Air Resorts was a regional airline based in

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...

and Saint Thomas.

History

Air Resorts was founded in 1978 by Ted Vallas as a flight training and air-taxi operator based out of Carlsbad-Palomar Airport in San Diego. By 1978 Air Resorts had acquired two Douglas DC-3s and one Convair 440 to serve San Clemente Island from San Diego on behalf of the US Navy. Seeking an opportunity to enter the scheduled airline market Air Resorts begin routes to

to Burbank, and

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to both Santa Barbara and

Oxnard Oxnard () is a city in Ventura County, California, United States. On California's South Coast, it is the most populous city in Ventura County and the 22nd-most-populous city in California. Incorporated in 1903, Oxnard lies approximately west ...

. In 1982 Air Resorts purchased American Inter-Island Airways from American Airlines and began operations in the Virgin Islands. The airline had amassed a fleet of nine

Convair 440 The Convair CV-240 is an American airliner that Convair manufactured from 1947 to 1954, initially as a possible replacement for the ubiquitous Douglas DC-3. Featuring a more modern design with cabin pressurization, the 240 series made some inro ...

s and two

Convair 340 The Convair CV-240 is an American airliner that Convair manufactured from 1947 to 1954, initially as a possible replacement for the ubiquitous Douglas DC-3. Featuring a more modern design with cabin pressurization, the 240 series made some inr ...

s to operate their route network. In December of 1984 a Convair 440 made an emergency landing due to a technical issue. The entire Air Resorts fleet was grounded voluntarily during the investigation and on December 21, 1984 the FAA suspended Air Resorts operating certificate due to alleged safety violations. In 1985 the airline had its operating certificate reinstated and the airline was allowed to operate again. In the late 1980s the airline cancelled all scheduled services but charter service continued throughout the later 1980s and into the 1990s. In May 1990 the airline restarted scheduled services to between San Diego and Tucson with six flights a day. The airline then received permission to start services to Mexico and began to fly to San Felipe, La Paz and Loreto. In December 1990, Air Resorts was merged with Air LA and suspended passenger services and was absorbed into the new carrier.

Destinations

Air Resorts maintained these scheduled routes throughout its existence:

United States

* Burbank *

* Santa Barbara *

Tucson , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

Mexico

* San Felipe * La Paz * Loreto

Fleet

Air Resorts fleet consisted of: * Douglas DC-3 *

References