Pro Air charged extremely low fares and experienced high passenger load factors on most of its flights; however, many of its flights were delayed with mechanical and crew problems. When Pro Air 737s underwent "C" maintenance checks,
Spirit Airlines,
Pan Am Clipper Connection, and
Casino Express operated its flights via charters. A Pan Am
Boeing 727 collapsed the fence at the end of runway 33 in at Detroit City Airport (DET) due to having to significantly increase engine thrust because of the short runway takeoff length of 5000 ft. Pro Air required its initial employees to go door-to-door in the metropolitan Detroit area and pass out flyers promoting the airline. The airline's first flight crew base was located in Indianapolis. Most employees moved to the Detroit area when the Detroit City Airport hub operation commenced in 1998. Pro Air was in direct competition with
Northwest Airlines (which operated a hub at the larger
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW)) on many of its routes. The airline originally started with a single fare for all passengers, but about 18 months afterwards it implemented tiered fares with advance purchase requirements. It also served full meals in coach (in addition to first class) but scrapped the program after realizing that the cost of the meal accounted for, on average, 10% of the fare that the customer paid. It was known for its signature "hot meal" service (even on the 35 minute DET-MDW route) in First Class along with premium alcoholic beverage service, and was the only airline to charge a mere $2 for beer and wine in Economy class (mixed drinks were $3). Pro Air pioneered one of the lowest fares on the DET-LGA-DET route at $59 each way (which would later be topped by Spirit Airlines’ $0.01 fares). "Founder's Fares" were offered for returning passengers as a "thank you" promotion. Detroit-area vehicle manufacturers
General Motors and
Chrysler also had programs in place for their employees and families who flew on Pro Air with discounted fares of $30 each way being available. On July 2, 2000, a Pro Air pilot taxied a plane into a luggage conveyor belt at
Orlando International Airport. No one was hurt, but the plane's left wing was so severely damaged that the
Federal Aviation Administration deemed the incident an accident. An investigation revealed that the pilot had ignored a number of signals before colliding with the belt. After a subsequent investigation revealed numerous other safety violations, the FAA grounded Pro Air on September 18, 2000. Pro Air filed for
Chapter 11 bankruptcy soon afterward, and sought permission to resume operations pending
NTSB review. However, the NTSB rejected Pro Air's bid to return to the skies on September 28. Its aircraft were quickly repossessed by the lessor soon afterward. == Destinations ==