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Founded | September 28, 2006 | ||||||
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Commenced operations | May 2, 2007 | ||||||
Ceased operations | April 5, 2020 | ||||||
AOC # | C77A868L[1] | ||||||
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Headquarters | Delta Air Lines Building C Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport Fort Snelling, Minnesota, United States | ||||||
Key people | Rick Leach (President & CEO) |
Compass Airlines, LLC, was a regional airline in the United States that operated from 2006 to 2020, when it shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was headquartered in Delta Air Lines Building C at Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport in Fort Snelling, Hennepin County, Minnesota;[2][3] prior to December 16, 2009, it was headquartered in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, east of the Chantilly CDP.[4][5][6] The airline launched inaugural service with a single Bombardier CRJ200 aircraft under the Northwest Airlink brand between Minneapolis/St. Paul and Washington, D.C., on May 2, 2007. On August 21, 2007, it began flying two Embraer 175 76-passenger aircraft, and expanded to 36 aircraft by December 2008.
Formerly a wholly owned subsidiary of Northwest Airlines and later Delta Air Lines, in July 2010, the company was sold to Trans States Holdings. At the time, Compass was the only remaining airline of the former Northwest Airlines Group.[7]
During its 14-year history, Compass Airlines operated over 1.5 million flights. In 2016, at its peak, Compass operated 62 aircraft and employed just over 2,000 employees.
Compass ceased operations on April 5, 2020, citing reduced travel demand stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, along with their ownership's failed attempts to secure additional flying. The airline ceased operations within a week after their sister-company, Trans States Airlines, leaving GoJet Airlines as the sole airline operated by Trans States Holdings.