Business Express Airlines - 'Fly BEX Jets!'

'Fly BEX Jets!'

The jet age arrived at Business Express through acquisition of Pilgrim Airlines in 1986. Through this transaction, the growing airline acquired a single Fokker F-28 aircraft, but chose not to operate it due to concerns of profitability. In the mid-1990s, Business Express became the first Delta Connection regional carrier to operate jet aircraft, predating deliveries of Canadair and Embraer Regional Jets to Atlantic Southeast Airlines, Comair, and SkyWest Airlines. In 1994, the airline obtained five BAe146-200, 69-passenger regional jets, from Discovery Airways, and placed an order for twenty new Avro RJ-70s in the same year. Jet routes included international feeder service to Delta's transatlantic hub at JFK, with service to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport.

Boston-based jet service included service along the Eastern Seaboard to Baltimore, Norfolk, and Richmond. Although long-coveted, Business Express was unable to operate the BAe-146 on the lucrative Boston Logan-Washington National sector due to landing slot restrictions on four-engine aircraft, and a primary reason these units did not succeed as significant revenue generators for the airline. In an effort to establish a larger regional identity, Business Express launched the 'Fly BEX Jets' program in 1994 on the Boston-Baltimore-Washington sector. The aggressive marketing scheme offered free round-trip flight vouchers for every round-trip flown on BAe-146 aircraft. The program was popular and heightened awareness, however failed to generate significant revenue.

Using its radial approach to route development, Business Express launched service to Milwaukee's General Mitchell International Airport in 1994, competing directly with Midwest Express. The carrier operated two daily nonstop flights in the marketplace with 70-passenger Avro RJ-70 aircraft, but generated lower-than-anticipated passenger traffic, and suspended the service in January 1995. Apart from its independent Northwest Airlink codeshare on Minneapolis-Aspen/Snowmass service, Milwaukee was the westernmost destination of the fully integrated BEX system. Its severely weather-affected market in the Northeast, Canada, and Upper Midwest made Southern routes both attractive and potentially feasible. Nevertheless, Business Express was unable to penetrate Southern vacation travel markets due to overlap with other Delta Connection carriers in Cincinnati and Atlanta. The airline lacked true 'feed' into one of Delta's largest mainline hubs. Constricted by a fierce operating culture in the Northeast and lack of viable markets, Business Express was unable to identify a consistently profitable market for its jet aircraft. The airline never took full delivery of the Avro RJ-70 order. BAe146-200s were replaced by five Avro RJ70s that operated primarily in the New York to Cleveland and Detroit markets, as well as between Boston and Baltimore, Norfolk, and Richmond.

With the jet program launch, a new and fully integrated interior overhaul was undertaken beginning in 1993. Aircraft seating featured a distinctive gray-on-gray horizontal stripe and red accented fabric. Eventually, all Saab 340 airframes were outfitted with standard upholstery featured in the BAe 146-200 jets. Although distinctive, the fabric program was replaced by all-leather seating beginning in 1997. Saab 340 aircraft were redeployed with blue leather seats featuring a slimmer profile and ergonomically advanced design. These aircraft joined the American Eagle fleet for American Airlines with comparable interiors to its existing equipment.