Morris Air

Morris Air
IATA ICAO Call sign
KN MSS WASATCH
Founded1984 (1984)
(as Morris Air Service)
Commenced operations1992 (1992)
Ceased operationsOctober 1994 (1994-10)
(merged into Southwest Airlines)
HubsSalt Lake City International Airport
Fleet size21, all Boeing 737
Destinations21, western U.S.
HeadquartersSalt Lake City, Utah, U.S.
Key peopleDavid Neeleman (President)
FounderJune Morris (CEO)
Revenue$116 million (1992)[1]
Profit$5.3 million (1992)[1]
Employees2,000 (1993)[1]

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]

History

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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

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

Alaska

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Arizona

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California

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Colorado

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Florida

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Hawaii

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Idaho

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Nevada

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Oregon

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Utah

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Washington

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Mexico (seasonal)

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Fleet

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d "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. ^ a b c d "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. ^ a b c "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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