Simmons Airlines of Marquette, Michigan, was contracted to fly Republic Express services out of the Detroit hub, as well as from Minneapolis into the Upper Peninsula. They also had a large operation out of heavily congested Chicago O’Hare flying most of the third-level routes Republic had abandoned along both sides of Lake Michigan.
Service to markets like Traverse City, Lansing, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan was lucrative enough that Simmons realized it needed larger equipment than 18-passenger Embraer Bandeirantes and 36-passenger Shorts 360s to handle passenger and freight demand, yet still work within slot controls at ORD. 64-passenger NAMC YS-11 mainline turboprops were acquired and deployed starting in July 1984, but these old airframes were complex and costly to maintain, and in practice had too much capacity to profitably operate across the system.
The fleet of five were phased out in 1987 as new ATR-42 turboprops were acquired – these being more appropriately sized with better operating economics. We have no photos suggesting any of the YS-11 craft were ever painted in Republic or Northwest colors; they would have had decals by the passenger boarding door but otherwise in standard Simmons stripes.
If you use these photos, please credit the Northwest Airlines History Center – please also contact us to let us know how you’re using them and if we can be of further help!
