page_title: MBS International Airport
section_title: Former Airline Service
hierarchical_section_title: MBS International Airport / History / Former Airline Service
caption_attribution_description: English: Ticketing area at MBS Airport
context_page_description: MBS International Airport, located in Freeland, Michigan, is a commercial and general aviation airport serving the nearby cities of Midland, Bay City, and Saginaw. It is included in the Federal Aviation Administration National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2017–2021, in which it is categorized as a non-hub primary commercial service facility.
  MBS was formerly named Tri-City Airport or Freeland Tri-City Airport. The airport was renamed MBS International Airport in 1994 to prevent confusion with other airports named "Tri-City Airport" across the United States. While owned by three municipalities, the IATA and FAA city name associated with the airport is Saginaw, i.e. the control tower is known to pilots as "Saginaw Tower".
  The commercial airport is a special municipal body owned by Bay County and the cities of Midland and Saginaw. The airport's name is an initialism formed from the names of these three communities and it is governed by a nine-member commission made up of three members from each of them.
  In October 2012, MBS opened a brand new $55 million new 6-gate terminal to replace the old 3 gate terminal which was built in 1965.
context_section_description: The 1980s and 1990s saw a lot of growth at MBS. During this time, airline service expanded and many airlines began serving MBS.
  Air Canada (Operated by Air Ontario) served MBS with its only International destination, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
  Allegiant Airlines served MBS in the early 2010s with weekly MD-80 service to Orlando-Sanford, but the route was dropped a few months later when Allegiant announced they would operate from Flint.
  American Eagle Airlines operated Shorts 360 turboprop aircraft to Chicago O'Hare, as well as Lansing, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, and Traverse City.  American left MBS in the late 1980s.
  Chicago Express Airlines, the now-defunct ATA Airlines carrier, served MBS in the early 1990s with daily service to Chicago Midway Airport using the Jetstream 31 turboprop aircraft.
  Delta Connection carrier Comair briefly linked MBS with Cincinnati, Ohio using Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia, a 30-seat turboprop. Comair left MBS and started service in Flint.  Delta returned to MBS in 2010 after their merger with Northwest Airlines.
  Continental Airlines provided mainline service in the 1980s to Cleveland, Ohio using McDonnell Douglas DC-9 and Boeing 737 aircraft.  Mainline service was downgraded to Continental Express service in the late 1980s using Beechcraft 1900 turboprop aircraft.  Service to Flint and Chicago Midway also existed in 1992.  The airline left MBS in the mid-1990s and returned in 2002. Service was dropped to Cleveland again in 2003.
  Northwest Airlines was a major player at MBS during the late 1980s until their merger with Delta in 2008.  In their 20+ years at MBS, Northwest served Detroit & Minneapolis with a fleet of McDonnell Douglas DC-9 series aircraft along with the Boeing 727 and Airbus 319 & 320. Northwest Airlink linked MBS to Flint, Lansing and Alpena throughout the 1980s with turboprop aircraft and eventually supported mainline Northwest with CRJ service to Detroit, Minneapolis and in 2008, operated a once daily nonstop to New York's LaGuardia airport in New York City using a CRJ-200 regional jet.
  Republic Airlines began service to MBS in the 1960s linking MBS with Detroit using the DC-9 aircraft. During this time, Republic Express provided turboprop service to Flint, Grand Rapids, and Traverse City.  Republic merged with Northwest Airlines in the 1980s, who subsequently merged with Delta Air Lines in 2010.  Delta still serves MBS today.
  Skyway Airlines (The Midwest Express Connection) served MBS in the 1990s with service to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, using the Beechcraft 1900 turboprop aircraft. Skyway also tried service to Toronto, Flint, and Grand Rapids in the late 1990s. The airline pulled out in the late 1990s.
  United Airlines provided MBS with mainline service since commercial service was started. In the 1980s and 1990s, United linked MBS with Chicago using Boeing 737 and 727 aircraft. Service to Denver, Colorado, also existed in the 1980s.  Mainline United left MBS in the late 1990s, and was replaced with United Express, which still serves MBS with service to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport using the 50 seat Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ) aircraft.
  US Airways began service to MBS in 1996, operating Fokker 100 and Boeing 737 aircraft to its former hub in Pittsburgh.  Mainline service ended soon after, and US Airways Express assumed the Pittsburgh flights using the Beech 1900 and Saab 340 aircraft.  US Airways suspended service to MBS just two days after entering Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in late 2002. At the time it was the only city for US Airways to drop.  Eventually, US Airways also left Flint, Lansing, Kalamazoo, and Grand Rapids, leaving Detroit as the only Michigan destination served by US Airways.
caption: Ticketing Area of the former terminal
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