Airline Pilot Central Forums

Dear Colleagues:

I am happy to finally announce our company, American Eagle Airlines, will be changing our name to Envoy in spring 2014. “American Eagle” is represented in two ways in our business today – American Eagle, American’s regional flying brand under which 10 regional carriers will eventually operate, and us, American Eagle Airlines, the company. Our people and our company – which is one the largest regional carriers in the world with some of the best people in our business – deserve a name that is all our own.

We have spent more than 15 years with the American Eagle Airlines name since we become a company in 1998, and what we have done to grow the American Eagle brand since it was first launched in 1984 will live on as a bright spot in its history. However, we need to look forward to a new chapter in our company’s future and to better differentiate ourselves from the competition. This will also prevent any further confusion between us and the American Eagle brand that American’s customers will continue to see during their travels.

Envoy describes what we do for the airlines we work with – we serve as their ambassador and a representative to their customers. Envoy also is a name with a proud heritage from our new colleagues at US Airways, as it has served as the brand for a premium international product providing outstanding service to their customers. This is a heritage we will continue and build upon at our company. And after looking at and vetting more than 1,000 potential new names, Envoy also had that intangible quality of being a name we simply liked even before the merger with US Airways was announced.

Officially changing our company’s name to Envoy will take approximately three months, so we won’t officially begin using it until this spring. Between now and then, the use of the Envoy name for legacy US Airways’ international Business Class service will be phased out by the end of March 2014. American Eagle Airlines also is working with regulators to acquire a new operating certificate and the other required approvals needed to make this change. As part of that process, we will update many items with our new name including employee badges and manuals. Until this happens, we will continue to operate as “American Eagle Airlines.”

Once our name is officially changed to Envoy, it will primarily be used internally with our people and for marketing our services to current and potential ground handling customers. Our current and potential future aircraft will continue to operate under the American Eagle brand and livery, and once the necessary regulatory processes and approvals are complete, “Operated by Envoy” will be added to our aircraft paint scheme as it is for other carriers providing American Eagle-branded service. Our ground handling operations will be called “Envoy Ground Services” and our parent company will become “Envoy Aviation Group.” Progress updates on this process will be shared with you as the work is completed, but below is what our new logo will look like once we make the transition:

Although our focus will be firmly on our future, I also want to recognize and thank you for the effort and pride you have put into developing the American Eagle brand and our company into what they are today. By continuing to focus on providing a safe and reliable travel experience for our passengers, we can make the name Envoy also stand for the best – and best-run – regional operation in our industry.