AAXICO Airlines
1946: Miami Beach FL. 1965: Airline operations acquired by Saturn Airlines; AAXICO nominally continued as an aircraft products supplier.
Academy Airlines
19??: Griffin GA. Cargo; also supplemental carrier for FedEx.
Access Air
1998: (pres: Roger Ferguson) Des Moines IA. 2000: (pres: John Ruan III). 2001: Ended operations. Routes to LAX, NYC, Colorado Springs.
Aeroamerica
1974: Seattle WA (charter).
Aero Aviation
19??: Aero Aviation Centre Ltd, Edmonton Alberta (charter, flight school).
Aero Coach Aviation International
1987 (>1982): Ft Lauderdale FL?.
Aero Commuter
1967: Long Beach CA. 1969: Acquired by Golden West Airlines.
Aero Corp of California
1928: Aero Corp Field, Los Angeles Mesa, W Los Angeles CA (pres: Jack Frye). Holding company for Standard Airlines Inc, Fokker, Western Air Express.
• Foundation of eventual TWA.
Aero-Dyne Airlines
1965: Renton WA (charter).
Aero Limited
1919: ---.
Aeromarine Airways
1920-1923: ---.
Aeromech Airlines
1951: Aeromech, Clarksburg WV (air taxi). 1971: Aeromech Airlines. 1983: Merged with Wright Airlines.
Aerosun International Airlines
1978: Red Carpet Airlines, Clearwater FL. 1981: Became Aerosun International Airlines. 1982: Ended operations.
Aero Taxi Rockford
19??: Rockford IL. Cargo.
Aero Union Corp
1990: ---.
Air 21
19??: Fresno CA.
Air Alliance
1986: Québec. 1999: Merged with Air Nova as a subsidiary of Air Canada.
Air Alma
19??: Metropolitan Air Services Ltd, Alma Québec. 1960: Alma Air Service. 1972: Air Alma.
Air America
1961: Agency of CIA, Washington DC. SEE external link for a complete history. LINK DEAD 6/20/02
Air America Airlines
1989: ---. 1990: Ended operations.
Air Amos
1964: Amos Québec.
Air Atlanta
1979: Atlanta GA. Memphis-Atlanta-New York, later Miami and Philadelphia. Ended operations 1987.
• Boeing B727s.
Air Atonabee
1971: Atonabee Airways, Peterborough Ontario. 1979: Air Atonabee Ltd.
Air B C
1980: Richmond BC. Formed from mergers of Canadian Air Transit, Gulf Air Aviation, Haida Airlines, Island Airlines, Omnineca Air Services, Pacific Coastal Airlines, Trans Provincial Airlines, and West Coast Air.
Airborne Express
1980: ABX Air Inc dba Airborne Express, Wilmington OH. Cargo.
Air California / Aircal
1967: Santa Ana CA. 1976: Reorganized as Westgate-California Corp. 1981: Renamed Air Cal. 1987: Acquired by American Airlines.
Air Canada
1937: Trans Canada Airlines, Montreal Québec. 1964: Air Canada.
Air Cargo Carriers
Milwaukee, WI.
Air Cargo Masters
Sioux Falls SD. Cargo.
Air Central
1978: Harlingen TX. 1979: Ended operations.
Air Chaparral
1980: Reno NV. 1982: Ended operations.
Air Chico
1980: Chico CA. 1982: Ended operations.
Air Cortez
1982: Ontario CA.
• Ports in Mexico and Baja California.
Air Commuter Airlines
1967: Cleveland OH. 1968: Merged with Wright Air Lines.
Air-Dale
c.1980: Sault St Marie Ontario (charter).
Air Express
1932: Air Express Corp (pres: Philip H Philbin), Denver CO. Coast-to-coast air cargo. Lockheed Orions from Pittsburgh Airways and Vegas from Midland Air Express.
Air Ferries
1930: Joseph J "Buster" Tynan Jr dba Air Ferries Ltd, San Francisco CA; maintenance at Oakland Airport. 1932: Purchased by Varney Speed Lines/Lanes, and Oakland terminal moved to San Francisco Bay Airdrome in Alameda. 1933: Ended operations.
• Originally connected Oakland and San Francisco bayside terminals for $1.50 one-way passage for 18-minute trip in six-passenger Loening Air Yachts.
Air Florida
1972: Miami FL as intrastate carrier. 1978: Certified after deregulation (pres: Edward C Acker, former Braniff president). 1984: Bankruptcy; assets acquired by Midwest Express.
• Initially regional East Coast seaboard, then expanded to Midwest. Became International in 1980 with flights to various Caribbean and Latin American destinations and, for a while, to Amsterdam, Brussels, London, Madrid, and Shannon.
• Boeing B727-200, 737-100 and -200, Douglas DC-9-15F, DC-10-30.
Air Florida Commuter
1984: Established by Air Florida as feeder lines from Florida and the Bahamas to Miami hub. Sub-contracted carriers: Air Miami, Airways Intl, Atlantic Gulf, Finair Express, Florida Airlines, Florida Airmotive, Gull Air, Key Airlines, Mackey Intl, Marco Island Airways, National Commuter, Ocean Reef Airways, Pompano Airways, Provo Flying Service, Skyway Commuter, and Slocum Air.
• Beech 99, CASA C-212, Convair 580, et al.
Air General
1967: ---.
Air Grand Canyon
1990: ---.
Air Hawaii
1977: Formed in merger with Air Molokai, ---. 1980: Acquired OK Air.
Air Illinois
1970: Chicago IL.
Air Inuit
1978: Ft Chimo Québec.
Air Irvine
1981: Santa Ana CA.
Air Kentucky
1974: Owensboro KY. 1980: Contract carrier for Allegheny Commuter System. 1989: Ended operations.
Air LA
1982: Greater Pacific Airways, Los Angeles CA. 1988: Air LA. 1990: Merged with Air Resorts Airlines, in 1990 but operated separately. 1991: Ended operations.
Air-Lift Commuter
1980: Air-Lift International, Morrisville NC.
Airlift International
1946: ---, on acquisition of Riddle Airlines. Cargo. 1981: Ended operations.
Air Lincoln
19??: Ft Collins Flying Service, Ft Collins CO. 1982: Air Lincoln, Chicago IL. 1982: Ended operations.
Air Link
1982: Air Link, Chicago IL.
Air Miami
c.1984: Subcontract carrier for Air Florida Commuter.
Air Michigan
1969: Kalamazoo MI. 1972: Ended operations.
Air Midwest
1965: Aviation Services Inc, Wichita KS. 1983: Air Midwest Inc. 1991: Acquired by Mesa Airlines.
Air Montreal
19?? ---.
Air Nevada
1970: Las Vegas NV. 1970: Ended operations.
Air Nevada
1978: Las Vegas NV (unrelated to the previous entry).
Air New England
1975: East Boston MA. 1981: Ended operations.
Air New Orleans
1983: New Orleans LA. 1988: Ended operations.
Air Niagara Express
1978: Alberta Ontario and Ft Lauderdale FL (charter).
Air North
1963: Burlington VT. 1970: Contract carrier for Allegheny Commuter System. 1979: Returned to independent operations. 1983: Acquired by Brockway Air.
Air North
1977: Yukon Air Service dba Air North, formed from Northern Airlines, Fairbanks AK. 1984: Ended operations.
Air Nova
1986: Enfield NS Canada. 1999: Merged with Air Alliance as a subsidiary of Air Canada.
Air O'Hare
19??: Chicago IL.
Air One
1984(?): Air One Airlines, St Louis MO. 1984: Ended operations.
Air Ontario
1961: Great Lakes Airlines, London Ontario. 1981: Air Ontario.
Air Oregon
1978: Portland OR. 19??: Acquired by Horizon Air.
Air Pennsylvania
1980: Reading PA. 1982: Ended operations.
Air Saguenay
1981: Chicoutimi Québec (charter).
Air Satellite
1968: Québec.
Air Schefferville
1981: Schefferville Québec.
Air South
1967: St Simons Island GA. 1975: Merged with Florida Airlines as Florida Airlines-Air South, Atlanta GA, then just Florida Airlines.
Air Southwest
1967: Dallas TX. 1971: Renamed Southwest Airlines.
Airspur Airlines
1982: Los Angeles CA. 1982: Ended operations.
Air Sunshine
1951: American Air Taxi, Key West FL. 1972: Became Air Sunshine, Ft Lauderdale FL.
Air Tahoma
San Diego CA. Cargo.
Air Texas
1968: Ft Worth TX. 1970: Ended operations.
Air Train
19??: ---.
AirTran Airways
1994: Atlanta GA. ValueJet?
Air Transport Carriers
1946: 1949?: Charles & Edna Sherman dba Air Transport Carriers, Burbank CA. 1953: reorganized as a Nevada corporation. 1953: bankruptcy. cf: California Central Airlines
Air Transport International
19??: Little Rock AR. Cargo.
Air US
1977: Denver CO.
Air Vectors
1979: Air Vectors Airways, Newburgh NY. Also contract carrier for FedEx.
Air Vermont
1981: Stowe VT. 1984: Ended operations.
Air Virginia
1979: Lynchburg VA.
Airways International
1985: Miami Springs FL. Subcontract carrier for Air Florida Commuter.
Air West SEE Hughes Air West
Air Wisconsin / United Express
1965: Appleton WI. 1985: Merged with Mississippi Valley Airlines. 1980: Acquired Aspen Airways. 1991: Acquired by United Express (UAL). 1993: Purchased by CJT Holdings Inc and restructured as Air Wisconsin Airlines Corp. 1998: Acquired Mountain Air Express.
Alaska Aeronautical
1954: Alaska Aeronautical Industries, Anchorage AK.
Alaska Air Express
1932: Seattle WA. 1936: Ended perations.
Alaska Airlines
1932: (Mac) McGee Airways, Anchorage AK. 1934: Merged with Star Air Service. 1937: Renamed Star Airlines. 1942: Became Alaska Star Airlines. 1944: Alaska Airlines, on acquisition of Livery Airways, Mirow Air Service, and Pollack Flying Service. 1946: Moved to Seattle WA. 1968: Absorbed Alaska-Coastal and Cordova Airlines. 1986: Acquired Jet America.
• First over-the-Pole commercial flights (1951).
Alaska Air Transport
1936: Possibly from (Wilbur) Irving Airways, Juneau AK. 1942: Acquired by Alaska-Coastal Airlines.
Alaska-Coastal Airlines
c.1942: Juneau AK on acquisition of Alaska Air Transport. 1968: Aquired by Alaska Airlines.
Alaska International Airlines SEE MarkAir
Alaska Southern Airways
1933: Seattle WA. 1934: Ended operations.
Alaska Star Airlines SEE Star Airlines
Alaska-Washington Airways
4/15/1929: (pres: Joseph L Carman Jr) Seattle WA. 1932: Receivership after disastrous fires and flood.
• Served Washington, British Columbia, and Alaska sites with 2 Fairchild 71s, 7 Lockheed Vegas, and a Stinson Detroiter, most on floats. Seattle to Juneau (fare $105) in only 07h:48m challenged steamship travel of more than three days for the same route.
Aleutian Airways SEE Reeve
All-American Airways SEE Allegheny Airlines
Allegheny Airlines
1937 (>1939): All-American Aviation Co, Pittsburgh PA (air mail operations). 1949: Passenger operations as All-American Airways. 1953: Renamed Allegheny Airlines, Washington DC; Alleghany Commuter Service as a contract division (SEE Chautauqua Airlines). 1968: Acquired Lake Central Airlines. 1972: Acquired Mohawk Airlines. 1979: Became usAir (visually changed to USAir in 1989), and in 1987 the Commuter fleet included Air Kentucky, Chautauqua Airlines, Crown Airways, Pennsylvania Airlines, Pocono Airlines, Southern Jersey Airways, and Suburban Airlines. 19??: Middletown PA. 1988: Acquired Pacific Southwest Airlines. 1989: Acquired Piedmont Airlines. 1995: Renamed US Airways. 1998: Acquired USAir Shuttle (Trump Shuttle).
Alliance Airlines
1984: Kenosha WI. 1989: Acquired by Great Lakes Airlines.
Aloha Airlines
1946: Trans-Pacific Airlines, Honolulu HI. 1946: TPA Aloha Airline. 1958: Aloha Airlines.
• Connected Marshall Islands, West Coast of California, and Las Vegas, replacing fleet of Boeing 737-200 with new-generation 737-700s.
Alpha Air
c.1988: ---.
Altus Airlines
c.1988: ---.
Altair
1967: Philadelhia PA.
American Airways and American Airlines
1930: American Airways, New York NY. Operating transport subsidiaries — Colonial Air Transport [separate from 1942 Colonial Airlines], Embry-Riddle, Interstate Airways, Martz Air Lines, Robertson Airlines, Southern Air Transport, and Universal Aviation came directly under control of American Airways, except Embry-Riddle. American Airways was then controlled by Aviation Corporation (AVCO), but eventually all subsidiary companies were dissolved, leaving AVCO the sole owner. Divisions and bases of American were Universal at St Louis, Colonial at Newark, Southern at Fort Worth, and AVCO as the main holding company in New York. Fredrick Coburn was appointed president of American Airways and began to simplify routes and operations — its routes at that time went no further west than El Paso. Many subdivisions (flying schools, aircraft sales, air taxis, etc) were dissolved when it was thought that those would not be good sources of revenue. 1932: Acquired Century Airlines. 1934: Reorganized as American Airlines. 1971: Merged with Trans-Caribbean Airways Inc. 1975: Trade agreement with PAA for Caribbean routes. Apr 2001: Took over TWA.
• First to offer non-stop transcontinental commercial service (1953).
• Subsidiaries (data: 1980): AA Development Co, AA Energy Corp, AA Training Corp, Americana Hotels, Flagship Inn, Sky Chefs.
American Central Airlines
1980: Dubuque IA. 1985: Ended operations.
American Eagle
19??: From Chaparral Airlines, Dallas TX. 1986: Acquired Command Airways. 1988: Became regional subsidiary of American Airlines. 1990: Merged with Metroflight.
American Export Airlines
1940: New York NY.
American Express International Airlines
c.1984: New York NY.
American Flyers
c.1964: American Flyers Airline Corp, ---. 1971: Became Universal Airlines.
American International Airlines
1981: ---.
• "Gamblers Express" charters.
American Trans-Air
1981: American Trans-Air Airlines, Indianapolis IN (charter).
America West
c.1983: America West Airlines, ---.
Amerijet International
c.1990: Amerijet International Inc, Fort Lauderdale FL. Cargo.
Apache Airways
c.1929: Phoenix and Miami AZ.
Apollo Airways
1969: Santa Barbara CA. 1975: First commuter flights. 1982: Name change to Pacific Coast Airlines.
Arizona Airlines
1945: ---. 1950: Acquired by Monarch Airlines.
Arizona Airways
1928: Phoenix AZ. c.1941: Ended operations. Passenger and cargo operations also included an aerial circus and exhibitions in their business envelope. License cancelled by Arizona Corporation Commission in 1942 for failure to pay fees from 1939-1941.
Arizona Airways Express SEE Great Lakes Airlines.
Arizona Pacific Airlines
19??: Omni Airlines, Flagstaff AZ. 1981: Arizona Pacific Airlines, Las Vegas NV. 1981: Ended operations.
Arkansas Traveler
1978: Mountain Home AR. 1984: Ended operations.
Arrow Air
1947: White Plains NY (corporate charter). c.1950: Suspended operations. 1981: Revived as scheduled service and worldwide charter. 19??: Cargo center, Miami FL. 19??: Merged with Fine Air Services.
Arrowhead International Airlines
1929: Duluth MN. 1930: Merged with Canadian-American Airlines.
A S A International Airlines
c.1958: ---.
Aspen Airways
1953: Denver CO, air taxi to Aspen CO. 1966: Scheduled service to New Mexico, Arizona, Kansas, Utah, and charter services to California. 1986: Partnered with United Airlines. 1989: Sale of the privately-owned airline marked the beginning of the end; new owners sold part of Aspen's operation to Mesa Airlines in 1990 and, soon after, jet operations and facilities at Aspen Airport went to Air Wisconsin/United Express (UAL). Mid-1991: Aspen Airways was merged into Air Wisconsin.
Aspen Mountain Air / Lone Star Airlines
c.1997: ---.
Atlanta Express Airline
1982: Hilton Head Island SC. Flew DH Dash 7s nonstop between Hilton Head Island Airport and Hartsfield in Atlanta. The operation was run by Sunbird Airlines management. Sunbird took over the route when Atlanta Express closed, replacing it with their Beech C-99s, Cessna 402s and Titans. We flew nonstop from HHH to ATL and CLT with connections to other Sunbird cities in SC, NC, and VA. (— Jim Phillips1/21/01)
Atlantair
1981: Moncton New Brunswick.
Atlantic Gulf Airlines
c.1985: Subcontract carrier for Air Florida Commuter.
Atlantic Coast Airlines / United Express
1989: Atlantic Coast airlines div of WestAir (United Express carrier). 1991: Acquired by Atlantic Coast Airlines Holdings Inc, Dulles VA. Affiliation: UAL.
Atlantic Southeast Airlines
1979: Atlanta GA. Affiliation: Delta Air Lines.
Atlantis Airlines
1979: Florence SC.
Atlas Air
1992: (pres: Michael A Chowdry) Purchase NY. Cargo.
Austin Airways
1934: Timmons Ontario. Canada's oldest continuously operating airline.
AvAir / American Eagle
c.1987: American Eagle Airlines, ---. 1988: Became Nashville Eagle Airlines, Nashville TN.
Avalon Air Transport
1940: Catalina Air Transport, Long Beach CA. 1953: Avalon Air Transport. 1963: Catalina Airlines.
Aviation Enterprises
1944: Aviation Enterprises Inc, --- TX. 1947: Acquired by Trans-Texas Airways
AvAtlantic
c.1990: ---.
Ball
1927: Clifford Ball, McKeesport PA (CAM-11). 1930: Acquired by Pennsylvania Airlines.
Balsam's Air Service
1922.
Bankair Commuter
1973: Greenville SC.
Bar Harbor Airlines
1982: Bar Harbor ME (charter). 1965: Scheduled service. 1980: Acquired Downeast Airlines. 1991: Ended operations.
Barnes & Gorst SEE Gorst Air Transport
BAS Airlines
1979: Beaver Falls PA. 1990: Ended operations.
Bay Valley Air Service
c.1947: San Francisco CA. Service to Sacramento
• 2 Grumman G-21As (ex-JRF-6Bs).
Big Bear Airline
1924: Ontario Aircraft Corp, Ontario CA dba Big Bear Airline (J R Pollock, Waldo Waterman).
• Connected Ontario with Big Bear Lake. 6 modified Boeing C floatplanes, later converted to wheels, and a Packard-LePage LUSAC 11.
Big Island Air
1985: Kona HI. 1989: Reverted to charter service.
Big Sky Airlines
1978: Billings MT. 1985: Became part of Northwest Airlink. 1990: Ended operations.
Bixby Airlines
19??: Long Beach CA. No data.
Bluebird Air Line
1920: D D France dba Bluebird Aviation Co, Los Angeles CA.
• Schedules to Ontario and Bear Valley (Big Bear Lake) using Standard J-1s.
Bluegrass Airlines
c.1945: ---. One of the first post-war intrastate lines; operated between Louisville, Bowling Green, Lexington, Ashland, Owensboro, Madisonville, and Paducah KY. Ended operations in late 1946 — opinions differ. (— Jerry Marlette8/23/00)
Boeing Air Transport aka The Boeing System
1927: (William) Boeing Air Transport Inc, Seattle WA. 1927: Acquired Pacific Air Transport. 1930: Div of United Aircraft & Transport Corp; later United Airlines.
Bollam Air Transport
1929: (Richard E) Bollam Air Transport Co, Portland OR.
• Daily schedules to Alameda CA and Seattle WA.
Bonanza Air Lines
1945: Edmund Converse, flight school and charter service, Phoenix AZ. 1946: Moved to Las Vegas NV. 1949: Bonanza Air Lines. 1968: Merged with Pacific Air Lines and West Coast Air Lines as Hughes Air West.
Boreal Airways
19??: Montreal Québec. 1947: Merged with Mont Laurier Aviation as Nordair.
Boston-Maine Airways
c.1938: Boston & Maine Airways, ---. 19??: Absorbed by Northeast Airlines.
Bowen Lines
1931: (Temple) Bowen Air Lines, Fort Worth TX. 1935: Ended operations.
Braniff International
1927: (Paul R) Braniff Air Lines, Oklahoma City OK. 1929: Became subsidiary of Universal Aviation Corp. 1929: Acquired Central Airlines (Wichita KS). 1930: Became Braniff Airways. 1941: Relocated to Dallas TX. 1942 or 1952: Acquired Mid-Continent Airlines. 1952: Braniff International Airways. 1967: Acquired PANAGRA. 5/12/82: Ended operations in bankruptcy.
• Initial route was between Oklahoma City and Tulsa, then expanded to Kansas City MO.
• Concorde SST trials in 1979-80 between Dallas and Washington DC proved financially infeasible.
British Columbia Airlines
19??: ---. 1970: Acquired by Pacific Western Airlines.
Britt Airways
1956: Danville IL.
Brockway Air
19??: ---. 1986: Became Piedmont Commuter affiliate.
Brower Air Service
c.1930: Omaha NB and Wichita KS.
• Curtiss Robins.
Buffalo Airways
c.1984: Buffalo NY. Cargo.
Bulldog Airlines
c.1992: ---.
Business Express
1981: Billings MT. 1986: Became part of Delta Connection. 1989: Acquired Mall Airways. 19??: Acquired Pilgrim Airlines.
Cable Commuter
1967: ---. 1969: Acquired by Golden West Airlines.
California Air Shuttle
1990: Oxnard CA. 1990: Ended operations.
California Airways
c.1990: ---.
California Central Airlines
1947: Charles & Edna Sherman dba California Central Airlines, Burbank CA. 1954: Ended operations. [cf: Air Transport Carriers]
California Eastern
1946: --- . Cargo. 1948: Sold to Slick Airways.
• Douglas C-54.
California Hawaiian
c.1960: ---.
Calm Air International
19??: Manitoba and NWT Canada.
Cal-State Airlines
c.1967: Los Angeles, LAX American Airlines Terminal. Routes along California coast and interior.
• Handley-Page Jetstream.
Canadian Air Transit
19??: --- Canada. 1980: Merged as Air B C.
Canadian Airways
19??: ---.
Canadian-American Air Lines
1929: St Paul MN. 12/1929: Merged with Arrowhead Intl Airlines. c.1930: Schlee-Brock Corp, Winnepeg Canada.
Canadian Colonial Airways
1929: Montreal Canada. 1942: Reformed as Colonial Airlines. 1956: Absorbed by Eastern Airlines.
Canadian Pacific Airline SEE CP Air
Canada Regional Airlines
19??: Calgary Canada. Affiliations: Partenaire Canadien.
C & M Airlines
1979: Division of American Aviation, Inyokern CA. 1983: Acquired by Mojave Airlines. 1984: Reverted to C & M. 1985: Ended operations.
Cape Smythe Air
1975: Fel Air, Barrow AK. 19??: Acquired by Thomas Brower dba Cape Smythe Air.
Capital Airlines
1936: Pennsylvania Central Airlines (PCA), Pittsburgh PA. 1948: Renamed Capital Airlines. June 1961: Acquired by United Airlines.
Capitol Airlines
1933: San Bruno CA. 1934: Ended operations.
• 2 Lockheed Vegas.
Capitol Airlines
1966: Manhattan KS.
Capitol Airways / Capitol Air
1946: Capitol International Airways, ---. 1982: Renamed Capitol Air.
Capitol Speed Lines
1933: Sacramento CA.
Cardiff and Peacock Airlines
c.1930: San Joaquin Valley CA.
Cargojet Canada Ltd
2/21/2002: Mississauga, Ontario (PCEO: Ajay Virmani). Intranational cargo service.
Carolina Commuter
c. 1988: ---. 1994: Merged with Mesa Airlines, which was renamed as CC Air in 1996.
Cascade Airways
1969: ---. 1986: Ended operations.
Casino Express Airlines / Tahoe Air
c.1989: ---.
Catalina Airlines / Catalina Air Transport
1940: Catalina Air Transport, Long Beach CA. 1953: Avalon Air Transport. 1963: Catalina Airlines. 1969: Acquired by Golden West Airlines.
Catalina Channel Airlines / Catalina Seaplanes
1958: Long Beach CA. 1965: Name and base changed to Catalina Seaplanes, San Pedro CA.
Catskill Airways
1966: Oneonta NY. Relocated Utica NY? Acquired by Mohawk Airlines c.1988?
CCAir
1996: Charlotte NC. Merger with Mesa Airlines (qv).
Centennial Airlines
1981: Laramie WY.
Cen-Tex Airlines
19??: Waco TX.
Central Airlines
c.1928: Wichita KS. 1929: Acquired by Braniff Airlines.
Central Airlines
1934: Ft Worth TX. 1936: Acquired by Pennsylvania Central Airlines. [Another Central Airlines 1949 or c.1961? Merge with Frontier 1967? Also see Braniff 1928 re: previous entry.]
Central Air Transport
1978: Sioux Lookout Ontario.
Central British Columbia Airlines SEE Pacific Western Airlines
Central New York Airways
c.1928: (pres: Warren E Eaton 1929-30).
Central Northern Airways SEE Transair
Central Vermont Airways
19??:
Central Washington Air Service SEE Inter Citiair Express.
Century Pacific Lines
1931: Errett L Cord dba Century Pacific Lines, Glendale CA. 1932: Acquired by AVCO/American Airlines.
Chalk's International Air Line
1919: Chalk's Air Line, Miami FL. 19??: Chalk's Intl Air Line. 1996: Became Pan Am Air Bridge. The oldest continuously operating US airline.
Challenge Air Cargo
c.1987: ---. Cargo.
Challenger Airlines
1947: ---, Denver CO. c.1948: Challenger Airlines. 1949: Acquired by Monarch Airlines.
Chaparral Airlines
1976: Abilene TX. 19??: Became American Eagle. 1990: Merged with Metroflight.
Chaplin Air Lines
1919: Syd Chaplin, Emory Rogers dba Chaplin Air Lines, Los Angeles CA.
• First California scheduled airline, but with single destination, operating from Wilmington to Santa Catalina Island.
Charter One
c.1990: ---.
Chautauqua Airlines
1953(?) or 1983: Joel & Gloria Hall dba Allegheny Commuter, Indianapolis IN. 1998: Purchased by Wexford Management. 1999: Merged with Trans World Airlines as Trans World Express. Affiliation: USA Airways Express.
Chesapeake & Potomac Airways
c.1985: ---.
Chicago Airways
1945 1949?: Helicopter Air Service, Chicago IL. 1956 1965?: Chicago Helicopter Airways. c.19??: Chicago Airways.
Chicago & Southern Air Lines
1934: Atlanta GA, on acquisition of Pacific Seaboard Airlines. 1953: Acquired by Delta Airlines.
Chicago & Southern Air Lines
1969: Peoria IL. 1971: Ended operations. Duplication of names with the previous entry came from Delta's failure to protect the name after their merger.
Chicago-Detroit Airways
1931: Chicago IL.
• Two Lockheed Vegas.
Chicago Express Airlines
c.1993: ---.
Christman Air System
1977: Pittsburgh PA.
Christofferson Air Ferry
1914: Silas Christofferson & Weldon B Cooke dba Christofferson Air Ferry, San Francisco CA. 1930: Air Ferries Ltd.
Circle Rainbow Air
c.1989:
Cirrus Air
19??: ---. c.1996: Acquired by Eastern Air Lines.
Classic Air
19??: ---. 1990: Ended operations.
Coastal Air Freight
19??: ---.
Coastal Airways
1975: ---. 1990: Ended operations.
Cochise Airlines
1971: Tucson AZ.
Colgan Airways
1971: Manassas VA. 1986: Acquired by Presidential Airways.
Colonial Air Transport
1926: New York NY. 1930: Acquired by AVCO as American Airways.
Colonial Airlines
1942: Formed from Canadian Colonial Airways, ---.
Colonial Western Airways
1927: New York NY (CAM-20).
Colony Airlines
c.1970: ---.
Columbia Airlines
1935: Detroit MI.
Columbia Airways
1935: Bloomsburg PA.
Comair
1977: Cincinnati OH. 1984: Became part of Delta Connection.
Command Airways
1955: Poughkeepsie NY. 1986: Became part of American Eagle. 1991: Became Flagship Air.
Commercial Air Transport
c.1925: Everett WA. Served Seattle and Vancouver BC.
Commutair
Plattsburgh NY.
Commute Air
1967: Spokane WA. 1968: Ended operations.
Commuter Airlines
1964: Binghampton NY. 1980: Merged with Freedom Airlines.
Commuter Airlines of Chicago
1966: Chicago IL. 1970: Acquired by Hub Airlines.
Con Air
c.1990: ---.
Conquest Airlines
1988: Beaumont TX.
Conquest Sun Airlines
19??: Orlando FL. 1994: Acquired by Northwest Airlines holding company and restructured as Air Tran Airlines.
Consolidated Air Lines
19??: Alameda CA.
Continental Air Express
1927: Continental Air Lines Inc, Cleveland OH. [Seen as separate function, Los Angeles CA 1928-1930, not connected to original Continental Air Lines.]
Continental Air Lines
1934: (Walter T) Varney Air Transport, Los Angeles CA. 1937: Reorganized as Continental Air Lines. 1955: Acquired Pioneer Air Lines. 1968: Began all-jet service. 19??: Acquired Air Micronesia. 1981: Merger agreement with Western Airlines begun. 1982: Acquired by Texas Air Corp dba Texas International Airlies retaining Continental name. 1982: Acquired Eastern Airlines, then dissolved it. 11/20/98: Merged with Northwest Airlines as an "alliance."
• Subsidiaries (data: 1980): Air Micronesia, Continental Aircraft Hotels, Continental Aircraft Services, Mutual Computer Services.
Continental Airways
1931: Chicago IL. 1932: Ended operations.
• Two Lockheed Orions.
Continental Express
19??: Houston TX. Afflilation: Continental Airlines.
Cordova Airlines
19??: ---. 1968: Aquired by Alaska Airlines.
Corporate Air
c.1994: ---.
CP Air
1942: Canadian Pacific RR dba Canadian Pacific Airline, on acquisition of ten bush operations, Vancouver BC. 1968: Renamed CP Air.
Crescent Airways
c.1992: Crescent Airways Inc, ---.
Cromwell Air Lines
1929: (Carl G) Cromwell-Hunt Aero Services dba Cromwell Airlines, San Angelo TX. 1932: Ended operations.
• 2 Lockheed Vegas and 2 Stinson Detroiters.
Crown Airlines
1978: Texico NM.
Crown Airways
1969: Falls Creek PA. 1972: Became a contractor for Allegheny Commuter System. 19??: Acquired by Brockway Air, but aircraft operated as Allegheny Commuters in their colors on behalf of US Air. 1989: Transferred the US Air franchise to Trans World Express.
Crystal Airways
Scheduled for 2001: Tampa FL.
Cumberland Airways
1965: Cumberland MD.
Curtiss Metropolitan Company
1923-1924: ---.
Dallas Express
c.1994: ---.
Davis Airlines
1930: Atlanta and Birmingham GA.
DC Airlines
2000: Spin-off from merger of United Airlines and US Airways as a black-owned and -operated operation.
Delta Air Lines
1924: C E Woolman dba Huff-Daland Dusters Inc, Monroe LA. 1928: Delta Air Service, New Orleans LA. 1929: First passenger service. 1930: Suspended operations. 1934: Reformed and renamed Delta Air Lines. 1953: Acquired Chicago & Southern Air Lines. 1972: Acquired Northeast Airlines. 1987: Acquired Western Airlines.
Delta Air Service
c.1930: Birmingham AL.
Desert Sun Airlines
1983: Long Beach CA. Connected Blythe and Riverside, later Palmdale and Inyokern.
• Piper PA-31 Navajos and Piper T-1040s.
Des Moines Airways
1931: F C Anderson & Elbert Clayton dba Des Moines Airways, Des Moines IA, on acquisition of Mid-West Airways.
Devoe Airlines
1981: Miami FL.
DHL Airways / DHL Worldwide Express
c.1992: San Francisco CA, hub at Cincinnati OH.
Discovery Airways
c.19??: ---. 1991: Ended operations.
Dixie Flying Service
c.1927: Dixie Motor Coach Corp dba Dixie Flying Service Inc, Greensboro NC. 1929: Acquired as subsidiary of Southern Air Transport Inc/AVCO. 1931: Acquired by Ludington Air Lines.
Dolphin Airways
1981: ---.
Downeast Airlines
1968: Rockland ME. Acquired by Bar Harbor Airlines.
Drummond Island Air
19??: ---. 1989: Acquired Michigan Airways. 1991: Ended operations.
Eagle Air Lines
19??: Kansas City MO.
Eagle Canyon Airlines
c.1996: ---.
East Coast Airways
c.1988: ---.
East Coast Commuter
1963: East Coast Commuter Airline, Cambridge MA. 1970: Ended operations.
Eagle Commuter Airlines
1976: Brownwood TX. 1986: Ended operations.
Eastern Air Express
c.1929: Division of General Aero Corp of America, Providence RI and NYC.
Eastern Air Transport, Eastern Airlines
1927: (Harold J) Pitcairn Aviation (airmail), New Brunswick NJ. 1929: Sold air mail interests to North American Aviation Corp. 1930: Reorganized as Eastern Air Transport, Miami FL. 1934: Name change to Eastern Airlines. 19??: Acquired Ludington Airlines. 1937: Acquired Wedell-Williams Air Service. 1938: Incorporation as Eastern Airlines (pres: Edward V Rickenbacker). 1956: Acquired Colonial Airlines. 1967: Acquired Mackey Airways. 1973: Acquired Caribbean-Atlantic Airlines. 2/24/86: Acquired by Continental Airlines (Texas International) and dissolved. 1989: Eastern Airlines Shuttle acquired by Donald Trump as Trump Shuttle. 1991: Ended operations.
• Pioneered shuttle services (NYC-WDC-Boston 1961).
Eastern Metro Express Airlines
1994: A subsidiary of Metro Airlines (Houston TX), Atlanta GA. In 1984 EAL & Metro signed a 10-year contract. Metro would establish a subsidiary operation around Atlanta called Eastern Metro Express and use EAL color schemes and codes. This was the first of what would become a standard in the commuter industry, code-sharing arrangements. Curiously, Metro also became the first American Eagle partner — the first commuter line to share codes with two major airlines. (— Robert Permeter).
Eastern Provincial Airways
1950: Newfoundland Sales & Service dba Eastern Provincial Airways (charters), St Johns Newfoundland. 1961: Scheduled flights to Greenland begun. I grew up on Greenland, and my introduction to aviation was thru EPA, who from 1958-65 set up and operated Greenlandair using PBY-5As and DHC-3 on contract to the Royal Greenlandic Trading Company (Danish government). EPA left Greenland in 1965 when Greenlandair introduced Sikorsky S-61 helicopters. (— Bjarne Jensen10/5/01)
Eldorado Aviation
19??: Edmonton Alberta. 19??: Saskatoon Saskatchewan.
Eldred Air Line
c.1935: Dewey Eldred Flying Service Inc, Willoughby OH. Seaplane charter.
Ellis Airlines
19??: ---.
Embry-Riddle
c.1927: Embry-Riddle Co, Lunken Airport, Cincinnati OH [CAM-24].
• Routes to Chicago and Indianapolis. (data 1927).
Emerald Air
1978. Austin TX. 1984: Bankruptcy, but still operated charter service. 1991: Became part of Braniff Intl.
Emery Worldwide Airlines
c.1978: Division of Purolator Courier Corp, Vandalia OH. Cargo.
Empire Airlines
19??: Boise ID(?). 1944: Merged with Zimmerly Air Transport. 1946: Empire Airlines. 1952: Merged with West Coast Airlines.
Empire Airlines
1975: Utica NY. 1984: Merged with Piedmont Airlines.
Enterprise Airlines
1988: Cincinnati OH. 1990: Ended operations.
ERA Classic Airlines
c.19??: ERA Helicopters aka Jet Alaska Inc, Anchorage AK. 1981: ERA Aviation Inc dba ERA Classic Airlines.
Essair
1939: ---. 1944: Merged with Pioneer Air Lines.
Evergreen International Airlines SEE Johnson Airlines
Executive Airlines
1960: Boston MA. 1973: Ended operations.
Executive Airlines
19??: Carolina Puerto Rico. Affiliation: American Airlines.
Executive Airlines
1960: Boston MA. 1973: Ended operations.
Express Airlines One
1985: Memphis TN. Part of Northwest Airlink.
Family Airlines
c.1993: ---.
Federal Express, FedEx
c.1973: Memphis TN. Cargo.
Finair Express
c.1985: Subcontract carrier for Air Florida Commuter.
Fine Air Services
1989: Miami FL (fdrs: J Frank & Barry H Fine). 19??: Merged with Arrow Air. Scheduled air cargo. Latin America and the Caribbean.
First Air
1946: (Russell) Bradley Air Services Ltd (flight training), Ottawa Canada. 1958: Bradley Charter. 19??: First Air, owned by Inuit tribe, Makivik Corp.
• Served Northern Canada and Polar regions.
Fischer Brothers Aviation
1957: Galion OH. 19??: Became contract carrier for Allegheny Commuter System.
Flagship Airlines
c.1988: Command Airways, aka Nashville Eagle, Nashville YN, as part of American Eagle. 1991: Renamed Flagship Airlines.
Flight International
c.1984: ---.
Florida Airlines
1968: Sarasota FL. 1975: Merged with Air South. 1981: Ended operations, merged with Air South.
Florida Airmotive
c.1985: Subcontract carrier for Air Florida Commuter.
Florida Airways
1925-1927 ---.
Florida Express Airlines
c.1985: ---.
Florida Gulf Airlines
c.1993: Division of USAir?
Florida West Airlines
c.1985: ---.
Florida West Indies Airways
1920: ---. 1921: Acquired by Aeromarine Airways.
Flying Tigers Line
1945: Sam Mosher & Robert Prescott dba National Skyway Freight Corp, Los Angeles CA. 1946: Flying Tiger Line (cargo only). 1980: Merged with Seaboard World Airlines. 1989: Merged with Federal Express.
Ford Airways
4/13/1925: Henry & Edsel Ford/Ford Motor Co dba Ford Airways, Detroit MI. Private freight line, with some passenger service, from Detroit to Buffalo, Cleveland, and Chicago. 1930: Ended operations.
Four Star Air Cargo
c.1985: Virgin Islands.
Fort Worth Aerial Transportation
My father and a few other people in 1919 founded the Fort Worth (TX) Aerial Transportation Company, later the National Airplane Co. They did not last 6 months, but I have newspaper ads and other documents to verify this operation ... as one on the first airlines in the US. (— Dave Pearson6/7/02)
Freedom Airlines
1980: Cleveland OH. 1984: Ended operations.
Frontier Airlines
1950: Formed on acquisition of Monarch Airlines — included Arizona Airways and Challenger Airlines, Denver CO. 1967: Acquired Central Airlines. 1994 New Frontier started.
Gemini Air Cargo
19??: Dulles VA. Cargo.
Gem State Airlines
1978: Coeur d'Alene ID. 1979: Ended operations.
General Aero Corp of America SEE Eastern Air Express
General Airways SEE Western Air Express
Georgian Bay Airways
1946: Parry Sound Ontario.
Global International Airways
c.1983: ---.
Golden Gate Airlines
1980: Monterey CA (pres: Justin Colin). 1981: Merged with Swift Aire Lines.
Golden Pacific Airlines
1969: San Francisco CA. 1973: Ended operations.
Golden Pacific Airlines
1981: Kingman AZ. 1989: Ended operations.
Golden State Airlines
19??: Burbank CA. 135.2 certificate held by Ruby Morgan Mercer, wife of Dewight "Poddy" Mercer, who operated Mercer Airlines. Charter operations and Navy contracts for San Clemente and San Nicolas Islands. One DC-3 [N33644] and one BE-18 Tradewind [N7805C]. Ended operations c.1979. (— Chuck Ross4/11/01)
Golden West Airlines
19??: Los Angeles CA. This Golden West had a small fleet of DHC-6 Twin Otters painted overall white with a broad blue stripe along the fuselage below the windows. At LAX they operated out of Terminal 4's ticketing building. Also used Hansa Jets on scheduled service to cities including Santa Barbara and Palm Springs. Unlike Twin Otters, the Hansa came equipped with a mini stewardess. When this Golden West went under, many Twin Otters and some employees were absorbed by the "new" Golden West. (— Jim Phillips1/21/01)
Golden West Airlines
1968: Formed from merger of Aero Commuter, Cable Commuter, Catalina Airlines, and Skymark Airlines, Newport Beach CA. 1971: Acquired Los Angeles Airways. 1983: Ended operations.
Gilpin Airlines
1930-1933: ---.
Gorst Air Transport
c192??: Barnes & (Vern) Gorst, Lake Union, Seattle WA. c.1926: Gorst Air Transport. 1927: Acquired by Boeing Air Transport. Together with a couple of other regionals, they formed the basis for United Air Lines. (— Hans Goerl2/3/01)
• Connected Seattle and Bellingham.
• Loening Commuter, Ryan M-1, and a Travel Air floatplane.
GP-Express Airlines
1986: Grand Island NE.
Grand Canyon Airlines
c.1989: ---.
Great American Airways
1979: Reno NV. Began with one DC-9-15 [N1068T] flying casino flights for Carson City Nugget. Entered scheduled flights to Oakland, ending that service around the end of 1980. Acquired a second DC-9 in 1990 and, by the time they surrendered their certificate in the late 1990s, were operating three DC-9-15s and four MD-80s. In addition to Reno, aircraft were based at Wendover UT and Laughlin NV. Principal owner was L A Stephan (possibly through other corporate holdings). (— Chuck Ross4/11/01)
Greater Pacific Airways
c.1983: Los Angeles CA. 19??: Became Air LA.
Great Lakes Airlines
1961: London Ontario. 1981: Renamed as Air Ontario.
Great Lakes Airlines
1977: Spirit Lake Airways, Spirit Lake IA (fdrs: Ivan Simpson, Doug Voss). 1979: incorporated as Great Lakes Aviation Ltd dba Great Lakes Airlines. 1980: Moved operations to Spencer IA. 1988: Acquired Alliance Airlines. 1992: Contract with UAL to operate as United Express, Chicago IL. 1995: Formed Arizona Airways Express for southwest operations. 1997: Ended Arizona Airways Express.
Great Lakes Aviation
19??: Cheyenne WY. Affiliation: United Airlines.
Great Northern Airlines
19??: Canada. 1972: Acauired by Trans North Air.
Great Western Airways
c.1928: --- Canada.
Green Hills Aviation
1978: Kirksville MO (charter). 1987: Ended operations.
Gulf Coast Airline
1923: New Orleans LA. c.1927: St Tammany Gulf Airlines. 1929: Acquired as subsidiary of Southern Air Transport Inc/AVCO. 1931: Merged with Johnson Airways.
Gulfstream International Airlines
c.1990: Dania FL.
Gull Air
1975: Hyannis MA. c.1985: Subcontract carrier for Air Florida Commuter. 1987: Ended operations.
Haida Airlines
19??: --- Canada. 1980: Merged as Air B C.
Haines Airways
1986: Haines AK.
Hanford Tri-State Airlines
1930: Hanford Airlines (pres: A S Hanford Jr), Sioux City IA & Omaha NB. 1932: Hanford Tri-State Airlines, Kansas City MO, on acquisition of Rapid Airlines. 1938: Acquired by Mid-Continent Airlines.
Harbor Airlines
1971: Air Harbor Airlines, Oak Harbor WA. 1974: Became Harbor Airlines.
Hammond's Commuter Air Service
1979: Houma LA.
Harrison Airways
1960: Vancouver BC. 1976: Ended operations.
Havasu Airlines
1974: Lake Havasu City AZ.
Hawaiian Airlines / Hawaiian Air
1929: Inter-Island Steam Navigation Co dba Inter-Island Airways, Honolulu HI; cargo. 1941: Hawaiian Airlines. 19??: Name changed to Hawaiian Air. 1990: Route-sharing agreement with Northwest Airlines.
• Initial aircraft were Sikorsky S-38s.
Hawaii Express
1982: Honolulu HI. 1984: Ended operations.
Helicabc.1965: Los Angeles. Operated piston-engine, bright yellow Bell Rangers between LAX, downtown hotels, West Los Angeles and Hollywood during the '60s. Prominently shown in LAX publicity/educational videos of that time. (— Jim Phillips2/13/01)
Henson Airlines
1931: Richard Henson dba FBO, Hagerstown MD (charter). 1962: Henson Aviation dba Henson Airlines; Hagerstown-WDC commuter flights. 1967: Contractor with Allegheny Airlines as the first Allegheny Commuter. 1983: Merged with Piedmont Airlines as Piedmont Commuter. Henson, who died in 2002 at age 92, used the money from his sale of the airline to establish a foundation that benefited non-profit organizations.
Heussler Air Service
1977: Buffalo NY. 1983: Ended operations.
Holiday Airlines
1970: Monticello NY. 1970: Ended operations.
Holiday Airlines
1979: Newark NJ. 1989: Ended operations.
Horizon Air
1981: Horizon Air Industries Inc, Seattle WA. 19??: Merged with Air Oregon. 1981: Acquired by Alaska Air. 1983: Acquired Transwestern Airlines.
Houston Metro
19??: ---.
Hub Airlines
19??: ---.
Hughes Airwest
1968: Air West formed from merger of Bonanza Air Lines, Pacific Airlines, and West Coast Airlines. 3/x/70: Summa Corp dba (Howard) Hughes Airwest, San Francisco CA. 10/13/80: Became Republic Airlines. After this date, we operated as "one" carrier, but in reality the FAA certificate was not merged for another two years. For that period, the former Hughes Air West (RW) was legally "Republic West Airlines, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Republic Airlines, Inc (RC)." We used two different computer systems. RW flights were booked in a partition of EA/CO's SystemOne, and the RC flights were booked in the Escort system. The seemingly "seamless" service for passengers was hardly seamless for us in Reservations. (— Terry Drew Karanen6/19/02)
• Hughes Airwest was created as a corporation without giving a majority of the shares directly to Hughes personally. Hughes Air Corporation's name became Hughes Airwest in July 1970 and, almost overnight, 50 cities from Mexico to Canada appeared in the timetable, along with more than 70 727s, DC-9s, and Fairchild FH-227s. When Hughes died in 1975, the ongoing legal process over the takeover of the airline finally ended in 1979.
Ilford Riverton Airways
c.19??: Winnipeg Manitoba.
Imperial Airlines
1964: Visco Flying Service (cropdusting) dba Imperial Airlines, Carlsbad CA. c.1982: Ended operations. Provided service to San Diego. After deregulation it was purchased by three investors headed by Jim Harmon. Acquired twin Cessna, Embraer E-110, then Shorts 360. (— Chuck Ross4/11/01)
Imperial Palace Airlines
c.1990: [Las Vegas casino shuttle?]
Independent Air
c.1988: ---.
Indigo Airlines
Aug 2000: Teterboro NJ. Charter, also scheduled service to Chicago.
• Dassault Falcon 20s.
Inland Air Lines
1938: Renamed from Wyoming Air Service, Casper WY. 1941: Acquired by Western Airlines.
Inland Empire Airlines
c.1983: ---.
Inter Citiair Express
July 1929: Felts Field, Spokane WA (pres: T V Arnreiter). Linked to Mamer Air Service.
• Served Washington points with Stinson Detroiter and Lockheed Vega. Possible branch, also part of Mamer, was 1930s Central Washington Air Service, connecting Yakima and Wenatchee.
Interior Airways SEE MarkAir
Inter-Island Airways
1928: Honolulu HI. 1941: Reorganized as Hawaiian Airlines.
International Airways
1928: Minot ND. 1931: Ended operations.
• Lockheed Vega.
International Cargo Express
c.1993: ---.
Interstate Air Lines
1930: Chicago IL. [AVCO-American?]
Irving Airways
1936: Juneau AK. Likely is Alaska Air Transport.
Island Airlines
1929: Port Clinton OH.
• Currently features Ford Tri-Motors, as well as more modern equipment.
Island Helicopter Lines
c.1984: Honolulu?
JamAir
c.19??: ---. 1982: Became Sunbelt Airlines.
Jazz Air
c.1994: ---.
Jet Alaska SEE ERA
Jet America
c.1983: Long Beach CA. 1986: Acquired by Alaska Air.
Jet Aspen
c.1995: Aspen CO.
JetBlue
Scheduled to launch in 2000, New York NY.
Jet East
c.1985: ---.
Jet Express
1988: aka Trans World Express, Newport News VA.
Jetstream International Airlines
1980: Latrobe PA. 1985: Became part of Piedmont Commuter System. 1995: Route merger with Chautauqua Airlines.
Jet 24 Charter Service
c.1983: ---.
Johnson Airlines
c.1963: Johnson Flying Service dba Johnson Airlines. 1975: Became Evergreen Intl Airlines, McMinnville OR. Cargo.
Johnson Airways
19??: ---. 1931: Merged with Gulf Coast Airline.
Kaiser Air
c.1986: ---.
Kenn Borek Air
1966: Vic Turner Ltd, Dawson Creek BC. 1971 Merged with Borek Construction Co as Kenn Borek Air.
Key Air International
c.1985: Subcontract carrier for Air Florida Commuter. 1993: Ended operations.
Kitty Hawk Airways
1978: Dallas TX. 1978: Ended passenger operations. 19??: Kitty Hawk Inc dba Kitty Hawk Air Cargo, Dallas. Cargo. 2000: Filed for bankruptcy; status unknown.
Kiwi International Airlines
c.1992: ---.
Kodiak Airways / Kodiak Western Alaska Airways
19??: Kodiak AK. 1973: Merged with Western Alaska Airlines as Kodiak Western Alaska Airways.
Kohler Aviation
8/30/29: (John B) Kohler Aviation Corp, Grand Rapids MI. Nov 1929: Route sold to Northwest Airlines, but Kohler continued operations under a contract with NWA. 1934: Bankruptcy when President F D Roosevelt cancelled all civil air mail contracts. 6/x/34: Assets acquired by Pennsylvania Airlines.
• Terminals also at Milwaukee and Muskegon, later adding Detroit and Lansing. Connection to New York with Michigan Central RR.
• 4 yellow-black-red Loening amphibians, 1930-32. Ford Tri-Motors, c.1932. An enviable safety record of no serious mishaps.
Labrador Airways
1971: Goose Bay Newfoundland.
Lake Central Airlines
1950: Formed on acquisition of (Roscoe) Turner Air Services. 1968: Acquired by Allegheny Airlines.
Lakeland Airlines
1980: Rice Lake WI. 1984: Ended operations.
Laker Airways
19??: (fdr: Fred Laker).
Laredo Air
1988: Laredo TX. 1989: Ended operations.
Las Vegas Airlines
1973: Las Vegas NV. 1987: Ended operations.
Legend Airlines
Apr 2000: Dallas TX. Mar 2001: Ended operations.
Leisure Air
c.1993: ---.
L'Express
1989: New Orleans LA. 1992: Ended operations.
Livery Airways SEE Alaska Airlines
Lone Star Airlines
c.1994: ---.
Long Island Airlines
1985: East Hampton NY. 1990: Ended operations.
Los Angeles Air Service
1948: Kirk Kerkorian dba Los Angeles Air Service, Los Angeles CA. 1960: Trans-International Airlines. 1962: Sold to Studebaker Corp. 1964: Repurchased by Kerkorian. 1968: Acquired by Transamerica. 1976: Acquired Saturn Airways, Oakland. 1979: Transamerica Airlines.
Los Angeles Airways
Clarence Belinn dba Los Angeles Airways, Los Angeles CA. 1944: Incorporation. 1947: First helicopter flights. 1971: Sold to Golden West Airlines. Golden West and Air California were both owned by the same people, and Los Angeles Airways was to have been acquired by Golden West — we flew LAA S-61s complete with Golden West paint scheme for a while on the LAX-Disneyland- Fullerton-Orange County route. The deal to take on LAA fell through, however, because the owners not only already had the majority in commuter traffic on those routes, they also owned the taxi cab (Yellow Cab) and airport bus (Airport Transit), and an air cargo business. (— Jim Phillips1/21/01)
Los Angeles Helicopterc.1970: Los Angeles. Routes between LAX and local hotels from a small terminal building shared with charter aircraft.
• Sikorsky S-55.
Lucerne Airways
1931: San Francisco Bay Airdrome, Alameda CA.
• Resort service to Lake County CA.
Ludington Air Lines
1922: Ludington Exhibition Co (fdrs: Charles Townsend Ludington & Wallace Kellett), Pine Valley NJ. c.1926: Ludington Philadelphia Flying Service Inc, Philadelphia PA. 1929: Ludington Line passenger service. 1931: Acquired Dixie Flying Service Inc. 19??: Sold to Eastern Air Transport.
Mac-Aire
1962: Ronkonkoma NY. 1968: Ended operations.
MacKenzie Air
1975: La Ronge Aviation dba MacKenzie Air, Edmonton Alberta.
Mackey Airways
1957: Ft Lauderdale FL. 1968: Acquired by Eastern Air Lines, also separately as Mackey International. 1981: Ended operations.
McCulloch International Airlines
19??: Vance International Airline. 1970: Became McCulloch International Airlines.
Maddux Air Lines
1927: (John L) Maddux Air Lines, Rogers Airport, Los Angeles CA. 1929: Merged with Western Air Express as Transcontinental & Western Air (TWA).
Mahalo Air
c.1992: Roberts Hawaiian Tour Co dba Mahalo Air, ---.
Maine Air
1982: Bangor ME. 1983: Ended operations.
Maine Air Transport
1931: (pres: William H Wincapaw), Curtiss-Wright Airport, Rockland ME.
Maine States Airways
19??: Augusta ME. 1931: Reorganized.
Mall Airways
1973: Albany NY. 1989: Acquired by Business Express.
Mamer Air Transport
1929: (Nick B) Mamer Air Transport, Felts Field, Spokane WA. 193?: Miles City MT. 1932: Ended operations.
Marco Island Airways
1972: Deltona Corp dba Marco Island Airways, Marco Island FL. c.1985: Subcontract carrier for Air Florida Commuter.
MarkAir
1947: Interior Airways (pres: James Magoffin), Fairbanks AK. 19??: Alaska Intl Airlines. 1984: MarkAir Inc. 1995: Ended operations.
Marquette Airlines
1938: ---. 1945 1940?: Acquired by TWA.
Martz Air Lines
c.1930: (Frank) Martz Air Lines, subsidiary of Martz Coach Co, Wilkes-Barre PA & Newark NJ. 1932: ??
Mason & Dixon Airlines
1929-1930: Cincinnati OH.
Mayflower Airlines
1937: ---. 1944: Acquired by Northeast Airlines.
McClain Airlines
c.1987: ---.
McCulloch International Airlines
1970: ---, reorganized from Vance International Airline.
Mercer Airlines
c.1970: (Poddy) Mercer Enterprises dba Western Flying Services, ---. 19??: Became Pacific American Airlines.
Mercury Air Lines
1919: Cecil B DeMille dba Mercury Aviation Co and Mercury Air Lines, DeMille Field, West Los Angeles CA. 1921: Discontinued operations, sold assets to Rogers Airport Corp.
• Likely the world's first scheduled airline with multiple destinations (5 months before Dutch KLM inauguration), used Junkers-Larsen JL-6. Routes to Santa Catalina Island, San Diego, and San Francisco.
• More than 25,000 passengers carried in transport, charter, and sightseeing flights during two-year operation without a single injury.
Mercury Airlines
c.1991: ---.
Mesa Airlines
1980: (Larry Risley, fdr), Albuquerque NM. 19??: Incorporated as Mesa Air Group. 1994: Acquired Carolina Commuter. 1996: CCAir. Affiliations: America West, US Airlines.
• Operated as America West Express in the Southwest, US Airways Express throughout the East Coast and Midwest, independently as Mesa Airlines in NM and CO.
Mesaba Airlines
1944: Gordon Newstrom dba Mesaba Aviation Inc, Coleraine MN (flight instruction, charter). 1950: Moved operations to Grand Rapids MN. 1973: Assets sold to ??, scheduled flights begun. 1978: Acquired by Swenson family; Mesaba Airlines formed. 1983: Merged in partnership with Republic Airlines, Minneapolis MN. 1984: Parted with Republic and joined with Northwest Airlines in a code-sharing agreement as a Northwest Airlink. 1988: Became subsidiary through Northwest's shareholder holding group. 1988: Became subsidiary of Air Tran. 1995: Shareholder group reformed as Mesaba Holdings Inc.
Meteor Air Transport
c.1947: (fdr: Robert Morrow) ---.
• Curtiss-Wright C-46F.
Metro Airlines
1966: NASA Commuter Airlines, Houston TX. 1984: Name changed to Metro Airlines on signing with Eastern Air Lines (qv).
Metro International
c.1981: Subsidiary of Flying Tigers (charter), New York NY.
• Linked European cities.
Metroflight
c.1989: Metroflight div of American Eagle. 1992: Became Simmons Airlines.
Mexican Central Airways
1931: Phoenix AZ.
MGM Grand Air
c.1987: ---.
Miami Air International
c.1995: ---.
Michigan Airways
1982: Pellston MI. 1989: Acquired by Drummond Island Air.
Michigan Air Express
Jan 1930: Jack Byrne dba Michigan Air Express, Grand Rapids MI.
Mid-Atlantic Freight
c.1990: ---. Cargo.
Midcontinent Air Express SEE Western Air Express
Mid-Continent Airlines
1938: Kansas City MO (pres: Thomas F Ryan III), on acquisition of Hanford Tri-State Airlines. 1952 (>1942?): Acquired by Braniff Intl Airways.
Mid-Continent Air Transport
1924: (Blaine M) Tuxhorn Flying School & Mid-Continent Air Transport (reportedly the origin of Ozark Airlines), Kansas City KS. Connected Omaha and Little Rock AR.
Middle States Air Lines
1929: Akron OH. 1931: Ended operations.
• 2 Lockheed Vegas.
Mid-Eastern Airways
c.1987: ---.
Midland Air Express
1931: (pres: W E Wethee), Kansas City MO. Routes to Cheyenne WY and Sioux Falls SD. c.1932: Assets sold to Air Express Corp.
• 2 Lockheed Vegas.
Mid Pacific Air
1981: Honolulu HI. 1988: Ended operations.
Mid-Pacific Air
1986: Burbank CA, but operated from Honolulu HI. 1986: Ended operations.
Mid-South Airlines
1975: Resort Commuter Airlines, Raliegh NC. 19??: Name changed to Mid-South Airlines.
Mid-South Airways
c.1927: Memphis TN.
• Connection to Chicago.
Mid-State Airlines
1964: Marshfield WI. 19??: Acquired by Sentry Airlines.
Midway Airlines
c.1980: Chicago IL. 1991: Ended operations.
Midway Commuter Airlines
c.1988: ---.
Mid-West Airways
192?: Mid-West Airways Corp, Des Moines IA. 1931: Reorganized as Des Moines Airways.
Midwest Airlines
19??: --- Canada. 1969: Acquired my Transair.
Midwest Express Airlines
1969: K-C Aviation, subsidiary of Kimberly-Clark Corp, Appleton WI. 1984: Midwest Express Airlines, Milwaukee WI. 1984. 1989: Formed subsidiary Skyway Airlines in partnership with Mesa Airlines. 1994: Second operational base at Omaha NB.
Millardair
19??: Toronto Ontario. Cargo, charter.
Mission Airlines
1982: El Cajon CA. 1982: Ended operations.
Mississippi Valley Airlines
1969: Moline IL. 1985: Merged with Air Wisconsin.
Model Airline
1927: Established as an experiment by the Guggenheim Fund and Western Air Express, ---. c.1931: Absorbed by Western Air Express?
Modern Air Transport
1946: New York NY (charter). 1966: Acquired by Gulf American Land Corp to relocate at Miami FL. 1972: Operations moved to Berlin Germany.
Mohawk Airlines
1959: Utica NY (fdr: Robert Peach Sr). 1972: Acquired by Allegheny Airlines.
Mohawk Airlines
1989 (>1952 Date confusion with previous Mohawk?): Syracuse NY, formed on acquisition of Robinson Airlines. This Mohawk was a resurrection and probably only lasted two years or so. I don't know what happened to it. It may have been acquired by USAir or another airlines, or went bankrupt. (— Paul Sweeney10/20/01)
Monarch Airlines
1945: Denver CO. 1949: Acquired Challenger Airlines. 1950: Acquired Arizona Airlines.
Morris Air
1992: (June) Morris Air Service Corp dba Morris Air, Salt Lake City UT. 1995: Acquired by Southwest Airlines.
• Morris ran a travel bureau in SLC and, although she had no license of her own, flights for tours she organized to Hawaii, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Mexico were undertaken by various other airlines -- Ryan Intl, American Trans Air, and Sierra Pacific all flew these routes regularly for her. In 1992, with up to 300 charter flights a week, a license became hers. Eleven leased Boeing 737-300s provided a significant route network and, a year later, another ten 737s were added. The amazing rise led to an offer from Southwest of $130 million.
Mountain Air Cargo
c.1992: ---.
Mountain Air Express
c.1997: ---. 1998: Acquired by Air Wisconsin/United Express.
Mountain West Airlines
1979: Boise ID. 1991: Ended operations.
Munz Northern Airline
1965: Nome AK. 1983: Acquired by Ryan Air.
Muse Air
1981: Lamar & Michael Muse dba Muse Air, ---. 1985: Became part of Southwest [Airlines?]. 1986: Renamed TranStar Airlines. 1987: Ended operations.
Mutual Air Lines
192?: Mutual Aircraft Corp, Rogers Airport, Los Angeles CA.
• Routes to Fresno, Merced, Oakland, San Jose.
Naples Airlines SEE Provincetown Boston Airlines.
NASA Commuter Airlines SEE Metro Airlines
Nashville Eagle
c.1988: Command Airways, aka Nashville Eagle, Nashville YN, as part of American Eagle. 1991: Renamed Flagship Airlines.
National Airlines
1934: National Airlines System, Miami FL. 1937: Incorporation as National Airlines. 1979: Acquired by Pan American Airways. 2000: Filed for bankruptcy.
• First all-jet airline in US; began as a Florida intrastate service.
National Air Transport
1926: National Air Transport Inc, Chicago IL. 1930: Division of United Aircraft & Transport Corp; later United Airlines.
National Commuter Airlines
c.19??: Subcontract carrier for Air Florida Commuter.
National Florida Airlines
1982: Dayton FL. Ended operations 1984.
National Parks Airways
1927: Salt Lake City UT. 1937: Acquired by Western Airlines.
Nation's Air
c.1996: ---.
Navajo Airlines
c.1930: Winslow AZ. Kreutzer K-5.
Nevada Airlines
8/5/1929: Ray Boggs, Ben S Hunter, Carl Squier dba Nevada Airlines (ops mgr: Roscoe Turner), Los Angeles CA and Reno NV. Four Lockheed Vegas. 12/11/29: Bankruptcy; aircraft repossessed by Lockheed.
Newair
1962: New Haven Airways (air taxi), New Haven CT. 1978: Began scheduled commuter servics. 1980: Renamed Newair. 19??: Acquired by Pilgrim Airlines.
New England Air Express
19??: ---.
New England Airlines
1970: Westerly RI. Charter flights and scheduled service to Block Island.
New England & Western Air Transport
1930: Springfield MA. In operation only a few months.
New Haven Airways SEE Newair
New Orleans Air Line
c.1931: New Orleans LA.
New York Air
1980: New York NY. 1986: Acquired by Texas Air.
New York Airways
c.1931 [1949?]: New York Airways Inc, New York NY.
New York & Western Airlines
1931: Subsidiary of Pittsburgh Airlines. Lasted only five months in the Depression Era.
New York Helicopter Airline
19??: ---.
New York-Newport Air Service
1922-1923: ---.
New York-Philadelphia-Washington Airways
1929: NYPW Airways. 1934: Acquired by Eastern Air Transport.
New York, Rio & Buenos Aires Air Line
c.1929: New York NY. June 6, 1929: Acquired New York Safety Airlines.
New York Safety Airlines
9/12/29: Tri-Motor Safety Airlines, Garden City, NY. 3/8/29: Reorganized as New York Safety Airlines, NYC. 6/6/29: Acquired by New York, Rio & Buenos Aires Air Line.
Norcanair
1947: Prince Albert Saskatchewan.
Nordair
1947: Formed from a merger of Boreal Airways and Mont Laurier Aviation, Montreal Québec.
North American Airlines
c.1982: ---.
North Central Airlines
1953: Formed on acquisition of Wisconsin Central Airlines, Minneapolis MN. June 1979: Merged with Southern Airways as Republic Airlines.
Northeast Airlines
1940: Formed from Boston Maine Airways. 1944: Acquired Mayflower Airlines. c.1955: Management by Atlas Corp. 1972: Acquired by Delta Air Lines.
Northeastern Airways
1982: Long Island NY. 1987: Ended operations.
• DC-8s leased from Evergreen Intl.
Northeast Express Regional Airlines
c.1992: [Also as Northwest Airlink?]
Northern Air Cargo
19??: Northern Consolidated Air Cargo, ---. Douglas DC-6.
Northern Airlines
1928: Minot ND.
Northern Air Transport
1934: Fairbanks AK. 1936: Became Wien Alaska Airlines.
Northern Consolidated Airlines
1947: Anchorage AK. 1968: Merged with Wien Alaska Airlines as Wien Consolidated Airlines.
North Pacific Airlines / United Express
1989: ---. 1990: Merged with Westair Commuter Airlines as Westair.
Northwest Airlines (Northwest Orient Airlines)
1926: Northwest Airways Inc, St Paul MN and Chicago IL (CAM #9). 1934: Name changed to Northwest Airlines, but was briefly, and unofficially, promoted as Northwest Orient Airlines to advertise Asian routes. 1955: Became first airline to operate without government subsidy on Transpacific and US-Alaska routes. 1984: Code-sharing agreement with Mesaba Airlines as a Northwest Airlink. 1984: NWA Inc formed as holding company. 1986: Merged with Republic Airlines. 198?: Acquired Simmons Airlines as a Northwest Airlink. 1988: Simmons sold to American Airlines. 1988: Shareholder holding group formed as TransAir. 1989: NWA Inc acquired by Wings Holdings. 1990: Route-sharing agreement with Hawaiian Airlines. 1995: Shareholder group reformed as Mesaba Holdings Inc. 11/20/98: Merged with Continental Airlines as an "alliance."
• In 1928, offered first air-rail service with Rock Island RR.
• DC-3 [N??] retired on 5/28/75 as the world's highest-time aircraft — 84,875 hours logged — and retired to Henry Ford Museum.
• On 1/30/90, Connie Walker retired as flight attendant at age 70 after 42 years with Northwest.
Northwest Airways SEE Northwest Airlines
Northwest Territorial Airways / NWT
19??: Yellowknife NWT.
Novell Inc
19??: ---.
Ocean Reef Airways
c.1985: Subcontract carrier for Air Florida Commuter.
OK Air
19??: Honolulu HI. 1980: Acquired by Air Hawaii.
Oklahoma-Texas Airline
1929: Oklahoma City OK.
• Servicing Ponca City OK and Wichita Falls TX.
Omniflight Airways
c.1988: ---.
Ontario-Big Bear Airline SEE Big Bear Airline
Ontario Central Airlines
1947: Gimli Manitoba (charter).
Orion Air
1980: ---. 1992: Ended operations.
Overland Airways
1931: San Francisco Bay Airdrome, Alameda CA. Two Travel Air A-6000As.
Overseas National Airways
1950: ---. 1978: Ended operations.
Ozark Air Lines
19??: Mid-Continent Air Transport(?), Kansas City KS. 1943: Ozark Air Lines, St Louis MO. 1945: Ended operations. 1950: Revived with certification from Park Airlines. 1986: Acquired by TWA.
Pacific Airlines SEE Southwest Airways
Pacific Air Transport (data 1927)
1926: Vern Gorst dba Pacific Air Transport, Seattle WA and San Francisco CA. 1927: Acquired by Boeing Air Transport.
• Routes to Bakersfield, Fresno, Los Angeles, Medford, Portland, Seattle, Tacoma.
Pacific Alaska Airlines
1972: Everett WA.
Pacific Alaska Airways
1975: Subsidiary of Pan American Airways, Fairbanks AK. 1986: Ended operations. Possible earlier date suggested by found photo of Ford 8-AT on skis [NC8499]. Lockheed ref shows 1934-36 lifeline.
Pacific American Airlines
c.1970: Mercer Airlines. 19??: Became Pacific American Airlines.
Pacific Coast Airlines
1969: Apollo Airways, Santa Barbara CA. 1982: Name change to Pacific Coast Airlines.
Pacific Coastal Airlines
19??: Canada. 1980: Merged as Air B C.
Pacific East Air
c.1983: ---.
Pacific Express
c.1983: ---.
Pacific Interstate Airlines
c.1985: ---.
Pacific Marine Airways
1920-1928: ---.
Pacific Northern Airlines
1947: Formed from Woodley Airways. 1967: Acquired by Western Airlines.
Pacific Seaboard Airline
1933: ---. 1934: Became Chicago & Southern Airlines.
Pacific Southwest Airlines / Pacific Southwest Airways
1945: Friedkin Aeronautics, as their own airline with a single leased DC-3 operating between San Francisco and Los Angeles. 1949: San Diego CA. 1988: Acquired by USAir.
• Intrastate California, popularly known as PSA.
Pacific Western Airlines
1946: Central British Columbia Airways, Calgar, Alberta. 1953: Renamed Pacific Western Airlines. 1970: Absorbed British Columbia Airlines. 1978: Acquired TransAir.
• International charters.
Pan Am Air Bridge SEE Chalk's International Air Line
Pan American Airways / Pan Am
1999: Guilford Rail System dba Pan American Airways (pres: Dave Fink), Portsmouth NH.
• Acquired rights and holdings in 1998 bankruptcy sale. Initially connecting Orlando FL with 727-200s adorned with the original PanAm logo.
Pan American World Airways / PANAGRA
1927: Pan American Airways (mail), Key West FL. 1935: PANAGRA div established (Pan American Grace Airways). 1950: Pan American World Airways, New York NY. 1967: PANAGRA acquired by Braniff. 1/7/80: Acquired National Airlines. 2/11/86: Pacific routes sold to United Airlines. 1991: Filed for bankruptcy. 1996: Brief revival of some services. 1998: Acquired by Guilford Rail System (SEE previous entry).
• Original mail route between Key West FL and Havana Cuba (1927).
• First airline to employ radio communications (1928).
• Pioneered Pacific air routes (1935).
• First airline to make a global flight (1942).
• First airline with ports on every continent.
• First post-WW2 airline links to USSR (1968) and Red China (1978).
• Subsidiaries: Airline Services Division, Falcon Jet Corp, International Hotels, Metropolitan Air Facilities Division, PAA Technical Services.
Pan Am Express
1986: Division of PAA, from Ransome Airlines.
Paradise Island Airlines
c.1990: ---.
Park Air Transport
1947: ---. 1950: Merged with Ozark Air Lines.
Penobscot Airways
1955: Millinocket ME.
Peninsula Airways / Pen Air
1955: ---. 1992: Renamed Pen Air.
Pennsylvania Air Lines
c.1931: Clifford Ball dba Pennsylvania Air Lines, Pittsburgh PA. 4/x/34: Reorganized as Pennsylvania Air Lines & Transport Co (PALTC). 6/x/34: Acquired assets of Kohler Aviation. 19??: Contractor for Allegheny Commuter.
Pennsylvania Central Airlines
1936: Pittsburgh Aviation Industries dba Pennsylvania Central Airlines (PCA), Pittsburgh PA, on merger of Central Airlines and Kohler Airlines. 1948: Renamed by Capital Airlines, later acquired by United Airlines.
People Express Airlines
1981: Newark NJ. 19??: Merged with Provincetown-Boston Airlines. 1987: Merged into New York Air/Continental (Texas Air).
• "No frills" airline with budget fares.
Perimeter Airlines
19??: Winnipeg Manitoba.
Philadelphia Rapid Transit
1926: Philadelphia PA. Ford Tri-Motor.
Phoenix Air
c.1997: Phoenix AZ.
Pickwick Airlines
Charles F Wren dba Pickwick Stage Systems, Glendale Air Terminal CA. 1928-1930: Pickwick Airlines.
Piedmont Airlines
1940: Piedmont Aviation, Winston-Salem NC (aircraft sales). 194?: Camel City Flying Service. 1948: Piedmont Airlines. 1983: Acquired Henson Airlines. 1984: Acquired Empire Airlines. 1984: Acquired Jetstream International Airlines. 1984 (>1989): Merged with USAir.
Pilgrim Airlines
1962: Groton CT. 19??: Acquired NewAir. 19??: Acquired by Business Express.
Pinehurst Airlines
c.1980: ---.
Pioneer Air Lines
1944: Reorganized on merger with Essair. 1955: Acquired by Continental Air Lines.
Pitcairn Aviation
1926: Philadelphia PA, Brooklyn NY (CAM-19, CAM-25). 1929: Acquired by Eastern Air Transport.
Pittsburgh Airways
c.1931: Pittsburgh Airways Inc (fdrs: James Condon, Ted Taney) Pittsburgh PA. c.1931: Subsidiary New York & Western Airlines, serving NYC and Camden NJ, lasted only five months. c.1932: Bankruptcy.
Pocono Airlines
1965: Wilkes-Barre PA. 1968: Contractor for Allegheny Commuter.
Polar Air Cargo
c.1994: Long Beach CA. Air freight.
Polaris
1946: Polaris Charter Co. 1953: Acquired by Wardair Canada.
Pompano Airways
c.1985: Subcontract carrier for Air Florida Commuter.
Port Angeles Air Transport
1931: Port Angeles Air Transport Inc, Port Angeles WA.
• Flights to Seattle in Stinson Detroiters.
Precision Airlines
1977: Precision Valley Aviation Inc dba Precision Airlines, Burlington(?) VT.
Presidential Airways
c.1987: ---. 1986: Acquired Colgan Airways. 1987: Acquired by Continental Express.
Pro Air
c.1997: Pro Air Inc, Detroit MI. 2000: Ended operations? (FAA revocation 9/2000)
Provincetown-Boston Airlines / PBA
1949: Provincetown MA; also included Naples Airlines. 19??: Merged with People Express.
• Had in its fleet a DC-3 with 88,000 logged hours [N136PB], the world's highest-time airliner.
PSA Airlines
19??: PSA Airlines Inc, Vandalia OH. Affiliation: US Airways.
Québecair
1947: Rimouski Airlines, Montreal Québec. 1948: Renamed Québecair. 1953: Merged with Gulf Aviation.
Q-West Commuter Airline
c.1988: ---.
Rankin Flying Service
1927(?): (John "Tex") Rankin Flying Service, Swan Island Airport, Portland OR.
Ransome Airlines
1967: Philadelphia(?) PA. 19??: Contractor for Allegheny Commuter. 1982: Left Allegheny Commuter. 1986: Acquired by PAA as Pan Am Express.
Rapid Air Lines
1933: Rapid Air Lines Corp, Omaha NB. 1934: Ended operations.
Rapid Air Transport
1930: Rapid City SD. 1932: Acquired by Hanford Air Lines.
Red Carpet Airlines
19??: Red Carpet Airlines, St Petersburg FL. 1981: Became Aerosun International Airlines.
Red Wing Flying Service
c.1929: Ware MA (air taxi, charter).
Reed Air Line
1931-1934: ---.
Reeve Aleutian Airways
1932: Reeve Airways, Anchorage AK. 1946 or 1948: Reeve Aleutian Airways. 2000: Ended airlines operations.
Regent Airways
c.1997: ---.
Reno Air
c.1990: Reno Air Inc, Reno NV. 199?: Merged with American Airlines.
Renown Aviation
c.1991: Renown Aviation Inc, ---.
Republic Airlines
1979: Formed from a merger of North Central Airlines and Southwest Airways, Minneapolis MN. 1980: Acquired Hughes Air West. 1983: Merged in partnership with Mesaba Airlines. 1984: Mesaba partnership dissolved. 1986: Merged with Northwest Airlines.
Resort Airlines
1982: Resort Air/Resort Airlines, St Louis MO. 1989: Became Trans States Airlines.
Resort Commuter Airlines
c.1988: ---. 1989: Ended operations.
Revere Airways
c.1950: ---.
Richmor Airlines
c.1990: Richmor Aviation Inc, ---.
Riddle Airlines
1945: --- (charter, freight). 1965: Became Airlift International.
Rimouski Airlines
1947: Montreal Québec. 1948: Renamed Québecair. 1953: Merged with Gulf Aviation.
Rio Airways
1966: Killeen TX.
Robertson Air Service (data 1927)
1930: Division of Robertson Aircraft Corp, Anglum MO. 1933: Ended operations. Routes to Chicago, Peoria, St Louis, and Springfield.
Robin Air Lines
1947: Los Angeles CA, Burbank CA.
• Douglas DC-4, Lockheed Constellation.
Robinson Airlines
1945: ---. 1952: Renamed as Mohawk Airlines. 1972: Merged with Allegheny Airlines.
Rocky Mountain Airways
1964: Vail Airways, Denver CO. 1978: Acquired Intermountain Airways.
Roseswift Air Service
1920: Arthur Rosenthal and Thomas Swift dba Roseswift Airplane Co, Grand Rapids MI. 1920: Ended operations.
• Short-lived operation carrying passengers and light freight to Ionia in Curtiss JN-4s, was described as "too far ahead of its time," and went back to barnstorming and teaching flying.
Ross Airlines
c.1988: Ross Aviation Inc, ---.
Roots Air
199?: Subsidiary of Skyservice Airlines, Canada.
Royal Airways
1927-1929: ---.
Royale Airlines
1969: Shreveport LA.
Royal Hawaiian Air Service
1963: Honolulu HI.
Royal West Airlines
c.1986: ---.
Ryan Air
19??: ---. 1983: Acquired Munz Northern Airline.
Ryan Airlines
Ben F Mahoney & T Claude Ryan dba Ryan Co, San Diego CA. 1925: Ryan Airlines. 1927: Discontinued operations to focus on aircraft manufacturing.
Safeway Airlines SEE Southwest Air Fast Express
St Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line
Anthony Jannus, St Petersburg FL. 1914. Six-month contract fulfilled.
• World's first airline, but with only a single destination.
San Juan Airlines
c.1980: ---.
Santa Catalina Island Air Line
Glenn L Martin, Long Beach CA. 1912: Santa Catalina Island Air Line.
Santa Maria Airlines
(Capt Allan) Hancock College of Aeronautics, Santa Maria CA. 1928: Santa Maria Airlines. 1929: Ended operations.
• Lockheed Vega 1 [NC7427].
Saturn Airways
c.1960: ---. 1976: Merged with Transinternational Airlines.
Scenic Airlines
1967: Las Vegas NV.
• Scenic flights over the Grand Canyon recreational area and other Southwestern national parks.
Scenic Airways
c.1930: Grand Canyon AZ.
Scheduled Skyways
c.1980: ---.
Seaboard World Airlines
1946: Non-scheduled freight. 1947: Seaboard & Western Airlines (freight). 1961: Seaboard World Airlines (freight). 1980: Merged with Flying Tiger Line.
• European ports.
Seagull Airways
1929-1930: ---.
SEAIR
c.1984: SeaAirmotive Inc dba SEAIR.
Semo Airways
19??: Malden MO.
Seattle-Vancouver Airways
19??: ---.
Seattle-Victoria Air Mail Line
1920-1928: William Boeing dba Seattle-Victoria Air Mail Line, Seattle WA.
Sentry Air Lines
c.1926: (pres: J C Channon), Ponca City OK.
Shannon Airlines
19??: ---. 19??: Acquired Mid-State Airlines. 1989: Ended operations.
Shelton-Jefferson Airways
1930: (Gentry) Shelton-Jefferson Airways, St Louis MO. 1931: Ended operations.
Shuttle Air Lines
c.1931: Henry Ogden dba Shuttle Air Lines, Glendale Air Terminal CA. c.1932: Ended operations.
• A single Ogden Osprey connected San Bernardino and Palm Springs.
Sierra Nevada Airways
c.1994: ---.
Sierra Pacific Airlines
c.1985: ---.
SigAir
c.1991: ---
Simmons Airlines
1979: Marquette MI. c.1986: Metroflight div of American Eagle. 1988: Acquired as Northwest Airlink.
Skyfeighters
c.1986: Skyfreighters Corp.
Skybus Express
19??: ---. 1993: Ended operations.
Skymark Airlines
1967: ---. 1969: Acquired by Golden West Airlines.
Sky Trek International Airlines
c.1996: ---.
Skyway Airlines
1989: Milwaukee WI. Formed by Midwest Express Airlines in partnership with Mesa Airlines. 1994: Partnership dissolved and Skyway, aka Astral Aviation, became a wholly-owned part of Midwest Express.
Skyway Commuter
c.1985: Subcontract carrier for Air Florida Commuter.
Skyways International Airlines
c.1953: Skyways Airlines, Fayetteville AR (fdr: Ray Ellis), air taxi service to Little Rock. c.1972: Service to Tulsa added, later about two dozen more cities, partly Eastern AL subsidies. c.1983: Acquired by Air Midwest. The only surviving route from Little Rock to Fayetteville to Kansas City (operated as US Airways Express) was dropped after the 9/11/01 terrorist attacks, as the airline could not compete with new I-540 freeway, which shortened door-to-door time after new security screening measures were enacted. Non-stops MCI-XNA and MCI-LIT continue today. (— Jim Bryan3/12/01)
• Originally one Cessna 190, add Beech 99s, Metro II/IIIs, Nord 262.
Skywest Airlines
c.1988: St George UT. Affiliation: Delta Airlines.
Slick Airways
1946: (Earl) Slick Airways --- (freight). 1948: Acquired California Eastern. 1968: Acquired by Airlift International.
Slocum Air
c.19??: Subcontract carrier for Air Florida Commuter.
SMB Stageline
19??: (Sedalia Marshall Boonville), ---. 1990: Ended operations.
Smokers Express
c.1993: ---.
Southern Air Express SEE Southwest Air Fast Express
Southeast Airlines
c.1958: ---.
Southern Air Transport
19??: Subsidiaries Texas Air Transport Inc and Texas Air Transport Flying School, Southern Airmotive Service, Gulf (Coast?) Air Lines, Dixie Motor Coach Corp. 1929: Acquired by Aviation Corporation (AVCO).
Southern Airways
1943 1949: Atlanta GA. June 1979: Merged with North Central Airlines as Republic Airlines.
Southern Frontier Airlines
1978: Calgary, Alberta.
Southern Jersey Airways
1970: Trenton(?) NJ.
Southwest Air Fast Express
1928: Erle P Halliburton dba Southwest Air Fast Express (SAFE), Tulsa OK. 1931: Renamed Southern Air Express. Late 1931: Ended operations in the Depression.
• Ford 5-ATs, identified with "S.A.F.E.WAY AIR LINES" on their sides, and Lockheed Vegas operated with no injuries to passengers or personnel.
Southwest Pacific Airlines
c.1960: ---.
Southwest Airlines
1967: Air Southwest, Dallas TX. 1971: Renamed Southwest Airlines. 1987: Acquired TranStar. 1994: Acquired Morris Airlines.
Southwest Airways
1941: John H Connelly dba Southwest Airways. 1958: Became Pacific Air Lines, San Francisco CA. 1968: Merged as Hughes Air West.
Standard Airlines
1926: Jack Frye, Walter Hamilton, Paul Richter dba Aero Corporation of California and Standard Airlines, Los Angeles CA. 1929: Merged with Western Air Express as Transcontinental & Western Air.
Standard Airways
c.1960: ---.
Star Airlines / Star Air Service
1932: Star Air Service, Anchorage AK. 1934: Merged with McGee Airways. 1937: Renamed Star Airlines. 1942: Became Alaska Star Airlines. 1946: Alaska Airlines.
Starlite Express
c.1990: Division of Metro Express II.
State Airlines
c.1940: Charlotte SC (charter, cargo, feeder airline).
• Lockheed Lodestar, Bellanca Cruisair.
Stateswest Airlines
c.1987: ---. 1993: Ended operations.
Stearns Airways
c.1955: ---.
Stout Air Lines Detroit MI
c.1926: (William) Stout Air Services, Ford Airport, dba Stout Air Line, Detroit MI. 1930: Div of United Aircraft & Transport Corp; later United Airlines.
Suburban Airlines
19??: Reading PA. c.1983: Merged with Allegheny Commuter/USAir.
Summit Airways
1947: Denver CO. 1948(?): Renamed Challenger Airlines. 1949: Acquired by Monarch Airlines.
SunAir Express
c.2000: Redding CA.
Sunbelt Airlines
1979: JamAire, Camden AR. 1982: Sunbelt Airlines. 1984: Ended operations.
Sunbird Airlines
1979: Denver NC. 198?: Acquired Atlanta Express Airline. 1987: Renamed CC Air.
Suncoast Airlines
c.1985: ---.
Sun Country Airlines
c.1986: Minneapolis/St Paul MN.
SunJet International
c.1995: ---.
Sun Line Airways
c.1990: ---.
Sun Pacific International
c.1996: ---.
Sunrise Airlines
c.1989: ---.
Sun Valley Interline
c.1975: ---.
Swift Aire Lines
1969: San Luis Obispo CA (pres: Charles G Wiswell). 1981: Merged with Golden Gate Airlines. 1981: Ended operations.
Tahoe Air SEE Casino Express Airlines
Taku Glacier Air
c.1990: ---.
TAL International Airlines
c.1985: ---.
Tanner Airlines
c.1930: Los Angeles CA. Stinson Junior or Detroiter.
Temsco Airlines
c.1990: ---.
Tennessee Air Transport
c.1927: Tennessee Air Transport Co, Maar Field, Chattanooga TN.
Tennessee Airways
1978: Alcoa TN.
Texas Air Transport
1929: Texas Air Transport Inc (pres: or genl mgr: Temple Bowen), Fort Worth TX. Primarily freight with limited-space passenger service. 1929: Acquired as subsidiary of Southern Air Transport Inc/AVCO.
• Austin, Dallas, Galveston, San Antonio, Waco using a Lockheed Air Express.
Texas International Airlines
1944: Aviation Enterprises, Houston TX. 1947: Renamed Trans-Texas Airways. 1968: Management as Texas Air Corp dba Texas International Airlines. 10/31/82: Acquired Continental Airlines and retained the name. 2/4/86: Acquired Eastern Airlines.
Thompson Airlines / Transamerican Airlines
7/x/28: Thompson Aeronautical Corp dba Thompson Airlines, Cleveland OH (CAM-27) (air mail only). 7/x/29: Passenger service began. 1931: Renamed Transamerican Airlines. 1933: Acquired by American Airways, but continued as a company on paper only, finally going bankrupt in 1934 after President F D Roosevelt cancelled all civil air mail contracts.
• Linked intrastate Michigan with Chicago; Stinson Detroiters.
Thunder Bay Airlines
1946: --- Canada?.
Thunderbird Airways
c.1985: ---.
Time Air
19??: Lethbridge Alberta.
Toronto Airways
1948: Toronto, Ontario.
Tower Air
c.1990: Tower Air Inc, ---. Ended operations 2000.
TPI International Airlines
19??: TPI Intl Airlines Inc, ---. Ended operations 1991.
Trade Winds Airways
19??: Greensboro NC. Air freight.
Tradewinds International Airlines
c.1990:
Transair
1947: Central Northern Airways, Winnipeg Manitoba. 1956: Merged with Arctic Wings as Transair. 1969: Acquired Midwest Airlines. 1978: Acquired by Pacific Western.
Trans-Air-Link SEE TAL International
Transamerica Airlines, >Trans International Airlines
1948: Kirk Kerkorian dba Los Angeles Air Service, Los Angeles CA. 1960: Trans International Airlines. 1962: Sold to Studebaker Corp. 1964: Repurchased by Kerkorian. 1968: Acquired by Transamerica. 1976: Acquired Saturn Airways, Oakland. 1979: Transamerica Airlines.
• Corporate holdings included Budget Rent-a-Car, Occidental Life Insurance, United Artists Pictures.
Transamerican Airlines SEE Thompson Airlines
Trans American Airways
c.1959: ---
Trans Canada Airlines
1937: Montreal Québec. 1964: Air Canada.
Trans Caribbean Airways
1958: ---. 1971: Acquired by American Airlines.
Trans-Catalina Airways
19??: Santa Ana CA.
Transcontinental Air Express
19??: ---. Merged with TWA?
TransContinental Airlines
c.1985: ---.
Transcontinental Air Transport
1928: Transcontinental Air Transport-Maddux Air Lines (TAT) formed from merger of Curtiss Aeroplane & Motor Co, National Air Transport, Pennsylvania Railroad, Wright Aero Corp, and St Louis businessmen. 1929: Merged with Western Air Express as Transcontinental & Western Air (T&WA).
Transcontinental Air Transport
c.1975: Apparently a resurrection of the name. Seen flying C-47s in the Midwest; reportedly a nationwide carter service. (-- Jerry Marlette8/23/00)
Trans-Florida Airlines
c.1987: ---.
Trans International Airlines SEE Transamerica Airlines
Transinternational Airlines
1948: Oakland CA (charter). 1976: Merged with Saturn Airways.
Translift Airways
19??: ---.
Trans Magic Airlines
c.1973: Trans Magic Airlines, Greater Idaho Corp, Boise ID. Flew in and out of several cities in Idaho and did relatively well, especially on the Boise-Sun Valley-Hailey route. Planes painted white overall with a red and blue separated by a white thin cheatline running the length of the fuselage at passenger window level. (— Jim Phillips1/20/01)
Trans Michigan
19??: ---.
Trans-Mo Airlines
1966: Jefferson City MO.
Trans North Air
1966: Whitehorse Yukon. 1972: Acquired Great Northern Airways.
Transocean Airlines / TALOA
c.1955: TALOA, ---. 1960: Acquired by US Overseas Airlines.
Transocean Airlines (c.1989) SEE Gulf Air
Transpacific Airlines
c.1955: ---. 1959: Became Aloha Airlines.
Trans Provincial Airlines
19??: --- Canada. 1980: Merged as Air B C.
TranStar Airlines
1981: Muse Air. 1986: Renamed TranStar Airlines. 1987: Acquired by Southwest Airlines.
Trans States Airlines
1982: Resort Air, St Louis MO. 1985: dba Trans World Express (TWA commuter). 1989: Became Trans States Airlines, operating in the Midwest as Trans World Express and in the Northeast (West Coast added in 1993) as US Airways Express. 1991: Acquired Air Midwest. 1994: Code-sharing with Alaska Airlines, Northwest Airlines, and USAirways. 1995: Code-sharing with Trans World Airlines and United Airlines. 1998: Code-sharing with Delta Airlines operating as Delta Connection.
Trans-Texas Airways
1947: Formed on acquisition of Aviation Enterprises. 1968: Reformed as Texas Intl Airlines.
Transwestern Airlines
1978: Logan UT. Served Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Colorado, and Wyoming. 1983: Acquired by Horizon Air.
Trans World Airlines, Transcontinental & Western Airways
1930: Transcontinental & Western Air, Inc formed on merger of Transcontinental Air Transport (TAT) and Western Air Express, New York NY. 1940: Acquired Marquette Airlines. 1950: Transworld Airlines (TWA). Merged with Chautauqua Airlines as Trans World Express (TWE). 1985: Controlling interest acquired by financier Carl Icahn. 1988: Company privatized. 1/31/92: Filed for bankruptcy, but managed to stay in operation. 4/9/2001: Merged with American Airines.
• Linked USA ports to Europe and Middle East.
• Corporate holdings included Hilton Hotels, Century 21, Canteen and Hardy's food services.
Trans World Express SEE Chautauqua Airlines and TWA
Tri-Motor Safety Airlines
9/12/29: Garden City, NY. 3/8/29: Reorganized as New York Safety Airlines.
TriStar Airlines
c.1995: ---.
Trump Shuttle
1989: (Donald) Trump dba Trump Shuttle on acquisiton of Eastern Airlines Shuttle. 1992: Bankruptcy; operations continued by USAir as USAir Shuttle. 1998: Acquired by US Airways.
Turner Airlines
Oct 1949: (Roscoe) Turner Airlines, Grand Rapids MI. Sep 1950: Acquired by Lake Central Airlines.
Tyme Airlines
19??: ---. 1968: Acquired by Wright Air Lines.
Ultra Airlines
c.1992: Houston TX. A short-lived attempt out to provide First-Class only — initially from LAX to JFK, with other even shorter attempts between other cities. Its plan was to lease and outsource everything. I do not know where their aircraft came from, but AMR Services (a then sister of American Airlines) provided most everything else, Flight Planning, Ground Handling, Fuel, etc. It ran out of money (perhaps from poor marketing) and shut down within a year from startup. (— E G Adams4/13/01)
United Airlines
1931: Formed as United Aircraft & Transport Corp management company (pres: F B Rentschler), consolidating Boeing Air Transport, National Air Transport, Pacific Air Transport, Stout Air Service, and Varney Air Lines as United Airlines, Chicago IL. 1934: Varney operation sold. June 1961: Acquired Capital Airlines. 1969: Reformed as United Airlines Inc (UAL). 1970: Acquired Western International hotels. 1975: Acquired GAB Business Services.
• Initial route, as Varney Air Lines, between Pasco WA and Elko NV (1931).
• Corporate holdings included Westin Hotels, United Air Express, and real estate packages.
United Express SEE Air Wisconsin
United Parcel Service, UPS
c.1989: Atlanta GA. Air freight.
United States Air Transport aka Washington-New York Air Line
1929: New York NY. 1930: Ended operations.
• Connected Washington DC with Ryan B-1s.
United States Overseas Airlines
1946: Cape May NJ (charter). 1956: International status. 1960: Acquired TALOA. 1964: Ended operations.
United Union Airways
1929: W R Frentzel, C M & Francis Baker dba United Union Airways Inc, Spokane WA.
Universal Air Lines
1928: Universal Air Lines System, Chicago IL. 1931: Acquired by AVCO/American Airlines.
• Alexandria VA, Duluth MI, Fargo ND, Madison SD, Minneapolis, St Paul.
Universal Airways
1930: Universal Flying Service dba Universal Airways, Minneapolis MN.
• Air mail and air taxi passenger service to Duluth via Sikorsky amphibian.
usAir / USAir
1979: Name change from Allegheny Airlines, included Allegheny Commuter Service. 1986: Acquired Pacific Southwest Airlines. 1997: Name change to USAirways/USAir.
USAir Express
[c.1987: From Henson Airlines?]
Utah Pacific Airways
c.1931: Ogden UT.
ValuJet Airlines
c.1997: AirTran Airways (ceo: Joe Leonard), Minneapolis/St Paul MN.
Vance International Airline
19??: ---. 1970: Became McCulloch International Airlines.
Vanguard Airlines
1994: Kansas City MO.
• 13 Boeing 737-200s (data: 2000).
Varney Air Lines, Varney Speed Lines / Speed Lanes
192?: (Walter T) Varney Air Service, Boise ID. 1926: Varney Speed Lines. 1929: Merged as a division of United Aircraft & Transport Corp, which later became United Airlines. 1931: Reformed as Varney Speed Lines/Lanes, SF Bay Airdrome, Alameda CA. 1932: Acquired Air Ferries Ltd. 1933: Ended operations. 1934: Reformed as Varney Air Transport, Los Angeles; (Southern Division, El Paso TX). 1937: Acquired by Continental Airlines.
• Speed Lines ended after a bad-weather crash 3/23/33 of Lockheed Orion into two houses, killing pilot, two passengers, and 12 people on the ground.
Vee Neal Airlines
1967: Latrobe PA.
Viking International Airlines
c.1982: ---.
Vintage Airways
19??: Vintage Air Tours dba Vintage Airways. 1994: Ended operations.
Voyageur Airways
c.1982: Toronto.
Wardair Canada
1946: Polaris Charter Co, Yellowknife NWT. 1953: Acquired by Maxwell W Ward dba Wardair (charter service). 1962: Wardair Canada Ltd (charter). 1976: Wardair International as parent company with subsidiaries International Vacations and Wardair UK (Great Britain).
Washington-New York Air Line SEE United States Air Transport
Watertown Airways
c.1935: Watertown SD.
Wedell-Williams Air Service
1928: (Jimmy) Wedell-(Harry P) Williams Air Service, New Orleans LA. Routes to Dallas, Ft Worth, Houston, and Shreveport with Lockheed Vegas. 1937: Acquired by Eastern Air Lines.
WestAir
c.1978: No data.
Westair / United Express
1990: Formed in merger of North Pacific Airlines and Westair Commuter Airlines, ---.
West Coast Air
19??: Pacific Coastal Airlines, --- Canada. 1980: Merged as Air B C.
West Coast Airlines
19??: Seattle CA. 1968: Merged as Air West, later Hughes Air West.
West Coast Air Transport Co
1927: Portland OR. 1929: Merged with Western Air Express.
• Chehalis, Medford, San Francisco, Seattle.
Western Air Express / Western Airlines
1925: Harry Chandler, William Garland, Harris M Hanshue, James Talbot dba Western Air Express (WAE), Montebello CA. 1926: Los Angeles CA. 192?: Aero Corp of California as holding company (pres: Jack Frye). 1928: Recapitalization as Western Air Express Inc. 1928: Acquired Pacific Marine Airways. 1929: Acquired West Coast Air Transport as Transcontinental & Western Air (T&WA). c.1929: Acquired Midcontinent Air Express. 1930: Acquired Standard Airlines. May-Dec 1934: Operated as General Air Lines/General Airways (CEO: William Coulter). 1937: Acquired National Parks Airways. 1941: Became Western Airlines. 1943: Acquired Inland Airlines. 1966: Acquired Pacific Northern Airlines. 1987: Merged with Delta Airlines.
Western Air Service
1930: Western Air Service Corp, Omaha NB.
• Early feeder-type scheduled service to Oklahoma and Iowa cities with Stinson Tri-Motors.
Western Alaska Airlines
19??: ---. 1973: Merged with Kodiak Airlines as Kodiak Western Alaska Airways.
Western Pacific Airlines
19??: ---. 1998: Ended operations.
WestJet
1996: Calgary, Alberta (fdr/ceo: Clive Beddoe 1996-99).
Wheeler Airlines
19??: Wheeler Flying Service, Raleigh NC.
Wien Alaska Airlines
c.1925: 1936: From Northern Air Transport as (Noel) Wien Consolidated Airlines, later (19??) as Wien Alaska Airlines. 1968: Acquired Northern Consolidated Airlines as Wien Consolidated Airlines. 19??: Management as Household Intl. 1973: Wien Air Alaska. Corporated holdings included National Car Rental.
Wiggins Airways
c.1997: Wiggins Airways Inc, Norwood MA. This has roots in 1929 and Elwood Wiggins, a multi-diversified FBO who provided early helicopter service, trained significant pilots locally, and had flown 'Santa Claus' to the New England Lighthouse communities ever since 1945. (— Barbara Diane3/5/02)
Wilmington-Catalina Airline
1931: Philip K Wrigley dba Wilmington-Catalina Airline Ltd, Long Beach CA. 1942: Suspended operations during WW2. 1946: Acquired by United Air Lines. 1954: Ended operations.
Wings of Alaska
c.1985: ---.
Wings West Airlines
19??: Los Angeles CA (pres: William Hirsch).
Wisconsin Central Airlines
c.1944: ---. 1953: Became North Central Airlines.
Woodley Airways
1931: ---. 1947: Reorganized as Pacific Northern Airlines.
World Airways
1948: Oakland CA (charter service). 1950: Acquired by ??.
• Subsidiary maintenance and engineering facilities at Oakland Airport.
Wright Air Lines
1966: Cleveland OH. 1968: Merged with Time Airlines and Air Commuter Airlines. 1983: Acquired Aeromech Airlines.
Wyoming Air Service
1931: Cheyenne WY. Flew 3 Lockheed Orions. 1938: Became Inland Airlines, later acquired as part of Western Airlines.
Yukon Southern Air Transport
1937: Yukon Southern Air Transport Inc, Edmonton Alba. 1942: Acquired by Canadian Pacific. Served Whitehorse, Vancouver, other Territorial sites.
Yute Air Alaska
19??: Anchorage AK. 1999: Ended operations.
Zantop Air Transport / Zantop International Airlines
c.1950: --- Initial service was hauling auto parts between factories. (— Jerry Marlette8/23/00)
. 1966: Became Universal Airlines. 19??: Zantop International Airlines Inc.
Zimmerly Air Transport
1944: Lewiston ID. 1946: Merged with Empire Airlines.
SOURCES:
-- input from viewers as noted
-- Airlines of North America, Bob Shives & Bill Thompson (Crestline 1984)
-- Stan Baumwald
-- Edward J Young
11/06/02
