Mackey Airlines

Last updated
Mackey Airlines
IATA ICAO Callsign
MI-MACKEY
FoundedSeptember 20, 1946 (original)
1968 (relaunch)
Ceased operationsJanuary 1967 (original)
1981 (relaunch)
Operating bases
Fleet sizeSee Fleet below
Headquarters Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States
Key peopleJoseph C. Mackey

Mackey Airlines, Inc., later known as Mackey International Airlines, was an American airline that primarily served Florida and The Bahamas. At one point, the airline also operated Douglas DC-8 jetliners in scheduled passenger service between Florida, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles.

Contents

History

Mackey Airlines Douglas DC-6 at West End Airport in 1965 Douglas DC-6, Mackey Airlines JP5930439.jpg
Mackey Airlines Douglas DC-6 at West End Airport in 1965

Original operations

Mackey Airlines was founded by former stunt pilot and United States Air Force Colonel Joseph C. Mackey on September 20, 1946. Flights flew primarily out of its Fort Lauderdale base and from West Palm Beach and Miami. Mackey Airlines served the Bahamas, as well as Haiti and the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean. [1] In 1956 it acquired Midet Aviation. [2] The original Mackey Airlines was acquired by Eastern Air Lines in January 1967, although flights to Bimini from Miami continued into at least 1968.

Reformation and later operations

A Convair 440 at Fort Lauderdale in 1975 wearing full Mackey International Airlines title on its cabin roof Convair 440-61 N446JM Mackey FLL 04.10.75 edited-2.jpg
A Convair 440 at Fort Lauderdale in 1975 wearing full Mackey International Airlines title on its cabin roof

"Colonel Joe" soon began a new company named Mackey International Airlines, equipped with secondhand Convair 440 [3] and Douglas DC-6 piston-engine airliners. A Mackey International Air Commuter subsidiary operation was equipped with Beech 99 19-seat turboprop aircraft. In 1977, Mackey's headquarters located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida was the target of a bombing attributed to Cuban anti-Castro activity in the United States. [4] [5] In 1979, Mackey Airlines acquired Charter Airlines based in Gainesville and flew the only Convair 580 on intrastate Florida routes. [6] Mackey International Airlines ceased operations in 1981. [7]

Destinations in 1979

Mackey Airlines time table from December 1962 Mackey Airlines 1962 timetable.jpg
Mackey Airlines time table from December 1962

Mackey International Airlines was serving the following destinations in 1979: [8]

The Bahamas

Florida

In 1973, Mackey International Airlines was serving additional destinations in the Bahamas including Bimini, George Town, Governors Harbour, Great Harbour Cay and North Eleuthera, and was also serving Grand Turk and South Caicos in the Turks & Caicos Islands. [9]

Fleet

The following prop, turboprop and jet aircraft were operated by the airline at various times during its existence:

Mackey Airlines Douglas DC-8-51 at Las Vegas's airport in 1980 Douglas DC-8-51, Mackey Airlines JP6377214.jpg
Mackey Airlines Douglas DC-8-51 at Las Vegas's airport in 1980
AircraftTotalIntroducedRetiredNotes
Mackey Airlines fleet [10]
Beechcraft Model 18 119601966
Douglas C-54 Skymaster 319591966
Douglas DC-3 519531964
Douglas DC-6 719611967
Mackey International Airlines fleet [11]
Beechcraft Model 99 319681978
Convair CV-340 119781978
Convair CV-440 819701981
Convair CV-580 219791980
de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 719681975
Douglas DC-6B 1119681980
Douglas DC-8-51 319791981Only jet aircraft type operated by the airline
Short SC.7 Skyvan 119711971

See also

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References

  1. Gradidge, 1997, p. 101
  2. "Midet Aviation". Airline History. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  3. Gradidge, 1997, pp. 101-103
  4. "Viasat Internet Provider".
  5. Miami Herald
  6. "Charter Airlines". StanWing. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  7. La Floridiana by William Moriaty Nolan's Pop Culture Review #216
  8. http://www.departedflights.com, Nov. 15, 1979 Mackey International Airlines route map
  9. http://www.departedflights.com, 1973 Mackey International Airlines route map
  10. "Mackey Airlines". Aerobernie.bplaced.net. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  11. "Mackey International Airlines". Aerobernie.bplaced.net. Retrieved April 12, 2023.

Bibliography