Nations Air

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, operated during the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Nations Express Air
Nations Air Express Boeing 737-200 at Fort Lauderdale, 1996
IATA ICAO Callsign
N5 NAE NATIONS EXPRESS
Commenced operationsMarch 6, 1995
Ceased operationsSeptember 1, 1999
Operating bases
Fleet size4 Boeing 737
Key peopleMark McDonald (CEO)

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
  1. Nations Air fleet information, at airfleets.net
  2. "Miami Air Charter". Airline History. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  3. "Start Up Airline Finds Skies Not Too Friendly", Associated Press in Los Angeles Daily News, August 5, 1995  – via HighBeam Research (subscription required) .
  4. "Jets Grounded, Nations Air Finds Substitutes", Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News (reprint from Pittsburgh Post-Gazette), July 17, 1995  – via HighBeam Research (subscription required) .
  5. 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) .
  6. http://www.departedflights.com, Dec. 1, 1995 Nations Air system timetable
  7. http://www.departedflights.com, June 1, 1999 Official Airline Guide (OAG), Atlanta-Gulfport flight schedules
  8. "Boeing 727-200". rzjets. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  9. "Nations Air Express Fleet". Planespotters. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
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