Aeromarine West Indies Airways was a United States airline that operated from 1920 to 1924. It was reorganized as ''Aeromarine Airways'' in 1921. A new Aeromarine West Indies Airways was incorporated in 2007.

Original airline

Rc11086 Aeromarine 75 aka Curtiss F5L flying boats 1922 Miami

The original company was formed by a merger between Florida West Indies Airways and Aeromarine Sightseeing and Navigation Company (a subsidiary of the

Aeromarine The Aeromarine Plane and Motor Company was an early American aircraft manufacturer founded by Inglis M. Upperçu which operated from 1914 to 1930. From 1928 to 1930 it was known as the Aeromarine-Klemm Corporation. History The beginnings of the ...

airplane manufacturing company) and was one of the first international airlines in the United States. It commenced operations on 1 November 1920 with a flight from Key West,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, to

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

, and operated flying boats from the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

mainland to the

Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to 88% of the ar ...

and Cuba. Transporting passengers, mail, and freight beginning in 1921, it ceased operations in early 1924 due to a freeze on mail contracts by the

United States Post Office The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the ...

. It was reorganized as Aeromarine Airways in spring of 1921 with Inglis Moore Uppercu, a

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

Cadillac dealer as its president. Aeromarine enjoyed many firsts - the first U.S. international air mail service and first scheduled U.S. international passenger service (Key West to Havana, November 1, 1920); first total-service U.S. airline (passenger, mail, express cargo); first

in-flight movie In-flight entertainment (IFE) refers to the entertainment available to aircraft passengers during a flight. In 1936, the airship '' Hindenburg'' offered passengers a piano, lounge, dining room, smoking room, and bar during the -day flight betwee ...

(

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, August 1921); first airline baggage label (1921); and the first U.S. airline ticket office (

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

, July 1922). Its slogan was "Speed Safety Comfort". The overseas flights in

Felixstowe F5L The twin-engine F5L was one of the Felixstowe F series of flying boats developed by John Cyril Porte at the Seaplane Experimental Station, Felixstowe, England, during the First World War for production in America. A civilian version of the air ...

seaplanes named the ''Nina'', ''Pinta'', and ''Santa Maria'' brought passengers to popular destinations that still allowed drinking at the start of

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcohol ...

. The new metal-hulled, six-passenger

Aeromarine AMC The Aeromarine AMC was the first American all-metal hulled commercial flying boat. Development Design work on the AMC started in 1921 with the goal of producing an aluminum-hulled flying boat that would be more durable than contemporary all-woo ...

was placed into service in 1924 but operated for only a short time before service ceased.

New airline

The "rebirth" of Aeromarine West Indies Airways occurred in February 2007 when it was reformed and incorporated in the

State of Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to th ...

, Aeromarine West Indies Airways Corporation has applied for its FAA Part 121 Air Carrier Certificate intending to begin operations, flying vintage flying boats and/or

propliner A propliner is a large, propeller-driven airliner. Typically, the term is used for piston engine airliners that flew before the large scale advent of airliners of the jet age. With the notable exception of the de Havilland Albatross and Fokker F ...

s, by 2012. Aeromarine's first intended route was from St. Augustine, Florida, to Palm Beach, Florida, to Key West. In January 2009 the airline purchased a 1920s-style coastal steamship, the CSS (Coastal Steam Ship) ''Seminole Wind'', intending to base her in St. Augustine and use her as a floating terminal and tender for

seaplane A seaplane is a powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing (alighting) on water.Gunston, "The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary", 2009. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories based on their technological characteri ...

operations. Plans are also underway to open a cafe and shops on board the ''Seminole Wind'' to be open to the general public. Aeromarine's tag-line is: "Aeromarine West Indies Airways... The return of an airline that offers the romance and adventure of a bygone age!"

Accidents and incidents

On 13 January 1923, the Aeromarine Airways

Aeromarine 75 The twin-engine F5L was one of the Felixstowe F series of flying boats developed by John Cyril Porte at the Seaplane Experimental Station, Felixstowe, England, during the First World War for production in America. A civilian version of the air ...

''Columbus'' suffered engine failure during a flight from Key West to Havana and landed in the

Florida Strait The Straits of Florida, Florida Straits, or Florida Strait ( es, Estrecho de Florida) is a strait located south-southeast of the North American mainland, generally accepted to be between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, and between t ...

. Buffeted by 10-to-15-foot (3-to-4.5-meter) waves, its hull began to fill with water. Four passengers died, but the ferry ship ''H. M. Flagler'' saved the other three passengers and both crew members.Aviation Safety Network: Accident Description
/ref>

References

{{Airlines of the United States, state=collapsed Defunct regional airlines of the United States Airlines established in 1921 Airlines based in Florida Defunct seaplane operators Airlines disestablished in 1924 1921 establishments in Florida 1924 disestablishments in Florida American companies established in 1921 Defunct airlines of the United States

Original airline

New airline

Accidents and incidents

See also

References