It’s hard to believe it’s been almost twenty years since Vanguard Airlines ceased operations. The airline, which was founded in 1994, specialized in providing low-cost air travel to leisure travelers. The airline lasted only 8 years. They never really found their perfect niche as they entered and exited a number of markets and types of service. They even tried business class for a while!
Vanguard Airlines will always have a special place in the hearts of avgeeks though, particularly those that grew up in the midwest. Here are five reasons we miss Vanguard Airlines:
1.) Ultra-low fares with better service than the ultra-low cost carriers of today
$10 tickets with enough leg-room for a full-size adult and no bag fees? Yes, please! Vanguard was a no-frills airline but they were affordable. These ultra-low fares were Vanguard’s bread and butter and allowed them to become a major player in the low-cost hey day of the late 1990s. While these low prices came with a few rules (no online booking and no ticket changes), they were a welcome sight to thousands of college students and families traveling on vacation. Although Frontier, Spirit, and Allegiant offer similar fares today, they charge you for bag fees, snacks, even water in some cases.
2.) Full size jets to regional-sized cities
In the late 1990s, regional jets were an emerging craze. While many would say that riding on a CRJ-200 was an improvement over a Saab 340 or Metroliner, they were still cramped. For a time, Vanguard leveraged their Kansas City hub and Chicago Midway focus city to connect smaller cities like Colorado Sprints, Austin, Buffalo, and Myrtle Beach with larger markets in Florida, New York City, and the west coast. The combination of low-fares and service to these smaller markets opened up new affordable travel options.
3.) Their classic jets we’re loud (jurassic jets by today’s standards) and fun to fly on
For the first few years of Vanguard’s operations, they flew a fleet of well maintained but second-hand Boeing 737-200s. With the classic clam-shell reversers, rumbling cabin, and sporty performance, it felt more like riding on a rocket from Kansas City to Chicago Midway. Vanguard later added a few Boeing 737-300s and attempted to ‘modernize’ their fleet with a ragtag bunch of used MD-81, MD-82s, and MD-87s.
4.) Upstart Vanguard wasn’t afraid to challenge the big guys
As consumers, we loved that Vanguard would often enter a prime market like DFW airport and kick off a major fare war with both Delta and American. Back in 1996, Vanguard came into the Dallas/Fort Worth market with guns blazing. They announced service to Kansas City, Chicago Midway and Wichita, Kansas.
American responded forcefully. They matched fares, added flights and forced Vanguard to abandon Wichita service after just a few months. In retrospect, it wasn’t a very smart move to challenge the ‘bigs’ on their home turf. For Texans hamstrung by American’s high fares (Southwest was limited by the Wright Amendment at Love back then), Vanguard was a hero for trying.
5.) Vanguard’s no-frills felt ahead of their time
In many ways, Vanguard Airlines was ahead of its time even with their old jets. They offered e-ticketing ahead of most other low-cost carriers at the time. With all-coach Boeing 737s in just a single class configuration and mostly leisure travelers, it would have been easy to mistake Vanguard for a more modern ultra-low cost carrier like Spirit or Frontier rather than what they were: a classic no-frills airline. Vanguard was simple, but efficient and friendly. We miss them.
