volume 36, number 1
February 1985
News about Piedmont. The Up-And-Coming Airline.
'Airline of Year' tops PI iionors
Piedmont has been named “Air
line of the Year" for 1984 by Air
Transport World magazine. The
prestigious award was accepted by
our President and Chief Executive
Officer Bill Howard at the maga
zine's annual awards luncheon in
New York on January 24.
Howard accepted the award "on
behalf of 12,000 of the industry's
finest men and women whose dedi
cation and efforts have in just a few
years raised Piedmont from a posi
tion as one of America's best small
airlines to a position as one of
America's best major airlines."
As "Airline of the Year." Piedmont
is featured on Air Transport World's
cover, and a lengthy story entitled,
"Piedmont played the game and
won,” appears on the inside of the
January issue.
"Piedmont has expanded at a
meteoric rate in the years since the
Deregulation Act was signed in the
fall of 1978.” the magazine's editors
wrote in announcing the Annual
Achievement Awards.
"Its expansion has generally fol
lowed a carefully thought out ‘fly to
daylight' strategy developing
markets that the other airlines
abandoned or in many cases over
looked. As a result it has been able
to avoid the ruinous fare wars of
the multi-airline higher density
routes keeping its competition
down to only 35 percent of its route
system. At the same time the Pied
mont strategy has provided service
to many customers who would have
to accept far less without Pied
mont,” the editors wrote.
"All during this expansion and
traffic growth Piedmont has been
able to make financial sense of it all
becoming a profit maker envied by
most of the industry. Piedmont has
also retained the qualities that it
had all along, its friendly, courteous
service and reasonable fare policies.
In fact Piedmont has been one of
the most successful in warding off
threats from lowcost new entry
operators, largely because of these
qualities. So despite the fact that it
has risen to become the 17th big
gest passenger carrier in the world,
it is still Piedmont, and it is our Air
line of the Year for 1984."
In the feature about Piedmont Air
Transport World Editor Henry Lefer
shows how we have profited
immensely from deregulation. In
the five years since deregulation he
points out that we have grown at an
average annual rate of about 33
percent, and during this lime, we
have never failed to show both an
operating and a net profit.
Lefer wrote, "Piedmont's grand
strategy, as it evolved, was based on
two fundamentals; provide second
ary cities with better service than
they had under regulation era
monopolies; and avoid direct con
frontation with the trunklines. In
practice this meant a hub and
spoke system linking the smaller
cities with the larger ones.”
In addition to Howard. Bill
McGee, senior vice president
marketing, Howard Mackinnon,
senior vice president finance, Gor
don Bethune, senior vice president
operations, Don McGuire, stall vice
president public affairs, and 'I'.H.
Davis, Piedmont's founder and re
tired chairman ol the board, were
on hand for the presentation of the
award.
"This award was made possible
because of a bond of faith we all
have in one another,” Howard said
to employees.
"Each of us at Piedmont has
every reason to be proud ol this
outstanding Company we have
built, and I want to thank you for
the contributions you have made to
f’iedmonfs success.”
Can we conlinne lo
prosper as American
moves into oiir territory?
Yes! Turn to page 5 for
a look at how Piedmont
sizes up the sitnation.
Earnings rise to record
$58.2 million for 1984.
Page 7 for details.
Piedmont has been the recipient oj
several aivards in recent months. Honors
inchide (from lop lejl) the Airline oJ the Year
Awardjrom Air Transport World magazine.
a large Irophyjrom NASCAR as champion
sponsorqflhe Terry Ixihonie team, and the
Mayor's Business Recognition Awardjrom
the City of Baltimore.