US Airways American Customer Satisfaction Index by the University of Michigan, US Airways ranked last in customer satisfaction among the major airlines. However, it was making steady ground to bridge its gap with other airlines. In late 2008, US Airways closed its Las Vegas hub, which was part of the America West network. On January 15, 2009, US Airways Flight 1549, under the command of Captain Chesley Sullenberger, flying from New York City's LaGuardia Airport to Charlotte Douglas International Airport, ditched into the Hudson River shortly after takeoff. Multiple bird hits from a flock of Canada geese caused both engines to lose
US Airways livery in place of US Airways. The tail and underbelly of the livery remained the same as the US Airways mainline livery. Additionally, during this period several planes were painted with the Star Alliance livery, which featured the Star Alliance logo on the tail of the airplane, and the title Star Alliance painted prominently on the airplane. With US Airways' departure from Star Alliance, all of these aircraft were repainted into the new American Airlines livery. After the 2005 merger of US Airways and America West Airlines, a light grey livery was chosen to better meet operational needs due to the