Throwbacks

During the mid-2000s the trans-Atlantic market became home to a new type of airline. Business class only airlines began springing up on the popular New York to London route. The airlines Eos, MAXjet, and Silverjet all offered a similar product to the same market. The airlines aimed to lure business customers from the established trans-Atlantic […]

Founded by its refreshed carrier, US Airways, MetroJet survived for just three brief years before shutting down. On June 1, 1998, MetroJet took flight using the Boeing 737-200. The airline was referred to by the call sign USAir, referencing the connection. Today in 1998, MetroJet, operated by US Airways, was launched. #AVHistory — AirlineGeeks.com (@AirlineGeeks) […]

Dutch Antilles Express, also known as DAE, dates back to 2003 when the airline consisted of various smaller carriers inside one parent company. The parent company, named Exel Aviation, started operation in 2003 with BonairExel with a single ATR 42 to operate within the Netherland’s Antilles. The airline quickly became profitable, adding an Embraer ERJ-145 […]

Similar to Michael Scott and the rest of the cast from the hit television show The Office, Midwest Airlines started from a paper company. In 1948 the Kimberly-Clark Corporation opened a corporate flight department to transport employees and executives between the company’s headquarters in Eastern Wisconsin and the company’s paper mills across the country. The […]

Founded in 1995, Eastwind Airlines was short-lived and maintained a small fleet of only five airplanes. Known by their call sign, “Stinger,”  the bee-themed airline experienced several major events that shaped the course of their history, alongside the multitude of problems that ultimately led to their bitter end. In August 1995, Eastwind took flight using […]

In 1968, with the Airline Deregulation Act in its tenth year, small local carriers across the United States were feeling the pressure of larger carriers that were rapidly invading their markets. In an effort to combat the intense pressure from the large carriers, Airwest was born. The carrier was formed from three smaller carriers originating […]

The success of Ryanair in Europe has lead many groups around the world to attempt to copy their business style, with most having lackluster results. One of these airlines was Skybus Airlines in the United States. Founded in 2004, the airline attempted to use low fares and no frills to fly routes that other airlines […]

From its official start in 1947 to its tragic downfall in 2000, and for years beyond, Reeve Aleutian Airways has always had a unique legacy. Known for buying its aircraft from other airlines, rather than purchasing new airplanes, Reeve Aleutian maintained a small fleet, often consisting of rugged turboprops. The Anchorage-based airline had a special […]

Prior to Caribbean Airlines’s dominance of the Caribbean market in recent years, another Trinidad and Tobago carrier used to own the title of being one of the biggest island fliers. Its name was British West Indian Airways, or BWIA for short. BWIA dates back to 1939, when New Zealander and World War I pilot Lowell […]

AirUK began with a merger of four British regional airlines. British Island Airways, Air Anglia, Air Wales, and Air Westward merged together beginning in March of 1979 to form AirUK. The airline was officially incorporated on January 1st, 1980 and commenced operations on January 16th. Following this merger AirUK became the largest regional carrier in […]