WestAir Commuter Airlines De Havilland Canada DHC-6-200 Twin Otter Silagi-1

Intrastate airlines in the U.S. are defined as air carriers operating inside of one individual state and thus not flying across state lines. Larger intrastate

airline An airline is a company that provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines use aircraft to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for codeshare agreements, in wh ...

s in the U.S. that operated mainline turboprop and/or jet aircraft were created as a result of former federal airline regulations, as passenger air carriers that only flew intrastate service were not regulated by the federal government but were instead primarily regulated by the respective state governments in their home states. For example,

Pacific Southwest Airlines Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) was a regional U.S. airline headquartered in San Diego, California, that operated from 1949 to 1998. It was the first large discount airline in the United States. PSA called itself "The World's Friendliest Airl ...

(PSA) and Air California were both regulated by the

California Public Utilities Commission The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC or PUC) is a regulatory agency that regulates privately owned public utilities in the state of California, including electric power, telecommunications, natural gas and water companies. In addition ...

(CPUC) prior to the federal

Airline Deregulation Act The Airline Deregulation Act is a 1978 United States federal law that deregulated the airline industry in the United States, removing federal control over such areas as fares, routes, and market entry of new airlines. The Civil Aeronautics Boa ...

of 1978. Although intrastate airlines in some states used only turboprop aircraft, scheduled passenger service on jet aircraft was operated by intrastate air carriers in California, Florida, Hawaii and Texas.

History

Intrastate airlines were created as a result of U.S. federal government regulation of the airline industry. A number of intrastate airlines were also commuter or regional air carriers primarily operating smaller prop and/or

turboprop A turboprop is a turbine engine that drives an aircraft propeller. A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction gearbox, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propelling nozzle. Air enters the intake and is compressed by the compressor. ...

passenger aircraft. These airlines connected smaller cities within their home state to the larger cities and airline hubs in the same state. Due to

Civil Aeronautics Board The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) was an agency of the federal government of the United States, formed in 1938 and abolished in 1985, that regulated aviation services including scheduled passenger airline serviceStringer, David H."Non-Skeds: T ...

(CAB) regulations governing

interstate The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. Th ...

air transportation, smaller airlines and start up carriers were often able to find niche markets in their home states. By not crossing state lines, an intrastate airline was not required to seek CAB's approval of which routes it flew within its home state and the fares it charged. Several intrastate air carriers in the U.S. operated larger mainline turboprop and/or mainline jet aircraft in the states of

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

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 ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

, and

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

in the past. These airlines included: * Air California operating

Lockheed L-188 Electra The Lockheed L-188 Electra is an American turboprop airliner built by Lockheed. First flown in 1957, it was the first large turboprop airliner built in the United States. Initial sales were good, but after two fatal crashes that led to expensiv ...

propjets as well as Boeing 737-100,

737-200 The Boeing 737 is a narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Renton Factory in Washington. Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the twinjet retains the 707 fuselage width and six abreast seating with two un ...

and

Douglas DC-9-10 The McDonnell Douglas DC-9 is an American five-abreast single-aisle aircraft designed by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It was initially produced by the developer company as the Douglas DC-9 until August 1967 and then by McDonnell Douglas. After ...

jets in California *

Air Florida Air Florida was an American low-cost carrier that operated from 1971 to 1984. In 1975 it was headquartered in the Dadeland Towers in what is now Kendall, Florida in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida. Air Florida's IATA code is now used by ...

operating Boeing 707 and

jets as well as

propjets in Florida *

Aloha Airlines Aloha Airlines was an American airline headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii, operating from a hub at Honolulu International Airport (now Daniel K. Inouye International Airport). Operations began on July 26, 1946, and ceased operations on March 3 ...

operating

Vickers Viscount The Vickers Viscount is a British medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs. A design requirement from the Brabazon Committee, it entered service in 1953 and was the first turboprop-powered airliner. The Vi ...

propjets followed by British Aircraft Corporation BAC One-Eleven,

Boeing 737-200 The Boeing 737 is a narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Renton Factory in Washington. Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the twinjet retains the 707 fuselage width and six abreast seating with two u ...

Boeing 737-300 The Boeing 737 Classic is a series of narrow-body airliners produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes, the second generation of the Boeing 737 series of aircraft. Development began in 1979 and the first variant, the 737-300, first flew in Februa ...

and

Boeing 737-400 The Boeing 737 Classic is a series of narrow-body airliners produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes, the second generation of the Boeing 737 series of aircraft. Development began in 1979 and the first variant, the 737-300, first flew in Februa ...

jets on interisland flights in Hawaii *

Hawaiian Airlines Hawaiian Airlines ( haw, Hui Mokulele o Hawaiʻi ) is the largest operator of commercial flights to and from the U.S. state of Hawaii. It is the tenth-largest commercial airline in the United States, and is based at Honolulu, Hawaii. The airl ...

operating

propjets followed by

, McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30,

McDonnell Douglas DC-9-50 The McDonnell Douglas DC-9 is an American five-abreast single-aisle aircraft designed by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It was initially produced by the developer company as the Douglas DC-9 until August 1967 and then by McDonnell Douglas. Aft ...

and McDonnell Douglas MD-81 jets on interisland flights in Hawaii * Great Northern Airlines operating

propjets in Alaska *

Holiday Airlines Holiday Airlines was a Turkish charter company that operated between 1994 and 1996. History Holiday Airlines in Turkey began operations in the summer of 1994 using Airbus A320 aircraft serving mostly the German tourist market. Holiday Airli ...

operating

propjets in California *

MarkAir MarkAir was a regional airline based in Anchorage, Alaska, that became a national air carrier operating passenger jet service in the United States with a hub and corporate headquarters located in Denver, Colorado."World Airline Directory." '' ...

operating

jets in Alaska * Muse Air operating McDonnell Douglas MD-80 jets in Texas *

(PSA) operating

propjets as well as Boeing 727-100, 727-200,

, McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 and Lockheed L-1011 TriStar jets in California * Southwest Airlines operating

jets in Texas Pacific Southwest Airlines was the only U.S.-based intrastate air carrier ever to operate wide body jetliners in the form of the

Lockheed L-1011 The Lockheed L-1011 TriStar, also known as the L-1011 (pronounced "El-ten-eleven") and TriStar, is an American medium-to-long-range, wide-body trijet airliner built by the Lockheed Corporation. It was the third wide-body airliner to enter comme ...

. Before introducing the turboprop powered Lockheed L-188 Electra into its fleet in 1959 followed later by jet aircraft, PSA operated Douglas DC-3,

DC-4 The Douglas DC-4 is an American four-engined (piston), propeller-driven airliner developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company. Military versions of the plane, the C-54 and R5D, served during World War II, in the Berlin Airlift and into the 1960s. ...

and DC-6 piston powered propliners during the 1950s. Most of the above airlines then added other jetliner types to their aircraft fleets after commencing interstate service in the U.S. For example, AirCal and PSA both added

British Aerospace British Aerospace plc (BAe) was a British aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer. Its head office was at Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire. Formed in 1977, in 1999 it purchased Marcon ...

BAe 146-200 The British Aerospace 146 (also BAe 146) is a short-haul and regional airliner that was manufactured in the United Kingdom by British Aerospace, later part of BAE Systems. Production ran from 1983 until 2001. Manufacture by Avro Internationa ...

and McDonnell Douglas MD-80 jets to their respective fleets with AirCal also introducing

jets. Muse Air added McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 and

DC-9-50 The McDonnell Douglas DC-9 is an American five-abreast single-aisle aircraft designed by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It was initially produced by the developer company as the Douglas DC-9 until August 1967 and then by McDonnell Douglas. After ...

jets to its fleet. Air Florida added Boeing 727-100, 727-200,

737-100 The Boeing 737 is a narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Boeing Renton Factory, Renton Factory in Washington (state), Washington. Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the twinjet retains the Boeing 707, 7 ...

, Douglas DC-8-62 and McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 jets to its fleet with the DC-8 and wide body DC-10 being used for transatlantic international flights. Southwest added

, 737-500,

737-700 The Boeing 737 Next Generation, commonly abbreviated as 737NG, or 737 Next Gen, is a narrow-body aircraft powered by two jet engines and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Launched in 1993 as the third generation derivative of the Boeing ...

and

737-800 The Boeing 737 Next Generation, commonly abbreviated as 737NG, or 737 Next Gen, is a narrow-body aircraft powered by two jet engines and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Launched in 1993 as the third generation derivative of the Boeing ...

jetliners to its fleet and also operated

Boeing 727-200 The Boeing 727 is an American narrow-body airliner that was developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. After the heavy 707 quad-jet was introduced in 1958, Boeing addressed the demand for shorter flight lengths from smaller airpo ...

jets at one point. Aloha added Boeing 737-700 and

Boeing 737-800 The Boeing 737 Next Generation, commonly abbreviated as 737NG, or 737 Next Gen, is a narrow-body aircraft powered by two jet engines and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Launched in 1993 as the third generation derivative of the Boein ...

jets for flights to west coast of the U.S. and Canada as well as to South Pacific destinations. Hawaiian added Douglas DC-8-62,

Douglas DC-8-63 The Douglas DC-8 (sometimes McDonnell Douglas DC-8) is a long-range narrow-body airliner built by the American Douglas Aircraft Company. After losing the May 1954 US Air Force tanker competition to the Boeing KC-135, Douglas announced in July ...

, Lockheed L-1011 TriStar and

McDonnell Douglas DC-10 The McDonnell Douglas DC-10 is an American trijet wide-body aircraft manufactured by McDonnell Douglas. The DC-10 was intended to succeed the DC-8 for long- range flights. It first flew on August 29, 1970; it was introduced on August 5, 197 ...

jets followed by

Boeing 767-300 The Boeing 767 is an American wide-body aircraft developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The aircraft was launched as the 7X7 program on July 14, 1978, the prototype first flew on September 26, 1981, and it was certified on ...

and

Airbus A330 The Airbus A330 is a wide-body aircraft developed and produced by Airbus. Airbus conceived several derivatives of the A300, its first airliner in the mid-1970s. Then the company began development on the A330 twinjet in parallel with the A340 ...

jets for flights to the U.S. mainland as well as to international destinations and also subsequently operated McDonnell Douglas MD-81 jets on its interisland flights in Hawaii. Hawaiian currently operates

Boeing 717-200 The Boeing 717 is an American five-abreast single-aisle airliner produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The twin-engine airliner was developed for the 100-seat market and originally marketed by McDonnell Douglas as the MD-95. It was a shor ...

jets and

ATR 42-500 The ATR 42 is a regional airliner produced by Franco-Italian manufacturer ATR (aircraft manufacturer), ATR, with final assembly in Toulouse, France. On 4 November 1981, the aircraft was launched with ATR, as a joint venture between French Aér ...

propjets on its interisland flights. Following the federal

of 1978, several intrastate airlines in the U.S. that were operating mainline jet aircraft then expanded with interstate service and in some cases international flights. One of the most successful former intrastate carriers which continues to exist is Southwest Airlines. Other airlines which started with intrastate services such as Air California (subsequently renamed AirCal),

(PSA) and Muse Air (subsequently renamed

TranStar Airlines Muse Air was a domestic United States, U.S. airline founded in 1981, headquartered near Dallas Love Field in Dallas, Texas, later moving to William P. Hobby Airport in Houston. Southwest Airlines acquired Muse Air in 1985 and later renamed it Tra ...

) were subjected to post-deregulation mergers, acquisitions, or bankruptcies and no longer exist as individual airline companies. Also following the Airline Deregulation Act, those airlines previously classified and listed in the

Official Airline Guide OAG is a global travel data provider with headquarters in the UK. The company was founded in 1929 and operates in the USA, Singapore, Japan, Lithuania and China. It has a large network of flight information data including schedules, flight st ...

(OAG) as operating as an "Intrastate Air Carrier" were no longer listed as intrastate airlines in flight schedules published in the OAG.

Former intrastate air carriers in the U.S.

Air carriers noted in bold operated jet aircraft on their intrastate flights; all of them, except for Discovery Airways and Tahoe Air, subsequently expanded their operations with scheduled interstate service in the U.S. Intrastate route information is primarily taken from the route maps and system timetables sections of the departedflights.com website as well as the system timetables section of the timetablesimages.com website. AirCal, Air Florida, Aloha Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, PSA, and Southwest eventually operated scheduled international flights as well. Hawaiian Airlines, Horizon Air, SkyWest, and Southwest are the only airlines on this list currently still operating. * Air California - The airline began operations in 1967 with

turboprop service nonstop between Orange County Airport (now John Wayne Airport) and San Francisco International Airport. In 1976, Air California was primarily operating

jetliners as well as Electra propjets and was serving Lake Tahoe (served via the

Lake Tahoe Airport Lake Tahoe Airport is a public airport three miles southwest of South Lake Tahoe, in El Dorado County, California. It covers and has one runway; it is sometimes called Tahoe Valley Airport. History The airport in the Sierra Nevada just south ...

with the Electra), Oakland, Ontario, Orange County, Palm Springs, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Diego and San Jose. The airline subsequently expanded its service to destinations in Alaska, Arizona, Illinois, Nevada, Oregon and Washington state as well as British Columbia in Canada, changed its name to AirCal and was then acquired by

American Airlines American Airlines is a major airlines of the United States, major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the world when measured ...

after commencing interstate and international flights. *

- The airline began operations in 1972 with Boeing 707 jetliners with service to Miami, Orlando and St. Petersburg (via the

St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy an ...

) and was the only airline in the U.S. to operate the 707 in intrastate service. By 1975,

propjets had replaced the Boeing 707s with service being operated into Miami, Orlando, Tallahassee and Tampa. In 1977, Gainesville and Jacksonville had been added to the route system with

jet service also having been introduced by this time and by 1978 Daytona Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Panama City, Pensacola and West Palm Beach in Florida had been added as well. The airline then expanded during the late 1970s and early 1980s with new domestic service to destinations in Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas and Vermont as well as Washington, D.C. A major international expansion was also initiated at this same time from Air Florida's Miami hub with service to Amsterdam, Brussels, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, London, Madrid, Oslo, Shannon, Stockholm and Zurich in Europe in addition to flights to many destinations in the Caribbean and Central America as well as the Bahamas with service to Bermuda from the New York City area also being operated. Air Florida ceased operations in 1984 after declaring bankruptcy following commencement of interstate and international services. *

Air Illinois Air Illinois was a regional airline based in Carbondale, Illinois, Carbondale, Illinois. History Founded in 1970 in Carbondale, Illinois, Carbondale, Illinois, Air Illinois primarily operated small twin turboprop aircraft such as the de Havi ...

- according to the

(OAG), Air Illinois, which was a commuter air carrier, operated a separate, stand alone intrastate operation in Illinois with nonstop service between

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

Meigs Field Merrill C. Meigs Field Airport (pronounced , formerly ) was a single-runway airport in Chicago that was in operation from December 1948 until March 2003 on Northerly Island, an artificial peninsula on Lake Michigan. The airport sat adjacent to ...

and the state capital in

Springfield, IL Springfield is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat and largest city of Sangamon County. The city's population was 114,394 at the 2020 census, which makes it the state's seventh most-populous city, the second largest o ...

utilizing

Hawker Siddeley HS 748 The Hawker Siddeley HS 748 is a medium-sized turboprop airliner originally designed and initially produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Avro. It was the last aircraft to be developed by Avro prior to its absorption by Hawker Siddeley ...

turboprops. Air Illinois also operated British Aircraft Corporation BAC One-Eleven jets as well as commuter turboprop aircraft on interstate services. * Air Mid-America Airlines - operated

Convair 600 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 inroa ...

turboprops in the state of Illinois * Air Pacific (United States) - operated in the state of California. Formerly operated as

Eureka Aero Air Pacific was a commuter airline based in the United States of America, United States that operated regional flights wholly within the state of California. Founded as Eureka Aero in 1970, it was renamed Air Pacific in 1979. Its de Havilland Can ...

. * Air Sierra - operated in the state of California * Air Texas - operated in the state of Texas * Alamo Commuter Airlines - operated in the state of Texas *

- initially operated interisland flights beginning in 1946 in the state of Hawaii with

Douglas C-47 The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota (Royal Air Force, RAF, Royal Australian Air Force, RAAF, Royal Canadian Air Force, RCAF, Royal New Zealand Air Force, RNZAF, and South African Air Force, SAAF designation) is a airlift, military transport ai ...

prop aircraft followed by

Fairchild F-27 The Fairchild F-27 and Fairchild Hiller FH-227 were versions of the Fokker F27 Friendship twin-engined turboprop passenger aircraft manufactured under license by Fairchild Hiller in the United States. The Fairchild F-27 was similar to the standa ...

and

turboprop airliners. Aloha then began operating interisland jet service, first with the British Aircraft Corporation BAC One-Eleven and later with

737-300 The Boeing 737 Classic is a series of narrow-body aircraft, narrow-body airliners produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes, the second generation of the Boeing 737 series of aircraft. Development began in 1979 and the first variant, the 737-300, ...

and 737-400 jets. The airline subsequently expanded its service to the west coast of the U.S. and Canada using Boeing 737-700 and

jets and also operated flights to South Pacific destinations. Aloha was shut down on March 31, 2008 following 62 years of service. *Amistad Airlines - operated in the state of Texas * Apache Airlines - operated in the state of Arizona * Argonaut Airways - operated Douglas DC-3 aircraft in the state of Florida * Arizona Airways - initially operated within the state of Arizona during the 1940s with Douglas DC-3 aircraft and then expanded operations into New Mexico and Texas. Merged with

Challenger Airlines Challenger Airlines was a United States airline incorporated in Wyoming, December 31, 1941, by Charles W. Hirsig II, as Summit Airways Inc., a non-scheduled carrier. In 1944, Hirsig filed an application with the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) Docke ...

and Monarch Airlines to form the original

Frontier Airlines (1950-1986) Frontier Airlines is a major ultra-low-cost U.S. airline headquartered in Denver, Colorado. It operates flights to over 100 destinations throughout the United States and 31 international destinations, and employs more than 3,000 staff. The ca ...

. *

Aspen Airways Aspen Airways was an airline carrier and regional affiliate of United Express and based in Hangar 5 in Stapleton International Airport in Denver, Colorado. Aspen ceased operations on April 1, 1990, when separate portions of the airline were acqu ...

- initially operated within the state of Colorado before expanding flights to destinations in California, Iowa, North Dakota, Montana, New Mexico, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Wyoming and then subsequently introduced

BAe 146-100 The British Aerospace 146 (also BAe 146) is a short-haul and regional airliner that was manufactured in the United Kingdom by British Aerospace, later part of BAE Systems. Production ran from 1983 until 2001. Manufacture by Avro International ...

jet service from its Denver hub and also from Aspen

Pitkin County Airport Aspen/Pitkin County Airport , also known as Sardy Field, is a county-owned public-use airport located three nautical miles (6 km) northwest of the central business district of Aspen, Colorado, Aspen, in Pitkin County, Colorado, Pitkin County ...

with

Convair 580 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 inroa ...

turboprops being operated as well * Austin Express - operated in the state of Texas * Cable Commuter Airlines - operated in the state of California. Merged with

Golden West Airlines Golden West Airlines was a commuter airline that operated flights on a high volume schedule in California. It ceased operations in 1983. History The original Golden West Airlines, headquartered at Van Nuys, California, was founded in 1968 a ...

. * California Central Airlines - operated in the state of California * Cal Sierra Airlines - operated

turboprops between the

and San Diego in California * Chaparral Airlines - initially operated as an independent airline in Texas and subsequently became an

American Eagle The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche as ...

air carrier * Cochise Airlines - initially operated within the state of Arizona and then expanded service to California and New Mexico * Commutaire - operated in the state of Florida *

Conquest Airlines Conquest Airlines was an American regional airline initially headquartered in Jefferson County, Texas, and later headquartered in Austin, Texas. Conquest operated primarily on routes within Texas from its hub in Austin (at the now closed Robert ...

- operated in the state of Texas * Dallas Express - operated in the state of Texas * Dash Air - operated in the state of California *

Discovery Airways Discovery Airways was an airline that provided inter-island service within the state of Hawaii in March 1990. It closed three months later in July 1990 after it was accused of violating a law that states that airlines in the United States must be ...

- operated interisland flights in the state of Hawaii with

jets * Eagle Commuter Airlines - initially operated within the state of Texas before expanding service to Oklahoma * Emerald Air (USA) - operated

jets and

Fairchild Hiller FH-227 The Fairchild F-27 and Fairchild Hiller FH-227 were versions of the Fokker F27 Friendship twin-engined turboprop passenger aircraft manufactured under license by Fairchild Hiller in the United States. The Fairchild F-27 was similar to the standa ...

turboprops within the state of Texas in 1984 with service to Austin, Corpus Christi,

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport , also known as DFW Airport, is the primary international airport serving the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex and the North Texas Region in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the largest hub for American Ai ...

Houston Intercontinental Airport George Bush Intercontinental Airport is an international airport in Houston, Texas, United States, serving the Greater Houston metropolitan area. Located about north of Downtown Houston between Interstate 45 and Interstate 69/U.S. Highway 59 ...

, McAllen and San Antonio. Following expansion of service to Wichita, Kansas and Omaha, Nebraska, Emerald Air ceased operations and filed for bankruptcy in 1985. * Far West Airlines - operated

NAMC YS-11 The NAMC YS-11 is a turboprop airliner designed and built by the Nihon Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation (NAMC), a Japanese consortium. It was the only post-war airliner to be wholly designed and manufactured in Japan until the development of t ...

turboprop aircraft in the state of California * Florida Airlines - initially operated within the state of Florida and then expanded service to the Bahamas *Florida Atlantic Airlines - operated in the state of Florida *

Florida Commuter Airlines Florida Commuter Airlines was a small U.S. regional airline based out of Palm Beach International Airport that evolved directly from Roberson Air, Inc., which did business as Red Baron Airlines. This happened when Dr. Rudolph P. Scheerer bough ...

- initially operated within the state of Florida and then expanded service to the Bahamas *

Fort Worth Airlines A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

- operated

turboprop aircraft in the state of Texas and then expanded service to Oklahoma *

Futura Airlines Futura International Airways was an airline with its head office in the ''Zona Facturación'' on the property of Palma de Mallorca Airport in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. It operated scheduled services and charter flights for tour operators and othe ...

- operated

Lockheed Constellation The Lockheed Constellation ("Connie") is a propeller-driven, four-engined airliner built by Lockheed Corporation starting in 1943. The Constellation series was the first pressurized-cabin civil airliner series to go into widespread use. Its press ...

propliners on intrastate routes in California in 1962 * Golden South Airlines - operated in the state of Florida *

- operated an extensive route network in northern and southern California with high frequency service between Los Angeles International Airport (

LAX Los Angeles International Airport , commonly referred to as LAX (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary international airport serving Los Angeles, California and its surrounding metropolitan area. LAX is located in the W ...

) and Ontario (ONT), Oxnard (OXR), Orange County (SNA), San Diego (SAN) and Santa Barbara (SBA) with a fleet of de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter,

de Havilland Canada DHC-7 Dash 7 The de Havilland Canada DHC-7, popularly known as the Dash 7, is a turboprop-powered regional airliner with short take-off and landing (STOL) performance. It first flew in 1975 and remained in production until 1988 when the parent company, d ...

and

Short 330 The Short 330 (also SD3-30) is a small turboprop transport aircraft produced by Short Brothers. It seats up to 30 people and was relatively inexpensive and had low maintenance costs at the time of its introduction in 1976. The 330 was based on ...

turboprop aircraft *

- initially operated interisland flights in the state of Hawaii with small prop aircraft including

Sikorsky S-38 The Sikorsky S-38 was an American twin-engined ten-seat sesquiplane amphibious aircraft. It was Sikorsky's first widely produced amphibious flying boat, serving successfully for Pan American Airways and the United States military. Design and de ...

and

Sikorsky S-43 The Sikorsky S-43 (sometimes referred to as the Baby Clipper) was a 1930s American twin-engine amphibious flying boat monoplane produced by Sikorsky Aircraft. Design and development The S-43 first flew in 1935, and was a smaller version of the ...

flying boats followed by Douglas DC-3,

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 ...

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 ...

and

Douglas DC-6 The Douglas DC-6 is a piston-powered airliner and cargo aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1946 to 1958. Originally intended as a military transport near the end of World War II, it was reworked after the war to compete with t ...

propliners. Operated turboprops on interisland routes as well with such aircraft types as the

Convair 640 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 ...

and

. Jet aircraft operated on interisland services included the

, McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30,

and McDonnell Douglas MD-81. The airline subsequently expanded its service to the U.S. west coast, Las Vegas and New York City as well as to South Pacific destinations and currently operates as a major air carrier with domestic and international routes while continuing to operate interisland service in Hawaii with

jets and

propjets. *

- operated

propjets on intrastate routes in northern and southern California with service primarily to

Horizon Air Horizon Air Industries, Inc., operating as Horizon Air, is an American regional airline based in SeaTac, Washington, United States. Horizon Air and its sister carrier Alaska Airlines are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group, and all Horizon-opera ...

- initially operated within the state of Washington with

turboprops in 1981. It is a major regional airline operating flights with Bombardier Q400 propjets in Alaska, the western U.S. and western Canada on behalf of

Alaska Airlines Alaska Airlines is a major American airline headquartered in SeaTac, Washington, within the Seattle metropolitan area. It is the sixth largest airline in North America when measured by fleet size, scheduled passengers carried, and the num ...

and is also now operating new

Embraer E-175 The Embraer E-Jet family is a series of four-abreast narrow-body short- to medium-range twin-engine jet airliners designed and produced by the Brazilian aerospace manufacturer Embraer. The E-Jet was designed as a complement to the preceding ...

regional jets. Owned by

Alaska Air Group Alaska Air Group is an American airline holding company based in SeaTac, Washington, United States. The group owns two certificated airlines, Alaska Airlines, a mainline carrier, and Horizon Air, a regional carrier. Alaska Airlines in turn whol ...

which is also the corporate parent of Alaska Airlines and

Virgin America Virgin America Inc. was a low-cost U.S. airline that operated from 2007 until 2018, when it was acquired by Alaska Airlines. The airline primarily focused on operating low-fare service between cities on the West Coast and other major metropol ...

. *

Houston Metro Airlines Metro Airlines, originally Houston Metro Airlines, was a commuter airline that was originally headquartered in Houston, Texas, United States,. Metro subsequently moved its headquarters to north Texas. The airline had an operational base located ...

- initially operated in southeast Texas beginning in 1969 with commuter airline service flown with de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter turboprops to

(IAH). Houston Metro subsequently changed its name to

Metro Airlines Metro Airlines, originally Houston Metro Airlines, was a commuter airline that was originally headquartered in Houston, Texas, United States,. Metro subsequently moved its headquarters to north Texas. The airline had an operational base located ...

which in 1979 was serving Beaumont/Port Arthur, Clear Lake City (via the Clear Lake City STOLport),

(DFW), Galveston, Houston Intercontinental Airport, Lake Jackson, Longview and Victoria in Texas with Twin Otter and

turboprops. Metro then expanded its operations into Louisiana while wholly owned subsidiary Metroflight Airlines expanded its flights into Oklahoma from north Texas with the latter air carrier eventually becoming the first

air carrier operating code sharing flights on behalf of

. * Island Air (Hawaii) - Hawaii Island Air operated interisland flights within the state of Hawaii. Predecessor air carriers included

Princeville Airways Island Air (officially Hawaii Island Air) was a commuter airline based in Honolulu, Hawaii. It operated scheduled inter-island passenger services in Hawaii. Its main base was the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport on Oahu. The airline mai ...

and

Aloha IslandAir Island Air (officially Hawaii Island Air) was a commuter airline based in Honolulu, Hawaii. It operated scheduled inter-island passenger services in Hawaii. Its main base was the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport on Oahu. The airline mai ...

. Turboprop aircraft operated over the years included the de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter followed by the

de Havilland Canada DHC-8 Dash 8 The De Havilland Canada DHC-8, commonly known as the Dash 8, is a series of turboprop-powered regional airliners, introduced by de Havilland Canada (DHC) in 1984. DHC was later bought by Boeing in 1988, then by Bombardier Aerospace, Bombard ...

ATR 72 The ATR 72 is a twin-engine turboprop, short-haul regional airliner developed and produced in France and Italy by aircraft manufacturer ATR (french: Avions de transport régional or it, Aerei da Trasporto Regionale), a joint venture formed ...

and Bombardier Q400. Island Air ceased all flights on November 10, 2017 after 37 years of service. * L'Express Airlines - initially operated within the state of Louisiana and then expanded operations into Texas *

Mid Pacific Air Mid Pacific Air was a low-cost regional airline which began operations with passenger services in Hawaii. Founded in 1981, initial routes connected the islands of Kauai, O'ahu, Maui and Hawaii (the Big Island). Its primary competitors were e ...

- initially operated

turboprops on interisland flights in the state of Hawaii and then introduced

Fokker F28 Fellowship The Fokker F28 Fellowship is a twin-engined, short-range jet airliner designed and built by Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker. Following the Fokker F27 Friendship, an early and commercially successful turboprop-powered regional airliner, Fokk ...

interisland jet service. Subsequently expanded to southern California and Las Vegas with NAMC YS-11 service. *

- initially operated

jets in the state of Alaska before expanding service to the lower 48 states in the continental U.S. * Monarch Airlines - operated in the state of Colorado * Muse Air - the airline began intrastate flights in Texas in 1981 with McDonnell Douglas MD-80 jetliners between Dallas Love Field 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 ...

in competition with Southwest Airlines. By 1982, Muse Air had introduced flights to Tulsa followed by the initiation of new service during the mid 1980s to destinations in California, Florida, Louisiana and Nevada and was thus no longer an intrastate air carrier. The airline subsequently changed its name to

after being acquired by Southwest Airlines. *

National Florida Airlines National Florida Airlines was a commuter airline based in Daytona, Florida. National Florida flew several cities in central and south Florida. NFA declared Chapter 7 Bankruptcy on December 2, 1983. History National Florida Airlines was founded ...

- operated in the state of Florida *

(PSA) - the airline began operations in 1949 with Douglas DC-3 service operated on a routing of San Diego - Burbank - Oakland with San Francisco being added to the route system by 1953. In 1978, the airline was primarily operating

jetliners as well as

propjets and was serving Burbank, Fresno, Lake Tahoe (served via the

with the Electra), Long Beach, Los Angeles International Airport, Monterey, Oakland, Ontario, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco International Airport, San Jose and Stockton in California. PSA was also the only intrastate air carrier to operate wide body jets with Lockheed L-1011 TriStar aircraft being flown on routes wholly within California primarily between Los Angeles (

) and San Francisco ( SFO) in 1975. The airline then expanded its domestic service to destinations in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Washington state and also operated international flights to Mexico. PSA was acquired by

USAir US Airways (formerly USAir) was a major United States airline that operated from 1937 until its merger with American Airlines in 2015. It was originally founded in Pittsburgh as a mail delivery airline called All American Aviation, which soon b ...

after commencing interstate and international services. USAir was then renamed

US Airways US Airways (formerly USAir) was a major United States airline that operated from 1937 until its merger with American Airlines in 2015. It was originally founded in Pittsburgh as a mail delivery airline called All American Aviation, which soon ...

with this airline subsequently merging with

. * Paradise Airlines - operated

propliner service between Lake Tahoe, Oakland and San Jose in northern California during the early 1960s * Qwest Air - operated in the state of California * Rio Airways - operated independently in the state of Texas and subsequently became a

Delta Connection Delta Connection is a regional airline brand name for Delta Air Lines, under which a number of individually owned regional airlines primarily operate short- and medium-haul routes. Mainline major air carriers often use regional airlines to ope ...

air carrier *

Rocky Mountain Airways Rocky Mountain Airways was an American commuter airline headquartered in Hangar No. 6 of Stapleton International Airport in Denver, Colorado. It was sold to Texas Air Corporation/Continental Airlines in 1986 and was operated as a Continental Expr ...

- initially operated within the state of Colorado before expanding service to destinations in Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming. Also subsequently became a

Continental Express Continental Express was the operating brand name used by a number of independently owned regional airlines providing commuter airliner and regional jet feeder service under agreement with Continental Airlines. In 2012 at the time of the merger ...

air carrier. * Shawnee Airlines - initially operated within the state of Florida with flights including de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter service to the

Walt Disney World Airport Walt Disney World Airport, also known as Lake Buena Vista Airport and Lake Buena Vista STOLport , is a former small airfield owned by The Walt Disney Company, located within Walt Disney World, just east of the former Walt Disney World Speedway, in ...

(also known as the Lake Buena Vista STOLport) in

Walt Disney World The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, ...

before expanding service to the Bahamas *Sierra Mountain Airways - operated in the state of California *Skyway Aviation - operated in the state of Missouri *Skyway Commuter Airlines - operated in the state of Florida * SkyWest Airlines - initially operated within the state of Utah as a commuter air carrier with small Piper Aircraft piston powered aircraft with scheduled flights beginning in 1972. Currently a major regional airline operating a large fleet of regional jet aircraft on behalf of

Delta Air Lines Delta Air Lines, Inc., typically referred to as Delta, is one of the major airlines of the United States and a legacy carrier. One of the world's oldest airlines in operation, Delta is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline, along w ...

and

United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. (commonly referred to as United), is a major American airline headquartered at the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois.

via respective code sharing agreements with these major air carriers. * Southwest Airlines - the airline commenced operations in Texas in 1971 as an intrastate air carrier regulated by the state of Texas Aeronautics Commission with

jet service between Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. Harlingen was added to the route system in 1975 with Austin, Corpus Christi, El Paso, Lubbock and Midland/Odessa being added in 1977 and Amarillo being added in 1978. On January 25, 1979 Southwest began nonstop service between Houston and New Orleans and was thus no longer operating exclusively as an intrastate air carrier. In 2020, Southwest was the largest airline in the world by number of scheduled passengers carried. * Stol Air Commuter - operated Britten-Norman Islander and Trislander prop aircraft in northern California and was then renamed

WestAir Commuter Airlines WestAir Commuter Airlines (IATA:OE, VB/ICAO WCA, SDU), was a U.S.-based regional airline formed when Stol Air Commuter changed its name in 1978 to WestAir Airlines; it was renamed WestAir Commuter Airlines in 1986. One of the founders was Mauri ...

Swift Aire Lines Swift Aire Lines was a U.S. commuter air carrier that was based in San Luis Obispo, California. The airline's two letter code was "WI". Swift Aire provided scheduled passenger air service wholly within California from the late 1960s until 1981 ...

- operated within the state of California and transitioned to a small fleet of

Fokker F27 Friendship The Fokker F27 Friendship is a turboprop airliner developed and manufactured by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker. It is the most numerous post-war aircraft manufactured in the Netherlands; the F27 was also one of the most successful Eur ...

and

Nord 262 Nord, a word meaning "north" in several European languages, may refer to: Acronyms * National Organization for Rare Disorders, an American nonprofit organization * New Orleans Recreation Department, New Orleans, Louisiana, US Film and televis ...

turboprop aircraft * Tahoe Air - operated

jet service into

in 1999 from Los Angeles and San Jose in California before ceasing all operations the same year *

Tejas Airlines Tejas Airlines was a commuter airline based in San Antonio, Texas with scheduled passenger service operated to several destinations inside Texas. History Tejas Airlines commenced operations in 1977 with service to five destinations in Texas and ...

- operated in the state of Texas * Texas Airlines - operated in the state of Texas * Texas National Airlines - operated in the state of Texas * Trans California Airlines - operated

propliners in California in the early 1960s *

Trans-Texas Airways Trans-Texas may refer to: * Trans-Texas Corridor (TTC), a transportation network in the planning and early construction stages in the U.S. state of Texas * Trans-Texas Airways, a former a United States airline An airline is a company that p ...

(TTa) - initially operated within the state of Texas before expanding service to destinations in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Tennessee as well as initiating international flights to Mexico followed by the introduction of

jets and then a name change to

Texas International Airlines Texas International Airlines Inc. was a United States airline, known from 1940 until 1947 as Aviation Enterprises, until 1969 as Trans-Texas Airways (TTa), and as Texas International Airlines until 1982, when it merged with Continental Airlines. ...

accompanied by additional expansion to other states with an eventual merger with Continental Airlineshttp://www.timetableimages.com, Trans-Texas Airways & Texas International Airlines system timetables *

- initially operated as an independent airline in California with prop and turboprop aircraft and subsequently became a

United Express United Express is the brand name for the regional branch of United Airlines, under which six individually owned regional airlines operate short- and medium-haul feeder flights. On October 1, 2010, UAL Corporation and Continental Airlines merged t ...

air carrier operating

jets as well as turboprop aircraft. Eventually expanded its route network to include Arizona and Nevada operating as United Express. * Westates Airlines - operated

turboprops in the state of California *

Wings West Airlines Wings West Airlines was an American regional airline headquartered at McChesney Field (SBP), unincorporated San Luis Obispo County, California. The airline initially began scheduled passenger service as an independent commuter air carrier and th ...

- initially operated as an independent airline in the state of California and subsequently became an

air carrier *Yosemite Airlines - operated in the state of California *Zia Airlines - operated in the state of New Mexico Unless otherwise noted, most of the above air carriers were commuter airlines that primarily operated smaller prop and/or turboprop aircraft.

References

Airlines Aviation in the United States Aviation history of the United States