Shortest-lived startup that actually flew?

[1st Overnite]

Another vote for Air Train, most of you youngins never heard of them, but all the old Usair guys do.

Maybe that is the one I'm thinking about. Did they fly to EWR from PIT?

 

[GogglesPisano]

Kiwi?

 

[propsarebest]

Another one...Community Air, the first commerical operator of PC-12's- orederd 3 airplanes but only one was delivered.

 

[B727FA]

Jet Fleet started in April 92 and folded in Nov 92.

Presidential flew from Oct 95-Feb 96 (however, AvAtlantic flew for them until April of 96 before shutting down for good).

Access started flying in Feb 99-Nov 99, however, they did charter flying until Feb 01.

Legend is a close follower with 9 months of operation.

 

[Old School 737]

I wonder how much longer Legend whould have been around if they did not have to build that new terminal at Love? Any one know how much it was and what is it used for now?

 

[Floyd R. Turbo]

What about the one where you could fly naked? They had one or two flights.....

 

[Old School 737]

What about the one where you could fly naked? They had one or two flights.....

I think that was a charter on Miami Air and they are still flying.

 

[Ganja60Heavy]

Eagle Airlines? (no, idiot, NOT American Eagle, duh, I know the difference)

Carnival Airlines?

 

[ERfly]

Carnival Airlines?

Carnival flew for a couple of years. They were integrated into PanAm 2 then shortly went out of business.

 

[cgmason1]

Family Airlines-the first time these crooks started this fiasco-1993 to 1994.
Actually got one 747, did a couple proving runs before the FAA shut them down and the CEO(same one listed on the current website Barry Michaels) stole allot of the money that had been invested in the start up by the mostly ex Pan Am Pilot group. He went to jail and thats the last I heard of it.
http://www.familyairlines.com/index.php
Looks like he is at it again.

Fly Safe
Chuck

 

[727gm]

Did Discovery Air in Honolulu ever actually fly a revenue trip? (BAC 146's)

 

[Old School 737]

Family Airlines? That paint job rocks! Where did it end up? Love the routes in a 747 no less. Very fuel efficient LAX to LAS.

 

[starchkr]

Family Airlines huh...theres one i will not be on...catering to families with "kids". That's just what i want, 300 screaming kids on board an airplane for any amount of time.

I also love their tug...they have thought ahead for when they don't make it...they can use it to bury the airplane and claim it on insurance to walk away with a bigger sum of cash.

 

[Chronic Jetlag]

Air 21 out of Nevada, flew Fokkers or Skybus out of Sanford FL flew 727s? Didn't Kiwi require its pilots to invest $100K and flew 727s, how long did they last? I think Air 21 was shortest lived!

 

[Ganja60Heavy]

I also love their tug...they have thought ahead for when they don't make it...they can use it to bury the airplane and claim it on insurance to walk away with a bigger sum of cash.

LOL....also can use it to bury some investors who come looking for their money back!

 

[Simple Man]

Yeah, Air 21 out of LAS... They flew a couple of F-28's to bustling places such as FAT (Fresno).

Of course, there was Eastwind Airlines out of Trenton, NJ aka as "The Bee Line." They had a few 732's and flew between TTN-GSO (why I don't know) and a few other places. They were only around for a few years (early 90's I think).

There was also a proposed start-up in SO CAL that wanted to fly LET turboprops. I can't remember the name of the airline though...

 

[Simple Man]

And there was Vanguard out of MCI. They managed to hang in there for a while and then ceased to exist no too long after 9/11.

 

[starchkr]

Funny you mention Skybus there Chronic...they are trying to start up again out of Columbus, OH now. Their tag line promotes the "Ultra Low Cost Airline." How long do you think that one will last.

 

[GuppyPuppy]

Ultrair out of Houston in the late '80's or early '90's. Flew 727's in a first class configuration.

Tahoe Air out of South Lake Tahoe. Had 737-200's. Flew recently (within the past five or six years) to LAX.

California Air Shuttle in '89. Flew Oxnard to San Jose and, I believe Sacramento with Metros.

Mid Pacific dba Reno Air Express. Flew J-32's out of San Jose as a feeder for Reno Air in 1994. Lasted six months.

Air LA (LAX) using Metros.

Mountain Air Express which flew DO-328's for Western Pacific out of Colorado Springs.

Tri Star which flew BAe 146's out of Las Vegas and Grand Canyon in 1995.

Can't think of any others at the moment.

Any specific info on these would be entertaining.

GP

 

[BVT94]

What about Indigo out of MDW? How long did they last?

 

[Old School 737]

Tahoe Air out of South Lake Tahoe. Had 737-200's. Flew recently (within the past five or six years) to LAX.



Any specific info on these would be entertaining.

GP[/QUOTE]

It was flown by Casino Express "DBA" Tahoe Air. The Tahoe people quit paying us so we quit flying for them. Casino Express has been around since about 1991 and are still flying under the Extra Airways name and Ruby Mt. call sign now.

 

[ol' synch]

Chicago Air out of Midway, 1987-8?? Lasted about six months???

 

[Citrus531]

Yeah, Air 21 out of LAS... They flew a couple of F-28's to bustling places such as FAT (Fresno).

Of course, there was Eastwind Airlines out of Trenton, NJ aka as "The Bee Line." They had a few 732's and flew between TTN-GSO (why I don't know) and a few other places. They were only around for a few years (early 90's I think).

There was also a proposed start-up in SO CAL that wanted to fly LET turboprops. I can't remember the name of the airline though...

i remember an Eastwind crew being up close witnesses to TWA 800 back in July of 1996....on part of the ATC tape from that night...I thought they were around till 1997ish and maybe had a -700?

 

[Publishers]

I think Skybus may techincally be the winner. They flew as a public charter fairly successfully for a few months but Private Air and Express One were the actual carriers. Skybus then got thier own certificate but I do not think they ever flew one of their own flights.
Legend never got off the ground I don't think-- even a certificate because of some galley related issue.

 

[njcapt]

I think Skybus may techincally be the winner. They flew as a public charter fairly successfully for a few months but Private Air and Express One were the actual carriers. Skybus then got thier own certificate but I do not think they ever flew one of their own flights.
Legend never got off the ground I don't think-- even a certificate because of some galley related issue.

As of a month ago, Skybus still planned to start up in 2007. Legend flew for 9 months before flaming out over the galley issue (I think). Vanguard Airlines lasted seven and a half years - November 1994 through June 28th, 2002. I got out five weeks before they cratered.

 

[B727FA]

The galley issue at Legend was scrapped for certification issues. They installed "traditional" galleys to avoid the problem.

The first SkyBus never made it off the ground with their own cert.

I still say Presidental is the winner...

 

[oldxfr8dog]

How about Royal West Airlines, LAS 1987.
Purple BAE-146s.

 

[Old School 737]

Lorair? A 737-200 outfit out of TUS?

 

[V-STALL]

Anyone remember JetTrain? MCO-EWR-PIT. I remember them flying for about a summer. Bad service, bad planes, cool logo.

http://www.visitingphx.com/rp1j.html

 

[TOGA]

Wow. Informative, entertaining . . . and somehow disturbing. Thanks for all the responses! Can you imagine the hardships endured by so many of our fellow pilots and their families during these failures? It sounds like some of you don't need to imagine.