Flights on the revived People Express Airlines went on sale Wednesday while Eastern Airlines Group last month hired a public relations agency to facilitate its entry back into the market, as two of the iconic airline brand names of the past are coming back.
People Express signed a one-year marketing agreement with Las Vegas-based Vision Airlines. Vision will operate the flights using the new People Express livery.
Flights from Newport News/Williamsburg, Va., begin June 30 to Boston, Newark and Pittsburgh. Flights to Atlanta, West Palm Beach, St Petersburg and New Orleans will be added incrementally over the summer. People Express will charge $76 each way to fly on its Boeing 737s, but will also have ancillary fees for such things as advance seat assignment ($15) and carry-on bags ($25).
The original People Express Airlines entered the market in 1980, two years after airline deregulation, and was based in Newark. It was a no-frills, low-cost airline then; it was gone by 1987.
Eastern Air Lines had a much richer history, having been around from 1930-1991. The new Eastern Airlines Group acquired the name and operates under the leadership of CEO Ed Wegel, an industry veteran who worked for the original Eastern Air Lines. The carrier again plans to base itself out of Miami International and hopes to begin flying by year’s end.
There remains much skepticism whether Wegel can pull it off – the resurrection of Eastern Air Lines has been talked about since at least 2011 – but according to BusinessWeek, the company ordered 10 new 737-800s and took options for 10 of Boeing’s next-generation 737 MAX jets.
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