Sunbird Airlines was a United States airline founded by Ralph Quinlan in Denver, North Carolina on November 15, 1979.
Operating the Cessna 402, and later the Cessna 404 aircraft, the company shared equipment, operations, maintenance and facilities with parent company Mountain Air Cargo founded by Ralph Quinlan. In 1983, Sunbird acquired the Beechcraft C99 turboprop aircraft, and was the launch customer for the -C model (larger baggage pod, etc.). Also in 1983, Mountain Air acquired Atlanta Express, and merged this operation with that of Sunbird.
Sunbird was only marginally successful those initial years, managing only because of the shared facilities of the parent. Through the various cycles of the parent company, the decision was made in late 1983 to divest the Sunbird operation to Roy Hagerty. Mr Hagerty had financing, and previous airline experience, he being one of the creators of Southeastern Airlines. That company later was absorbed into the company now known as Atlantic Southeast Airlines. On the completion of the Sunbird purchase, Hagerty moved the entire Sunbird operation to the Charlotte/Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, NC.
Under the period of Hagerty ownership, the company was known as Sunbird Airlines 1984, Inc. With the Hagerty leadership, a program of aggressive growth began. New cities were added, and the acquisition of Short 330 aircraft began. In 1985, a code-sharing agreement was reached with Piedmont Airlines for Sunbird to begin operations as Piedmont Commuter at the Charlotte Piedmont hub on or about May 1, 1985. At this time, the "Sunbird" radio callsign was lost to history, and the Sunbird/Piedmont Commuter flights were under the "Carolina" call. On or about February 15, 1986, the company was renamed CCAir. [1]
US Airways Express was the brand name for the regional affiliate of US Airways, under which a number of individually owned commuter air carriers and regional airlines operate short and medium haul routes. This code sharing service was previously operated as USAir Express. Mainline carriers often outsource to regional airlines to operate services in order to increase frequency, serve routes that would not sustain larger aircraft, or for other competitive reasons. US Airways Express operations were conducted from smaller markets in the United States, Canada, and the Bahamas primarily centered on US Airways' major hubs and focus cities.
Asheville Regional Airport is a Class C airport near Interstate 26 and the town of Fletcher, North Carolina, 9 miles (14 km) south of downtown Asheville. It is owned by the Greater Asheville Regional Airport Authority. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2019–2023 categorized it as a small-hub primary commercial service facility. In 2023 it served an all-time record number of passengers for the airport, 2,246,411, an increase of 22.2% over 2022.
Air Midwest, Inc., was a Federal Aviation Administration Part 121 certificated air carrier that operated under air carrier certificate number AMWA510A issued on May 15, 1965. It was headquartered in Wichita, Kansas, United States, and was a subsidiary of Mesa Air Group. Besides initially flying as an independent air carrier, it later operated code sharing feeder flights on behalf of Eastern Air Lines as Eastern Air Midwest Express, on behalf of American Airlines as American Eagle, on behalf of Trans World Airlines (TWA) as Trans World Express and on behalf of US Airways as US Airways Express. It also operated feeder flights on behalf of Braniff (1983-1990) and Ozark Air Lines in addition to flying for Mesa Airlines. Air Midwest was shut down by its parent company, Mesa Airlines, in June 2008.
Piedmont Airlines, Inc. is an American regional airline headquartered at the Salisbury Regional Airport in Wicomico County, Maryland, near the city of Salisbury. The airline is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the American Airlines Group and it is paid by fellow group member American Airlines to staff, operate and maintain aircraft used on American Eagle flights that are scheduled, marketed and sold by American Airlines. Piedmont also provides ground handling and customer service for airports in the northeastern and western United States.
Air Vegas was an airline with its headquarters on the grounds of the North Las Vegas Air Terminal in North Las Vegas, Nevada. It operated sightseeing flights from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon. Prior to moving to the North Las Vegas Airport its main bases were McCarran International Airport (LAS), Las Vegas and Henderson Executive Airport (HND), Las Vegas. Rankings published in 1991 and 1994 placed the airline in the top 50 regional/commuter airlines in the United States by passenger enplanements.
Hickory Regional Airport is three miles (5 km) west of Hickory, in Catawba County, North Carolina. It is owned by the City of Hickory.
Kinston Regional Jetport, also known as Stallings Field, is a public airport located three miles (5 km) northwest of the central business district of Kinston, a city in Lenoir County, North Carolina. The airport has a single runway that is one of the longest in the southeastern United States. It is mostly used for general aviation.
Smith Reynolds Airport is a public airport 3 miles (5 km) northeast of Winston-Salem in Forsyth County, North Carolina. The airport has two runways, and is used for general aviation and flight training as there is now no scheduled passenger airline flights. Smith Reynolds was once home to the Winston-Salem air show, usually held in September, which drew about 20,000 spectators. There has not been an Airshow since 2015. The Airport has multiple flight schools and maintenance facilities. Smith Reynolds also has an operational control tower that operates from 6:00 AM to 9:30 PM every day of the year. INT covers 702 acres of land.
Piedmont Airlines was a local service carrier, a scheduled carrier in the United States that operated from 1948 until it merged with USAir in 1989. Its headquarters were at One Piedmont Plaza in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, a building that is now part of Wake Forest University.
Eastern Sierra Regional Airport is two miles east of Bishop, in Inyo County, California, United States. It is owned by the City of Los Angeles, Department of Public Works and operated by Inyo County.
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 one airline which primarily serves the airport on a seasonal basis during the winter ski season. Additional scheduled passenger service for the Mammoth area is seasonally available at the nearby Eastern Sierra Regional Airport located in Bishop, CA.
Brockway Air was a regional airline in the United States, which was formerly known as Air North and originally as Northern Airways.
CCAir, Inc. was a regional airline headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States.
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 then subsequently became an American Eagle affiliate of American Airlines operating turboprop aircraft on code sharing flights on behalf of American.
Altair Airlines was an airline based in Philadelphia. It was in service from 1967 to 1982. According to its June 15, 1982 system timetable, the Altair name was taken from the first magnitude star "Altairius" brightest in the constellation "Aquila" (Eagle) from which the airline's Blue Eagle symbol was derived.
GP Express Airlines was a scheduled passenger commuter air carrier with its headquarters located in Grand Island, Nebraska The parent corporation of the airline began on-demand air charter operations in December 1975. In December 1985 the Department of Transportation notified GP AIR that its bid to provide Essential Air Service (EAS) service in the Midwest had been accepted, GP AIR subsequently created subsidiary GP Express in order to conduct these operations under 14 CFR Part 135.
Ram Air Freight was a cargo airline based in Morrisville, North Carolina, United States. It specialized in prompt freight transportation. The airline had its main base at the Raleigh-Durham International Airport. It ceased operations on March 2, 2012.
Gulfstream International Airlines was a United States airline that operated from 1988 to 2010. The airline primarily operated codeshare flights for major airlines. In December 2010, the airline went bankrupt and its assets were sold. Silver Airways launched as a new regional carrier with assets from Gulfstream.
Wheeler Airlines was the operating name of Wheeler Flying Service (WHAA), the first black-owned airline certificated in the US by the FAA, which also helped integrate the pilots at major US air carriers by qualifying a large number of black pilots that were subsequently hired by the nation's major airlines.