Morris Air

Morris Air was a low-fare airline in the western United States, based in Salt Lake City, Utah. It began scheduled operations in 1992,[2][3][4] and was sold to Southwest Airlines in December 1993 for over $120 million in stock.[1][5][6][7][8] The airline officially became part of Southwest in the autumn of 1994.[9][10] Morris Air was the first airline in the world to invent e-ticket (ticketless) travel based on the suggestion of Stuart Thatcher, an employee at the time. Although Southwest Airlines is often credited with offering the first e-ticketing system, it was in fact created and implemented by Morris Air and later integrated into Southwest Airlines after it purchased Morris Air.[11]

Morris Air
IATA ICAO Callsign
KN MSS WASATCH
Founded1984, as Morris Air Service
Commenced operations1992
Ceased operationsOctober 1994
(merged with Southwest Airlines)
HubsSalt Lake City
Fleet size21, all Boeing 737
Destinations21, western U.S.
HeadquartersSalt Lake City, Utah, U.S.
Key peopleJune Morris (CEO)
David Neeleman (President)
Revenue$116 million (1992)[1]
Profit$5.3 million (1992)[1]
Employees2,000 (1993)[1]

History

The airline began charter operations as Morris Air Service in 1984.[3][12] It was launched by Utah businesswoman June Morris, who also founded Morris Travel in 1970,[13][14][15][16][17] and David Neeleman who also co-founded WestJet and JetBlue.[18] Neeleman worked with Southwest for a short period and when his non-compete agreement expired, he founded JetBlue Airways.[19] June Morris sat on the board of directors of Southwest Airlines until she retired at the annual shareholders' meeting on May 17, 2006.[20]

Charter flights were operated by Ryan International Airlines during 1992, and by both Ryan International and Sierra Pacific Airlines with some flights being operated with Boeing 737-200 jets[3][21] before 1992.[22]

Morris obtained its own FAR 121 operating certificate in December 1992 and then began operating as its own carrier.[3]

The airline was based at Salt Lake City International Airport where it operated a hub[23] and flew many routes primarily in the western U.S. using Boeing 737-300 aircraft. In late 1993, it operated over 1,000 flights per week with a fleet of 21 planes.[12]

Destinations

The following destination information is taken from Morris Air route maps with the airline not serving all of these airports at the same time.[24]

Morris Air 737-300 at LAX post-merger; note the nose with Southwest colors on the radome.

Morris Air Service Seasonal Destinations

Fleet

See also

References
  1. "Southwest will buy cut-rate Morris Air". Lodi News-Sentinel. (California). Associated Press. December 14, 1993. p. 8.
  2. "DOT fines Morris Air $100,000". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). staff and wire reports. November 11, 1992. p. A8.
  3. "Morris Air plans Dec. 2 takeoff". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). staff and wire reports. November 25, 1992. p. A7.
  4. Murphey, Michael (February 25, 1994). "Southwest's landing here likely June 6". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. A12.
  5. Cortex, Marjorie; Knudson, Max B. (December 13, 1993). "Southwest purchasing Morris Air". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). p. A1.
  6. Cortex, Marjorie (December 14, 1993). "Southwest emphasizes its commitment to S.L." Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). p. B1.
  7. "Southwest to buy Morris Air". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). wire reports. December 14, 1993. p. A1.
  8. History: Morris Air Service
  9. "Southwest to absorb 2 Morris Air routes". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. September 18, 1994. p. 9B.
  10. Cortex, Marjorie (October 4, 1994). "Southwest launches daily service in S.L.; Morris Air legacy praised". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). p. B3.
  11. "JetBlue Airways: David Neeleman". NPR.org. Retrieved 2019-05-04.
  12. "Utah's Morris Air is a strong competitor in western market". Prescott Courier. (Arizona). Associated Press. November 14, 1993. p. 5D.
  13. Luster, Tina (July 29, 1992). "Morris Air Service to open up travel horizons for locals". Kingman Daily Miner. (Arizona). p. 5.
  14. "June Morris built success on basic plan". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. December 19, 1993. p. E1.
  15. "Morris Air founder gets tourism award". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). January 28, 1994. p. B5.
  16. Thomson, Linda (February 28, 1996). "4 'Utah Pioneers of Flight' honored". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). p. A7.
  17. Benson, Lee (November 15, 2000). "Love those fares? Just thank June". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). p. B1.
  18. Knudson, Max B. (March 31, 1996). "High flier". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). p. M1.
  19. Johnson, Cecil (August 1, 2004). "Attention Deficit Disorder a plus for risk taker". Lakeland Ledger. (Florida). Knight-Ridder newspapers. p. E5.
  20. "Morris Air: The Only Southwest Contender". International Aviation HQ. Retrieved 2020-07-26.
  21. "Morris Air Service". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). (advertisement). May 5, 1992. p. 8D.
  22. "Morris Air Service adding to jet fleet". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). staff and wire reports. October 22, 1992. p. A12.
  23. http://www.departedflights.com, Morris Air route maps
  24. http://www.departedflights.com, Summer 1992, Feb. 1993, Jan. 17, 1994, & June 6, 1994, Morris Air route maps
  25. http://www.departedflights.com, Feb. 1993 Morris Air route map
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