David beating Goliath was an upset of biblical proportions.

So what do you call a David who triumphs twice within 10 years? America West Airlines.

The plucky Phoenix-based airline started flying in 1983 with three planes. It went into bankruptcy in 1991, after the first war with Iraq spurred a jump in fuel prices and a drop in demand for travel, but emerged from Chapter 11 in 1994. After the 9/11 attacks, Chairman and CEO Doug Parker leveraged a $429 million federal loan to reshape the carrier for the brave new world of post-9/11 commercial air travel.

Then things started to get interesting.

Movin’ On Up

With Arlington, Va.-based US Airways facing liquidation in 2005 following its second bankruptcy, Parker led America West in a last-minute takeover. Sure, they called it a merger and moved forward under the better-known US Airways name, but make no mistake: Parker’s America West team was running the show from its headquarters in Tempe, Ariz.

The next few years saw Delta absorb Northwest and Continental merge with United. Many in the industry, Parker included, believed that the new US Airways and American Airlines must inevitably merge to keep up. American’s leadership resisted the idea. But after American entered bankruptcy in hopes of restructuring, Parker moved quickly among its creditors and unions to build support for his takeover plan.

The corporate marriage was announced, appropriately, on Valentine’s Day. For a second time, it was the mouse that roared. The merged airline may look like Goliath: It will take American’s name, be headquartered in Dallas and lead the industry in terms of passenger traffic. But the America West team will continue to run the show.

Among all the news coverage of the merger, I haven’t seen anything about how America West, a mere minnow, managed to swallow progressively larger fish until it became the biggest in the pond.

It’s Personal

I started flying America West after my parents retired to Arizona in 2000. I lived in our nation’s capital at the time, working as a journalist covering Congress. When America West obtained a waiver to operate non-stop flights between Washington National Airport and Phoenix, my colleagues and I dubbed the route the “McCain Special,” since Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., was chairman of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee that had oversight of National.

Shortly thereafter, my father’s health began to deteriorate. Frequent trips to Phoenix, coupled with heavy use of my AWA credit card, boosted the mileage balance in my FlightFund account. When my father’s cancer became terminal, the airline was flexible in regard to my needs for last-minute travel. If I had the miles and a seat was available, America West got me aboard. When the hospice nurses decided it was time, I was on a flight only hours after being summoned.

So I have strong feelings for America West. Even though the latest merger will remove the corporate headquarters from greater Phoenix, I’m glad to see the AWA crew come out on top.

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Stu Robinson practices writing, editing, media relations and social media through his business, Phoenix-based Lightbulb Communications.

Tags: America West, American Airlines, Continental, Delta, Doug Parker, John McCain, Northwest, United, US Airways