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Western Pacific Airlines facts for kids

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This page is about the United States airline. For the defunct Canadian airline, see Pacific Western Airlines.
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Western Pacific Airlines
Westpac.png
Founded 1994; 31 years ago (1994) (as Commercial Air)
Commenced operations April 28, 1995; 30 years ago (1995-04-28)
Ceased operations February 4, 1998; 27 years ago (1998-02-04)
Hubs
Subsidiaries Mountain Air Express
Fleet size 15
Destinations 30
Headquarters Colorado Springs, Colorado

Western Pacific Airlines, also known as WestPac, was an airline that flew in the United States for a short time. It operated from 1995 to 1998. WestPac was a low-cost airline, meaning it tried to offer cheaper flights.

The airline started in 1994 as Commercial Air. It soon changed its name to Western Pacific. Flights began on April 28, 1995, using eight Boeing 737-300 planes. The company's main office was near Colorado Springs, Colorado, in El Paso County, Colorado.

Western Pacific first used Colorado Springs Airport as its main base. Most of its early flights went to cities west of the Mississippi River. As the airline got more Boeing 737-300 planes, it added routes to the eastern U.S. and along the west coast. At one point, WestPac also flew Boeing 727-200 jets. Sadly, the airline went out of business in February 1998.

Planes with Cool Designs

Western Pacific Boeing 737-300 Silagi-1
A Western Pacific Boeing 737 advertising Sam's Town.

Western Pacific planes often had special paint jobs called logojet schemes. Instead of just the airline's colors, many planes showed big advertisements! Some of these cool designs included:

The airline also had other unique designs that weren't advertisements. These included:

  • Spring Fling Jet
  • “Beat the System”
  • Winter Wonder Plane
  • Super Summer Saver Jet
  • Future Logo Jet

In September 1995, Western Pacific worked with the Fox TV network on a special event. During an episode of The Simpsons called “Who Shot Mr. Burns?”, people who called in with the right answer could win free plane tickets or other prizes!

Growing the Airline

Western Pacific helped start a new smaller airline called Mountain Air Express (MAX). MAX began flying in 1996 using Dornier 328 turboprop planes. MAX helped Western Pacific by bringing passengers to its main flights at Colorado Springs and later at Denver.

Before this, Western Pacific rented two Boeing 727-200 jets from another company. This helped them start new flights to Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) as they grew in 1995.

Why the Airline Stopped Flying

In 1989, the city of Denver announced that a new airport, Denver International Airport, would replace the old Stapleton International Airport. The new airport cost a lot to build, so it charged airlines higher fees to land planes. It was also farther from Denver than the old airport.

Before the new airport opened, Continental Airlines stopped using Denver as a major hub. This left United Airlines as the only big airline with a hub there. The old Stapleton airport used to be a hub for many airlines, like the first Frontier Airlines (1950-1986) and Western Airlines.

Western Pacific wanted to avoid the high fees at Denver International Airport. They looked at other nearby airports like Centennial Airport and Jeffco Airport. But they chose Colorado Springs Airport as their first main hub when they started flying.

At first, Western Pacific's hub in Colorado Springs was doing well. It was even taking some passengers who might have flown from Denver. However, after two years, the airline still wasn't making money. Colorado Springs is south of Denver, which made it less convenient for many travelers from the Denver area. So, in 1997, Western Pacific decided to move its main hub to Denver International Airport.

Soon after moving to Denver, Western Pacific announced plans to join with Frontier Airlines. Frontier was another new airline in Denver. The two airlines planned to share flights through a code sharing deal. This meant passengers could book flights on one airline and fly on the other. Western Pacific then stopped its plans to grow its Colorado Springs hub.

But the merger with Frontier didn't work out. After looking at Western Pacific's financial records, Frontier decided not to go through with the deal. This sudden cancellation led to Western Pacific going bankrupt in February 1998. Frontier Airlines managed to survive and is still flying today.

Where Western Pacific Flew

Western Pacific flew to many cities across the U.S. Here are some of them:

Where Mountain Air Express Flew

Mountain Air Express (MAX) was a smaller airline owned by Western Pacific. It helped bring passengers to Western Pacific's flights through a code sharing deal. MAX flew Dornier 328 turboprop planes to these cities:

  • Albuquerque, NM
  • Aspen, CO
  • Casper, WY
  • Cheyenne, WY
  • Colorado Springs, CO
  • Denver, CO
  • Grand Junction, CO
  • Gunnison, CO
  • Hayden/Steamboat Springs, CO
  • Kansas City, MO
  • Oklahoma City, OK
  • Salt Lake City, UT
  • Santa Fe, NM
  • Tulsa, OK

Planes They Used

Western Pacific Airlines used these types of planes:

  • 2 Boeing 727-200 jets – These were rented to help start new routes.
  • 20 Boeing 737-300 jets – This was the main type of plane in their fleet.
  • Boeing 737-700 – These planes were ordered but never delivered because the airline stopped flying.

Their partner airline, Mountain Air Express, flew Dornier 328 turboprop planes.

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