Motor City Air Raid

Newcomer Pro Air thrives as Northwest stumbles. Are discount airlines ripe for a comeback?

Most men have it: the fantasy of one day sitting behind the wheel of an expensive sports car or climbing into the cockpit of a jet. Many outgrow the urge, but Kevin Stamper went out and bought a brand-new Boeing 737 and then, for the fun of it, launched Pro Air, his very own little airline.

And Pro Air is turning out to be a lot more than a grown man's toy. For every stumble that giant Northwest has made at its fortress hub at Detroit's Metropolitan Airport, two-year-old Pro Air has been there waiting to gobble up another dissatisfied customer....

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