You Too Can Run An Airline

A flock of new start-ups is taking to the skies and shaking up the airline industry

In an industry dominated by eagles, Classic Air is more like a mockingbird. The airline has two pilots, two flight attendants and a single, 46-year-old, 28-seat DC-3. Working out of a beat-up hangar at Spokane International Airport, the upstart service plans to begin flying passengers between the states of Washington and Idaho as soon as it receives clearance from federal regulators. The brainchild of Paul Salerno, 38, and his brother Bruce, 41, who run a family-owned cargo carrier called Salair, Classic is not a joke. Insists Paul Salerno: "We expect to be taken very seriously."

United, American and Delta may not...

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