Nations Air
This article needs additional citations for verification. (April 2013) |
| |||||||
Commenced operations | March 6, 1995 | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ceased operations | September 1, 1999 | ||||||
Operating bases | |||||||
Fleet size | 4 Boeing 737 | ||||||
Key people | Mark McDonald (CEO) |
Nations Air was a new start up airline in the United States that began operating in 1995[1] that was established as Miami Air Charter in 1987[2] and ceased operations in 1999. An airline based in Canada with a similar name, Nationair Canada, operated during the late 1980s and early 1990s.
History[]
Nations Air began as a passenger airline with three Boeing 737-200 jetliners. Scheduled services were operated between Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Boston, and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.[3] The airline quickly faced aggressive competition as well as safety questions that led the FAA to ground the airline briefly in July 1995.[4]
The demise of scheduled service for Nations Air occurred after the Valujet crash in the Florida Everglades created a huge backlash against small start-up carriers and the perception that they were unsafe from a standpoint of maintenance and training.[5] Nations Air's CEO Mark McDonald discontinued scheduled service and, instead, used his 737s to service Atlantic City and Gulfport/Biloxi hotel and casino markets.
Nations Air Express ceased operations on September 1, 1999.
Service in 1995[]
According to the December 1, 1995 Nations Air system timetable, scheduled service was being operated on a linear Boston (BOS)-Philadelphia (PHL)-Pittsburgh (PIT) routing with several flights being operated each day although none of these flights was operated on daily basis. Fares were as low as $39 one way BOS-PHL and PHL-PIT.[6]
Service in 1999[]
According to the June 1, 1999 Official Airline Guide (OAG), the airline was flying scheduled nonstop service between Gulfport, MS (GPT) and Atlanta (ATL) four times a week.[7]
Fleet[]
- 2 Boeing 727-200 (N12304, N258US) leased from Pegasus Aviation[8]
- 4 Boeing 737-200 (N305VA, N308VA, N309VA, N737F)[9]
See also[]
References[]
- ^ Nations Air fleet information, at airfleets.net
- ^ "Miami Air Charter". Airline History. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
- ^ "Start Up Airline Finds Skies Not Too Friendly", Associated Press in Los Angeles Daily News, August 5, 1995 – via HighBeam Research (subscription required).
- ^ "Jets Grounded, Nations Air Finds Substitutes", Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News (reprint from Pittsburgh Post-Gazette), July 17, 1995 – via HighBeam Research (subscription required).
- ^ Tom Belden, "Discount Carrier Nations Air Suspends All Flights", Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News (reprinted from The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 22, 1996 – via HighBeam Research (subscription required).
- ^ http://www.departedflights.com, Dec. 1, 1995 Nations Air system timetable
- ^ http://www.departedflights.com, June 1, 1999 Official Airline Guide (OAG), Atlanta-Gulfport flight schedules
- ^ "Boeing 727-200". rzjets. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
- ^ "Nations Air Express Fleet". Planespotters. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nations Air Express. |
- United States airline stubs
- Defunct airlines of the United States
- Airlines established in 1995
- Airlines disestablished in 1998