Elite Airways

Elite Airways
Founded	2006
Commenced operations	July 28, 2014
AOC #	19EA891L[1]
Operating bases	Portland International Jetport
Fleet size	5
Destinations	3
Headquarters	Portland, Maine, U.S.
Website	res.eliteairways.net

Elite Airways is an airline based in the United States operating charter and scheduled passenger flights. The airline adjusts destinations as demand increases or decreases. The airline is headquartered in Portland, Maine.[2]

History

Elite Airways LLC was founded in 2006 and received FAA Part 121 scheduled certification in 2012.[3] When the airline obtained its scheduled authority it announced it would begin scheduled passenger flights to and from Orlando Melbourne International Airport, the airline's operating base; the first scheduled passenger route was announced on July 28, 2014 when the airline said it would begin twice-weekly services between Melbourne and Washington Dulles International Airport on September 8 that year.[4] Flights went on sale August 25, 2014 utilizing Branson Air Express as the ticketing airline.[5] In November the airline began operating the Branson Air Express flights from Branson Airport to Chicago Midway Airport and Houston Hobby Airport.

The airline announced that service from Northern Colorado's Fort Collins-Loveland Airport to both Newark Liberty International Airport and Chicago Rockford International Airport would begin on August 27, 2015.[6] The airline subsequently announced flights starting December 10, 2015 from Vero Beach Municipal Airport to Newark Liberty International Airport,[7] representing the first-ever commercial scheduled jet service at Vero Beach airport.

In early 2016, Elite Airways introduced scheduled service from Naples Municipal Airport in southwest Florida to Newark Liberty, Orlando Melbourne, Vero Beach and Portland International Jetport in Maine, representing the first commercial services at Naples Municipal Airport since 2006.[8] In March 2016, the airline announced the restart of twice-weekly service between Fort Collins-Loveland Municipal Airport and Chicago Rockford International Airport starting May 23, 2016.[9] On April 15, 2016, the airline announced that it would begin regular flight operations at Long Island MacArthur Airport in Islip, New York. The airline announced service to three destinations: Orlando-Melbourne, FL; Myrtle Beach, SC; and Portland, ME.[10] Flight service began at Long Island MacArthur Airport the morning of June 17, 2016[11] On December 7, 2016, the airline announced it would begin non-stop service from Long Island to Newport News, VA beginning in March 2017,[12] and on December 13, 2016, the airline announced plans to further expand service from Long Island MacArthur Airport to Vero Beach, FL.[13]

Beginning April 27, 2017, Elite Airways begins its first international service, flying between Orlando Melbourne International Airport and South Bimini Airport in The Bahamas.

Beginning September 28, 2017, Elite Airways began doing business as Cal Jet Elite,[14] and flew between McClellan-Palomar Airport in Carlsbad, CA and McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, NV. Cal Jet and Elite provided irregular service, frequently cancelling flights and stranding travelers.[15][16] The service was quietly ceased by the airline in April 2018, and Elite Airways has not made an announcement on whether or not to maintain the Cal Jet route. As of June 20, it is not possible to book flights on the official website.[17]

In 2018 the airline refocused its scheduled operations on the core Newark & Portland to Florida flights and has since added flights from Florida to Asheville, North Carolina and Traverse City, Michigan.

On August 6, 2019 it was announced that Elite Airways signed an operating agreement to provide the initial aircraft, flight crews, and maintenance service for revival of the Midwest Express brand.[18] In 2019, Elite Airways opened a dedicated maintenance facility at Auburn/Lewiston Municipal Airport.[19] In 2019 Elite Airways also ceased scheduled service to Orlando-Melbourne, which it had served since it began scheduled passenger service.

In 2020, Vero Beach, Florida city council recommended terminating Elite's lease at Vero Beach Regional Airport due to a funding gap from Florida Department of Transportation as Elite's passengers numbers had exceeded 10,000 but less than 200,000.[20] The city council ultimately extended the lease while trying to work out a longer-term solution. [21]

Fleet

The Elite Airways fleet comprises the following aircraft:[22][23]

Elite Airways CRJ 200ER

Elite Airways Fleet
Aircraft	In Service	Notes
Bombardier CRJ100ER	1
Bombardier CRJ200ER	2
Bombardier CRJ200ER	1	In a Corporate 16 seat configuration
Bombardier CRJ200LR	1
Bombardier CRJ701ER	2	All CRJ700 were previously owned by Lufthansa CityLine, one aircraft stored, one aircraft leased to Air Wisconsin for fleet familiarization
Total	6

Destinations

Elite Airways operates both charter and scheduled operations. Charter operations are primarily NCAA charters, music tours, and other ACMI operations flying throughout North & Central America, and the Caribbean.

The scheduled operations served are listed below:

Current destinations

City	Airport	IATA Code	Destinations	Notes
Florida
Vero Beach	Vero Beach Regional Airport	VRB	Newark Portland (ME)	Seasonal Service[24]
Maine
Portland	Portland International Jetport	PWM	Vero Beach	Seasonal Service
New Jersey
Newark	Newark Liberty International Airport	EWR	Vero Beach	Seasonal Service

Terminated destinations

City	Airport	IATA Code	Destinations	Notes
United States
Arizona
Bullhead City/Laughlin (NV)	Laughlin/Bullhead International Airport	IFP	Phoenix
Phoenix	Sky Harbor International Airport	PHX	Bullhead City Rochester
California
Carlsbad	McClellan–Palomar Airport	CRQ	Las Vegas	Branded as CalJet \| Ceased operations April 18, 2018.
Colorado
Denver	Denver International Airport	DEN	Branson (Seasonal)	Branded as Great Lakes Airlines
Fort Collins	Fort Collins–Loveland Municipal Airport	FNL	Chicago-Rockford
Florida
Key West	Key West International Airport	EYW	Melbourne (FL)
Melbourne	Orlando Melbourne International Airport	MLB	Bimini Key West Long Island/Islip Portland (ME) Washington-Dulles
Naples	Naples Municipal Airport	APF	Newark Orlando-Melbourne Portland (ME)
Sarasota	Sarasota–Bradenton International Airport	SRQ	Portland (ME) Traverse City White Plains
Illinois
Chicago	Midway International Airport	MDW	Branson
Rockford	Chicago Rockford International Airport	RFD	Fort Collins
Louisiana
New Orleans	Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport	MSY	Branson Cancun (Seasonal)
Maine
Bar Harbor	Hancock County-Bar Harbor Airport	BHB	Newark Portland (ME)	EAS Community
Massachusetts
New Bedford	New Bedford Regional Airport	EWB	Vero Beach
Michigan
Traverse City	Cherry Capital Airport	TVC	Sarasota
Minnesota
Rochester	Rochester International Airport	RST	Phoenix-Sky Harbor St. Augustine	Never began service
Missouri
Branson	Branson Airport	BKG	Cancun (Seasonal) Cincinnati Denver Houston-Intercontinental New Orleans	Branded as Branson Air Express and Great Lakes Airlines
Nevada
Las Vegas	McCarran International Airport	LAS	Carlsbad	Branded as CalJet
New York
Albany	Albany International Airport	ALB	Myrtle Beach
Long Island/Islip	Long Island MacArthur Airport	ISP	Orlando-Melbourne
White Plains	Westchester County Airport	HPN	Sarasota
North Carolina
Asheville	Asheville Regional Airport	AVL	Vero Beach (Seasonal)
Ohio
Cinciniati	Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport	CVG	Branson
Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh	Pittsburgh International Airport	PIT	Sarasota
South Carolina
Myrtle Beach	Myrtle Beach International Airport	MYR	Albany Newport News
Texas
Houston	George Bush Intercontinental Airport	IAH	Branson	Branded as Branson Air Express and Great Lakes Airlines
Virginia
Washington, D.C.	Washington Dulles International Airport	IAD	Orlando-Melbourne
Newport News	Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport	PHF	Myrtle Beach	Never began service
Bahamas
Bimini	South Bimini Airport	BIM	Melbourne Newark (Seasonal)
Canada
Halifax	Halifax Stanfield International Airport	YHZ	Portland (ME)
Mexico
Cancún	Cancún International Airport	CUN	Branson (Seasonal) New Orleans (Seasonal)	Flight stopped in New Orleans for Immigration and Customs clearance to and from Cancun

References

"Federal Aviation Administration - Airline Certificate Information - Detail View". av-info.faa.gov. Retrieved 2019-05-14.
"Contact Us Archived 2016-05-08 at the Wayback Machine." Elite Airways. Retrieved on May 13, 2016. "50 Portland Pier, Suite 300 Portland, ME 04101"
ELITE AIRWAYS, AMERICA’S NEWEST AIRLINE, PREPARES FOR TAKE-OFF, Elite Airways PR via EAS Flights blog, November 6, 2012, retrieved 2014-04-24
Anderson, J. Craig. Maine-based Elite Airways takes flight path to expansion, Portland Press Herald, July 28, 2014, Retrieved 2014-07-31
Price, Wayne T., Fares on sale for new Elite Airways flights at Melbourne airport, Florida Today, August 25, 2014, Retrieved 2014-08-25
Muserallo, Sean. "Rockford airport to serve Denver, New York City areas". www.wrex.com. Retrieved 2016-05-11.
"Elite Airways flights from Vero Beach to Newark begin Dec. 10". www.tcpalm.com. Retrieved 2016-05-11.
Elite Airways cleared for landing in Naples, Naples Florida Weekly, February 11, 2016, Retrieved 2016-05-03
Young, Craig. Loveland flights to Rockford resume May 23, Reporter Herald, March 8, 2016, Retrieved 2016-05-03
Ruud, Candice. "Newsday" April 15, 2016
Chang, Sophia. "Newsday" June 17, 2016
Pascale, Jordan. "The Virginian-Pilot" December 7, 2016
Caddell, Catherine. "TC Palm/USA Today" December 13, 2016
"Federal Aviation Administration - Airline Certificate Information - Detail View".
<http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/business/tourism/sd-fi-caljet-vegas-20180222-story.html
"Cal Jet abruptly cancels more flights". 2018-04-20.
https://www.caljetelite.com/find-flights
Taschler, Joe. Midwest Express enters into agreement with carrier as process continues to begin service in Milwaukee, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, August 6, 2019, retrieved 2019-10-1
Elite Airways Opens New Maintenance Facility at Auburn-Lewiston Airport in Maine, Aviation Pros, January 18, 2019, retrieved 2019-10-1
http://veronews.com/2020/01/10/vero-beach-airport-commission-recommends-ending-elite-airways-commercial-flights/
http://veronews.com/2020/02/03/veros-airport-funding-extended-for-three-years-while-city-searches-for-permanent-solution/
"Global Airline Guide 2016 (Part Two)". Airliner World (November 2016): 38.
"Federal Aviation Administration - Airline Certificate Information - Aircraft Detail". av-info.faa.gov. Retrieved 2020-04-27.
Wixon, Colleen. "Elite Airways maintains flights in Vero Beach, received $11.3 million boost from CARES Act". Treasure Coast. Retrieved 2021-01-08.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[FAA-1] "Federal Aviation Administration - Airline Certificate Information - Detail View". av-info.faa.gov. Retrieved 2019-05-14.

[2] "Contact Us Archived 2016-05-08 at the Wayback Machine." Elite Airways. Retrieved on May 13, 2016. "50 Portland Pier, Suite 300 Portland, ME 04101"

[3] ELITE AIRWAYS, AMERICA’S NEWEST AIRLINE, PREPARES FOR TAKE-OFF, Elite Airways PR via EAS Flights blog, November 6, 2012, retrieved 2014-04-24

[4] Anderson, J. Craig. Maine-based Elite Airways takes flight path to expansion, Portland Press Herald, July 28, 2014, Retrieved 2014-07-31

[5] Price, Wayne T., Fares on sale for new Elite Airways flights at Melbourne airport, Florida Today, August 25, 2014, Retrieved 2014-08-25

[:0-6] Muserallo, Sean. "Rockford airport to serve Denver, New York City areas". www.wrex.com. Retrieved 2016-05-11.

[7] "Elite Airways flights from Vero Beach to Newark begin Dec. 10". www.tcpalm.com. Retrieved 2016-05-11.

[8] Elite Airways cleared for landing in Naples, Naples Florida Weekly, February 11, 2016, Retrieved 2016-05-03

[9] Young, Craig. Loveland flights to Rockford resume May 23, Reporter Herald, March 8, 2016, Retrieved 2016-05-03

[10] Ruud, Candice. "Newsday" April 15, 2016

[11] Chang, Sophia. "Newsday" June 17, 2016

[12] Pascale, Jordan. "The Virginian-Pilot" December 7, 2016

[13] Caddell, Catherine. "TC Palm/USA Today" December 13, 2016

[14] "Federal Aviation Administration - Airline Certificate Information - Detail View".

[15] <http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/business/tourism/sd-fi-caljet-vegas-20180222-story.html

[16] "Cal Jet abruptly cancels more flights". 2018-04-20.

[17] ttps://www.caljetelite.com/find-flights

[18] Taschler, Joe. Midwest Express enters into agreement with carrier as process continues to begin service in Milwaukee, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, August 6, 2019, retrieved 2019-10-1

[19] Elite Airways Opens New Maintenance Facility at Auburn-Lewiston Airport in Maine, Aviation Pros, January 18, 2019, retrieved 2019-10-1

[20] ttp://veronews.com/2020/01/10/vero-beach-airport-commission-recommends-ending-elite-airways-commercial-flights/

[21] ttp://veronews.com/2020/02/03/veros-airport-funding-extended-for-three-years-while-city-searches-for-permanent-solution/

[22] "Global Airline Guide 2016 (Part Two)". Airliner World (November 2016): 38.

[23] "Federal Aviation Administration - Airline Certificate Information - Aircraft Detail". av-info.faa.gov. Retrieved 2020-04-27.

[24] Wixon, Colleen. "Elite Airways maintains flights in Vero Beach, received $11.3 million boost from CARES Act". Treasure Coast. Retrieved 2021-01-08.