*Champion Air to Cease Flight Operations May 31st *
Bye bye passenger 727s (in the US). 
I think were going to be seeing more and more of these little airlines folding this year. I’m shocked that Sun Country or Alliegent are still in business. If it wasn’t for Southwest bailing ATA out, they would of been history. There are just to many airlines in this country and no one is making money, except the discount airlines. I think mergers do need to take place between the big airlines. It might be the only way for the big airlines to not keel over and die.
It was interesting to see mentioned in the press release commenting on “$110 a barrel of OIL” and there fleet is made up of all 727s!
Yeah…more cargo conversions coming right up. FedEx? Capital? Want any?
Lots of opportunity for someone to step up in offering Sports Charters. I wonder who will pick up the lions share? Pace?
JetChaser
Is there somewhere where you can find out what airlines charter to sport teams? I’d be curious to see what airlines charter for who. I would think hometown airlines would charter to home teams like United chartering the Chicago Bears. I know United for sure does that and I think Northwest charters the Packers.
Northwest and Delta do the majority of sports charters, American, US Airways, Continental, and United also do their hometown teams.
Champion does have quite a few NBA and NHL teams though.
A few teams (Mavs, Pistons, Red Wings/Tigers) have their own aircraft.
I imagine that Pace and Ryan will pick up most of these charters.
I believe the Portland Trailblazers also run a Paul Allen owned 757 if I am not mistaken.
You are correct, it is N757AF. He owns the Seahawks who also use it. Sometimes the Mariners use it as well. He used to have another one (N756AF) but sold one to the Google kids.
ha, didn’t think to look there 
I don’t believe the Mariners still use Paul Allen’s 757 anymore. They use DAL9827 for the East Coast flights and Alaska Airlines for the Midwest and West Coast trips. I don’t know the Alaska Airlines flight number. If you know it you can post it.
Yes, one might think a sports team would support their hometown airline if there is one but not the Arizona Cardinals. Nope, they get all kinds of free marketing from America west/usairways by having an airplane painted with the team logo but they fly another cities hometown airline. Go figure,
CC
I took a trip (one of many) PHL-PIT last December…we had to get de-iced prior to departure at PHL.
Pulled into the de-icing stalls…right next to a 727 that had “Dallas Stars” and their logo on the side of it. Seems they had played the Flyers the night before.
Kinda cool.
That’s N698SS. The Rangers and the Stars now use N757SS a B752 for their trips. They’ve stripped the logos and wordmarks off the 727 but still charter it for other teams. Southwest Sportsjet is the owner (Tom Hicks), and rumor has it he’s going to be guying up some old Champion equipment to do more charters. We’ll see.
Man what a shame. I use to love watching them takeoff at lambert.