Empire Airlines (1976–1985)

Empire Airlines was a regional airline serving the Northeastern United States beginning in 1976. In 1985, the airline was purchased by Piedmont Airlines, which itself was later purchased by USAir, and whose name then lived on in the US Airways Express network before US Airways was merged into American Airlines in 2015.

Founded by Paul Quackenbush, Empire Airlines began with its hub at the Oneida County Airport serving Utica and Rome, New York. Much of its early growth came by picking up routes abandoned by Allegheny Airlines as they concentrated on service to larger cities. Empire expanded throughout the early 1980s to destinations in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states.

For a time, Empire aircraft also provided connecting passenger feeder service as a "banner carrier" for Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) operating as Pan Am Express at New York–JFK International Airport (JFK). In early 1983, Empire was operating Pan Am Express service with Fokker F28 twin jets between New York-JFK and Buffalo, Ithaca, Rochester, Syracuse and Utica/Rome in New York; Pan Am was operating an international and domestic passenger hub at JFK at the time.

Toward the end of its existence Empire announced plans to phase out its Swearingen Metro II turboprop fleet and become an all-jet regional airline. Coinciding with this was a decision to reduce their presence in Utica and relocate their headquarters and most of their operations to Syracuse Hancock International Airport (SYR) which also served as a hub for the airline.