
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, December 13, 1994                   TAG: 9412130073
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: B7   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: FORT LAUDERDALE SUN-SENTINEL
DATELINE: FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA.                                 LENGTH: Short

EAGLE FLEET HEADS SOUTH

American Eagle's hub at Miami International Airport is set to become home to many of the commuter carrier's fleet of ATR aircraft, after federal regulators banned use of the plane in icy weather.

The Federal Aviation Administration's decision Friday followed an American Eagle crash in October that killed 68 people near Chicago. The FAA acted after reviewing data from the French manufacturer that control of the plane could be diminished in icy conditions.

American Eagle, the commuter arm of Dallas-based American Airlines, will send its 75 ATR-72 and ATR-42 planes to warm-weather states where ice is not a factor in air traffic, American Airlines spokesman Tim Smith said Monday.

``The swap is currently under way and certain ATRs are going to become much more common in Florida than they currently are,'' Smith said.

The ATR craft make up about 25 percent of American Eagle's fleet. The commuter airline's entire fleet at its Chicago hub consisted of ATR aircraft, and all of those planes are being shipped south.

The ATR planes will be swapped with Saab 340 planes from Miami, Smith said. The ATR-72 seats 64 passengers, while the ATR-42 plane seats 46. The Swedish-built Saab 340 holds 34 passengers.

The ATR craft also will be transferred to American Eagle's hub in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where the airline operates as Executive Airlines.

by CNB