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| Founded | 1968 | ||||||
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| Ceased operations | September 25, 1985 | ||||||
| Operating bases | Palm Springs International Airport | ||||||
Sun Aire Lines was a United States commuter airline that operated from 1968 to 1985. Sun Aire served a number of cities in Southern California and Arizona.
Sun Aire Lines was founded as Borrego Springs Airlines in 1968. Its operations initially focused on providing air service into Borrego Springs, California via the Borrego Valley Airport from other destinations in southern California such as San Diego and Palm Springs. The airline later moved its headquarters to Palm Springs, California. Borrego Springs Airlines operated a small fleet of Cessna 402 prop aircraft and Swearingen Metro II turboprops before changing its name to Sun Aire. Its primary destinations were Palm Springs, San Diego, Los Angeles, Borrego Springs, Phoenix, Yuma, Santa Barbara and Santa Maria. By 1984, the airline was operating a dozen Metro II propjet aircraft and was purchased by SkyWest Airlines. The airline operated its final service on September 28, 1985 at which time it was merged into SkyWest.
According to the route map in the Sun Aire system timetable dated January 23, 1984, the airline was serving the following destinations in Arizona and California:
At the time of its acquisition by SkyWest Airlines, Sun Aire was operating 19-passenger Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner "Metro II" commuter turboprop aircraft. Predecessor Borrego Springs Airlines had also previously operated smaller Cessna 402 twin prop aircraft.
Oxnard Airport is a county-owned, public airport a mile west of downtown Oxnard, in Ventura County, California. The airport has not had scheduled passenger service since June 8, 2010, when United Express ended flights to Los Angeles International Airport. America West Express also served the airport with nonstop flights to Phoenix in the early-2000s via a code sharing agreement with America West Airlines.
Santa Barbara Municipal Airport is 7 miles (11 km) west of downtown Santa Barbara, California, United States. SBA covers 948 acres of land.
Empire Airlines is a passenger and cargo airline based in Hayden, Idaho, near Coeur d'Alene. It operates over 120 scheduled cargo flights a day in 18 US states and Canada. Recently Empire also started passenger service within Hawaii, under the name "Ohana by Hawaiian". Its main base is Coeur d'Alene Airport with a hub at Spokane International Airport. The company slogan is We Can Do That.
Golden West Airlines was a commuter airline that operated flights on a high volume schedule in California. It ceased operations in 1983.
Imperial County Airport is a county-owned public-use airport in Imperial County, California, United States. Also known as Boley Field, it is mostly used for general aviation, but has scheduled passenger service from one commercial airline. Service is subsidized by the Essential Air Service program.
San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport, McChesney Field is a civil airport near San Luis Obispo, California, United States. Four passenger airlines serve the airport with flights to nine cities: Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco and Seattle. The airport was established in 1939 and used by the U.S. military between 1939 and 1945.
Yuma International Airport is a joint use airport with civilian and military flight activity operated in conjunction with the U.S. Marine Corps via the Marine Corps Air Station Yuma. The airfield is located 3.5 miles south of the central business district of Yuma, a city in Yuma County, Arizona, United States and 150 miles east of San Diego International Airport. It is mostly used for military aviation, but is also served by one commercial airline and one aeromedical Medevac company as well as being used for general aviation activities.
Grand Canyon National Park Airport is a state-owned public-use airport located in Tusayan, Arizona. A CDP in unincorporated Coconino County, Arizona, United States. It is near Grand Canyon National Park, 7 miles from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. The airport is primarily used for scenic tours and charter flights, but there is scheduled commercial service.
Borrego Valley Airport is a county-owned public airport three miles east of Borrego Springs, in San Diego County, California, United States.
Mammoth Yosemite Airport is a town-owned public airport seven miles east of Mammoth Lakes, in Mono County, California, United States. Also known as Mammoth Lakes Airport or Mammoth-June Lake Airport, it is mainly used for general aviation, but has scheduled passenger flights operated by two airlines, one of which serves the airport only on a seasonal basis during the winter sports season.
Air Chaparral was an American regional airline. It was active from 1980 through 1982 with its main office located in Reno, Nevada and a maintenance base located in a former military alert hangar at Spokane, Washington. It provided scheduled airline service to several cities in Nevada, and connected to Salt Lake City, Utah and Hawthorne, California. It also provided both scheduled and non-scheduled air freight service.
Imperial Airlines was a United States commuter airline that operated from 1964 to 1986. Imperial served a number of cities in Southern California and for a brief period several cities in Arizona.
StatesWest Airlines was a commuter airline headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona that operated to destinations in the Southwestern United States.
Air Cortez was a United States FAR 121 and 135 commuter airline that operated from 1977 to 1986. Air Cortez served a number of cities in Southern California, Arizona, Nevada and Baja California. In 1981, Air Cortez was operating nonstop passenger service between Ontario Airport (ONT) and Yuma, Arizona (YUM) with a Beech 18 prop aircraft. In 1985, the airline was operating scheduled passenger service between Las Vegas (LAS) and Grand Canyon National Park Airport (GCN) with Fairchild F-27 turboprop and Cessna 402 prop aircraft. Air Cortez also operated scheduled international passenger service to Mexico with the Fairchild F-27 on a routing of Ontario-San Diego-Guaymas-Mulege-Loreto.
WestAir Commuter Airlines, was a U.S.-based regional airline formed when Stol Air Commuter changed its name in 1978 as WestAir Airlines; it was renamed WestAir Commuter Airlines in 1986. One of the founders was Maurice J. Gallagher, Jr., who later acquired Allegiant Air. WestAir subsequently became a United Express air carrier via a code sharing agreement with United Airlines. It was headquartered in Fresno, California and was controlled by WestAir Holding, Inc. WestAir was sold to Mesa Air Group in 1992.
Cochise Airlines was a commuter airline which was founded in 1971 in Tucson, Arizona. It operated until the early 1980s. Cochise linked small cities in Arizona with Phoenix, Arizona and Tucson, Arizona and also served southern California and New Mexico at one point.
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 when it merged with Golden Gate Airlines. Shortly thereafter, Golden Gate experienced financial challenges and ceased all operations.
Golden Gate Airlines was a United States regional airline founded in 1980 in Monterey, California after the merger of Gem State Airlines and Air Pacific (USA) in 1979. It merged again in 1981, this time with Swift Aire Lines, but discontinued service shortly thereafter.
Wings West Airlines, often referred to simply as Wings West, was an American regional airline headquartered at McChesney Field (SBP), unincorporated San Luis Obispo County, California.
Air L.A., a wholly owned subsidiary of Air L.A. Inc was a U.S. commuter airline headquartered in the Westchester area of Los Angeles, California. It was founded by Wayne Schoenfeld, Ken Dickey and Bill Wolf. It ceased all operations in September 1995.
R. E. G. Davies, Commuter Airlines of the United States. Smithsonian Books, 1995.
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