Air L.A.

Air L.A.
IATA ICAO Call sign
UE UED —
Commenced operationsMay 1982;
42 years ago (1982-05)
Ceased operationsSeptember 1995;
29 years ago (1995-09)
HubsLos Angeles International Airport
SubsidiariesConquest Airlines
Parent companyAir L.A. Inc
HeadquartersWestchester, Los Angeles, California, United States
Key people
  • Wayne Schoenfeld
  • Ken Dickey
  • Bill Wolf

Air L.A., a wholly owned subsidiary of Air L.A. Inc (NASDAQ: AILA) was a U.S. commuter airline headquartered in the Westchester area of Los Angeles, California.[1] It was founded by Wayne Schoenfeld, Ken Dickey and Bill Wolf. It discontinued operations in California in May, 1995.[2] It ceased all operations in September 1995.[citation needed]

1980s

Air LA started life as a charter airline in the late 1970s. It first started scheduled operations using Piper Chieftain aircraft in May 1982. It served Blythe, Burbank, Grand Canyon and Las Vegas. It gradually expanded its network to take in Bermuda Dunes/Palm Desert, Bullhead City (AZ)/Laughlin (NV), Ontario (CA) and Las Vegas and by the late 1980s was operating British Aerospace BAe Jetstream 31 commuter propjets.

1990s

In November 1990, Air L.A. added Mexico service through the acquisition of Air Resorts, another southern California-based commuter airline.

In April 1993, it had the distinction of entering into one of the first international codeshare agreements with Aeromexico. The relationship began initially on the Los Angeles to Tijuana route and expanded to another of other Mexican cities primarily out of Tijuana and Hermosillo. The airline bought Conquest Airlines in 1995.[3] In early 1995 Air L.A. also bought St. Paul, MN based Capitol Air (Not to be confused with the Capitol Air that operated jets, the Saint Paul-based Capitol Air was a small commuter that served primarily Chicago Midway and Milwaukee from the St. Paul Downtown airport between mid-December 1993 and December 31, 1994).[4] In 1993, the airline operated a fleet of Fairchild Swearingen Metroliners, seating 19 passengers.

It served the following California cities: Los Angeles, San Diego, Ontario, Bakersfield, Fresno, Stockton and Monterey. In Arizona, it served Phoenix. In Nevada, it served Las Vegas.

The airline also served two states in Mexico. In Baja California, it served Tijuana, Ensenada, Mexicali and San Felipe. In Sonora, it served Hermosillo.

The airline also furnished "air technical assistance" to the television show Wings (1990 TV series) during their 1990 and 1991 seasons.

Destinations in 1989

Air LA was serving the following destinations in 1989 with scheduled passenger flights operated with British Aerospace BAe Jetstream 31 turboprop aircraft:[5]

Destinations in 1995

Air LA was serving the following destinations in 1995 with scheduled passenger flights operated with Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner turboprop aircraft:[6]

Fleet

Air LA operated the following aircraft types during its existence:[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ World Airline Directory. Flight International. March 22–28, 1995. 51.
  2. ^ "Air L.A. Leaves Town". The Los Angeles Times. 25 May 1995. p. B6.
  3. ^ "Air L.A. Buying Another Airline". The Napa Valley Register. Associated Press. 14 Mar 1995. p. 3C.
  4. ^ "Air L.A. purchases Texas-based airline". The Hanford Sentinel. 20 Mar 1995. p. 7.
  5. ^ "index". www.departedflights.com. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
  6. ^ "index". www.departedflights.com. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
  7. ^ "Airliners.net | Aviation Photography, Discussion Forums & News". Airliners.net. Retrieved 2022-10-14.