Morris Air Explained
Morris Air was a low-fare airline in the western United States, based in Salt Lake City, Utah. It began scheduled operations in 1992,[1] [2] [3] and was sold to Southwest Airlines in December 1993 for over $120 million in stock.[4] [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]
History
The airline began charter operations as Morris Air Service in 1984.[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[21] before 1992.[22]
Morris obtained its own FAR 121 operating certificate in December 1992 and then began operating as its own carrier.
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.
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]
Alaska
Arizona
California
Colorado
Florida
Hawaii
Idaho
Nevada
Oregon
Utah
Washington
Mexico (seasonal)
Fleet
See also
External links
Notes and References
- News: DOT fines Morris Air $100,000 . Spokesman-Review . (Spokane, Washington) . staff and wire reports . November 11, 1992 . A8 .
- News: Morris Air plans Dec. 2 takeoff . Spokesman-Review . (Spokane, Washington) . staff and wire reports . November 25, 1992 . A7 .
- News: Southwest's landing here likely June 6 . Spokesman-Review . (Spokane, Washington) . Murphey . Michael . February 25, 1994 . A12 .
- News: Southwest will buy cut-rate Morris Air. Lodi News-Sentinel . (California) . Associated Press . December 14, 1993 . 8.
- News: Southwest purchasing Morris Air . Deseret News . (Salt Lake City, Utah) . Cortex . Marjorie . Knudson . Max B. . December 13, 1993 . A1.
- News: Southwest emphasizes its commitment to S.L. . Deseret News . (Salt Lake City, Utah) . Cortex . Marjorie . December 14, 1993 . B1.
- News: Southwest to buy Morris Air . Spokesman-Review . (Spokane, Washington) . wire reports . December 14, 1993 . A1 .
- http://www.flyryan.com/history/MorrisAir.htm History: Morris Air Service
- News: Southwest to absorb 2 Morris Air routes . Eugene Register-Guard . (Oregon) . Associated Press . September 18, 1994 . 9B.
- News: Southwest launches daily service in S.L.; Morris Air legacy praised . Deseret News . (Salt Lake City, Utah) . Cortex . Marjorie . October 4, 1994 . B3.
- Web site: JetBlue Airways: David Neeleman. NPR.org. en. 2019-05-04.
- News: Utah's Morris Air is a strong competitor in western market . Prescott Courier . (Arizona) . Associated Press . November 14, 1993 . 5D.
- News: Morris Air Service to open up travel horizons for locals . Kingman Daily Miner . (Arizona) . Luster . Tina . July 29, 1992 . 5.
- News: June Morris built success on basic plan . Spokesman-Review . (Spokane, Washington) . Associated Press . December 19, 1993 . E1.
- News: Morris Air founder gets tourism award . Deseret News . (Salt Lake City, Utah). January 28, 1994 . B5.
- News: 4 'Utah Pioneers of Flight' honored . Deseret News . (Salt Lake City, Utah). Thomson . Linda . February 28, 1996 . A7.
- News: Love those fares? Just thank June. Deseret News . (Salt Lake City, Utah). Benson . Lee . November 15, 2000 . B1.
- News: High flier . Deseret News . (Salt Lake City, Utah). Knudson . Max B. . March 31, 1996 . M1.
- News: Attention Deficit Disorder a plus for risk taker . Lakeland Ledger . (Florida) . Knight-Ridder newspapers . Johnson . Cecil . August 1, 2004 . E5 .
- Web site: Morris Air: The Only Southwest Contender. International Aviation HQ. 2020-07-26.
- News: Morris Air Service . Deseret News . (Salt Lake City, Utah). (advertisement) . May 5, 1992 . 8D.
- News: Morris Air Service adding to jet fleet . Spokesman-Review . (Spokane, Washington) . staff and wire reports . October 22, 1992 . A12.
- http://www.departedflights.com, Morris Air route maps
- http://www.departedflights.com, Summer 1992, Feb. 1993, Jan. 17, 1994, & June 6, 1994, Morris Air route maps
- http://www.departedflights.com, Feb. 1993 Morris Air route map