Business Express Airlines
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| Founded | 1982 | ||||||
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| Ceased operations | 2000 | ||||||
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| Fleet size | See Fleet below | ||||||
| Destinations | See Destinations served below | ||||||
| Company slogan | Fly BizEx Jets! | ||||||
| Parent company | AMR Eagle Holding Corp. after 1998 | ||||||
| Headquarters | Westport, Connecticut, later Portsmouth, New Hampshire, finally Dover, New Hampshire, United States | ||||||
Business Express Airlines (IATA: HQ), often referred to as Business Express or BizEX, was an American regional airline founded as Atlantic Air in 1982. In an effort to appeal to its predominantly business commuter clientele, the airline assumed the Business Express name in 1985. In 1986 Pilgrim Airlines (Groton/New London), which itself had acquired NewAir (New Haven) about a year prior, was acquired by the airline. This opened the valuable New York and Washington, D.C. markets. Shortly thereafter, Business Express became one of Delta Air Lines's first Delta Connection carriers, along with Atlantic Southeast Airlines, Comair and SkyWest Airlines.
Business Express utilized the FAA designator of "GAA" and the airline code of "HQ". The radio call-sign was BizEx.
At one point, it was headquartered in Westport, Connecticut. In 1995, BizEx was headquartered in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Later in its life, BizEX was headquartered in Dover, New Hampshire. In 1998, the airline tried to relocate its headquarters and maintenance facility to the south side of Portland International Jetport. The airline ultimately did not move its headquarters and maintenance facility.
Business Express expanded its existing route structure into Canada in 1989 through the acquisition of Mall Airways, a commuter airline based in Albany, New York, with routes to Toronto, Montreal, and Ottawa. In the mid-1990s, the airline negotiated an unconventional second code share agreement with Northwest Airlines, becoming the Northwest Airlink regional affiliate in New England and Eastern Canada. In September 1997, the branding scheme expanded to include a third partner, American Airlines, affiliated first as American Connection, and later as an integral carrier under the American Eagle program. These new affiliations were part of a broader expansion scheme that included longer-range flying beyond the Northeast, enhanced mainline flight bank integration and operation of jet aircraft.
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