In 1944, Gordy Newstrom founded Mesaba Aviation for the purpose of transporting employees of the Blandin Paper Mill Company. It would not be long, however, until the small Minnesota-based company would expand to become a much more significant presence in the airline industry. Purchased by new owners in 1970, the…
Upon returning from flying lessons in Canada, Icelandic pilot Alfred Eliasson and a few of his fellow training partners decided to start a private airline to compete with the current national carrier, Flugfélag Íslands. Eliasson’s airline, named Loftleiđir, started service between Reykjavik and ĺsafjöđur using a Douglas DC-3 on April…
New York, New York has always been a business center in the United States. This, combined with the need for businessmen to travel to nearby large cities quickly, has created shuttle service along the East Coast. These services are often frequent and provide businessmen the best option to do business.…
Southern Airways' history dates back to 1936, when Frank Hulse and Ike Jones purchased a controlling stake in flight school Southern Airways of Georgia. In 1944, the regional carrier finally received certification to operate as an airline. On June 10, 1949, Southern Airways officially took flight. Deemed to be the…
Following his first retirement from Formula One, Austrian driver Niki Lauda quickly realized his desire to start his own airline. The ex-Ferrari driver had taken up flying during the 1970s and was a pilot of a private jet. Lauda’s passion for flying led him to create Lauda Air in 1979,…
In the early 1990s, a new face to low-cost air travel popped up in the Southern United States. Although their history was not long, this one airline changed the public’s view on low-cost air travel and made the government enforce stricter regulations, industry-wide. This airline was ValuJet, who while known…
On June 27, 1979, Atlantic Southeast Airlines took to the skies for the first time, beginning the regional carriers' long and successful journey in the skies above the Southeastern United States and far beyond. Based in Atlanta, Atlantic Southeast, often referred to as ASA, maintained close ties with larger carriers…
Globespan began its history as an Edinburgh tour operator, operating various trips utilizing chartered planes from other airlines in the United Kingdom. The company sought to prove that it was the leader in the traveling industry, specifically in Scotland. To prove this, the company increased charter flights and started their own…
Australia is a large, expansive nation, with population centers on all sides of the country. With that being said, one of the biggest issues has become transporting people between these spread out cities. Numerous airlines have called the Australian skies home, but this story is the failure of one Australia’s…
