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The history of America West Airlines:

The airline was established in February 1981 and began operations August 1, 1983, using three leased Boeing 737 aircraft flying out of their base in Phoenix, Arizona (PHX), with Ed Beauvais, a well-known airline industry consultant, as their CEO.[7] In the early years, passengers could purchase their tickets on board the aircraft.

The airline quickly expanded, with 11 737s operating flights to 13 cities, and by late 1986 they developed a secondary hub in Las Vegas, Nevada. In 1984, America West's fleet grew to 21 aircraft operating flights to 23 cities. [1] (Timetableimages has timetable maps showing America West routes in 1983, 1984, and 1991.)

America West was one of the first airlines to use extensive "cross-utilization", in which employees were trained in a variety of airline jobs, such as pilots being trained in dispatch, and both baggagehandlers and flight attendants also being trained as gate agents. America West also started as a "full-service" airline, in contrast with Southwest Airlines, the discount air carrier competing in many of the same markets. America West also used an aggressive employee stock ownership program, in which new employees were required to invest 20% of their salary in company stock, providing a steady flow of cash as the company grew. America West pilots and other employees were paid wages far below those of their competitors (see Pilot salary history, MIT Study.)

Revenue Passenger-Kilometers, in millions
Year Traffic
1984 2006
1985 3675
1990 17869
1995 21420
2000 30753
2005 39036
Source: Air Transport World

Former America West logo
By 1985 America West had outgrown their gate space at Sky Harbor International Airport, and during the construction of Terminal 4, approved in 1986, a temporary concourse was added to the southwest corner of Terminal 3 to give them six more gates (growing to eleven by 1990).

The airline's rapid growth continued in 1986, and the airline greatly expanded their fleet, primarily with Boeing 757-200s purchased from Northwest Airlines (following Northwest's acquisition of Republic Airlines) as well as a number of de Havilland Canada DHC-8 Dash 8 turboprop aircraft for local service from Phoenix and Las Vegas including flights to Grand Canyon National Park Airport. The airline also started operating red-eye flights from Las Vegas in order to increase aircraft utilization.

Boeing 747-200 at Sky Harbor Airport in 1991.
America West's rapid growth resulted in large operating losses, and by 1986 the company was on the verge of bankruptcy. Originally slated to occupy the vast majority of the gates in Terminal 4, the airline had to reduce their commitment to the city of Phoenix to just 28 gates, with the growing Southwest Airlines agreeing to lease the remainder of Terminal 4.

In August 1987, a unit of Ansett Transport Industries, an Australian airline company and at the time 50% owned by News Corporation, purchased a 21.6 percent stake in America West.

In 1988, Patrick Thurston, Vice-President of Operations, Bob Russell, Chief of Pilots, and Carl Wobser, a captain, all pleaded guilty to multiple counts of narcotics trafficking.[8]

In 1989, Ansett used its influence and investment money in America West Airlines, to try to break a pilots strike in Australia (1989 Australian pilots' dispute). The following article is from an America West pilot who crossed the Australian pilots' picket line: The Down UnderWare Chronicles America West Pilot article.

Boeing 737-112 at San Jose International Airport in 1993
As they explored destinations beyond the United States, America West filed with U.S. Department of Transportation for a Phoenix-to-Sydney route in order to provide connecting with now-defunct Ansett Airlines in Australia. The proposal was rejected, however, and the Reagan Administration awarded the route to another airline. America West leased four Boeing 747 aircraft (formerly operated by KLM) and began operating 747 service to Hawaii and Nagoya, Japan. The airline also expanded service to Mexican destinations.

In 1990, the America West moved into the new Terminal 4 at Phoenix and also took delivery of several Airbus A320 aircraft originally destined for the now-defunct Braniff Airways. Braniff had purchased the original aircraft order rights from Pan Am, another troubled carrier, and the A320s were sold to America West at a steep discount. The U.S. Department of Transportation started classifying America West Airlines as a major airline.[7]

Despite these developments, the airline continued to lose money. Operating expenses at Terminal 4 were far higher than in the temporary Terminal 3 concourse. The Nagoya route experienced extremely low ticket sales, and flights there were flying with almost no passengers. In addition, tensions in the leadup to the Gulf War were causing fuel costs to rise. The combined impact forced America West to file for bankruptcy in June 1991.

In June 1995, W. Douglas Parker joined America West Airlines as senior vice president and chief financial officer. He would later be elected chairman, president and CEO in September 2001.[2] The airline would be fined $2,500,000 for maintenance violations in July 1998 (America West Airline Fined $2.5 Million for Violations.), and in August 2000, the FAA was reportedly prepared to ground the airline for these violations. (see FAA May Ground America West.)

America West operated under bankruptcy from 1991 to 1994. As part oOn the management side, Founder Ed Beauvais was removed as CEO, remaining on the board of directors, and was replaced with Mike Conway, who had been with the airline since the start. Conway left the airline in 1994, replaced as CEO by A. Maurice Myers.

America West's flight attendants unionized in 1993, ending cross-utilization between customer service agents, flight attendants, and ground agents. Several maintenance and training functions previously operated in-house by America West were outsourced during the bankruptcy.f their restructuring, employee stock became worthless, the airline's 747s and Dash 8s were sold, and the fleet was heavily pared down to 87 aircraft. Hawaii and Nagoya routes were scrapped and America West feeder service to smaller cities and local markets was contracted to Mesa Airlines, which began conducting operations as America West Express utilizing regional jet and turboprop aircraft.
In 1994, America West was finally able to secure a reorganization allowing them to come out of bankruptcy, with a large portion of the airline owned by a partnership including Mesa Airlines and Continental Airlines, resulting in respective code sharing agreements with these airlines.

To help reinvigorate the airline as they emerged from bankruptcy, a number of consumer-visible changes occurred, including a new color scheme and logo (used until the merger with US Airways), new livery, E-tickets, and online ticket purchasing in 1996. The airline continued ordering Airbus A320 aircraft and began gradually retiring their older Boeing 737-200s.

In the 1990s, America West opened an east coast hub at Port Columbus International Airport in Columbus, Ohio, using Chautauqua Airlines and Mesa Airlines to provide commuter and regional flights via respective code sharing agreements in addition to mainline jet service. An America West Club was located at the hub in an area previously used for a TWA Ambassadors' Club.