The Legal Storm Swirling Around Express One

In an industry better known for disappointments than triumphs, Express One International Inc. seems to show a lot of promise. The small airline owned by Alinda Hill Wikert, a granddaughter of oil tycoon H.L. Hunt, has built a successful charter and freight business. Its revenues climbed 50% last year, to $116 million. And in May, the Transportation Dept. gave Express One, based in Dallas, permission to operate scheduled flights around the country.

But instead of celebrating its growth, Express One finds itself embroiled in a nasty legal dispute over maintenance operations. In a lawsuit filed on Aug. 22 in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn, N.Y., Jack Farenga, a former pilot, claims he was fired in May for "writing up" in aircraft logbooks such problems as faulty weather-radar and navigational equipment on a Boeing 727, as required by federal regulations. Express One denies the allegations. Farenga was fired for insubordination, not maintenance write-ups, says Express Mne President Kevin Good. And the company fired back on Oct. 20 with a libel and slander counterclaim against Farenga, a former Eastern Air Lines pilot with 21 years of flying experience. In its suit, the airline cited comments Farenga allegedly made to BUSINESS WEEK as one reason for its legal action.