Corraile Airlines

Corraile Airlines is the largest airline in Corraile and also one of the largest carriers of the AIN. The carrier employs over 47,644 staff, and has a fleet of 135 aircraft, almost all of which are Airbus. It is the main constituent operation of the Corraile Airlines Group, with corporate headquarters in Centreburg. Corraile Airlines' largest hub is Centreburg Gateway International Airport, with other hubs in Freedo International Airport and Colganston International Airport. The airline is a founding member of the Star Alliance, the largest airline alliance in the world, and offers connections to over 1,000 destinations in over 170 countries worldwide. The airline's regional service is Corraile Shuttle.

Foundation
Up until World War II, Corrailite civil aviation was dominated by the presence of Corraile Air Ways (no relation to the postwar Corraile Airways), which operated Douglas DC-3 aircraft between major points within the Atlantic Territories, with an international connection to Halifax. The "Silver Service", as it was known then, came to an end when the Colonial Government requisitioned all the Douglas aircraft for the war effort. Connectivity between the major urban areas was maintained by the Royal British Corraile Air Force (RBCAF), which operated a spartan network between the major settlements of Centreburg, Freedo, Colganston, Highvale and Territory of Stanraer Island using the smaller, more obsolescent Douglas DC-2.

In the initial postwar period, the RBCAF continued its civil transport operations. In 1947, these operations, alongside with 6 wartime-surplus Douglas C-47 Skytrains, were transferred to a new entity, Corraile Airways. As the demand for travel boomed, so did the carrier, which rapidly modernised with newer, larger Convair CV-240s, which replaced the C-47s on trunk routes and freed the latter to begin service to smaller airports. The rise in demand for air travel spurred the Colonial Government to liberalise the civil air transport sector. Thus, under the Liberal Government elected to power in the Atlantic Territories, private carriers were started, operating from different cities and in direct competition with Corraile Airways, which by 1954, when liberalisation occurred, was an established player in the business, operating modern aircraft such as the Convair CV-340 and the Lockheed Constellation.

Founded in 1954 with assistance from the Highvale Municipal Council, Highvale Airlines (as Corraile Airlines was known then) began service, much like other carriers around the world then, with the Douglas DC-3. Operating from Highvale's Carlaken Airport, it flew to major destinations such as Centreburg as well as regional points such as Parris and Brickport. High utilisation of it's available aircraft, an able management and generous state assistance enabled the airline to grow through the 1950s, ending the decade with a decidedly much stronger financial position and a fleet of modern Lockheed Electra turboprop airliners and the pressurised Douglas DC-6B. It was able to differentiate itself from it's competitors (most notably Corraile Airways) by operating to smaller destinations and embracing modern technology.

The Jet Age
In 1958, Corraile Airways announced an order for 15 Boeing 707s, marking the arrival of the Jet Age into Corrailite skies. Despite orders from other carriers, such as Stanraer Atlantic for Douglas DC-8s and Transatlantic Airlines of Corraile for the Boeing 707, Highvale Airlines chose not to orders jets, sticking instead to it's turbine-powered fleet of Electras. Given that much of the airline's route network was concentrated around short and medium-haul routes to smaller airports, jets were seen as not being financially prudent for the airline's operations. However, the airline showed considerable interest in the French Sud Aviation Caravelle jet airliner, given it's smaller seating capacity and better runway performance, which suited the airline's operations. Political pressure, however, forced the carrier to abandon plans to purchase the Caravelle in favour of British designs under development, designs which would culminate in the Hawker Siddeley Trident. (Eventually the airline would shun the type in favour of the Boeing 727)

In 1961, a sales call by Boeing resulted in the airline placing a firm order for it's first jet airliner, the Boeing 727. With seating for 121 in the airline's two-class configuration, it offered a quantitative advantage over the airline's Electra turboprops, and was significantly faster than the latter as well. With it's ability to land on short runways and operate independent of ground support, it suited the airline's operations. The airline would go on to operate 22 Boeing 727-100s and some 16 of the larger Boeing 727-200s. These jet aircraft enabled the airline to become competitive with Corraile Airways for the first time, given that the Boeing 727-200s could match the capacity and speed of the latter's Boeing 707s at the time. With the much improved operating capabilities of the new jets,t he airline was able to extend operations to many more international destinations, reaching Washington DC, Detroit and Winnipeg for the first time.

By 1968, the airline was Corraile's second largest, boasting a network that reached 12 domestic destinations and 44 international ones.

Widebodies and International Expansion
The granting of Fifth Freedom rights by the British government to the airline in 1970 led to the airline's interest in serving destinations across the Atlantic. This coincided with the introduction of widebodies into regular passenger service, as well as the expansion of airport facilities within Corraile to handle these widebodies. Corraile Airways had already purchased the Boeing 747 for use on it's Transatlantic routes, and other carriers, most notably TAC, which had also ordered the Douglas DC-10 widebody jet to compete. Increasingly compelled to purchase a widebodied jet to effectively compete against its rivals, the airline's Board of Directors finally authorised a purchase for 6 Douglas DC-10-10 jets and 4 longer-range Douglas DC-10-30s, and announced it's first truly long-haul route, between Centreburg and Munich with a stopover in London. In addition, the airline also announced plans to move it's main hub from Highvale's Carlaken Airport to the then-newly opened Centreburg Gateway International Airport, in order to consolidate it's route network around the country's only widebody-capable airport at the time.

At this period of time, the Highvale Municipal Council was still a major stakeholder in the company (owning at least 49% of the company's stake), and owned the trademark to the airline's name, which it then leased to the airline for use. Concerned over the obvious impact the airline's withdrawal from Highvale would have on the local economy, the Council threatened to terminate the lease of the airline's name unless the airline maintained at least a focus city in Carlaken Airport. No compromised was reached between the airline and the Municipal Council, and the airline duly pulled out from Highvale in December 7 1969, while the airline was denied the use of it's trademark the day after. As a result, the airline was renamed to Corraile Airlines International, the "International" having been placed there to both reflect on the fact that it was an international carrier, and to help differentiate the airline from rival Corraile Airways.

The airline received it's first Douglas DC-10 widebody on March 28 1972, which it used to inaugurate it's Transatlantic service between Centreburg and Munich. The arrival of more DC-10-30s heralded the airline's expansion into Europe, opening routes into Madrid, Paris and Zurich. Closer to home, the shorter-ranged, "domestic" DC-10-10s significantly increased the airline's presence in the United States, flying into major cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles and Seattle.

"Spheres of Influence" Era
By 1973, there were 3 major Corrailite airlines in operation: Corraile Airlines International, Corraile Airways and Corraile Central, founded by the merger of United Airlines of Corraile (itself a product of merger between Air Freedo and TAC) and Stanraer Atlantic. The Labour-dominated Corrailite government, eager to protect the interests of each airline and prevent overcompetition, introduced the "Spheres of Influence" policy, denoting several regions around the world which were exclusive to a particular carrier. Corraile Airlines International was given exclusive rights to operate international services to the Middle East, North and Western Africa and several secondary destinations throughout Europe. Due to many of the airline's international destinations in oil-rich regions, it was commonly referred to as "Oil Air". The airline used it's fleet of DC-10s (which would eventually reach a peak of 36) to expand into the regions allocated to it, and began service to Jeddah, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai and Istanbul in 1974, Tehran, Cairo, Algiers, Baghdad and Riyadh in 1975, and Tel Aviv and Beirut in 1976. Further expansion was coincided with closure of several routes later on due to political pressure, when the airline initiated service to Lagos in 179 and ceased service in Tehran that same year after the Iranian Revolution. Similarly, the airline began service to Casablanca in 1981 and ceased service to Baghdad.

Despite the unstable nature of politics in the 1970s and 1980s in the regions that the airline served, the carrier continued to grow, adding the Airbus A300 widebody to complement the Douglas DC-10-10 on high-density domestic routes and North American routes. Furthermore, service was extended to the Caribbean, with the airline expanding to serve the ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao), Sint Maarten and Puerto Rico. Protected by the Government and the "Spheres of Influence" policy except in the North American and domestic market, the airline thrived, replacing many of it's earlier Boeing 727-100s with the Boeing 737-200, opening a second hub in Freedo, and for a period of time, operating domestic US air routes under the Eighth freedom.

However, the policy had not entirely stopped the airline from establishing some form of a presence in markets outside of it's "Sphere of Influence", since the policy only prevented carriers from infringing on another carrier's region by way of scheduled passenger or cargo services. Eager to exploit the loophole, the airline established a Charter arm in 1980, purchasing 2 former Corraile Airways Boeing 707s and operating ad hoc charter services on behalf of package tour operators to destinations around the world, both within and beyond the airline's own region. 6 more ex-Corraile Airlines International 727s were drafted into service to operate short and medium-haul charter flights. The end of the "Spheres of Influence" policy meant that the Charter arm was no longer necessary, and it was soon disestablished.

The purchase of Corraile Central by Corraile Airways led to the formal discontinuation of the "Spheres of Influence" policy, which henceforth allowed direct competition between the two airlines on all international routes. Expansion and modernisation of the airline's fleet, combined with the low price of fuel in the 1980s, meant that it was well-poised to expand it's international services dramatically, it's modern Boeing 767s operating on major trunk routes into North and Central America, while the airline expanded aggressively into key European markets as well, flying into London Heathrow Airport for the first time (the airline was previously forced to use the less convenient Gatwick Airport), as well as Frankfurt.

Modern History
By the late 1980s, the airline had grown significantly, operating as far east as Dubai and as far west as Hong Kong, it's route network rivalling Corraile Airways' in terms of destinations covered and passengers carried. With it's more efficient fleet of widebodied twinjets, it had lower operating costs per seat mile than it's competitor, which enabled it to undercut Corraile Airways on both North American and European routes. When coupled with increased competition and the very costly integration of Corraile Central, Corraile Airways began to suffer financially. It's dependence on the Transatlantic market for profit meant that it suffered greatly in the wake of the Chernobyl disaster, further stressing the airline's then-already tenuous financial position.

Hence, Corraile Airlines International was able to leverage on Corraile Airways' desire to sell routes to expand it's growing network. In 1988, rights to operate between Centreburg and Rome were transferred over to CAI, while much of the Pacific route network was passed to CAI in 1990. Meanwhile, the airline also introduced the Airbus A320 into service, displacing many of the older Boeing 737s in service then.

In 1993, the collapse of it's main competitor, Corraile Airways, threw open the gates for international expansion. The collapse of Apartheid in South Africa and the resulting cessation of economic sanctions against the country meant that CAI (thus rebranded as Corraile Airlines) meant that the airline was finally able to start operating between Centreburg and Johannesburg via Dakar, using 2 ex-Corraile Airways Boeing 747SPs. Service in the Asia-Pacific region was also extended to more cities, connecting Singapore, Beijing, Kuala Lumpur (since discontinued) and Taipei (since discontinued). Up until 1999, it was the only Corrailite carrier to operate Transatlantic services, and by then had standardised around the Boeing 767 as it's widebody aircraft, retiring the Airbus A300, Douglas DC-10 and 747SP. Furthermore, it maintained an all-Airbus short-haul fleet, operating Airbus A320s and A319s. In 1999, it announced an order for 15 Airbus A380s. (then known as the Airbus A3XX)

The growth of Freedo-based IslandFLY posed the airline's first significant challenge in almost a decade, when it began services between Centreburg and London Gatwick Airport via Freedo. Supported by a government that wanted to end the virtual monopoly held by the carrier, IslandFLY was quick to expand it's international presence, initiating Transatlantic routes in direct competition to Corraile Airlines. In response, the Airbus A340 was introduced on the airline's popular Centreburg-London and Centreburg-Paris route to match IslandFLY's Boeing 747-200s. In addition, the airline purchased Ingrid Airways, Corraile's largest regional carrier then, renaming the operation Corraile Shuttle. Furthermore, the airline began to introduce the more efficient Airbus A330 as a replacement for the airline's Boeing 767s, thus creating an all-Airbus fleet. Later on, Airbus A340-500s were introduced to operate the longest nonstop route in the world, between Centreburg and Providence, Arcacia. (the route has since been discontinued)

With the spike in oil prices and the post-2007 recession, the Airbus A340s in service then (the larger A340-600 had been introduced as a replacement for the Airbus A340-300s) were deemed to be too expensive to continue operating, and were thus retired from service starting 2011. These aircraft were replaced by the Boeing 777-300ER, which ended the airline's association to an all-Airbus fleet.

In 2012, the airline started it's latest low-cost carrier subsidiary Lightfoot, operating low-cost flights into several US cities from Centreburg.

Headquarters
The airline is currently headquartered in Freedom Tower, Centreburg, having maintained its head offices there since 2000.

From the time of it's formation until 1972, the airline's headquarters were located in Highvale, initially in the terminal building of the city's Carlaken Airport, before moving to larger office space in downtown Highvale. Despite the airline's relocation of it's main hub to Centreburg in 1971, the airline continued to be headquartered in Highvale until 1972, due to the unavailability of suitable office space in Centreburg then. The airline then moved it's head offices into 66 Headland Avenue, where it stayed until 2000 when the airline shifted to the Freedom Tower. Taking up 15 storeys of office space, the airline is the largest tenant in the tower complex.

Labour policy
All of Corraile Airlines' 8,000 pilots are represented by the Corraile Consolidated Pilots Association, having disposed of the Air Line Pilots Association - Corraile (ALPA-C) in 1985.

Branding and logo
Ever since 1971, Corraile Airlines has used it's iconic "Chevron" logo, which was developed by graphic designer Edward Greene and adopted by the airline as it's first truly graphic logo. This logo was initially rendered in bright yellow and black, colours that were used by the airline previously as well. Despite the airline having officially referred to it's logo more as a flying "Chevron", it was also likened by the public and crew alike to swallows, although this was not publicly used by the carrier to describe it's logo due to the possible confusion that would have arisen with Ozark Air Line's logo.

In 1981, the airline adopted a new colour scheme, in blue, that was first painted on an Airbus A300 8U-IPA. In addition, a redesign of the airline's logo was commissioned, resulting in an update of the initial "Chevron" livery, rendered in two shades of blue that were also used on the airline's aircraft liveries. This livery was in use until the beginning of 1999 and the last planes to feature this paint scheme were repainted by 2001.

In 2001, the airline's livery was given an update, by moving the cheatlines down and reducing the size of the "Corraile Airlines" titles. The term "international" was removed from the airline's name and this was duly updated on the airline's aircraft. This livery, which in essence was a continuation of the airline's 1981 livery, was given a much needed makeover in 2008, when the airline unveiled a newer, more modern version of it's livery, designating them for the first time as "Swallows" (The airline had purchased the right to the "Swallows" designation for it's liveries from TWA after the latter bought out Ozark). This redesign saw the softening of the logo's sharp edges, and the subsequent repainting of it's aircraft into the present livery.

Destinations
Corraile Airlines flies to 184 destinations, including 8 domestic destinations (not including those served by regional arm Corraile Shuttle) in 54 countries across Asia, Americas, Europe, Oceania, and Africa.. The carrier, along with British Airways, Delta Air Lines, Emirates, Korean Air, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines and South African Airways, is one of the few airlines that fly to all six inhabited continents.

Route Network
The majority of the airline's international operations are concentrated in the Americas, mostly in North America. Slightly over half of the airline's international traffic is to US and Canadian destinations, and the airline has significant presence in the Midwestern and Southeastern, as well as the Northeastern regions of the United States. The airline also flies regularly to several points within Ontario and Quebec. Beyond North America, Corraile Airlines also flies to several major points in South America and the Caribbean, having taken over those routes from Corraile Airways in 1993, which in turn had operated those routes after acquiring them from Corraile Central in 1985.

Beyond the Americas, the airline also has several international connections to Europe, the Middle East (a region it has operated in since the 1970s) and the Asia-Pacific region. It has mainly concentrated on opening connections to several Asian states, most notably the People's Republic of China. It currently operates to Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Seoul and Singapore in the Asia-Pacific region, and has plans to begin opening services to destinations in Australia and possibly New Zealand as well from it's Pacific focus city in Los Angeles.

Within Corraile, the airline operates a dense and high-frequency operation, especially between Centreburg, Colganston and Freedo, typically flying between these cities once every hour. The airline also connects to Solando in Lanaya, although it has yet to commence intra-Lanaya flights.