Legend Airlines takes off

April 5, 2000
Web posted at: 5:29 p.m. EST (2129 GMT)

DALLAS (CNN) -- The United States' newest airline took to the skies Wednesday. Legend Airlines' inaugural flight lifted off from Dallas to Washington's Dulles International.

That flight went smoothly, but Legend may be heading for some turbulence.

Analysts say the airline is entering a tough market. The carrier, which targets business travelers, is battling fierce competition and a tattered history of success for start-up airlines.

Legend president and CEO T. Allan McArtor remains optimistic in spite of the odds.

"We're a business traveler shuttle," he says, "and we're trying to raise the bar on customer service ... to standards that simply don't exist on domestic airlines right now."

Legend president and CEO, T. Allan McArtor

Using refurbished DC-9s, Legend is initially flying to Dallas, Los Angeles and Washington, with tickets comparable to competitors' coach fares. A round-trip ticket for Washington, for example, costs $224 if bought three weeks in advance; a last-minute purchase is $785.

Each jet is to be outfitted with 56 first-class seats with 24 channels of live TV, gourmet food, unlimited carry-ons and seats with 46 inches (117 centimeters) of legroom -- 15 inches (38 centimeters) more than the industry average.

Attacking 'at the top'

"We're going after the high-end business traveler," McArtor says. "No other major air carrier has attacked at the top before."

Legend may find success filling that niche, says industry analyst Tom Parsons of Bestfares.com.

"If someone is going to give me all these extra amenities (and) a little bit more room ... for the exact same price as the competition," he says, "then I think I'm going to switch over."

Each Legend plane has only first-class seats

Legend says it wants to woo customers primarily from American Airlines, which has 70 percent of the Dallas flying market.

Legend has spent three years fighting a federal law banning long-haul flights from Dallas' Love Field, but its struggle likely isn't over: The tougher fight may be simply surviving. Four airlines, including Braniff International, have gone belly-up in Dallas.

Its competitors seem intent on adding Legend to that list, too. American, United and Continental have all announced plans to match the new carrier's service and prices.

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