Cuddihy To Pilot US Airways Shuttle

Cuddihy To Pilot US Airways Shuttle

By Jay Campbell

Now that US Airways has secured its hold on the shuttle, it's moving Rita Cuddihy into the cockpit with a flight plan aimed at expanding the franchise.

US Airways last month named Cuddihy, formerly vice president of marketing and distribution planning, as president of the US Airways Shuttle. She replaces Terry Holcum.

Cuddihy this quarter will lead an expansion of Shuttle operations to include up to 17 non-stop flights between Boston and Washington, in addition to the existing 15 roundtrips between Washington and New York and 17 between Boston and New York.

In a press statement, Cuddihy said all Shuttle aircraft will be repainted with new livery over the next few months. The Washington operation will move to the new terminal at National Airport in February and Boston flights will move to US Airways' newly renovated terminal at Logan International Airport this summer.

US Airways on Dec. 30 completed the purchase of the Shuttle, which it had operated since 1992 under contract for Shuttle Inc., majority owned by a consortium of banks including Citicorp. As part of the agreement, US Airways held the right to bid first on the Shuttle during 1997. Earlier in the year, American Airlines expressed interest in buying the Shuttle and a Citicorp executive predicted that AA would be the winning bidder. But US Airways resolved many outstanding issues with its pilots contract and pending aircraft orders, allowing it to pursue the Shuttle.

Buying the Shuttle prevented AA from increasing its already strong position at LaGuardia and Logan and ensured that US Airways remain among the largest carriers in those airports and National. The new route between Boston and Washington moves the US Airways Shuttle beyond the scope of its largest competitor, the Delta Shuttle, with 49 round trips a day, compared with 32 for Delta. US Airways expects the Shuttle to carry more than 2 million passengers annually.

Cuddihy will relocate to her native New York City, where the Shuttle is headquartered. Prior to joining US Airways in 1992, she was staff vice president for planning and scheduling at Continental. Her former responsibilities in marketing and planning will be split between vice president of sales Steven Tracas and vice president of marketing Martin White.