was split by the following:
ATR42-300 x 5
ATR42-300(QC) x 1
ATR72-200 x 3
BAe Jetstream 41 x 27
DHC-6-300 x 4
EMB-120RT x 1
EMB-120RT(QC) x 1
EMB-145EP x 3
EMB-145ER x 9
EMB-145LR x 52
EMB-145LU x 1
EMB-145MP x 3
EMB-145XR x 28
During the time of the airline's closure, it was operating 45 Embraer 145s for United Express. Most of these aircraft were then passed over to ExpressJet before CommutAir took them on.
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It’s not all over
Even though Trans States Airlines stopped flying, another airline owned by the parent company Trans World Holdings continued operating. GoJet Airlines was formed in 2004 and still performs on commuter feeder routes under United Express.
There were high hopes for Trans States Airlines in the year before it ceased operations. It even had ambitions to order up to 100 Mitsubishi SpaceJets. Nonetheless, despite the demise of this brand, the parent company is still seeing business via GoJet.
What are your thoughts about the history of Trans State Airlines? What do you make of the carrier’s story over the years? Let us know what you think of the operator and its services in the comment section.