Intrastate airlines in the U.S. are defined as air carriers operating inside of one individual state and thus not flying across state lines. Larger intrastate airlines in the U.S. that operated mainline turboprop and/or jet aircraft were created as a result of former federal airline regulations, as passenger air carriers that only flew intrastate service were not regulated by the federal government but were instead primarily regulated by the respective state governments in their home states. For example, Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) and Air California were both regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) prior to the federal Airline Deregulation Act of 1978.[1] Although intrastate airlines in some states used only turboprop aircraft, scheduled passenger service on jet aircraft was operated by intrastate air carriers in California, Florida, Hawaii and Texas.
History
Intrastate airlines were created as a result of U.S. federal government regulation of the airline industry. A number of intrastate airlines were also commuter or regional air carriers primarily operating smaller prop and/or turboprop passenger aircraft. These airlines connected smaller cities within their home state to the larger cities and airline hubs in the same state.
Due to Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) regulations governing interstate air transportation, smaller airlines and start up carriers were often able to find niche markets in their home states. By not crossing state lines, an intrastate airline was not required to seek CAB's approval of which routes it flew within its home state and the fares it charged.
Several intrastate air carriers in the U.S. operated larger mainline turboprop and/or mainline jet aircraft in the states of Alaska, California, Florida, Hawaii, and Texas in the past. These airlines included:
Pacific Southwest Airlines was the only U.S.-based intrastate air carrier ever to operate wide body jetliners in the form of the Lockheed L-1011. Before introducing the turboprop powered Lockheed L-188 Electra into its fleet in 1959 followed later by jet aircraft, PSA operated Douglas DC-3, DC-4 and DC-6 piston powered propliners during the 1950s.
Following the federal Airline Deregulation Act of 1978, several intrastate airlines in the U.S. that were operating mainline jet aircraft then expanded with interstate service and in some cases international flights. One of the most successful former intrastate carriers which continues to exist is Southwest Airlines. Other airlines which started with intrastate services such as Air California (subsequently renamed AirCal), Air Florida, Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) and Muse Air (subsequently renamed TranStar Airlines) were subjected to post-deregulation mergers, acquisitions, or bankruptcies and no longer exist as individual airline companies. Also following the Airline Deregulation Act, those airlines previously classified and listed in the Official Airline Guide (OAG) as operating as an "Intrastate Air Carrier" were no longer listed as intrastate airlines in flight schedules published in the OAG.
Former intrastate air carriers in the U.S.
Air carriers noted in bold operated jet aircraft on their intrastate flights; all of them, except for Discovery Airways and Tahoe Air, subsequently expanded their operations with scheduled interstate service in the U.S. Intrastate route information is primarily taken from the route maps and system timetables sections of the departedflights.com website as well as the system timetables section of the timetablesimages.com website.[3][4]
AirCal, Air Florida, Aloha Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, PSA, and Southwest eventually operated scheduled international flights as well.
Hawaiian Airlines, Horizon Air, SkyWest, and Southwest are the only airlines on this list currently still operating.
Air California - The airline began operations in 1967 with Lockheed L-188 Electra turboprop service nonstop between Orange County Airport (now John Wayne Airport) and San Francisco International Airport. In 1976, Air California was primarily operating Boeing 737-200 jetliners as well as Electra propjets and was serving Lake Tahoe (served via the Lake Tahoe Airport with the Electra), Oakland, Ontario, Orange County, Palm Springs, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Diego and San Jose. The airline subsequently expanded its service to destinations in Alaska, Arizona, Illinois, Nevada, Oregon and Washington state as well as British Columbia in Canada, changed its name to AirCal and was then acquired by American Airlines after commencing interstate and international flights.
Air Florida - The airline began operations in 1972 with Boeing 707 jetliners with service to Miami, Orlando and St. Petersburg (via the St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport) and was the only airline in the U.S. to operate the 707 in intrastate service. By 1975, Lockheed L-188 Electra propjets had replaced the Boeing 707s with service being operated into Miami, Orlando, Tallahassee and Tampa.[5] In 1977, Gainesville and Jacksonville had been added to the route system with Douglas DC-9-10 jet service also having been introduced by this time and by 1978 Daytona Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Panama City, Pensacola and West Palm Beach in Florida had been added as well.[6] The airline then expanded during the late 1970s and early 1980s with new domestic service to destinations in Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas and Vermont as well as Washington, D.C. A major international expansion was also initiated at this same time from Air Florida's Miami hub with service to Amsterdam, Brussels, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, London, Madrid, Oslo, Shannon, Stockholm and Zurich in Europe in addition to flights to many destinations in the Caribbean and Central America as well as the Bahamas with service to Bermuda from the New York City area also being operated. Air Florida ceased operations in 1984 after declaring bankruptcy following commencement of interstate and international services.
Alamo Commuter Airlines - operated in the state of Texas
Aloha Airlines - initially operated interisland flights beginning in 1946 in the state of Hawaii with Douglas C-47 prop aircraft followed by Fairchild F-27 and Vickers Viscount turboprop airliners. Aloha then began operating interisland jet service, first with the British Aircraft CorporationBAC One-Eleven and later with Boeing 737-200, 737-300 and 737-400 jets. The airline subsequently expanded its service to the west coast of the U.S. and Canada using Boeing 737-700 and 737-800 jets and also operated flights to South Pacific destinations. Aloha was shut down on March 31, 2008 following 62 years of service.
Amistad Airlines - operated in the state of Texas
Apache Airlines - operated in the state of Arizona
Argonaut Airways - operated Douglas DC-3 aircraft in the state of Florida
Aspen Airways - initially operated within the state of Colorado before expanding flights to destinations in California, Iowa, North Dakota, Montana, New Mexico, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Wyoming and then subsequently introduced British AerospaceBAe 146-100 jet service from its Denver hub and also from Aspen Pitkin County Airport with Convair 580 turboprops being operated as well
Horizon Air - initially operated within the state of Washington with Fairchild F-27 turboprops in 1981. It is a major regional airline operating flights with Embraer E-175 regional jets in Alaska, the western U.S., western Canada, and western Mexico on behalf of Alaska Airlines. Owned by Alaska Air Group which is also the corporate parent of Alaska Airlines.
L'Express Airlines - initially operated within the state of Louisiana and then expanded operations into Texas
Mid Pacific Air - initially operated NAMC YS-11 turboprops on interisland flights in the state of Hawaii and then introduced Fokker F28 Fellowship interisland jet service. Subsequently expanded to southern California and Las Vegas with NAMC YS-11 service.
MarkAir - initially operated Boeing 737-200 jets in the state of Alaska before expanding service to the lower 48 states in the continental U.S.
Monarch Airlines - operated in the state of Colorado
Muse Air - the airline began intrastate flights in Texas in 1981 with McDonnell Douglas MD-80 jetliners between Dallas Love Field and Houston Hobby Airport in competition with Southwest Airlines.[10] By 1982, Muse Air had introduced flights to Tulsa followed by the initiation of new service during the mid 1980s to destinations in California, Florida, Louisiana and Nevada and was thus no longer an intrastate air carrier.[10] The airline subsequently changed its name to TranStar Airlines after being acquired by Southwest Airlines.
Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) - the airline began operations in 1949 with Douglas DC-3 service operated on a routing of San Diego - Burbank - Oakland with San Francisco being added to the route system by 1953.[11] In 1978, the airline was primarily operating Boeing 727-200 jetliners as well as Lockheed L-188 Electra propjets and was serving Burbank, Fresno, Lake Tahoe (served via the Lake Tahoe Airport with the Electra), Long Beach, Los Angeles International Airport, Monterey, Oakland, Ontario, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco International Airport, San Jose and Stockton in California. PSA was also the only intrastate air carrier to operate wide body jets with Lockheed L-1011 TriStar aircraft being flown on routes wholly within California primarily between Los Angeles (LAX) and San Francisco (SFO) in 1975.[12] The airline then expanded its domestic service to destinations in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Washington state and also operated international flights to Mexico. PSA was acquired by USAir after commencing interstate and international services. USAir was then renamed US Airways with this airline subsequently merging with American Airlines.
Paradise Airlines - operated Lockheed Constellation propliner service between Lake Tahoe, Oakland and San Jose in northern California during the early 1960s[13]
Qwest Air - operated in the state of California
Rio Airways - operated independently in the state of Texas and subsequently became a Delta Connection air carrier
Rocky Mountain Airways - initially operated within the state of Colorado before expanding service to destinations in Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming. Also subsequently became a Continental Express air carrier.
Southwest Airlines - the airline commenced operations in Texas in 1971 as an intrastate air carrier regulated by the state of Texas Aeronautics Commission with Boeing 737-200 jet service between Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. Harlingen was added to the route system in 1975 with Austin, Corpus Christi, El Paso, Lubbock and Midland/Odessa being added in 1977 and Amarillo being added in 1978. On January 25, 1979 Southwest began nonstop service between Houston and New Orleans and was thus no longer operating exclusively as an intrastate air carrier.[17] In 2020, Southwest was the largest airline in the world by number of scheduled passengers carried.[18]
Tahoe Air - operated Boeing 737-200 jet service into Lake Tahoe Airport in 1999 from Los Angeles and San Jose in California before ceasing all operations the same year
Texas National Airlines - operated in the state of Texas
Trans California Airlines - operated Lockheed Constellation propliners in California in the early 1960s[19]
Trans-Texas Airways (TTa) - initially operated within the state of Texas before expanding service to destinations in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Tennessee as well as initiating international flights to Mexico followed by the introduction of Douglas DC-9-10 jets and then a name change to Texas International Airlines accompanied by additional expansion to other states with an eventual merger with Continental Airlines[20]
WestAir Commuter Airlines - initially operated as an independent airline in California with prop and turboprop aircraft and subsequently became a United Express air carrier operating British AerospaceBAe 146-200 jets as well as turboprop aircraft. Eventually expanded its route network to include Arizona and Nevada operating as United Express.
Westates Airlines - operated Convair 580 turboprops in the state of California
Wings West Airlines - initially operated as an independent airline in the state of California and subsequently became an American Eagle air carrier
Yosemite Airlines - operated in the state of California
Zia Airlines - operated in the state of New Mexico
Unless otherwise noted, most of the above air carriers were commuter airlines that primarily operated smaller prop and/or turboprop aircraft.
