WinAir Airlines

This article is about the former United States charter airline. For the Netherlands Antilles airline, see Winair.
WinAir Airlines
IATA ICAO Callsign
none WNA WinAir
Founded 1997
Ceased operations 1999
Hubs Long Beach Municipal Airport
Fleet size 10
Destinations 5
Headquarters Salt Lake City, Utah
Key people Richard Winwood
Website www.flywinair.com (defunct)

WinAir Airlines was a charter passenger airline in the United States based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Established in 1997, its first flight was a Super Bowl charter on January 25, 1998. This rapid certification was credited partially to experienced staff, which included personnel from Morris Air, Key Airlines, and Champion Air.

In November 1998, the airline launched public scheduled charter flights from a hub at Long Beach Municipal Airport in Long Beach, California to Las Vegas, Nevada, Oakland, California, Sacramento, California, and Salt Lake City, Utah. The airline applied to the FAA for authority to operate as a scheduled passenger airline, but this was not received by the time the airline shut down.

After running into substantial financial difficulties and maintenance concerns caused by the leaseholders and former aircraft owners including Pegasus Airlines of Turkey and Garuda Indonesia regarding some of the airline's leased 737-400 aircraft, the airline shut down on July 6, 1999.

The airline was featured in the 1999 film For Love of the Game. The film was released in September 1999, two months after the airline ceased operations.

Destinations

The airline also planned flights to Seattle, Washington. Seattle was dropped the week before the airline was scheduled to fly, as competition from rival carriers including Southwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines made it impossible to compete without a contract with Boeing to guarantee a minimum number of passengers between Long Beach and Seattle. After failing finalize a contract in time, WinAir canceled Seattle as a destination.

Fleet

WinAir 737-200 on the ramp in Long Beach

Over the course of its operations, WinAir operated a total of 10 aircraft:

References

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