Throwbacks

TACA (Transportes Aereos del Continente Americano) was formed in 1931 when a New Zealand billionaire, Lowell Yerex, wanted to form a chain of airlines in Central and South America. Each airline started with Stinson aircraft and all planes proudly displayed the TACA brand. However, competition and a small market in most Central and South American countries […]

Very few airlines have been able to conquer both the sea and the air. One of the few airlines to do so was Chalk’s Ocean Airways. Based in Florida, the small airline used seaplanes to transport locals and tourists around the state and to the Bahamas. At one point the airline claimed to be the […]

On May 22, 1973, Aeroperú took to the skies, becoming Peru’s flag carrier for several intense and difficult years. The struggle to maintain operations would ensue for most of their years in the sky, worsened by failed merger attempts and tragedy. Regardless, Aeroperú was popular for its extensive route network across Peru, along with its […]

Mexicana was formed in 1921 as Compania Mexicana de Aviacion and was the first airline in Mexico. One of Mexicana’s original investors was Juan Trippe who also founded Pan American Airlines in Florida and Mexicana originally started commercial service with a Ford Trimotor flying between Mexico City and Brownsville, Texas with stops in Tuxpan and […]

Independence Air had an unusual route to its life as an independent. The airline began life in late 1989 as Atlantic Coast Airlines. The airline provided regional service for mainline carriers before transitioning to operating as an independent carrier. As an independent carrier, Independence attempted to bring low fares to Dulles, an airport dominated by […]

On July 2, 1992, RenoAir commenced operations and began a memorable seven year effort to keep themselves in the sky. As their name suggests, the airline was based in Reno, Nevada, with additional hubs in Las Vegas and San Jose. RenoAir adopted the city of Reno’s famous motto with a slight adaptation: “The Biggest Little Airline […]

Wien Air Alaska was originally formed by Noel and Ralph Wien who started by ordering a single Fokker F-III plane in 1921 as a way to teach themselves how to fly. After learning how to fly, Noel and Ralph started taking requests from local customers for help if they needed any bush pilots. The company […]

American Trans Air, or more commonly known as ATA, was founded in August of 1973 in Indianapolis, Indiana. It was founded by the Ambassadair Travel Club to provide aircraft for the club. The club’s first aircraft was a Boeing 720 named “Miss Indy,” followed by the addition of a second aircraft, another Boeing 720 named […]

Aspen Airways was founded in 1952 as a regional affiliate of United Express. Originally based in Aspen, Colorado, the airline eventually moved their headquarters to Stapleton International Airport. Aspen Airways was actually named after the aspen tree, not after the city in which it was initially based. Aspen had a codeshare with United Airlines. Subsequently, […]

Ted was formed by United around the same time that Delta was creating their own low cost carrier, Song. The two carriers were similar due to the fact that they were focusing on fighting low cost carriers and offer low fares to leisure destinations. Both Ted and Song were created around the same time: 2003. […]