Elite Airways is an airline based in the United States operating charter and scheduled passenger flights. The airline adjusts destinations as demand increases or decreases. The airline is headquartered in

Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropol ...

History

Elite Airways LLC was founded in 2006 and received

FAA The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...

Part 121 scheduled certification in 2012. When the airline obtained its scheduled authority it announced it would begin scheduled passenger flights to and from

Orlando Melbourne International Airport Melbourne Orlando International Airport is a public airport northwest of downtown Melbourne, in Brevard County, Florida, United States, and 50 miles southeast of Orlando, located on central Florida's Space Coast. The airport is reached by N ...

, the airline's operating base; the first scheduled passenger route was announced on July 28, 2014, when the airline said it would begin twice-weekly services between Melbourne and

Washington Dulles International Airport Washington Dulles International Airport , typically referred to as Dulles International Airport, Dulles Airport, Washington Dulles, or simply Dulles ( ), is an international airport in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Eastern United States, loc ...

on September 8 that year. Flights went on sale August 25, 2014 utilizing Branson Air Express as the ticketing airline. In November the airline began operating the Branson Air Express flights from

Branson Airport Branson Airport is a public use airport located eight nautical miles (15 km) south-southeast of the central business district of Branson, a city in Taney County, Missouri, United States. Branson Airport, LLC is a private company operating ...

Chicago Midway Airport Chicago Midway International Airport , typically referred to as Midway Airport, Chicago Midway, or simply Midway, is a major commercial airport on the Southwest side of Chicago, Illinois, located approximately 12 miles (19 km) from the Lo ...

and

Houston Hobby Airport William P. Hobby Airport (colloquially referred to as Hobby Airport, Houston Hobby, or simply Hobby) is an international airport in Houston, Texas, located from downtown Houston. Hobby is Houston's oldest commercial airport, and was its primar ...

. The airline announced that service from Northern Colorado's Fort Collins-Loveland Airport to both

Newark Liberty International Airport Newark Liberty International Airport , originally Newark Metropolitan Airport and later Newark International Airport, is an international airport straddling the boundary between the cities of Newark in Essex County and Elizabeth in Union Count ...

and

Chicago Rockford International Airport Chicago Rockford International Airport , typically referred to as Rockford International Airport, Chicago Rockford, or by its IATA call letters, RFD, is a commercial airport in Rockford, Illinois, located northwest of Chicago., effective April 2 ...

would begin on August 27, 2015. The airline subsequently announced flights starting December 10, 2015 from

Vero Beach Municipal Airport Vero Beach Regional Airport is a public airport one mile northwest of Vero Beach in Indian River County, Florida, United States. The airport is publicly owned and is the home of Piper Aircraft. History 1929–1941 In 1929, Bud Holman, whose so ...

, representing the first-ever commercial scheduled jet service at Vero Beach airport. In early 2016, Elite Airways introduced scheduled service from Naples Municipal Airport in southwest Florida to Newark Liberty, Orlando Melbourne, Vero Beach and

Portland International Jetport Portland International Jetport is a public airport two miles (3 km) west of downtown Portland, Maine, United States. It is owned and operated by the City of Portland. A portion of the Jetport's property, including the main runway, is loca ...

in Maine, representing the first commercial services at Naples Municipal Airport since 2006. In March 2016, the airline announced the restart of twice-weekly service between Fort Collins-Loveland Municipal Airport and Chicago Rockford International Airport starting May 23, 2016. On April 15, 2016, the airline announced that it would begin regular flight operations at

Long Island MacArthur Airport Long Island MacArthur Airport (formerly known as Islip Airport) is a public airport in Ronkonkoma, New York, on Long Island. The Town of Islip owns and operates the airport, which serves about two million airline passengers a year, as well as g ...

in Islip, New York. The airline announced service to three destinations: Orlando-Melbourne, FL; Myrtle Beach, SC; and Portland, ME. Flight service began at

the morning of June 17, 2016 On December 7, 2016, the airline announced it would begin non-stop service from Long Island to Newport News, VA beginning in March 2017, and on December 13, 2016, the airline announced plans to further expand service from

to Vero Beach, FL. Beginning April 27, 2017, Elite Airways begins its first international service, flying between

and

South Bimini Airport South Bimini Airport is an airport in South Bimini on Bimini in the Bahamas. It was used as a staging point on the show ''Destination Truth''.http://www.thebahamasweekly.com/publish/entertainment/Bimini_to_be_featured_in_upcoming_SyFy_Channel_s ...

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

. Beginning September 28, 2017, Elite Airways began doing business as Cal Jet Elite, and flew between McClellan-Palomar Airport in

Carlsbad, CA Carlsbad is a coastal city in the North County region of San Diego County, California, United States. The city is south of downtown Los Angeles and north of downtown San Diego. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 114,746. ...

and

McCarran International Airport Harry Reid International Airport is an international airport in Paradise, Nevada, and is the main government airport for public use in the Las Vegas Valley, a metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Nevada, about south of Downtown Las Vegas. ...

Las Vegas, NV Las Vegas (; Spanish language, Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the List of United States cities by population, 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the U.S. state, state of Neva ...

. Cal Jet and Elite provided irregular service, frequently canceling flights and stranding travelers. The service was quietly ceased by the airline in April 2018, and Elite Airways has not made an announcement on whether or not to maintain the Cal Jet route. As of June 20, it is not possible to book flights on the official website. In 2018 the airline refocused its scheduled operations on the core Newark & Portland to Florida flights and has since added flights from Florida to

Asheville, North Carolina Asheville ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most populous cit ...

and

Traverse City, Michigan Traverse City ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Grand Traverse County, although a small portion extends into Leelanau County. It is the largest city in the 21-county Northern Michigan region. The population was ...

. On August 6, 2019, it was announced that Elite Airways signed an operating agreement to provide the initial aircraft, flight crews, and maintenance service for the revival of the Midwest Express brand. On September 18, 2022, BizTimes.com reported that Midwest Express had terminated the agreement and was bringing sui

In 2019, Elite Airways opened a dedicated maintenance facility at

Auburn/Lewiston Municipal Airport Auburn-Lewiston Airport is a public airport in Androscoggin County, Maine, opened in 1935. It is five miles southwest of the cities of Auburn and Lewiston, both of which own and operate the airport, though it is in the Auburn city limits. The ...

. In 2019 Elite Airways also ceased scheduled service to Orlando-Melbourne, which it had served since it began scheduled passenger service. In 2020,

Vero Beach, Florida Vero Beach is a city in and the seat of Indian River County, Florida, United States. Vero Beach is the second most populous city in Indian River County. Abundant in beaches and wildlife, Vero Beach is located on Florida's Treasure Coast. It is thi ...

city council recommended terminating Elite's lease at

Vero Beach Regional Airport Vero Beach Regional Airport is a public airport one mile northwest of Vero Beach in Indian River County, Florida, United States. The airport is publicly owned and is the home of Piper Aircraft. History 1929–1941 In 1929, Bud Holman, whose son ...

due to a funding gap from

Florida Department of Transportation The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is a decentralized agency charged with the establishment, maintenance, and regulation of public transportation in the state of Florida. The department was formed in 1969. It absorbed the powers of t ...

as Elite's passenger's numbers had exceeded 10,000 but less than 200,000. The city council ultimately extended the lease while trying to work out a longer-term solution. In 2021, Elite begins building its operations at

Westchester County Airport Westchester County Airport is a county-owned airport in Westchester County, New York, three miles (6 km) northeast of downtown White Plains, with territory in the towns of North Castle and Harrison, New York, and village of Rye Brook, New ...

by adding new destinations like the islands of

Martha's Vineyard Martha's Vineyard, often simply called the Vineyard, is an island in the Northeastern United States, located south of Cape Cod in Dukes County, Massachusetts, known for being a popular, affluent summer colony. Martha's Vineyard includes the s ...

and

Nantucket Nantucket () is an island about south from Cape Cod. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck and Muskeget, it constitutes the Town and County of Nantucket, a combined county/town government that is part of the U.S. state of Massachuse ...

located south of

Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of mainland Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer mont ...

, and later adding routes to its destinations in

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 ...

and

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

. In

it is the first carrier to operate jet service to

Nantucket Memorial Airport Nantucket Memorial Airport is a public airport on the south side of the island of Nantucket, Massachusetts, United States. It is owned by the Town of Nantucket and is located three miles (5 km) southeast of the town center., effective April ...

has had jet service to

from

JetBlue JetBlue Airways Corporation (stylized as jetBlue) is a major American low cost airline, and the seventh largest airline in North America by passengers carried. The airline is headquartered in the Long Island City neighborhood of the New York C ...

since 2019.

Cape Air Hyannis Air Service Inc., operating as Cape Air, is an airline headquartered at Barnstable Municipal Airport in Hyannis, Massachusetts, United States. It operates scheduled passenger services in the Northeast (US), Northeast, the Caribbean, Midw ...

has also flown to both islands from

since 2011, but it is using nine seat piston engine aircraft. Beginning November 2021, Elite will operate flights twice weekly between Newark, NJ and St. Augustine (FL) Regional Airport. According to VeroNews.com as of July 14, 2022, the carrier had cancelled all of its scheduled July service at Vero Beach in addition to 27 of the 35 flights for June, due to the expiration of a TSA waiver. According to multiple posts on the site airlinepilotforums.com, as of August 2022 the company was well in arrears for payroll and hangar lease. On September 14, 2022, their website claims the reservation system is down for maintenance.

Fleet

The Elite Airways fleet comprises the following aircraft: As of July 2021, Elite Airways fleet is:

Destinations

Elite Airways operates both charter and scheduled operations. Charter operations are primarily NCAA charters, music tours, and other ACMI operations flying throughout North & Central America, and the Caribbean. The scheduled operations served are listed below:

Current destinations

Terminated destinations

References

External links

Elite Airways official websitePlaneSpotters.net official website
{{Airlines of the United States, state=collapsed Airlines established in 2012 Airlines based in Maine Companies based in Portland, Maine