 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(October 2009) |
| Commenced operations | 1983 |
|---|---|
| Ceased operations | 1986 |
| Destinations | Caribbeans Georgia |
| Headquarters | St. Petersburg, Florida |
| Key people | Tom Tepper Kerry Broaddus |
Atlantic Gulf Airlines was a regional airline founded by Tom Tepper and Kerry Broaddus in Florida that began operations in October 1983.
Service started with two British-manufactured Vickers Viscount four engine turboprop airliners. Atlantic Gulf was one of very few airlines in the U.S. to operate the Viscount in scheduled passenger service (Continental Airlines and United Airlines operated Viscounts during the 1960s as did Aloha Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines). The airline began with service from Miami to St. Petersburg, Florida. By early 1984, the airlines had added Convair 580 turboprops to the fleet and was operating Miami (MIA) - St. Petersburg (PIE) - Atlanta (ATL) service. [1] The fleet grew to three Convair 580s and cities such as Tallahassee and Fort Lauderdale were added to the route system.
The St. Petersburg (PIE) market did not work out for Atlantic Gulf and the airline went into Chapter Eleven bankruptcy proceedings. The Convair 580 turboprop planes were returned to their lessors while the airline reorganized. In an unheard of move by a small airline in the 1980s, Atlantic Gulf continued to operate using a British Aircraft Corporation BAC One-Eleven jet it acquired through a merger with the also bankrupt Air Illinois. The airline's headquarters was also moved from St. Petersburg to Tallahassee (TLH). [2]
The airline had acquired two former Cascade Airways BAC One-Eleven twin jets and began scheduled service from Tallahassee to Miami/Fort Lauderdale and Atlanta. This schedule was pared back when the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded the two former Cascade jets claiming that the "Stage One" noise waivers obtained from Cascade did not transfer to Atlantic Gulf. The FAA also threatened Atlantic Gulf with heavy fines because the Cascade jets were BAC One-Eleven series 400 series planes. The original Air Illinois plane and subsequent training program were for the less powerful and slightly different BAC One-Eleven series 200 series aircraft. This, combined with a heavy D check due on one of the Cascade jets, left Atlantic Gulf with one serviceable BAC One-Eleven jet for its entire system. [3]
In addition, Piedmont Airlines had started its well equipped and well funded dedicated Florida Shuttle using comparable Fokker F28 Fellowship twinjets. Atlantic Gulf responded to this by initiating new international routes from Miami to the Caribbean. The main route was from Atlanta to Tallahassee to Miami to Grand Turk with Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos Islands also being served. [4] Other island destinations were added but the entire system had become too dependent on one airplane.
To add more trouble to Atlantic Gulf's woes, the BAC One-Eleven that was getting a heavy check had this work halted when an unexpected high priority contract for a foreign carrier unexpectedly popped up. The battle over the "Stage One" noise waivers and the training issues had still not been resolved with the FAA. The remaining BAC One-Eleven airframe proved stalwart and did all that was asked of it but it was flying over 400 hours a month. [5]
Taking off from a newly resurfaced runway in Miami, a piece of debris (a roughly 2 inch piece of rebar) was thrown into an engine. The takeoff was rejected without incident but the jet was grounded. Only three suitable engines were located but none were available for lease. The different and more powerful engines of the 400 series BAC One-Eleven jets were not compatible. With crushing competition inside Florida, a grounded fleet and dwindling cash resources the airlines ceased operations in 1986. [6]
The airline did have one Pyrrhic victory. Years after it folded, in a case that went before the U.S. Supreme Court, Atlantic Gulf won their lawsuit against the FAA over the transfer of Cascade Airways "Stage One" noise waivers. [7]
Destination information is taken from Atlantic Gulf system timetables as well as from Official Airline Guide (OAG) flight schedules.
Owen Roberts International Airport is an airport serving Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. It is the main international airport for the Cayman Islands as well as the main base for Cayman Airways. The airport is named after British Royal Air Force (RAF) Wing Commander Owen Roberts, a pioneer of commercial aviation in the country, and is one of the two entrance ports to the Cayman Islands.
St. Pete–Clearwater International Airport is a public/military airport in Pinellas County, Florida, United States, serving the Tampa Bay Area. It is right on the northeast municipal boundary of Pinellas Park, 9 miles (14 km) north of downtown St. Petersburg, 7 miles (11 km) southeast of Clearwater, and 17 miles (27 km) southwest of Tampa.
Key West International Airport is an international airport located in the City of Key West in Monroe County, Florida, United States, 2 miles east of the main commercial center of Key West.
Destin–Fort Walton Beach Airport is an airport located within Eglin Air Force Base, adjacent to the city of Valparaiso and near the cities of Destin and Fort Walton Beach, in Okaloosa County, Florida, United States. The airport was previously named Northwest Florida Regional Airport until February 17, 2015, and Okaloosa Regional Airport until September 2008.
Panama City–Bay County International Airport was a public airport 3 miles (4.8 km) northwest of Panama City, in Bay County, Florida. It was owned and operated by the Panama City–Bay County Airport and Industrial District. All airline services moved to the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport on May 22, 2010, but the airfield was open to general aviation aircraft until October 1, 2010. The grounds will eventually be turned over to LUK-MB1 LLC, which plans to remove the runways and build homes, shops, walking trails and a marina.
Corpus Christi International Airport is 6 miles west of Corpus Christi, in Nueces County, Texas. It opened in 1960, replacing Cliff Maus airport at 27.767°N 97.44°W, where the Lozano Golf Center is now located.
Jack Brooks Regional Airport, formerly Southeast Texas Regional Airport, is near Port Arthur, Texas, nine miles (14 km) southeast of Beaumont and northeast of Port Arthur. It was Jefferson County Airport, but its name was changed to honor former U.S. Representative Jack Brooks. The airport is southwest of the city of Nederland in unincorporated Jefferson County, and is used for general aviation. Southwest Airlines ended scheduled jet service in 1980 and several other airlines have started and ended service as well including American Eagle, Continental, Delta/Delta Connection and United Express. The latest chapter is the resumption of service by American Eagle for American Airlines to Dallas/Ft. Worth (DFW).
Southeast Airlines was established in 1993 as Sun Jet International and was founded by Tom Kolfenbach. It was a low fare public charter airline which operated scheduled passenger service in the United States, headquartered in Largo, Florida, flying to various vacation/leisure destinations using eight McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 and two McDonnell Douglas MD-80 aircraft. It abruptly ceased operations on November 30, 2004. The airline was featured on the reality TV series The Simple Life, which Southeast executives hoped would give the carrier some exposure. The airline's jets featured the "Sun King" logo previously used by the original National Airlines which appeared on the tails of its aircraft.
Waterloo Regional Airport ( Livingston Betsworth Field) is four miles (6 km) northwest of Waterloo, in Black Hawk County, Iowa. It is used for general aviation and sees one airline.
Time Air was an airline in Canada founded in 1966 by businessman Walter “Stubb” Ross from Lethbridge in Alberta. It was called Lethbridge Air Service before becoming Time Airways Ltd. in 1969, which was later shortened to Time Air Ltd. In 1993 it was merged with Ontario Express to create Canadian Regional Airlines.
Great Lakes Airlines was a regional airline in Canada. It was formed in 1958 in Sarnia, Ontario by John Blunt and by 1983 became Air Ontario Ltd. In June 1987 Air Ontario Ltd. merged with Austin Airways to form Air Ontario Inc. which in turn subsequently operated Air Canada Connector code sharing passenger flights on behalf of Air Canada with Convair 580 and de Havilland Canada DHC-8 Dash 8 series 100 and 300 turboprops. Air Ontario also operated Fokker F28 Fellowship jets at one point.
InterCaribbean Airways, Ltd. is a regional airline based in the Turks and Caicos Islands, a British Overseas Territory. The airline offers scheduled passenger flights and charter flight services from its hub in Providenciales International Airport. Since its launch in 1991, its travel destinations have expanded to multiple Caribbean islands including Antigua, The Bahamas, Barbados, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and St. Maarten.
Fort Smith Regional Airport is a public use airport located near the Interstate 540 freeway three nautical miles (6 km) southeast of the central business district of Fort Smith, in Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States. FSM is governed by the Fort Smith Airport Commission as established by the City of Fort Smith, Arkansas. It serves the transportation needs of residents and businesses of western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma. FSM is currently served by American Eagle, the regional airline affiliate of American Airlines. It has a large population of corporate and general aviation aircraft. A full-service fixed-base operator (FBO), Signature Flight Support, provides service to general aviation, airline, and military operators.
Brownsville/South Padre Island International Airport is 5 mi east of downtown Brownsville, Cameron County, in the U.S. state of Texas.
Greater Southwest International Airport, originally Amon Carter Field (ACF), was a commercial airport serving Fort Worth, Texas, from 1953 until 1974. Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) opened in 1974 a few miles north to replace Greater Southwest and Dallas Love Field as a single airport for the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The area is now a commercial/light-industrial park serving DFW International, centered along Amon Carter Boulevard, which follows the old north-south runway.
Drake Field is a public airport three miles south of Fayetteville, in Washington County, Arkansas. It is also known as Fayetteville Executive Airport and was formerly Fayetteville Municipal Airport.
Providenciales International Airport, on the island of Providenciales in the Caicos Islands, is the main international airport serving the Turks and Caicos Islands, a British Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom. It is operated by Turks and Caicos Islands Airports Authority (TCIAA). The territory's other international airport is JAGS McCartney International Airport on Grand Turk Island. Currently, there are more than 12,000 commercial aircraft operations per year. Locally based air carriers interCaribbean Airways and Caicos Express Airways both currently operate respective hubs at the Providenciales International Airport.
JAGS McCartney International Airport, also known as Grand Turk International Airport, is an airport located 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Cockburn Town on Grand Turk Island in the Turks and Caicos Islands, an overseas territory of the United Kingdom. It is the second largest airport in the territory, after Providenciales International Airport.
The Florida Keys Marathon International Airport is a public airport located along the Overseas Highway (US1) in Marathon, in Monroe County, Florida, United States. The airport covers 197 acres (80 ha) and has one runway.
Dillant–Hopkins Airport is a general aviation airport located 2 miles (3.2 km) south of the central business district (CBD) of Keene, in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. It covers 888 acres (359 ha) and has two runways. It is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2017–2021, in which it is categorized as a regional general aviation facility.
 | This article relating to a United States airline is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
