Title says it all. When did US Airways drop its dedicated Shuttle fleet, and why?

I noticed this weekend when I flew DCA-BOS on the Piedmont scheme plane that we were no longer on an all coach shuttle flight. Same coming back on monday. I thought about it and realized that I couldn't remember the last time I saw a US jet with the "Shuttle" titles on the side.

Thus, my question.

I dont have the reg but I saw one last October on a BOS - LAS flights! It was def not one of the Shuttle Routes, but thats what the plane said. It did have 4 Envoy class seats! LOL

Why? Mostly to increase fleet flexibility and to let them move planes in and out of the Shuttle system. They probably pick up a small amount of paid-F revenue as well now that they offer a First Class product on the routes. They still do have a dedicated Shuttle fleet on any given day; they don't fly planes on Shuttle and non-Shuttle routes on the same day, to better preserve the on-time integrity of the Shuttle system in the event of delays elsewhere in the system. As for when...

-----------------------

US Airways Shuttle To Offer First Class On All Shuttle Routes

ARLINGTON, Va., August 4, 2003 -- US Airways Shuttle will introduce First Class seating for customers flying into and out of New York's LaGuardia airport, beginning Oct. 6, 2003. Also, on Sept. 8, an additional Boston-Washington roundtrip and an additional Boston-New York flight will begin.

On all Shuttle flights between LaGuardia airport and both Boston Logan and Reagan Washington National airports, the Airbus A319 aircraft currently operating in a 124-seat single-class configuration will be converted to a dual-class configuration with 12 First Class and 108 Coach Class seats. One of the converted dual-class aircraft will be placed in the Oct. 5 schedule, while conversion of the remaining seven aircraft will be completed by Oct. 26. The initial aircraft will be used in the Boston to LaGuardia market.

"By offering our customers First and Coach Class service on these key business routes, we will offer consistent premium-class service through our mainline network," said B. Ben Baldanza, US Airways senior vice president of marketing and revenue management. "Customers flying between Washington, Boston and New York will have the opportunity to purchase or use their upgrades on all 45 daily roundtrip flights in these markets."

Flights between Boston and Washington, which already offer dual-class service, will be augmented by a 15th roundtrip beginning on Sept. 8, with Boeing 737-300 equipment. The flight will depart Washington at 6:50 a.m., and will arrive in Boston at 8:09 a.m. The return flight will depart Boston at 8 p.m., and will arrive in Washington at 9:31 p.m. Beginning Oct. 27, these flights will change to a two-class Airbus A319, and the Washington departure will move to 6:30 a.m., arriving in Boston at 7:42 a.m.

A 16th daily Boston-New York LaGuardia flight will begin on Sept. 8, using a dual-class Airbus A319 aircraft. The flight will depart Boston at 7:30 a.m., and will arrive in New York at 8:37 a.m. US Airways Shuttle will continue to operate 15 daily New York-Boston flights.

Customers can check in at dedicated counters in all three Shuttle airports, as well as select seats, obtain boarding passes and arrange sedan service in advance of departure at Self-Service Check-In kiosks. Customers also enjoy a complimentary selection of magazines and newspapers at gate areas, and complimentary morning beverage centers at the gate area each business day.

US Airways is the nation's seventh-largest airline, serving nearly 200 communities in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Europe. Most of its route network is concentrated in the eastern U.S., where it is the largest air carrier east of the Mississippi. US Airways, US Airways Shuttle and the US Airways Express partner carriers operate over 3,300 flights per day. For more information on US Airways Shuttle, visit usairways.com/shuttle.

Reporters needing additional information should contact US Airways Corporate Communications at (703) 872-5100.

Did the US Airways dedicated Shuttle planes have extra legroom, as the DL Shuttle planes (still a separate fleet) do?

US Airways does at least try to keep their nicer planes on the Shuttle routes--it's almost always flown with a 319 rather than one of the older 737s.

I've taken the DCA-BOS Shuttle many times in the last several years and they do seem to have better service on the Shuttle route in comparison with others. However, while the planes have always been A319s, they can often be absolutely filthy with totally threadbare seats. I assume (hope) that this will change as they become financially stronger...